Finally, Faucets!

We had the faucets replaced in both bathrooms last week. You might remember that they both started leaking just days after we moved in, which was awesome. Both were cheap fixtures from Home Depot with plastic components that just seem designed to fail, but we didn't think it would happen quite so soon. On top of that, they weren't installed correctly. The handles for hot and cold were switched in the master bath (which is why they are facing forward in the "off" position in the photo below). None of us noticed this during the walkthrough: not the home inspector, real estate agent, me, or peter. This is especially hysterical when you know that our real estate agent is also an architect, and I have an MA in design. I blame the overwhelming and exhausting process of house-hunting and house-buying; it's amazing people continue to do it! Anyway, there was also a lot of sloppy work with the pipes under the sink, so we had that redone as well.

Both new faucets are made by Kohler (Bancroft), and hopefully will last a long time. I surprised myself by picking this more traditional fixture; Peter liked it, and I thought it suited our existing vanity. When I was in school, I almost always spec'd more modern fixtures in baths and kitchens, but when it came time to choose my own, this one seemed right.

Budget was a factor, as always (I found several fixtures I loved in the $700 and up category--gah why am I so poor), and we were also somewhat limited by what was in stock nearby because we wanted to have the leaky faucets replaced as soon as possible. But the deciding factor, by far, was the way it felt to use this faucet. If you are in the market for a new faucet, I highly recommend going to a showroom and trying it out. Touch the handles and mimic how you would actually use it. (No, you won't look like an idiot; other people will be doing this too). The lever handles on this faucet feel so good in your hands; it's actually a pleasurable experience to turn the water on and off. That might sound silly to some of you, but getting up and getting ready in the morning is probably my least favorite activity, and anything that will make it more enjoyable is a good investment for me.

See the forward facing handles? Still makes me laugh. They were so awkward to use. Even if this one hadn't started leaking immediately, I would've wanted to replace it at some point because I'm not a fan of the weird satin gold finish and blah shape.

This is the small half bath. We picked a center-set faucet from the same Kohler line. The chrome finish looks light-years better with the grey stone countertop. I almost did choose a more modern goose-neck fixture for this sink, but since the two baths are right next to each other, I thought consistency was best.

Before you say anything, we are changing that green paint in both bathrooms. Actually, I'd love to completely redo everything, but that won't be happening any time soon. But we will repaint.

On Wednesday, we are having some guys come to move/reinstall the heating unit in the attic. It wasn't exactly installed by a professional, and there's some janky stuff going on with the way the gas is hooked up. We are also having a different plumber come out to investigate a musty smell coming from the small bathroom. There are no visible leaks, but my nose knows. It's frustrating to have to pay so much money for repairs when we still don't have furniture, but getting everything working right is our number one priority. It just means that it will take a little longer for this place to look the way I'd like it to look. But I do know that we will be excellent caretakers of this house, and we plan on leaving it in much better shape than we found it.