FOLLOW MY FLIP: "Hiho, hiho, it's off to work we go"

This week we got lots accomplished in both the house and the shop. After the tiles were spaced we were able to grout the bathroom walls. The bathroom floors have been set but not grouted. Tiling the floor last, allows us to get the all the walls complete. Since we are working under the gun and the walls involve more tiling and cutting, we did all the walls first. The floor will need at least a day to dry and will hold up the installation otherwise. In addition, we never want to work on a newly installed floor if we can help it.

After the walls were grouted in the master bath, even WE were in awe of how amazing it turned out! This photo doesn't capture how sleek it looks but the textured lines in the tile and tight grout joints gives the appearance of one giant slab of material in the shower and looks pretty outstanding. To give a custom finish to this bathroom, we tiled in and around the window sill. It looks great and will be easier to keep clean over time.

Above: grouted tile in master bath

In the kids bath we took the 3X6" (subway) tile up to the cieling to add height and give a more grand appearance. The recessed niche in the wall is another custom feature we added.

On the upper level we tiled the laundry room floor and kids bath floor. We chose a 12X24" porclain tile in a rich brown color, made to mimic hardwoods. If you like hardwood floors, this is an excellent alternative to use in the bathroom where the floors will be exposed to moisture. The grout and the textured tile will eliminate any concern for slipping.

This week we were also able to texture the walls and ceiling. We used a texture gun which is driven by an air compresser to evenly patch walls where holes had to be cut. We also sprayed the new ceilings and walls we created upstairs. The texture gun creates that orange peel look that many of you are familiar with and may have in your homes.

Above: livingroom and diningroom being sprayed with texture gun covering holes from recessed light installation.

At this point in the game, our time is split between our shop and the flip house. We carefully delagate who does what so that we can work at maximum capacity and get this house on the market on time. We are currently running right on schedule but there is still a lot of work ahead of us and we continue to work on several jobs simultaneously.

Our shop in Santa Ana is set up to effeciently to run our granite business as well as our custom cabinetry. We are hard at work fabricating the counter tops vanities and closet organziers, getting them ready for installation.

Stone fabrication is both difficult and laborious and requires a skilled worker with a lot of experience. We fabricate countertops from granite, marble and travertine to Silestone and Cesarstone. In this house we chose marble for the master bath and kitchen counters. We want to create a timeless and elegant environment and what says "timeless"more than marble. Marble has been used for ages and is a strong and durable suface. Look around at some of the finest hotels and resturants and you will see how many commercial installations use marble for both floors and countetops. To give a more casual appearance to the kids bath, we used Silestone. This is another durable suface, however it is a man-made composite. We love Silestone because of the color selection and consistency and thought it would look great in this bathroom.

Above: coutertop for kids bath is in the process of being made

Above: coutertop for kids bath almost finished

What house would be complete without closet organziers in EVERY bedroom? All walk-in closets will include a set of drawers, shelving and double hanging space. 3 of the 5 bedrooms include walk-in closets.