Moving The Goalposts: When Planning a Remodel on a Tight Timeline, Remember Murphy’s Law

OK, I admit it. Those of you who thought I was crazy to plan an entire renovation in 7 days were right: I was way too ambitious. We’ve had a few setbacks on the tile-laying front that have now made our timeline nigh impossible. It would take an all-nighter and some miracle fast-drying primer to make it to a completely finished bathroom by Sunday night.

So I’m going to move the goalposts. As long as we have a functional shower and toilet, we are totally copacetic with brushing teeth over the kitchen sink. It just means our dirty coffee mugs are minty fresh for a few more days.

So how did I end up cashing my reality check?

If the schedule for our one-week renovation was to work, all of the tile had to be set and grouted by Thursday (yesterday). That would mean priming today after finishing the shower and tub plumbing, and taking down the ugly old mirror that was glued to the wall, fixing any issues with the drywall, as well as installing new vanity lights.

But, because we were short a man on Wednesday, only half of the floor tile was mortared in. This was a huge red flag for me, considering our schedule. We had to have the floor and the shower set on Wednesday in order for the rest of the bathroom to be finished on schedule.

So our tile setter hired a few more hands yesterday to get it all set, and I have to say, I am in LOVE with the way it looks!

I love the tile we chose, Emser St. Moritz in Gray, mostly for its modern, concrete-esque look and texture. The rectangular shape is super modern and makes the space look so much bigger, thanks to the offset pattern.

Grout is going in today, and if we can catch a break, we’ll finish plumbing today, too.

Keep your fingers crossed!