27" oven - 
Yes, large deep drawers are the ideal solution. I have never installed shelves in any lower cabinet in a kitchen. But if you already have existing cabinets the only solution is to replace the shelves with the pull out shelves.
Thank you for all the ideas. Keep them coming! Obviously I can’t do everything but I’m going to try hard to do as much as I can.
We have drawers and pull-outs in our kitchen. Would do the drawers again. We have a pull-out shelf for the garbage can, too, but the track is damaged, the cabinets have warped and we can’t replace without replacing the entire section of cabinets (including sink). Oh well!
I need a grab bar to get out of a chair already – no oomph in the knees or hips to get vertical. We have a 4 level split with no bed/bath on the main floor. This is why I really would like to get out of our house – having seen the difficulties both our parents have had with mobility and stairs, I don’t want to repeat that scenario. OTOH, DH does not want to deal with selling/moving, builders here do not want to build single level homes (at least not in our price range), as land is so pricey, and downsizing would be more than what we’d get for our current house.
We have been discussing a redo of our master bath for three years now, and a hand-held shower on a vertical bar is essential in our book. We are inclined to putting in a til bench seat. I don’t like rainshower heads or body sprays. Give me hot water and high pressure and I’m good.
Can I join in? CB, I’ve really enjoyed “lurking”. Your re-dos are fascinating!
We remodeled the master bath a couple years ago. I had a long horizontal grab bar installed along the long wall and a shorter bar on the short wall of the walk-in shower. They look more like towel racks with a wide circumference than institutional grab bars. Style was chosen to blend with the rest of the fixtures in the shower and sink. I thought these would be a good idea as we age (sigh) and, for now, they provide a place to hang wet suits that need to drip a bit before storage and swim suits. Yes, the bars are inside the shower, but the water doesn’t really reach the back short wall where the swim suits dry off. By the way, my designer was insistent that grab bars of some sort be placed in any shower he had installed. (I’m just throwing in his comment - don’t know that his opinion is correct. I think homeowners should make their own choices and agree that grab bars can be ugly and institutional.)
We have a removable hand held shower on a vertical bar. I did not want a bench. Somehow, it seemed unsanitary at the time we were working with the designer. He thought it should be included as in his experience these were popular. Reading all the comments above, that was probably not correct thinking on my part, but I’m still satisfied to not have a bench.
Love the garage door – friends have a similar one and it really enhances their curb appeal.
Also, I really recommend drip irrigation over sprinklers.
Not sure if this will appeal for this house but, when we updated our master bath several years ago, we used our 12x12 tiles cut in half at a diagonal to make 3 shelves in the corner of the shower. Dh is quite a bit taller than I so he has the top one, I have the middle (logical heights for where we’d reach for shampoo, etc.) and, strategically placed at perhaps 16" from the ground (a guess – I didn’t go measure), is one on which I rest my foot when I shave. I would worry about balance if i used the little one posted upthread. (There was something odd about the studs/space between the studs which prevented us from having a more traditional 'cubby–even if we had, I still would have wanted to the lower shelf to for shaving.)
Love the idea of the nice looking grab bar(s) that can possibly do double duty for hanging something to dry…particularly if the washer/dryer are in the garage. For those of us without nice, spacious laundry rooms (mine w/d in a closet in a hallway), finding places to dry things can be a challenge.
One of my favorite features in my remodeled master bath is a outlet in the back of a drawer. I keep my blow dryer plugged in all the time and just have to open a drawer to use it.
Can’t you do gray water irrigation? It diverts the water from the shower and kitchen sink to the flower beds instead of using fresh water.
I like the idea of a big shower with a seat and no curb so it is wheel chair accessible.
I bet that garage door is expensive but I love it. An epoxy floor in the garage would be nice. I did one of my garages about three years ago with a DIY kit. It looks great and it really cuts down on dust in the garage.
I love the bad realtor photos! Last night I had to stop looking because I was laughing so hard. In my personal collection I have a photo from a Craigslist ad a couple of years ago. A fat guy is asleep in the very messy master bedroom. It didn’t look like the lifestyle I wanted to buy! For more hilarity, google “It’s lovely, I’ll take it!,” a site that’s been around for years.
One thing we did when we remodeled our kitchen is add a lot of space for garbage! Instead of one pull-out drawer with two bins, we did two pull-outs, with four bins. One is for “wet” garbage, one for recyclable containers, one for cans and bottles for which we’ll get the nickel, and one for “dry” garbage that only needs to be emptied every few weeks.
We also have a lower cabinet with three pull-out shelves. We use the bottom shelf for mags and newspapers that we’re in the middle of reading and the other two shelves for mags, newspapers, catalogs, etc., that are ready for recycling. It sounds like a lot but apparently we make a lot of garbage! It works well for us.
Instead of a corner tile or shaving tile in the shower, you might want to use a recessed niche. We have 3 in our shower. There is a huge one for all the shampoos, a narrower one lower down, perfect to rest your foot in while you shave, and a narrow one high up for loofa and any small stuff. They are inset, rather than sticking out, so nice and neat. They are prefab from a tile shop - plastic, sloped to have the correct drainage, installed in between studs in the wall. We painted ours with the waterproof membrane stuff when painting the whole shower, before all the tiles are installed on the walls and in the niches. Agreed that epoxy grout is the BEST stuff ever. Most tilers don’t like to use it, because if it drys on the tiles you are screwed. Once it sets, it sets. (It was a very long night for me, going over the tiles with vinegar, getting the last of the haze off before it all set up! but worth it for no maintenance for years!)
I’m so looking forward to following the next house.
Anxiousmom, I wish I’d thought of your multiple recessed niches idea when we remodeled our bathroom. That’s brilliant. We have just one niche for shampoo & soap.
I’m all in favor of grab bars in the shower. We had a decorative one installed and I’ve used it a few times when my balance was off and when I had an injured foot. If I bought a house without one, I’d be concerned about how well - and where - the blocking was done if the seller said the shower had been blocked for a future grab bar. There are lots of nice looking ones now and as previously mentioned they can double as drying space for swimsuits.
Our favorite bathroom additions are the radiant floor heat, even though we live in the South, and hardwired towel warmers in each of our closets. The towel warmers keep towels fresher and provide a good spot to dry delicate laundry.
We have three shower heads - one for dh, one 16" rainhead for us both, and one handheld on a slider bar for me. Each has its own controls, so dh can leave his set at a higher temp than I like. I feel so spoiled in that shower and will miss it when we downsize.
I love the heated towel bars idea for Pt. Loma. Around here towels dry really fast, but I’ve noticed when visiting San Diego that towels stay clammy a lot longer.
The radiant floor heat is another marvel I wish we had in our bathroom. Brrr…
We have both a heated towel rack and radiant floors in our master bath. LOVE the floors. The towel rack was a bit unexciting. Takes a long time to heat up and the towels arent all that warm.
Congrats, cb! I’ve been out of town doing some wedding planning with DD and was delighted to come back and find you had a successful offer. I haven’t missed a new picture site yet, have I?
I will be closing escrow Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. Right now it looks like we have almost all the paperwork completed. Quite a whirlwind of title reports, parcel maps, permit inquiries, and the thousands of disclosures that have to be reviewed and signed in California. I don’t see anything that will hold this up.
Then I’ll post the address and you can all look at the Liberace photos because they are in the public listing. The house is currently empty… no trash whatsoever!! What a luxury 
We will be gutting the kitchen, both bathrooms, fixtures and flooring but at least we don’t need haz mat suits. There even is a somewhat antique 50s stove in the kitchen, but it is electric and I cannot do anything with it. It’ll probably end up on Craigslist
How is the termite, foundation, roof, pipes, wires and sewer? I am more concerned than those cosmetics.
My bro and SisIL remodeled baths a few years ago. They made a doorless shower with a bench and wide enough doorway to bathroom for possible wheelchair. When I had a fractured fibula, was grateful to be able to shower at their bathroom. They have a lot of space there, so built a small powder room for company too. If we remodel baths, I think a nice built-in bench is a nice addition, with a handheld adjustable shower.
I am glad you asked. One of the reasons that I decided to take a gamble on this house is because there was a full escrow in place before (buyer couldn’t get loan and cancelled).
Termite report and all termite repairs and fumigation is complete - $9,500 paid already by Seller. A lot of siding, eaves and fascia replaced already. Fumigation has warranty for 2 years (standard in industry) that stays with property, regardless of ownership changes. I have the clearance and the warranty transfer in writing.
Engineering Report completed by prior owner. All OK… which is good because of possible concerns about the steep slope.
Foundation Inspection completed by the same company I know and trust. Some missing foundation anchor bolts and one small crack repair noted. I will pay for repair cost and get full warranty for $2,000.
Home Inspection Report was given to me. Newer electric panel installed by prior owner at 125 amps (plenty for this house). GFCIs needed in kitchens and baths and some outlets need to be grounded. All doable.
House went through the Airport Quiet Home Program 2 years ago and has all new triple pane windows and exterior doors, including three large patio sliders. New heating furnace, new ducting and full new AC system.
We need to replace old cast iron sewer pipes but they are very accessible in garage ceiling and large crawlspace. Copper water piping in good condition
House needs new roof - my roofing guy inspected it. It is in ‘serviceable’ condition but in it’s last years. I want to be able to sell it with a good 25-30yr roof guarantee. It is only one layer right now so it is allowable to put 2nd layer on roof without having to do a tear off
Attic fully insulated with 6-10inches of insulation
Didn’t you mention that this house had views the were not being taken advantage of? Do you have plans to increase the views? Can’t wait for the pictures!!!
Sounds great! What’s your current thinking about converting the lower level garage to living space? Is that still on the table?
Wow! If those radiant heat floors are in the budget for the master bath…that would be great.