Remodeling the Bathroom in 5000 Steps or Less

World's Greatest Vintage
Bathroom Resource

For most of the 15 years that we lived in the Slice of Heaven," we intended to remodel the bathroom. Being the kind of person I am, I had to research the time period that the house was built and tried to learn everything I could about bathrooms built in 1930.  After reading the best resource on the face of the earth for someone working on an historic bathroom remodel, I learned that bathrooms in the late 20's to early 30's were often fantasies of beautiful tilework.

The bathroom in our home was inexpensively remodeled by the original owners during the 1980's.  The original pink tub and toilet remained, but the original sink had been replaced by a characterless marble top vanity and an unfortunate

single handled centerset faucet.  The lovely structural arches over the tub and toilet stall also remained, but the walls were covered with unremarkable white textured 4x4 ceramic tiles with a pink and blue pastel accent border.  The floor was inexpertly covered with 12x12 pink marble floor tiles.  The only other remaining hints of the original bathroom were the pink ceramic towel bar holders, although the original glass bars had been replaced with expanding plastic bars.  It was functional, but not beautiful. 

In 2008 we decided to correct these previous errors in remodeling judgment.  The old vanity was removed, the old floor and wall tiles were removed.  Unfortunately a new toilet couldn't be matched with the tub, so we decided to go with a new white (hi-tech but) old-fashioned looking toilet from Toto. 

The ugly molded marble top vanity was replaced with an authentically styled console sink with chrome legs from St. Thomas Creations.  A Hangrohe Limbo widespread cross handle faucet enhances the console.  In order to allow for sufficient storage space, a luxe quality white lacquer bath etagere was added from Williams-Sonoma Home.  Restoration Hardware light fixtures and Bistro bath fittings complete the retro look. 

Note the inset, arched shelf
in the tub area and the
wrap-around border.

The pièce de résistance of the bathroom remodel is the tilework.  High quality Daltile 3x6 subway-style semi-gloss tile, in shades of Ocean Blue and glossy Black, were custom bordered with iridescent and opalized Sonterra Glass tile in Verde and Black.  The floors were tiled with a traditional white Octagon and Dot with random black accents.

The overall effect is amazing.  Even two years after completing this project, it still makes me smile to enter this gem of a bathroom.

Historic Roseville, San Diego's First Waterfront Community

Louis Rose, Founder
of Point Loma in 1866.

Our Point Loma home, the "Slice of Heaven" sits in a part of San Diego that is on the La Playa Trail.  The Trail is the oldest European trail on the Pacific Coast and has been in continuous use since 1769.  Many historic markers are found along the Trail, including the Roseville La Playa marker located only a few blocks away, at the northeast corner of Rosecrans Street and Avenida de Portugal.  The Roseville La Playa marker was recently re-dedicated and recognized as the place where the community of Roseville began in 1869. 

Point Loma circa 1887

Point Loma was the first waterfront community in San Diego.  Before Louis Rose and his partner James Robinson began laying out the roads and building the town that would later bear Mr. Rose's name, the growing city of San Diego was located at the foot of Presidio Hill rather than along the city's beautiful bayfront and beaches.  

Tourists head out to the Point Loma
Lighthouse in the early 20th Century.

At that time, the Point was known primarily for the Lighthouse built in 1855 (only a few years after California became a state).  The Lighthouse is still an important part of the community's identity, and continues to be the most well known site on the peninsula.    

There are still a few homes in the oldest San Diego neighborhoods that have retained their original Spanish Colonial Revival character.  The style was all the rage after the Panama California Exposition in 1915.  Our Point Loma home is one of that small group that was built in and still retains its Spanish Colonial Revival style, which is characterized by smooth plaster (stucco) walls, low-pitched clay tile and flat roofs, small porches or balconies, wood casement or tall, double–hung windows, canvas awnings, and decorative iron trim. 

    

Everything I ever learned about gardening came from a book...

- PART 2 -

 

Last time I posted I talked about Pride of Madiera, Matilija Poppy and St. Patrick roses.  This time I want to talk about categories of plants, specifically Mediterranean plants, Tropicals and Succulents.  

One of the reasons the plants in the "Slice of Heaven" landscape thrive is that they were all chosen based on their compatibility with the site.  The perennials shown in the photo above (Tuscan Blue Rosemary, Lamb's Ear, Gray Santolina, and Licorice Plant) are examples of Mediterranean and Tropical plants that work well together in the gray/green landscape in the front of the house.

One perennial Mediterranean plant that is thriving in the front and back landscapes is lavender.  I have four different kinds of lavender growing in the front and back landscaping: French (provence), French (dentata), Spanish and Munstead. The drifts of lavender planted near the roses (shown in the photo at left) are mixed French Provence and Spanish, and are underplanted with trailing rosemary (which also has small purple flowers).  They look and smell amazing!  One of the nice things about fragrant herbs and other scented perennials is that animals (with the exception of birds) tend not to like the fragrance released when one brushes by these plants.  So, unwanted garden visitors are generally not a problem.

Madagascar Palm, Red Hot Poker
and Elephant Bush.

Red Hot Poker (kniphofia) is one of my favorite tropicals, so I built a showcase for this tropical in the front landscaping area.  This raised bed, accented with rounded river rock and inter-planted with complimentary succulents was built especially for the Red Hot Poker, the Elephant Bush (portulacaria, on the right) and the Madagascar Palm (pachypodium lamerei, shown at left behind the kniphofia).  A light and airy Red Autumn Sage is planted behind. 

I am kind of exaggerating when I say that I learned everything from a book.  I am also a big fan of visiting public gardens.  One of the very best in Southern California (in addition to the wonderful gardens at San Diego's Balboa Park...) is the Huntington Botanical Gardens in Pasadena.  I have gotten a lot of inspiration from visits there.  

I really wanted to talk about my reblooming iris, but I think that's enough about gardening for one morning! (TO BE CONTINUED...)

   

Everything I ever learned about gardening came from a book...

- PART 1 -

Sunset Western Garden Book
2001 Edition

I am a reformed "black thumb" gardener.  I used to overwater and plant inappropriately (too many plants, too close together, not the right soil, and many other sins).  I always thought gardening was a talent that you either were born with or not...and I was clearly in the NOT category.  That was before I happened across the Sunset Western Garden Book (SWGB) at a yard sale one sunny weekend in 1998.  We were starting to think about what we would do with our landscaping, and I wasn't getting very far with my occasional gardening experiments.  The first thing that I learned was that certain plants thrive in coastal areas that would not grow as successfully inland.  This was a complete surprise to me, as I was under the mistaken impression that as long as you planted things that worked with your soil type, they would grow (this was a lesson I learned earlier when I tried to grow hydrangeas, rhododendrons and azaleas).

My plant consciousness started percolating around 1997, when I started noticing a shrubby plant growing around my office in the Old Town section of San Diego.  I learned that it was called Pride of Madiera (echium fastuosum) and that it was supposed to grow well in dry conditions in coastal areas (even standing up to wind, even though it's fairly tall).  I loved the plant's purple flowering spikes and gray/green foliage.  I had some trouble growing it, however, until I actually read about it in the SWGB.  I was watering too much throughout the year and didn't have it in a sunny enough spot! 

Once I moved the plants to the Evergreen side of the house

(the southeast side, which gets the most sun) they thrived.  I learned that these plants are butterfly magnets, as shown in these photos...     

In 1999 I took a trip to Mendocino County with my Mom and sisters.  As I was quickly becoming a "plant person," I lobbied for a visit to the  Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.  The setting and the plantings were just lovely.  I was particularly struck by another flowering shrub, with huge yellow-centered white flowers that looked like fried eggs.  I found out the plant was called Matilija Poppy (romneya coulteri).  I learned a lot of patience from this plant, as it is notoriously hard to get started (and lived up to that reputation).  Once it got going, however, it grew like gangbusters and I learned about reading the ENTIRE description of a plant.  One other feature of the Matilija Poppy is that it spreads!  Luckily I planted it in an area where it's mostly contained by the garden and retaining walls.  This plant is very beautiful when it is in full bloom.  Neighbors would often stop me when I was working in the garden to ask about this plant.  

My husband, Joe, grew up in the Syracuse area of upstate New York. When I asked him what he would like to plant, he immediately responded with roses. Roses! I tried to tell him that roses were difficult and required too much water...and that they were susceptible to disease in coastal areas...but he would not be deterred. Thank goodness I found the San Diego Rose Society. Through their web site (and by reading a great rose article updated annually in the San Diego Union Tribune) I found the perfect rose for our site, the St. Patrick hybrid tea rose. These rose bushes cause a bit of a commotion, because they bloom profusely and over a long season. They are great cutting roses and (happily) have a rose scent (I have found that not all modern roses smell like roses). The bushes are all on drip irrigation, so they can coexist happily with the drought tolerant lavender that's not far away. The drip system also helps them to remain disease free. (...TO BE CONTINUED)

Open Door Policy...

The front entry without gate

In 1999, we built a garden wall around the perimeter of the property.  Our home is on a large corner lot, so it was a big project.  The Evergreen side walls were designed to come to the height allowed for a street corner facing wall.  The gate opening on the Evergreen side had to be at the same height (or at least no higher in order to meet the city regulation), so we were decided to put an arch on the gate.  On the Fenelon side there was no such restriction, so we decided to build an arched wall entry.

Neighbor's gate = INSPIRATION

The entry remained "gate-less" for a while, as we couldn't decide exactly what we wanted to do.  I had seen a lovely arched gate set into a plastered arch at another home in the neighborhood, and decided to try the same thing for our home.  

TOP: Front view.
BOTTOM: Interior view.

We constructed the gate, stained it to match the cobblestone-style pavers that lined the patio and the front yard walkway, and realized that it wouldn't work. 

The hardware we had installed into the arch at the time the wall was built was set back too far to allow the tightly fitted gate to swing properly. Luckily, we found an elegant solution.  By scalloping the top edge of the gate, we were able to maintain the arched shape, but achieve the clearance from the inside edge of the arch to the gate top that was necessary for the gate to open and close freely.  

We were so excited when the gates were completely installed.  Our "secret garden" vision was becoming a reality!   

Sailin' Away

One of the benefits of living on the Point Loma peninsula is that you have the bay on one side and the beach on the other.  The beach is lots of fun (Ocean Beach is a quick trip over the hill -- I have walked there and back more times than I can count), but the bay is easygoing and carefree.  One of the best ways to spend a day on the bay is in a sailboat.  The San Diego Yacht Club is very nearby (nine blocks, to be exact).  The Harbor Island West Marina is less than three miles away by road, just across the bay.  There' s also Sun Harbor Marina, which is the first LEED certified marina in the world.  With all these options, it would be a crime not to get out on the water from time to time. 

The photo above right is of my son, welcoming us to a day out on Aquamarine II.  The photo on the left shows us just getting underway.  This short posting is meant to be a sample of what a beautiful day on the bay is like.  Enjoy!   

Passing a tall ship along the way.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

     

'Til It Shines

Many old houses have been through a lot. At the very least, someone at some time probably had the bright idea to install wall-to-wall carpeting. Now, in a cold climate, I can see where this might be attractive, as W2W will definitely keep the room warmer, but in temperate Point Loma, I can't imagine what they were thinking! When we bought our home in 1996, we intended to pull out the carpeting, as we had noticed the floor showing in the closets and dreamed of seeing those beautiful golden hues throughout the house.

In these photos you can see that the floor we eventually uncovered (you know how it goes, it took a years to pull it all up because we had to keep moving the furniture) was not in that bad of shape.  We cleaned it with TSP and sanded it a little bit, and it looked pretty good.  What wasn't perfect we could cover with a rug.  When we were preparing to move to San francisco we thought that the time was right to refinish the floors.  As these types of projects go, it's not too expensive and the results are amazing.    

Step 1: Move all of the furniture out of your house. Step 2: Watch in amazement while the floor refinishers tape plastic wrap all over your strategic areas of your home (e.g., windows, fireplace, built-ins). Step 3: Leave the house, because those sanders make a LOT of noise.  See the photo to the left for a view of the partially sanded living room and dining room.  You can see the difference in the color of the old floor ("color" being a euphemistic term for wood stain and more than 70 years worth of use) and the sanded floor if you look at the right edge of the photo.

Step 4: If you do come back to the house, watch out for the really long extension cords that they use to run the sanders. Step 5: Be happy that you don't have to clean-up all the dust. A quality refinishing job depends on getting rid of all the dust before applying stain (not necessary if you have high quality wood) and the sealer or polyurethane finish. Step 6: Come back in 3-5 days, after the floor has dried completely, and admire your work!

Wow, you did a great job!

Look at that SHINE!

Walking in Point Loma (or, definitely NOT "Walking in L.A.")

UrbanSpoon lists the top Point Loma restaurants as:

1. Phil's BBQ
2. Point Loma Seafoods
3. Con Pane Rustic Foods
4. Pomodoro
5. Tender Greens
6. Old Venice Restaurant
7. Miguel's Cocina
8. Venetian
9. Island Prime
10. Point Break Cafe

Several of these restaurants are within walking distance of our San Diego home (you know, the Slice of Heaven).  We have been to these restaurants MANY times, and even though we now live in one of the "Dining Capitals" of the US (or, "Foodie Heaven" if you prefer), we still miss these old favorites.

Old Venice Restaurant's Romantic Patio

Old Venice Restaurant

Old Venice is a top pick, and is located only about 8 blocks away!  We loved the tranquil, romantic setting and the great food, including mussels fra diavolo, magic mushrooms, shrimp chipotle risotto, Greek Goddess pizza, and the yummy walnut gorgonzola salad...we miss the all!  When you go, whether it's a sunny day or a warm evening, try dining on the patio.  In the words of Drew Barrymore, it's MAGICAL!

Miguel's Cocina

Miguel's is California Comfort Food - yummy Cali-Mex at it's best.  The Jalapeno White Sauce (JWS) is impossible to describe...but suffice it to say that we could drink it straight!  After a pleasant 6 block walk, we are always ready for a perfectly chilled Negro Modelo or Bohemia (maybe two...), along with some fabulous chips, salsa, infamous JWS, and a couple of combination plates (tamales, chile relleno, chicken tostada...mmm).  Miguel's is a fun, casual place.  We have eaten here more than any restaurant in San Diego.

Con Pane Rustic Breads

OK, they recently moved to Liberty Station and are no longer 6 blocks from the house, but I can forgive them because of all the warm and tasty memories.  One of my favorite guilty pleasures is the "almost grilled cheese" sandwich.  The rosemary olive oil round is so good I usually ate it toasted and naked.  Even the extremely simple ciabatta is perfect.  Go there, try anything and be prepared to enter bread-lover's heaven.

Point Loma Seafoods

Smoked fish sandwich.  Crab sandwich.  Ceviche.  Old-fashioned seafood shack kind of atmosphere. Only 4 blocks from the front door.  A perfect way to spend lunchtime on a sunny Sunday.  

Another perfect day at Point Loma Seafoods

The Garden of Delight 

     When we purchased our home, we knew that there was A LOT of work to do.  Although it was perfectly sound structurally, the back yard contained one dying orange tree and many, many square feet of concrete.  The front yard had a typical Point Loma Portuguese fisherman's lawn -- a mixture of rocks and glue spread over black plastic sheeting and spray painted green!  I know, it's hard to imagine, but you can still see Portuguese fishermen's lawns on a few streets in Point Loma.

     Over the years we broke-up and removed the 50 year-old concrete walkways and the green rock lawn.  We installed a "spray in place" concrete fence that was textured to match our home's hand plastered exterior.  We built and installed custom-made arched gates to accentuate the feeling of a private, Spanish courtyard garden. 

        We installed a Spanish-style fountain, pebbled walkways and typical Mediterranean (drought tolerant) plants.  We were inspired by and tried to echo the romantic vision of our Spanish Colonial Revival home with a garden styled after the same period.   

(In the garden you will see French "Grosso", Spanish, and Munstead lavenders; Tuscan, Spice Islands and trailing rosemaries; and Tahaitian Sunset bougainvillea, among other Mediterranean plants)  

(Notice the lovely date palm at the far left of the frame)

In the front yard we planted one area with tropicals and succulents, another with deep green and silver leafed Mediterranean shrubs, and another with culinary herbs, a sea of yellow St. Patrick roses, Pride of Madiera and (my favorites!) Matilija poppies.  Reblooming Iris are planted near the entryway, as a special welcome to all visitors.  Of course, we wouldn't go to all of this work without installing timer-based drip irrigation systems that support the water needs of the various species.  Because the plants are watered efficiently and they are generally drought tolerant to begin with, the water bill remains low and our garden pleasure quotient remains high!      

WELCOME HOME!

     Welcome to 3204 Fenelon, in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego.  This lovely house was our home for almost 15 years.  Since my family relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, we have struggled with the decision of whether to sell our "Slice of Heaven in San Diego."  Because of our jobs, it seems unlikely we will ever be able to return, and for that reason ONLY we have decided to put our home on the market.  

     We decided to write this blog to give ourselves a way to record our memories of life in coastal San Diego, living in this lovely home and incredible neighborhood (we're most famous for our lighthouse...but there's a lot more to Point Loma).  I hope you enjoy hearing some of the great things about living in a historic home in a good, old-fashioned community in "America's Finest City."