Piping [s]

The master bathroom fixtures: Moen mixer and three way diverter valve, Moen shower head, Kohler body sprays. The valves are pull-on push-off so you don't have to fiddle with the temperature. I went with flush mount body sprays.



Pops taught me how to sweat pipe this weekend. Left to right: flux, solder, pipe abrasives, sparker, tape, propane.

1. Clean the pipes with a wire brush.
2. Goop some flux on.
3. Connect.
4. Heat them with the propane torch.
5. Add solder when the pipe is hot enough to melt it, the flux will magically suck it inside the joint.
   

The piping is installed, supported, and pressure tested.



The potted items on the deck now have drippers controlled by a single valve.



I still need to buy a lawnmower, but the grass and vines are growing plenty.



Sweet coincidence of Port au Prince!

Garage doors [s]

Fed up with the garage door that opened into the dryer (pictured below), I bought a replacement that would open into the side room. I went with a steel exterior type.



I bought a second for the garage-to-outside door, this one will be a challenge because it requires a dog door.

Then caulking and trimming on both.



The sod is still alive. The black bamboo should eventually grow alongside the railing in the left part of the image. In the same planter, under the deck, I put the large jade bush I got from SFS nursery.


Thanks to Jon, I have plywood up in the master bathroom so it's time to think about fixtures.



Shower head, body sprays, done. Price Pfister had a nice diagram illustrating the closed loop plumbing necessary for body sprays.

Master bath [p]

The master bathroom is progressing steadily.



If I can reroute the water pipes to their new home in the cornered-off section, I can finish the plywood paneling (then roofing felt and monkey board). The 45 degree angle opens the shower up quite a bit and should make it easier to add body sprayers. It won't be quite as glamorous as Jeff's suggestion, which is regrettably too wide.



I've been through numerous sketches, this is the working plan. I can draw on experience for the shower room and sink. Installing a tub would require a new drain, something I haven't done. Thankfully the area is easy to get to, rather than being under the house or in the slab. Additionally the sink line can be used for the tub, so that's nice. Whatever the case, the tub won't be part of the first pass.

The window adjoining the skylights adds a ton of light to the room, I'm going to need to do some research into acrylic for this. That will lend to possibly installing a small partition to prevent overspray from hitting the toilet. And I'd like to find a sliding door inset with translucent acrylic for the shower room.


I was browsing Lowe's site and found quite a few soaking tubs up to seven feet long.



Removing the closet really opens up the room, to say nothing for how much it imposed on the bathroom - when there was a bathroom. Taking out the flimsy structure revealed a 6' x 4' nook, and that even some of the exterior walls were not insulated. The nook is pretty useless but does beat the attic for storage. Hmm.