Tiling Progress

It has been a while since I've posted an update. We have hit another wall and are steadily breaking our way through. (Did you see what I did there? Forever clever.) Ok. Let me start again. 

The HVAC contractors, let us call them He Who Shall Not Be Named, aka Voldemort, have once again caused us some difficulties. Our plumber had called for our plumbing inspection when amazingly (sarcasm) his Expiditor discovered our boiler hadn't been permitted by Voldemort. After a bit or research and a ridiculous email from Voldemort containing a $5,000+ price tag to permit his work. Luckily our plumber called off his inspection as any unpermitted work found by an inspector could have cost us a $5,000 fine. Ouch. 

Needless to say we are trying to find ways to get the work legalized without paying Voldemort another cent. We will be taking him to small claims court as he is a liscensed contractor and we have an identical contract to my parents' property in which he DID permit his work at no additional cost because he knew National Grid wouldn't allow the work to finish without it. Unfortunately for us, we didn't have any sort if public utility involved. It was supposed to have been simpler. But at the end of the day, Voldemort is angry at me for requiring them to pay for the basement door they deatroyed in a fit of undescribable insanity. Have I told you about the door? Here is the cliff note version. ... 

Voldemort takes a saw to the edge of our basement door cutting off a wiggly line of wood from top to bottom and the door latch bolt with it. He claims it isn't his fault as he told our contractor to fix the basement door because it won't shut to lock. Thus he decides the contractor was at fault for his fit of rage. By the way, this door has never locked, there is a security gate with a keyed lock everyone knows to use and had used for months prior to the incident. Plus, I was planning on fixing the door in question it the correct way down the line, not with a sawzall while it still was hung. I never had the chance, as when I went down to take inventory of it one day, BAM, destroyed. All the evidence still scattered about on the ground. After many conversations, he decides he only is responsible for paying half the amount my contractor is charging to replace the door. So Voldemort is now aware we are taking him to small claims court and is attempting to extort additional money from us to cover his potential $3,000 loss. 

In the meantime tiling has continued. The tiler is working around the openings left for the plumbing inspection and forging ahead so that we loose as little time as possible. 

Here is the kitchen prepared for a level base layer.

Now the tile, say hello to one of the calendar boys cutting tile. 

Here is the hall bath, oops, wrong pattern. Even the best attempts at communication can go awry. 

Thankfully I was around, priming windows as usual, and was able to get it fixed. That's better...

And now for the grout!

I admit I have agonized over all the choices and grout didn't escape the clutches of my obsessive mind. It was a little easier to make the decision (after 5 hours of internet research) knowing that the first rooms to be grouted would be in the rental. While I wanted to make aure it was nice, I had a little bit of wiggle room to experiment and discover the PERFECT for me combination of grout. Obsessive? Maybe. So the winner is Platinum for the walls and penny tile, Dalorean Gray for the hex. Sigh. Another day and another decision made without complete disaster.