Bathroom Renovation - Part 5, I HATE Geometry

I have always loved old homes. They have so much character! I was really excited when we bought our house because, despite the fact that it's a little small (quaint!), it has fun little details like cut-glass door knobs, real plaster walls, archways between rooms, and hardwood floors (currently buried beneath carpet, next project???) However, after the last week of working on the bathroom I'm starting to hate some things about old homes... namely, the fact that after 60+ years of existence, there is no such thing as a level/plumb/square surface ANYWHERE in our home!

Normally this does not pose a huge issue, but in the case of installing paneling and moulding it becomes a huge issue. Figuring out the angles to be cut becomes a 3-dimensional task. Instead of taking for granted that the floor is level, the corners meet at 90 degree angles, and the wall surface is straight (ie: not concave or convex) I have to figure out random angles in every direction and account for every stupid little imperfection. It's probably one of the most frustrating things I've ever had to do.

I had some serious flashbacks to high school geometry class - drawing pictures of triangles and polygons, and trying to figure out the angles of the corners. I even tried to use the vague recollections I had about solving such problems, but realized that high school geometry does not really teach you to think in 3-dimension. At least not that I can recall. but I loathed math in high school so I'm probably suppressing lots of useful knowledge to my own detriment.

Fortunately, after lots of trial and error, I'm pretty much done with this step. I have one last cut of the baseboard to make and then touching up the paint where the nails went in. But here is a preview...

By this weekend we should be putting the toilet and sink back in! Yippee Skippee! Plumbing will bring a whole new pack of issues, but I'm accepting that in advance.