The Bullnose Problem

We are on our third and final bathroom and I've come to the conclusion that I hate bathroom remodels. There are too many choices to be made and lots that can go wrong: which tile, design and arrangement, coordinating the plumber, tiler, and painting and hoping they don't screw up. Tile essentially can't be fixed once set, without completely redoing it, at great expense (even if only considering the material cost). So, it's important to find a good tiler and plumber. There's lots that can go wrong. If the plumbing is off or incorrect, you may need to pull down some tile and cut through cement board. If the shower pan leaks, you're in for some trouble. If it isn't sloped properly, it will pool water and can mildew.

So now I'll get to the intention of this post, the bullnose problem. We found the tile we wanted at the local tile warehouse, but the bullnose was not in stock. I know some people leave unfinished edges and with a natural stone, that can look good, but with porcelain, the edge is a different color than the finish and doesn't look good exposed, and hence the reason for bullnose. I had an awful experience ordering tile in the past where half of it arrived cracked. It's also quite expensive when paying for shipping. The tile saleswomen show me Schluter metal bullnose. They're not cheap at around $30/8ft, but neither is bullnose. I think the Schluter edge looks better since it doesn't break up the tile layout that occurs with most bullnoses, since they are typically 2x10, not the dimension of your main tile.

The edge comes in a few different finishes and dimensions. You'll need to get the correct dimension for your tile thickness. We chose the roundec style, which has a rounded edge as the name implies. There are other manufacturers besides Schluter that make this but this is what was my tiler could get from his supplier.

 The edge makes a nice transition as the tile turns the corner

Roger, our tiler, did a nice job framing the niche with the edge. Notice how the ledge sits back a bit so that the edge lands behind the outside framing

As expected the curb has the bullnose too. Notice how the plumber didn't center the drain!

And here's the final result, sans the door ,which is on order

Trees are Cheap, Stumps are Expensive

I had a massive pine tree in my front yard. It was so big it eclipsed the yard. Its roots were coming out of the ground and getting unruly; it would drop sap on our cars; it would block the sun from melting snow on the driveway; it had to go.

A couple things I learned about tree removal: it's generally cheaper during the offseason and stumps are expensive to remove. I got an estimate in August and was surprised how much it would cost (about a 1000) for the tree remove and stump grinding. The stump removal was half the cost of the removing and disposing of the entire tree. I didn't get it done at the time since I had lot of remodel activities that were taking priority.

Then, in January I got another estimate, this time putting an ad on Craigslist and collecting offers. I stipulated that only licensed and bonded tree companies would be considered (I didn't want some DIY'er looking for extra cash to drop a tree on my house or cut their leg off). The estimate I got was $600 total, so 40% less!

The tree company owner told me he discounts until things pick up, around March. He said some deciduous trees (honey locust), are too difficult to trim in the winter. And, about the stumps being so expensive, and he told me that it takes a lot of time to grind them and the equipment is expensive. I opted to have just the stump removed and to leave the surface roots. I will start to attack the surface roots with stumpout, which is essentially a fungus that rots the wood over time.

Milgard Ultra Doulble Hung Windows Don't Work With Inside Mount Blinds!!!

The house had old single pane aluminum windows from the 70s. These are about the worst possible windows for a house in a cold climate, as they suck heat out of your home. They don't even sell aluminum windows anymore, except in hot/dry climates like the southwest. 

After shopping around several windows I settled on the Milgard Ultra, a fiberglass window. I liked the lifetime warranty and they had a good track record. Also the the glass is sealed at altitude (Denver), where I live. This is good since otherwise pressure differences will slightly bend the glass (pilling I think it's called). 

As expected the windows don't look as good in person than they brochures. Overall I was disappointed with the build quality. The corner miter seams are off on most all of the windows. The Milgard service/repair team was fairly responsive in addressing some of the issues (seals coming off/screens too tight), but of couse they can't fix fundamental quality issues. Some of the windows had scratches and they replaced the glass. How they got scratched is surely an oddity. 

The biggest disappointment however is the double hung windows don't support inside mount blinds. Or, more specifically, the window takes up the complete 4.5" depth of the jamb, leaving no space for a blind. Outside mount blinds would work but they don't look good IMO, and would hide the nice window trim.  If I had known this I would never have chosen these windows. I never thought to ask about blinds and my window contractor didn't say anything -- I just assumed all windows support inside mount blinds -- wrong!

Doing it all over again, I would have bought Marvin windows instead, give the quality issues with the Milgard. All research I have done (after the fact) indicates Marvin is a higher quality window. BTW, I have no idea if the Marvin double hung supports inside mount blinds. Also, I may have sprung for more expensive wood windows for two reasons: finish and thermal properties. Even when painted white, wood windows look better. The fiberglass shows a bit of a pattern (think playground equipment). 

I'll update this post later showing some of the quality issues of the Milgards.