apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Yay! Open thread. I'm going to one of the Yestermorrow classes up in Vermont soon. Has anyone been to one yet? Would love to get some insight. Thanks!

I have tried several times to get onto the "daily email" list without sucess. It seems to accept my email address but I don't receive any of the daily emails. Anyone else have this problem or any idea what I am doing wrong?

-i love upstate-sorry, no. i haven't. don't even know what it is. :P
-everyone else
ok, so after completing the cure last spring & getting my apt looking amazing, i have to move. :( my illness seems to just be getting worse. so, to take the burden off of my family & to be closer to people who can lend a hand when i'm sick, i'm moving back in w/ my parents. kinda scary, right?

so, they have a split level home on a mountain. this means that the first floor is also the basement. we are going to turn this into a studio apt. it's about 600 sq feet. so, not bad. & i love minimal loft style spaces. so, the cement & open space won't be bad either.

here's the problem & my question. i was planning on using the LARGE laundry room to add a bathroom. it need not be perfect. i mainly just need function. sharing a bathroom w/ my parents would be a train wreck. they are clutter bugs & i'm a neat freak. i was told by a friend that b/c the floor is cement that i couldn't have a toilet. is this true? what about a bath & a sink? we don't have the money to break up the floor just to install more plumbing. there is water already there for the washer. what can you tell me?

*ps- if you have any suggestions for me decorating wise, let me know. te space is large & open. there is a door to the front yard & a large window. the floors are cement & one wall is brick. the ceilings are tile. i'm planning on using the low watt wire lights from ikea, painting the walls a flat decorator's white, the floors a glossy black, & i'm gonna do the b&w thing to the brick.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about putting in a door in this odd shaped hall? (link to pics below) Is it as simple as getting a solid core door cut to fit and then mounting it on some door hinges to the wall? Or does it need a door frame for stability or will I run into problems mounting it to the corner of a wall? I was also thinking of something cooler like turing the room behind into a "hidden room" with some kind of concealed, but very functional door as it will get substantial foot traffic.

odd shaped hall need's a door/soundproofing/privacy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikey_hong/2210248576/

Second question... Does anyone have any suggestions on better soundproofing a set of sliding doors that conceal my mechanical closet? (link to pics below)

mechanical closet needs soundproofing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikey_hong/2210250298/
mechanical closet sliding door hardware detail
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikey_hong/2210250952/

Thanks!

Mariegael, good luck with moving back in with the folks. Hope the space and the open air does you good.
With regard to the plumbing issues, try an electric toilet. (Yeah, sounds dodge but basically just the domestic version of your favourite aeroplane loo). You just need a normal water-in/water-out system, and you'll already have that if you've got a washing machine. I had one in my first miniscule studio in Paris, where they're a popular choice because they don't require all the major building works and cost involved with moving waste pipes. A bit noisy but effective!

Mariegal - There are also macerating toilets, which chew things up and pump it out, thus you don't have to break through the ground. The only brand I'm familiar with is Saniflo - http://www.saniflo.com - but a plumber would probably know of others. I think it does wind up being expensive for a toilet, but not as expensive as getting through the concrete. Good luck!

Oh, I think a macerating toilet is the official name for what I'm talking about too. Great minds, and all that...

mariegael,

sorry that u have to leave ur apt. but u seem to have a good attitude which goes a long way. also, u mention decorator's flat white paint, is that considered the standard white wall paint?

Well guys, I have somewhat of an update from my last open thread posting. Boyfriend is still moving out, but I think I'm statying in my current 2BR apt. I did my taxes and I am getting enough back to cover tuition for the rest of the year - and that was my problem - affording rent and tuition - I could do one but not the other. I'm pretty excited because it's a fairly large apartment, although I really did want to find a new 1BR to make a cozy little retreat for myself - which I may still do - but finding a decent apartment in Birmingham, AL is actually pretty hard. They are all WAY over priced (aren't they all, though) and most of the ones you can find have dirty old beige-turned-grey carpet, etc in them. With a dog and a cat I need hardwood. But, I think he will be moved out in time for the spring cure and I am totally stoked to be able to do this in my OWN apartment, without anyone else's crap getting in the way. I am already starting to try and take pictures of it to get it up on flickr- even though there is still clutter (that I'm going through!) - just so I can get some ideas from people. This living seperately thing after having lived together is proving to be difficult both financially and emotionally - but I need to remind myself that it's for the best and we'll both be better off for it. Anyway, just wanted to tell someone.

Good luck Mariegael, Friends have a composting toilet and another has an incinerating toilet in an area that can't have septic tanks. They are both satisfactory.

Upstate, looking forward to reading about your adventures at Yestermorrow on your blog.

I'm both terrified and intrigued by the idea of an incinerating toilet.... what the heck is that?

Mariegael-- The other option to those discussed here is a pump system. The toilet (or the entire bathroom -- which you might need to do anyway to get the drain from the shower/bath to the waste line) would have to be built up on a platform to allow the piping to fit underneath on top of the concrete floor. The waste is pumped up into the waste line upon flushing. May sound gross, but it is really not that uncommon, particularly in houses built on a slope, where often the sewer line or septic tank is effectively above the ground floor.

SD913-
decorator's white is a color in b moore. it's listed as one of the best whites to use. but yeah, it's pretty much a basic, clean white.

this bathroom thing is gonna be difficult. arg.

at really needs a thread format here. something to see who replied. it'd also be nice to be notified instead of having to come back & check.

not sure if this is an appropriate open thread topic, but here goes.... Was wondering if anyone has opinions on the 18" dishwashers. I am renovating my kitchen and considering a Miele 18 incher. Its a typical NY apt, a tiny galley kitchen (8 x5) is about to get a bit bigger (8x7), and become a u-shaped kitchen. I have room for a 24", but obviously at the expense of 6" of cabinet space.

We cook a moderate amount, for new yorkers, (just 2 of us, cooking 3 - 4 times a week). I am wondering if people who have an 18" dishwasher feel that it has generally been sufficient, or if they are left feeling they should have gone for a full size one.

Thanks