On to the Fronts at Last!

We've move on to the final stack!  The fronts are the largest footprint of the bathrooms and the space will feel nice.  We've got room to work in the normal features.  The first floor will be an even larger handicap accessible bathroom that includes the hallway and closet from the library.  We'll have a public entrance to it from the library and a private entrance from the 1st front of the front double.

5th Front

Framing is mostly in the whole front stack.  Here's what the 5th looks like - 4th through 2nd are pretty similar.

1st Front 

Handicap accessible bathroom taking up what used to be part of the library hallway and closet.

External Perspective

Central square continues to change.  The latest is the enormous building going up just across Mass Ave from Miracle.  As you can see from the view from behind the house, 5 1/2 stories of brick don't tower over the street in quite the way that they once did.

New Building Going Up Just Across the Street

View from the back across Main St. - It's a good deal taller than the Lamson Building!

Moving Along on the Doubles

We're well underway with the tile in the front doubles.  These bathrooms were a challenge because they are so small.  We found a way to pack in a shower next to the window - there will be a glass wall in between shower and toilet.  But we actually had to run the vent duct and plumbing stack across the hallway in the closet.  We are pushing to get these ready by rush.

5th Double

4th Double

*%$# Leprechaun anyone!

3rd Double

1st Double

Back Stack Up and Running

The back bathrooms are done except for a few towel bars.  Take a look!  At this point we've moved on to the double and front stacks, so no one is stuck using an old bathroom anymore!
(About time I got back to feeding the blog. :) )

5th Back

4th Back

3rd Back

2nd Back

1st Back

And a bit of a preview of work still to come - check out the woodwork and the stain finish in the annex powder room!

Powder Room off Annex

North Bathrooms up and Running

Brothers and boarders are now using the North bathrooms.  What an improvement!

5th Floor

3rd Floor

We're up and running with only a few non-critical punch list items that the contractor is addressing.  Demo is now proceeding on the front double stack.

Moving Along on the Back Stack

We're moving along on the back stack.  Roughs are out of the way and tiling has begun.  At this point tile is the rate limiting step, but the tile installer has a new helper and is aiming to make better time on these 6 bathrooms.  

Starting on the 5th floor, the tiler is going to knock them out one at a time.

Bathrooms at the 4th floor and below stand ready for tile (3rd back shown).  The green treatment is the waterproofing that goes over the cement board.  

The half bath off the annex will be something different entirely.  As our guest bathroom it's getting some special touches like this mahogany paneling.

We made a few related changes along the way.  The attic now features open cell insulation which will be substantially more effective than what we had before.  We again take advantage of the access hatches that Richard Perkins installed in the mid 90's.  But I'd forgotten how small the one in the front hallway is.  Insert camera, then insert head, not both at once!

Moving on to the Back

The tiling work continues on the North hallway.  Check out the floor tile on the 4th and 5th - it really starts to bring things together!  With finish work underway on the North, we've demo'd the back stack and are framing out the new space.  This will be more work as we have 5 full bathrooms as well as the powder room.  Usable bathrooms are in short supply in the moment, but as the new bathrooms come online it will all be worth it.

North Hallway

3rd North

 On the 3rd the wall tile is going in.

4th North

On the 4th the walls are finished except for the accent line at the top.  The floor mosaic is in and really dresses the place up.  Each bathroom has a different pattern/color scheme that borrows from the Alpha Delt palette. 

5th North

The 5th floor features a penny round mosaic in black and white.

Back Hallway

1st Back

 The back stack is gutted and the floor framing has been reinforced.  These bathrooms will look similar to the layout on the North hallway, but there will be a shower instead of a tub.

Annex Powder Room from a Perspective You've Never Seen Before!

You can get a good view of the annex powder room from the back bathroom now.

Annex Powder Room

The powder room was pretty small.  But if you look closely at the 1" copper supply line that Dan Santos ran to the tankless commercial toilet, you'll see that it was in a wall 8" or more from the original wall.  Likewise if you look on the left you'll see the base of a 2nd wall that was built in the space that we won't need anymore.  That will allow us to open up the space a bit.  We'll also gain in the ceiling which doesn't have to drop as there is no plumbing to accommodate immediately above it.

2nd Back

3rd Back

3rd Back

4th Back

4th Back

The carpenters are in the process of framing the stack for walls and fixtures.  They've started at the top and are working down.  Here you can see the future location of the medicine cabinet.

5th Back

The 5th back is framed out and a sample storage shelf is in place for storage.  We're going to have the shower opening be slightly larger than this so that it's more standard at a 48" rough opening.  These are not particularly large bathrooms, but we'll fit everything that we need.

3rd North - Moving on to Tile!

The finishes are going in on the North stack.  You can really start to see the difference.

Down Below

 New power is being run to all of the bathrooms out of a new distribution panel in the bike room (above, left).  The ceiling in the 2nd lounge is no longer a patchwork of poorly seamed repairs.  The new plaster is in along with new lights (above, right).

Third Floor

For historic restoration purposes, we are replacing the old doors with the same style of historically-appropriate 5-panel wood doors. If you look closely, you'll see how the carpenter went to pains to replicate the trim details above the doors.  They are actually fairly intricate if you look closely.

With the built in shelving, wall board, and ceiling plaster in place, you can get an idea what the space will feel like.  What a difference having a window makes!  The green color on the walls is the waterproofing that is applied underneath the tile.

4th Floor

 Tiling is underway on the 4th floor!  The 3x6 subway tile forms most of the walls.  Accent tiles along the top as well as the floor pattern will come next.

5th Floor

The 5th floor is prepped for tile.

North Stack - Ready to Button Up

With rough inspections complete and insulation in on the North stack, we're ready to put up the rest of the blueboard, windows and tile board in preparation for tiling.  As the tile installation begins, the contractor will be able to move his crew to the nearby Back stack to begin demo!

2nd Lounge

With blueboard up and new light fixtures installed, 2nd lounge is ready for plastering.  But will we ever be able to match that green? :)

View of window, shower, medicine cabinet and towel holder.

The medicine cabinets will be recessed to take advantage of space in the wall.  To the right is the recessed paper towel holder.

Ceiling fans are roughed in place.

 Fans will be controlled from motion sensor in the fan unit that will ensure we're always pulling moisture from the bathrooms when they are in use.

Storage area, tub, and vanity.

 The exterior walls have been sprayed with closed-cell foam.  This already makes the space feel a good deal more cozy and will help them remain comfortable over the winter.

Tile board ready to receive tile on walls.

 Floors and walls are being tiled for durability.  The ceilings will receive blueboard and plaster.