Tile & a Vent Hood

Work is moving along but more on that part later. This is a post about more money spending! And who doesn't love reading about all this money I'm just throwing out of my pockets?

Remember when we won that gift certificate to a local appliance shop And we said "This is great, we have more appliances to buy. It'll definitely get used by the end of the year."? Well that proved to be a little more difficult than expected. We tried using it to purchase our refrigerator at the beginning of December when we got our Christmas bonuses. That sale ended up in Best Buy's pocket unfortunately (we prefer to buy local), but we just couldn't beat the deal and the local shop was trying to play "car salesman" with us. So a vent hood and microwave were all that was left to purchase. And I wasn't ready to commit to a microwave, or a hood really, but the decision on the hood had to be made quickly whether I was ready or not.

And as it turned out, we didn't buy any of the ones we posted about previously. Of course.

So on December 31, 2012 (the certificate's expiration date) we spent 30 minutes at the appliance store cashing in that gift certificate and more of our money to buy this baby:

It's flat (which I love) but has glass (which I don't). BUT it's got a respectable warranty and the reviews I have read seem to be pretty positive. So, "purchase vent hood" has been checked off that ever growing list.

Then last week, I dropped another big chunk of change on tile for the floors and walls. Can we talk about how good it is to be in my position though? I get contractor pricing on finishes because I am a specifier which has saved us a ton. For example, we ordered a 2x2 mosaic tile for the front entry and our shower floor that typically cost $19.20/sq foot (retail), $14.95/sq foot (with a contractor markup) and it only cost us $9.60/sq foot.

So here's what we got:

660 square feet of 12 x 24 tile for $2/sq foot for the kitchen, bonus room, bathroom floors and shower walls. Another 60 square feet of 2 x 2 mosaic of the same tile for the entry and shower floor. And bull nose trim pieces for the edge of the shower.

We ordered another 60 square feet of our favorite ceramic white subway tile.

The kid's bathtub/shower surround gets this super thin 1" x 1" glass tile which is also an amazing deal. Most 1" x 1" glass tiles run about $15/sq foot. This tile is closer to $11/sq foot because of it's insanely thin profile and we got it for $5.35/sq foot.

We also bought the most amazing invention ever last week. The Schluter Kerdi Shower System.

More on this baby later.