I love all of the finishes that we chose...except the paint color. I know, in the grand scheme, no biggie. Only problem with it is that in my current "condition" I'm not sure I'm willing to take on a full painting project solo, and after having painted it once already, Papa is not willing to do it again. So, it took a little thunder away from my hopes of doing a fancy blog reveal. Pictures got hung back up this week and we're living with it as is. For now. Maybe after the baby arrives and we settle into a new normal I'll get my energy and inspiration back to re-paint and add some "jewelry" to make things a bit prettier. In the meantime, here's a look at how things started, and how they've ended up...
Before, when you walked into the bathroom there was a single sink immediately to your left with a small (non-opening) window that let in just a smidge of natural light. The countertop height was low and the drawers did not open and close easily. No more than one person could brush at one time.
So, the sink and vanity got pulled out, a much larger window installed, and the plumbing got moved around the corner to allow for a double vanity with 2 sinks.
The new window lets in much more light and fresh air! We've got twice the storage and I love the under-mounted, square sinks. Our contractor also re-wired the entire space, and we now have twice the lighting than we did before--2 can lights overhead as well as 2 lights above the vanity.
Opposite from the sink was a wall with a doorway that led to a closet-sized room that held our toilet and shower. And, for those of you who have followed the progress around here, you may also recall that there used to be yet another doorway leading into our laundry room on the other side. That doorway got closed up last year when we did our Laundry Room Reno which allowed us to change the layout of our Master Bath--such a positive change! We removed the wall and doorway between the sink area and the toilet to open things up a bit. You can see where that wall was in the photo below. There was also a door there--you basically had to walk into the shower to close the door completely before sitting down to use the potty--crazy. (That door was one of the first things to go when we moved in 2.5 years ago. It just took us a bit longer to get the wall down).
So, the sink and vanity got pulled out, a much larger window installed, and the plumbing got moved around the corner to allow for a double vanity with 2 sinks.
The new window lets in much more light and fresh air! We've got twice the storage and I love the under-mounted, square sinks. Our contractor also re-wired the entire space, and we now have twice the lighting than we did before--2 can lights overhead as well as 2 lights above the vanity.
Opposite from the sink was a wall with a doorway that led to a closet-sized room that held our toilet and shower. And, for those of you who have followed the progress around here, you may also recall that there used to be yet another doorway leading into our laundry room on the other side. That doorway got closed up last year when we did our Laundry Room Reno which allowed us to change the layout of our Master Bath--such a positive change! We removed the wall and doorway between the sink area and the toilet to open things up a bit. You can see where that wall was in the photo below. There was also a door there--you basically had to walk into the shower to close the door completely before sitting down to use the potty--crazy. (That door was one of the first things to go when we moved in 2.5 years ago. It just took us a bit longer to get the wall down).
The toilet and the drywall behind it are pretty much the only things in the space that remained un-touched--we were down to the studs everywhere else.
Here's a not so nice view of our 1960's "Kholer Blue" shower... The ceiling was depressingly low, and while the tiles were in decent condition, the grout was just...gross.
The tiles were pulled down, and the whole shower area was re-built. We debated removing the soffet above the shower area completely, but that would have led to moving and re-working vents and HVAC stuff. In the end, we decided that we probably would not recoup the costs so we raised the ceiling as much as possible and left the vents in place. The strategy throughout our house projects has been to stretch our dollar as much as possible, without completely sacrificing style and some luxury. These decisions can be hard to make but so far, I think we're doing a good job. By saving a little here, I was able to splurge a bit on the shower fixture and faucets--these are the things that get used everyday so quality is important, and they get noticed too so it's fun to choose something with a bit more style. The new shower feels more spacious, thanks to the higher ceiling, the raised shower head, and the new window.
Our contractor made a couple of corner shelves for me...so handy! My only regret is that I should have had him build another one down below--a little ledge to put my foot on to shave my legs. Next time...
We try to choose practical, cost effective finishes that allow for easy maintenance and free up additional cash for little extras. In this case, we chose porcelain tiles for the shower and floors. They were originally 16x16, and we had our contractor cut them in half and lay them in a subway pattern. I think it makes things a little more interesting and maybe not so "builder bland"? While I love the look of travertine and natural stone, it's expensive and requires more maintenance. I'm happy with our choice here. Porcelain is also a fraction of the price, so I had extra cash to spend on this mosaic tile for the trim and backsplash, as well as the pebble floor in the shower--a small luxury that I really had my heart set on! (With 3 boys in the house, I'll always feel like I'm at a spa when I take a shower now, right?)
So there you have it. There is actually a lot of work to do still. We need a window treatment, hardware for the cabinet, glass doors for the shower, and of course, new paint. That will happen in time, I suppose. For now, we're just happy to not be living in the 1960's anymore!
turned out great! Are you doing a glass door? As for the floor- we ended up doing a sealer on the rock floor. rock is absorbant and with all the high heat and steam in our shower- a few tile people we talked to recommended it. Another benefit is that it makes the rocks look wet (and prettier) all the time. And it does not make the rocks slippery or anything. The guy who did our tile got the sealer for us (a little goes a LONG way and he bought a little jug of it that he used for 3 different shower re-dos). If you are interested, I can find out what it is called and where to get it. :)
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