Here’s a feature we haven’t seen in a while – kitchen/bathroom renovations. If you have a renovation of any room in your house/condo please send some photos and details to princeofpetworth (at) gmail (dot) com. If the slideshow is blocked for you at the bottom you can see the flickr set here.

“Dear PoP,

I bought the house expecting to tear out the bathroom. Everything about it was a nightmare. Other than being terribly ugly, it wasn’t functional and had a lot of dead space. Most of the towel racks were loose or fell off of the wall soon after I moved in. The toilet paper holder was u-shaped with the open side to the user, so every time you went for a square or two, the roll would come flying out at you. The stairs to the jacuzzi served no purpose other than as a toe-stubber. The “tile” was mock marble and if you took the time to look, you’d see the pixels on it. The shower was the size of a middle school locker and I would always end up with elbow bruises from washing my hair. The shower door and frame eventually loosened from the stall and became very dangerous because they would fall out… heavy, sharp glass and metal. The outlet above the sink didn’t work (I had to charge the electric toothbrush in the bedroom). No lock on the door. Wallpapered tile on the side of the shower. Not to mention the huge uselss jacuzzi-tub-for-three.

The renovation took two and a half months. This was difficult because it was the only bathroom I have (other than a stray toilet in the basement, thank goodness). But once the contractor tore the old room out, there were a lot of unexpected issues underneath: bad workmanship and general old-house quirks. That added a lot to the time. The total cost in the end was 11K.

I’m very proud and happy with the new bathroom. Every single fixture, electrical and plumbing, was moved. It’s got hooks and electrical outlets in all the right places. I even set it up so that when the shower door swings open, it’s cushioned by the toilet paper roll instead of hitting the wall. The medicine cabinets are huge and beautiful with three mirrors each (!). The shower is big, so big you can comfortably dry off in it, but not so big that it feels like wasted space. And the vanity has tons of storage. I’ve been having a hard time decorating it because I’m afraid to ruin it!”

IMG_3468, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

“There was a spotlight helicopter in AdMo early this morning, around 1:30am.”

Anyone know what happened?

DSCN1174, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Back in October ’08 I asked about all the stores on 18th Street, NW for lease in Adams Morgan. This past weekend I was able to speak with a longtime Adams Morgan business owner, Lynn Skynear, who’s been in Adams Morgan for 20 years. Skynear is located at 2122 18th Street, NW.

First let’s talk about the plans for this space, which are pretty cool. As you can see the third floor is for lease and now there is a sign saying the first floor is for lease.

Ms. Skynear explained that in this economy small furniture stores are having a tough time and therefore one needs to be creative. And here’s the creativity:

Skynear will remain a part of this space on the second or third floors. But on the first floor Ms. Skynear is looking for a tenant to open a European style bakery and cafe with an outdoor seating area. Skynear explains, “you have to give folks more than one reason to come here”. And to fill out the second and third floors, Skynear would like to see a consortium of Skynear furniture along with potential partners including the following possible vendors – clothing, jewelery, and/or pottery. She envisions folks having a coffee and cake downstairs and then shopping upstairs.

Ms. Skynear also addressed the issue of the many storefronts for lease on 18th Street. The only way Adams Morgan will become a destination spot beyond nightlife, she believes, is with better public transportation. Specifically she would like to see one of the new Circulator buses coming down 18th Street. She believes this is the only way to prevent other small businesses from leaving the area. And the only way this will be possible is if the Mayor embraces the neighborhood. She left me with these words: “I’m hoping the Mayor will embrace the place in which he grew up in.”

So what do you guys think, do you like the idea of a bakery cafe on the first floor? And what are your thoughts on a Circulator bus coming to 18th Street?

DSCN1094, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

If only it was tub sized…

DSCN1047, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

My war with squirrels continues. I was sitting on my back stoop trying to figure out who had taken my cherry tomatoes just when they were about to get ripe. I thought opossum, racoon, rat, aha squirrel. Of course, how could I be so stupid. Since I accidentally planted all cherry tomato plants I had been admiring my neighbor’s fat tomatoes. I begged them to let me have a couple when they get ripe. To which I’m happy to say they agreed.

Anyway, I’m on my back stoop pissed off at my pilfered cherry tomatoes when this bastid climbs over the fence with my neighbor’s tomato in his mouth. He didn’t even hustle. He kinda strutted and just looked at me with a hint of a smile hidden by a fat green tomato. And I swear if he didn’t have a big fat tomato in his mouth I would have heard him laughing at me. I’d like to say I lunged after him and grabbed the tomato from him. I’d like to say that, alas, I was utterly defeated. You win this round…

guy in chair 010, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

“Dear PoP,

My neighbor put this chair out with a “free” sign. Then this guy came along and sat there reading for about an hour.”

As an avid reader I think this is a beautiful sight.

Google car on GA, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Thanks to all the readers sending in the news about the Google car venturing around Petworth. Google street view is definitely one of the coolest features.

Wayan also spotted it on Taylor Street, NW:

IMG_8690b, originally uploaded by D©Bloom.

I thought this was a cool shot by D©Bloom from the PoPville flickr pool.

DSCN1200, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

This was the most insane vegetable garden I’ve ever seen in someone’s front yard. Actually that’s not true. There’s one on 13th Street near Cardozo that I have to take a photo of. But this one is pretty amazing too.

DSCN1052, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Because folks liked the HoTD on Center Street, NW, I thought I’d show a couple more cool ones from the same block. I particularly like the one on the right.

Back in June a number of folks were wondering what was going on with Zenebech Injera, the Ethiopian restaurant located at 608 Florida Ave, NW. I’m happy to report that I was able to go into the restaurant on Monday and it looks nearly finished. I spoke with one of the owners who said that they will open up sometime next week. They will call me when they pick the exact day. But like I said, the inside appeared nearly finished, so you’ll soon be able to get your Zenebech back on!

This home on Cathedral Ave north of Connecticut Ave seems to be fairly new. While not perfect, I think it fits in rather nicely with some of the older homes. Do you think it fits in?

And I’m also wondering what you guys think of the box like structure below, found on the grounds of the Swiss Embassy. I think it looks kinda cool:

“Amos is a brand new addition to The Beautiful Life this year, adopted in February from the Washington Humane Society, but he’s already plotting his escape to the moon. When not busy with rocket science, he plays fetch (really!) with his catnip mice.”

“Blondie the Chihuahua enjoying a boat ride.”

“This little Timneh African Grey’s name is Calliope. She is barely a year old and is already using public transportation.”

Ed. Note: Seems there is a little confusion about the contest.  The cats are not competing against the dogs.  There will be 5 dog, cat and “other” finalists that will each compete in their own category.  We’ll have a poll in each category to select the winner.  Using the comments section for these posts will help me select the 5 finalists for each category.  I’ve gotten some amazing entries, and a lot of them!  So I’ll need your help selecting the finalists.  Maybe at the very end we’ll put the three winners in each category up for an overall winner.

The deadline for entries is August. 1st. Remember, please only send one photo per pet. You can see all the entries here. Due to the large number of entries I have to put more than 3 up a day. Please see after the jump for three more entries.
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This great shot was taken by Tyrannous. The plants growing up top are wild. Great contrast.

Submit your photos via email or to the PoPville flickr pool here.

This house is located at 2014 15th Street, NW:

View Larger Map

The flier says:

“A traditional brick exterior elegantly surrounds the sophisticated, contemporary & renovated interior of this stately Victorian just 2 blocks to Metro & easy walking distance to the heart of U Street, Logan & Dupont. 2 car parking, a spectacular master suite, fine fixtures & finishes, hardwood floors, a gorgeous deck & yard, & a fabulous & legal rental unit completes this special offering.”

More info found here and a virtual tour found here.

Wow, this is a pretty cool house. The inside has this modern open vibe going on. Do you like the renovation? It is yours for $1,199,000. Enjoy the photos, they are pretty sweet.