I just ordered a new “product” from “The Company”. I have had one of these “products” for two years now am 100% satisfied. So, when I needed another, I bit the bullet, payed the price and ordered it. I want my “product” to be just for me so I have opted in both cases to use their custom design option. I had fogotten the prompt and humorous confirmation email …

Thanks for picking us.  Your new <product> is gonna ROCK!

We suggest that you actually read it and like it because this is what you are getting and the Lucky One’s address below is where we are going to send it. If you must be That Person, we can TRY our best to make changes or cancel your order.  This is only if we have had enough coffee and our warehouse hasn’t. You will need to send your email to changeorder@timbuk2.com. Remember, this is only if your order is NOT IN PRODUCTION. Once your order makes it to our production line, we can’t change it for you and if it’s custom, we can’t take it back. Not because we don’t love you; but because we already have really, really nice custom made <product>. It’s part of the uniform.

Now here’s the part you really want to read.

When will my order ship?
Your order is being sent to the warehouse right now. Orders are fulfilled and out the door in up to 3 business days.  It all depends on how many orders are in line in front of yours.  If you selected an expedited shipping method like Second Day or Next Day Air, your order will ship within 1 to 2 business days.  Business means Monday through Friday and excludes most US holidays, just in case you didn’t know. Now you do.  FYI custom <product> do not require any additional processing time.

How long will it take my order to get to my loving, waiting arms?
Once your order ships via UPS it will take 3 to 7 business days to arrive depending on where you call home.  You can track your order on our website using your order number or you can be patient and wait for UPS to send you a notification of shipment indicating that your order has left the building.  Please note that your item must ship before anyone can track it and it can take up to 48 hours for your tracking information to trickle down from UPS to our systems.

What if I entered my email address in wrong?
Our deepest sympathies are being sent to you via UPS because you haven’t read any of this.

Much Love,
<The Company>

There is a thread running around for “Yellow Day” pictures. Here is mine …

I have been trying to figure out the tile pattern for the wetroom. I was considering tiling the entire room in soapstone but I’ve decided to hold the use of soapstone to the kitchen. I also like the look of pebbles. These come in 12″ sheets so the installation is pretty easy and the opposite edges are design to be complements which reduces the obviousness of any  grid pattern from using large sheets of mosaics. I could just do the floor in a dark color to anchor it and then the walls in something lighter (given there are no windows in the bathroom, “all dark” would be like a cave). But, I wanted some form of accent so I thought about a abstract “water fall” tiled right into the room. By using a third color, I can integrate a tile pattern, starting at the shower head and “flowing” to the shower drain.

To visualize the various tile patterns, I created the diorama. The photo was an early attempt and the “pebbles” are much too large but it conveyed the idea pretty well. I left the wall with the door open to make it easier to look at and to photograph.

If you bored, feel free to print out the flat sheet (click for a larger image) and cut out the diorama.

When I was growing up, “tanking” was a bad thing. To “tank” was slang for “a very bad performance” as in “tanking on an exam” and “tanked in the final game”.

Anyway, it was with a bit of humor that I find the term “tanking” is also used describe the complete waterproofing of a bathroom when it will be functioning as a wetroom.

The farmhouse will have a wetroom in place of the bathroom.

The challenges have been a bit more than I expected. Do an internet search for “wetroom” and you find a lot of information - nearly 100% of the useful stuff is from the UK. After a lot of reading, I ended up doing more searches on the various materials and again, nearly everything  useful was from the UK.So, if my research is right, I will end up with a tight and dry space - even with a lot of water flowing on the walls and floor.

The concrete slab in the bathroom will be sloped to the in floor drain. The walls will be covered in concrete wall board, taped and mudded. This work will be done by the contractor, then I take over. I will have to spray or roll two coats of RedGuard waterproofing on the floor and walls. This will include the base cabinet area of the sink. I’ll inspect the joint between the wall board and the floor. If it looks too sharp, I’ll add 6″ fiber mesh as a fillet with the RedGuard and all the significant angle changes. Once everything has cured, I’ll then be able to start the floor tiling and then the wall tiling.

The best photo series I’ve found so far - to give me an idea of what steps I’m in for - is a project completed by Harry Dunbar. (The photo credit for this post goes to Mr. Dunbar of Barrie, Ontario).

I am a very visual person - just as anyone who has tried to give me driving directions, street names are useless to me, I need landmarks.

Anyway, I’ve been struggling we a problem. I finally found the solution.

What is this ? (click on image for a larger view)