Lucia, the Mighty Jetta, and the Dynamic GTI

How do I get it home?

That is the obvious question I asked myself when it came to the new bathtub, toilet, sink, and vanity. As I stood pondering the tub I wondered whether or not I could jam the box through my trunk and fit it into my car with the seats folded down. That seemed like a long shot. AND could a friend and I even lift the box? So, I asked if Lowe's would deliver. They can and they did. The next day for $75. Not bad. AND it turns out that the tub, which is made out of some sort of reinforced plastic (I think), really isn't very heavy at all.

What wasn't so obvious was getting home things like the cement board, the greenboard, and the plywood. Handling a few 2x4's isn't a big deal. Figuring out how to get a large sheet of plywood back to the house is another story.

My girlfriend Lucia ended up saving the day! She came to the store with me and we bought 1 sheet of 1/2 inch plywood, 1 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood, two sheets of greenboard, 5 2x4's and a 2x6. We took all of that out to the card on a cold and windy afternoon and tied it to my Jetta's roof rack. That isn't been the first time the roof rack has been a huge help to have. We layered the greenboard between the plywood to give the greenboard some stiffness and support and no problems getting it home! (BTW, I recommend a Thule roof rack. That thing is solid! There is no chance of the rack coming off the roof.)

The cement board was another story. To me it seems brittle and I figured it made more sense to put it in the back of Lucia's GTI than to try and strap it to my roof. We picked up 5 1/2 inch thick pieces of Hardibacker and 4 1/4 inch pieces of the same. (The 1/2 is recommended for tiling walls and the 1/4 inch for floors.) The sheets are smaller than regular wallboard sheets which makes them a little bit easier to handle. Still, I crushed Lu's thumb while we were loading the cart and she wandered off to find a band aid while I paid for the backer board.

Lucia has been a super-great help with the house. She has helped with lots of painting, helped me take the tub and dozens of heavy garbage bags down to the curb, went to the store with me to get large building supplies that I can't handle on my own, and been patient and tolerant with the slow progress of my first renovation project. She's also been good about me coming home with tools every other day. :) She's given blood when I smashed her thumb, sweat when we brought tons of stuff up to the bathroom, and probably tears at me spending all my time working on the project. All in all she's a great girlfriend!