Bathroom Remodel: End of a Saga

Well well well...after what seems like forever we have finally reached the end of our bathroom remodel saga. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's what you've missed : the plan, the demo, the guts, the details, and the fall backs.

BEFORE: guest bathroom

Let's start with the guest bathroom. This is what the guest bathroom looked like when we bought the house. Standard tub with yucky shower doors, ugly blue and white linoleum, and a terrible layout that was a grand waste of space.

AFTER: guest bathroom

And this is what our newly renovated guest bathroom looks like. As you can see the layout is much better than what we started with. We didn't want to spend a whole lot for this bathroom sine we figured we'd rarely use it. We decided to go with a standard tub insert and ended up getting the vanity for a steal since the shop had made an error on the size for someone else's custom vanity. As you can see the sun tunnel we had installed brings in an amazing amount of light. These pictures were taken without the bathroom lights on and no flash. Sometimes our friends actually turn the light on when they're trying to turn the light off because the sun tunnel makes them think the lights are still on. Oh, and please excuse the towels that are almost invisible due to the fact that they are the same color as our walls. I guess that's just what happens when you just tell your contractor to paint the walls any "warm color" that will match the tile. Apparently that's such a popular shade of golden brown that they make it for paint and towels.

BEFORE: master bathroom

Now, on to the master bathroom. As you may remember, our master bathroom was SUUUPER teeny tiny. No way that more than 1 person could use that bathroom at a time. And how could you forget the lovely commode that face right out the door...LOL.

AFTER: master bathroom

And here she is...Ain't she a beaut??? We went with a larger shower and no tub for the master bathroom because honestly...how often do you actually have time for a bubble bath? The shower doors we had to special order off Amazon since we couldn't find it at any of the hardware stores around here. Thank gawd we ordered them before Amazon started charging tax - so we were able to save a little there. After we had the contractors rip out the original seat in the shower they redid it perfectly so that even little ole me can sit comfortably on it without my legs dangling around. We decided on the 36 inch vanity instead of 48 inch so that it didn't feel so cramped. And the contractors were able to shift the vanity and lighting further away from the toilet so that there isn't any claustrophobic feelings while you reach for your toilet paper. With the remodel our bathroom space has probably doubled...ah-maze-ing! Best part of all of it is that you don't look directly at the person sitting on the toilet when you're lying in bed. Always a win when you're keeping the romance alive <3

So what's up next on the remodel train??? Kitchen, I hear you calling. Front yard, I know you're in need of some TLC too. I don't really know which home project we'll be tackling next, but hopefully it won't be as drawn out as this one was. Eh, who am I kidding?

Bathroom Remodel: Almost There...Kind Of

Once we had chosen all of our little details things really started rolling on the bathroom remodel. We were very excited to soon be able to take a shower in our own house for the first time. And I'm sure our friends who were kind enough to let us shower at their place were just as excited to not have us trapsing through their home everynight like a bunch of vagabonds.

The contractors had painted, laid the tile and installed the bath in our guest bathroom. And they had painted, laid the tile, installed the shower, and started tiling the shower in our master bathroom. It was like we could see the light at the end of a tunnel that was much longer than we had anticipated.

But then (isn't there always a but?), we ran into several snags that made the light at the end of our tunnel fade fast. We realized that the contractors had neglected some of our very specific requests like the distance between the toilet and the vanity as well as the height of the seat in our shower. If any of you know me personally, you know I'm a bit vertically challenged as some might say. At a measley 4'10" (on a good day) we took great care before starting the remodel to take measurements so that things would be a comfortable distance away for hubs yet not out of my reach.

We were so disappointed when we checked on our bathroom only to realize they mounted the shower seat way too high. We had to force the contractors to rip out the mounted seat which ruined several of our expensive marble shower tiles...sad face.

Then we saw where they planned to set the vanity which would have put the toilet paper holder much too close too the toilet. When we asked the contractors to move the vanity over we were faced with the problem that there wouldn't be enough clearance for the bathroom door. So naturally we had to have the contractors move the door frame to accommodate moving the vanity.

It ended up costing a lot of extra dollars, but hubs and I both agreed that since we're already spending so much on the remodel we should do whatever it takes to make sure we're completely happy with the results.

Bathroom Remodel: Details, Details, Details

Well...well..well. It's been about 3 months since the last bathroom post and it's probably been about 4 months since the bathroom has been completed...it may be an understatement to say I'm a little behind in my blogging. Anyway, let's dive right back into our series on our epic bathroom remodel.

With most of the demolition work done in the bathrooms it was time for us to start making decisions on what we were going to put in our new bathrooms. We needed to choose tile, lighting, vanity, sink, tub, and all of the sink and shower hardware. We had a lot of decisions to make and a lot of decisions to make fast. Looking at all the different options was overwhelming to say the least.

I feel like we went to a hundred tile stores and looked at a million different kinds of tile. Luckily we had  the hubs brother to give us his expert opinions of what types of tiles would look good in the shower and the floor. I'm pretty sure he was ready to punch me in the face since I probably started to sound like Goldie Locks... "This tile is too dark"..."This tile is too light"..."This tile is too shiny"..."This tile feels too scratchy." Luckily I have a kind brother-in-law and he refrained from strangling me during our tile shopping adventures.

Choosing a vanity was no easier. We weren't really too worried about what was going in the guest bathroom since in all honesty how often would we even be in there. But in the master bathroom we went back and forth between a 36 inch vanity and a 48 inch vanity. We were worried there wouldn't be enough counter space for the two of us with a 36 inch vanity but we weren't sure if the bathroom would feel too crowded with a 48 inch vanity.

And oh my goodness...who knew there were so many different types of lighting fixtures? And not only do you have to choose the lighting fixture in some cases you have to choose the shade to go with the fixture. After a while I think they all started to look the same.

And let's not forget the faucets and shower fixtures. And you can't just choose a style you have to choose a finish too! Oh, but remember, the finish of your fixtures need to match the finish of your lighting fixtures and other bathroom hardware (ie: towel racks and toilet paper holders).

Needless to say we eventually made our decisions, but I had no idea it would be so difficult to pick out the things we wanted. *whew* Boy were we glad when that part was over.

Want to see where we started? Check out the plan, the demo, and the guts of our bathroom remodel.

Bathroom Remodel: Underneath it All

So when we last left you we had just finished the bathroom demo. Next up, moving all of the plumbing and electrical to accommodate the new layout.

If you take a look at the plans for the new bathroom layout you can seen that the 2 bathrooms are practically mirror images of each other. Apparently this made things much easier for moving the plumbing and electrical since both bathrooms could share the same main plumbing and electrical.

So here's some pictures of the work that they did to accommodate the new bathroom layouts. First they moved the plumbing to the wall that both bathrooms would share. Then they started framing in the wall - I have to admit seeing the two empty bathrooms made me pretty nervous that the bathrooms would still be impossibly small.

We also decided to add a sun tunnel into each bathroom. Originally we were planning on only adding one to the hall bathroom to make up for the fact that it wouldn't have a window anymore. But after seeing how nice the results were we decided we should get one for the master bathroom too. BEST.DECISSION.EVER.

Next up, picking out all the little details like tile, lighting fixtures, and vanities.







Want to see where we started? Check out the plan and the demo.

Bathroom Remodel: Demo Days

The day after we met our contractor and okay'd the plans for the bathroom remodel they got down to work and started doing demo. If you've ever watched HGTV I think you'd agree the demo looks like you just go around ripping things off the wall and knocking walls down with sledge hammers - both fun and fast. Apparently this is a misconception (damn you Property Brothers!)

After demo day 1 they had removed the walls separating the 2 bathrooms and taken out all of the bathroom goods like the toilets, tubs/shower, and sinks. We had them try to salvage as much of the stuff from the bathrooms as possible. In the end we were able to reuse the toilets from both bathrooms (yay savings!) and we saved the pedestal sink, cabinets, and bathroom hardware (ie: towel bars and toilet paper holders) which we were able to sell at a garage sale we just had.

At the end of demo day 2 they had pulled up all of the flooring and ceiling. They also patched up one of the windows that would have ended up in the middle of our new master shower.

I couldn't imagine that demo took our crew a whole 2 days to complete. But I guess things aren't really as easy as they seem on television. That seems to have been a reoccurring theme throughout the entire bathroom remodel.

Next up, moving all the plumbing and electrical to accommodate the new bathroom layouts.

Want to see where we started? Check it out.

Bathroom Remodel: Secret

I am outlandishly happy that we're doing the bathroom remodel before we move in not for any of the practical reasons, like we won't have to figure out where to shower while the remodel is happening or because we don't want to have construction people traipsing all over the new carpet we plan on adding.

Nope, I'm happy we're doing the bathroom remodel before we move in because secretly it totally disgusts me to take a shower in someone else shower. 

Bathroom Remodel: The Plan

As I mentioned in a previous post we are remodeling the 2 full baths in our house. As you can see in the floor plan, our current bathroom situation is not really ideal. Although, in all fairness a major remodel 2 weeks before you plan to move into your house is also not really ideal either. But the hubs and I decided that having a master bathroom the size of a crackerjack box was worse than having to deal with the stress of a remodel before we move.

Our current master bathroom is so tiny that there's no way that we could both even maneuver our way around each other in there. The shower stall is barely big enough for 1 person and I have no idea how shaving your legs in there is even possible. And let's not forget the fact that the toilet faces right out the bathroom door...I mean where's the romance in that???

On the other hand, the hall bathroom is such a waste of space! Due to the L-shaped layout of the hall bathroom you look directly at a wall when you look in through the bathroom door and you have to make your way through a narrow and awkward passage way to get to the actual bathroom. And those shower doors...UGH! I think I just grew up with a shower curtain so I feel like shower doors are so gross...I mean at least when it's just a shower curtain you can toss it when it starts to get mildewy.

So here's what the new floor plan will look like after the remodel. We will be knocking down the walls separating the hall bath from the master bath. We'll be installing much larger shower in the master bathroom and will be replacing the pedestal sink with a larger single sink vanity. In the hall bath we'll be doing a standard tub and will be replacing the current vanity with one with a much more contemporary look.

Hopefully we can get at least the hall bathroom done before we move in 2 weeks. It would definitely be ideal if we could at least have 1 working shower before we move in. I'd prefer not to have to take my shower's at the gym.







Check the follow-up posts on our bathroom remodels: the demo, a look underneath, the details, in the middle of it all, and the big reveal