One More Pandemic Project

The Colonel and I used to have a hot tub. We purchased it shortly after we built our home. We originally thought that we wanted a pool in the back yard but then wised-up (thank God) and decided on a hot tub instead.  I was able to have the sales tax waived on the hot tub because I had a doctor's note stating that the hydro-therapy would be beneficial to the arthritis in my neck (and it was). 

We used the hot tub quite a lot in the early stages of ownership. We often used it in the evenings and would star gaze as the very warm water bubbled all around us (usually with an adult beverage in hand). Our kids made us of the hot tub too, especially when they had guests visiting (minus any adult beverages).

As happens with many things we humans acquire, the newness wore off and we used the hot tub less and less. The cleaning and the chemical upkeep began to far outweigh the pleasurable use of it (again, thank God we did not get a pool). Eventually, the only ones enjoying the hot tub were the many frogs who discovered its steamy-oasis-like allure and so, permanently camped out under the hot tub's cover.

We had not used nor cleaned/treated the hot tub for a few months. We had ailing, aged and dying parents to take care of and all of the maintenance went by the wayside. The Colonel and I decided it was time to be rid of the hot tub.

We drove to the hot tub supply store over the bridge and spoke with the owner. How does one divest themselves of a hot tub? Could he help us in this, our time of need? The owner, a very nice and older gentleman, said he would come out to our place and check out the hot tub. We said it works fine and that we just did not want it any longer and he could have it for free.

The Colonel and I went home elated with the news from the gentleman and began to drain and clean the hot tub (in spite of our neglect, the water was still crystal clear). The frogs would have to eventually find a new party palace (the nasty looks they gave us). 

A couple of days later the gentleman and a couple of young helpers came to our house and took away the hot tub. He said he could probably resell it for a thousand dollars or so. We were just happy to have it taken away.

The hot tub pad looked a lot larger without the hot tub on it. I had forgotten how large of a pad The Colonel and I dug (footers and re-bar included) before we had the concrete guys come out all those years ago.

The Colonel power washed the concrete pad. Once it was clean and dry, we began to paint it. I wanted to paint the pad to look as if it had a rug on it (I drew up a pattern on grid paper and then laid out the design on the pad using The Colonel's chalk line). In the garage, we searched through all of our paint cans and came up with three that would work nicely together.

The first color was a tan color. That was the base color.

The second color was gray and it would be the outermost color on the pad.

The third and final color was a pretty blue (chosen mainly because we had a lot of it left in the can). It would be the "rug's" edge and stenciled design color.

I looked online for a pretty stencil in which to decorate the pad. The one I finally chose reminded me of some type of Colonial American design (I would stencil a few blocks before the afternoon rains and oppressive heat set in and some days I took off. It took me a couple of weeks to finish the stenciling).

When I finally finished the stenciling, The Colonel and I sealed the painted pad with a wet-look, clear sealant. I think the pad came out just as I had imagined and designed. I also think the tan color reminds me of a jute rug.

 

The Colonel and I ordered a fire pit to place on the pad and we will use the red, outdoor furniture we bought back in 2018 for the seating. We will place these on the pad once rainy season is over (around the first of November).

 

Sorry froggies, no water feature for you here but I am sure The Colonel and I will still enjoy a few adults beverages.

Another Pandemic Project

The Colonel and I have lived in Tradewinds, our custom-built, retirement, dream home for nearly thirteen and a half years now. When we had Tradewinds built, the little garage cottage (Tarpon Cottage) that sits catty-corner from the house did not have an air conditioning system. We had a couple of window units at one time but those really are no substitute for a a good system (plus they are noisy).

I had been wanting to get a good A/C system in the cottage for a long while but just kept putting it off and with the pandemic situation going on, we had nothing but time to do a much needed and desired renovation project on the cottage.

We went to The Home Depot to choose a new floor tile. We wanted something that was light gray in color and had the look of wood flooring. We thought it would be easy working with The Home Depot, but it was not. We kept on getting the install date pushed back. No one at the store seemed to know anything about our order when we spoke to them. One employee called us the day before the install was finally going to take place and demanded more money (because the tile we choose had a special installment procedure unbeknownst to us) or the project would be cancelled. The whole order was mishandled from the very beginning. The tile installer was the exception to the whole experience...but we will talk about him later.   

We wanted a new color for the cottage walls. The original color was called Delicious Melon (very much like the color of the flesh of a cantaloupe). I like the color (my mermaid bathroom is still that color), but we wanted a change for the cottage. The Colonel choose a blue-gray called Absolute Zero. It is a nice cool and calming color. 

We pulled up the old carpet and began painting the walls in the smaller room of the cottage. Then we began to take out the pocket door that separated the two rooms and enlarge the opening. We would need to enlarge the opening so that the new A/C system could circulate the cool air throughout the entire space.

We got the pocket door removed (it is a heavy door) and continued to cut away the wall separating the two rooms of the cottage.

Once we had the wall opening enlarged, we framed it up and painted the wood white.

It was then time to tackle the larger room. There was more carpet removal and wall painting to do.

Before the tile man came, we had the new A/C unit installed. It is one of the mini split type units. It is whisper quiet and keeps the place very comfortable.

Finally, it was time for the tile installer. He was a nice, middle-aged man and originally from Albania. He did an excellent job installing the tile. It looks beautiful! He had the job completed in three days.

The transition from the bathroom tile to the new tile was seamless.

This is what the cottage looks like now. The only thing we are waiting for is a new piece of furniture. It is a chair that can convert into a lounger or a bed (the camping chair is temporary).

The chair we had originally wanted did not pan out. The company kept pushing the delivery date back, so we cancelled the order and got our money back. We decided to order a couch from Amazon and while we waited for that one to arrive, The Colonel, Yam and I shopped at Ikea in Tampa and bought a wing-back chair to sit in while we waited for the new couch to arrive. Funny thing was, when we came back from Tampa, a FedEx truck pulled in a couple of minutes after we did and had our new couch from Amazon (it was not supposed to arrive until the first week of October).

The chair we had originally wanted did not pan out. The company kept pushing the delivery date back, so we cancelled the order and got our money back. We decided to order a couch from Amazon and while we waited for that one to arrive, The Colonel, Yam and I shopped at Ikea in Tampa and bought a wing-back chair to sit in while we waited for the new couch to arrive. Funny thing was, when we came back from Tampa, a FedEx truck pulled in a couple of minutes after we did and had our new couch from Amazon (it was not supposed to arrive until the first week of October).

These are the new couch and chair.

The Colonel and I are very happy with the cottage renovation project. On to the next project...