Bathroom Reveal

It's about TIME, right??!! The bathroom has been done for so long, its really not new anymore:-) I was waiting to post pics until it was 100% done. I have decided to consider my custom-made-by-Brian medicine cabinet...phase 2. Since that is the only thing that isn't done.

In case you never saw my original bathroom, click here and watch the video. I didn't do a good job of "before" pics, because we made a very split second decision to bust it all up when presented with another plumbing problem.

Problems with old bathroom: 1. Room is narrow (can't fix that), old vanity was too large, making it a very skinny entryway (you can see that in the video) 2. plumbing pipes were old and clogged under the house. 3. no fan, so a musty room/mold issues in shower 4. very minimal lighting present, and a "daisy chain" outlet that was not grounded (you had to have the light on for the plug to work)

If you click on the renovations label, and scroll back a bit, it will take you through the journey. Basically, we gutted everything down to the crawlspace below (no floor at all!). There are currently only THREE things that remain from the original bathroom. 1. the chrome trash can 2. the hooks on the closet door 3. the hooks on the main door. (The closet interior was not altered, other than the flooring laid. The main door and closet door were also not replaced). Everything else was purchased new from the materials to the finishes.

Brian said that if he were pricing this job, it would have cost $6000 to $8000 MORE than what we spent (for the exact same finishes). However, he said it is important to note that with that price, it would have been done better with regards to the finishes (and faster, haha!!). He is not a "tile guy" even though he can do it (which he did), he sees the imperfections that would not be there if left to a true professional. BUT, since we did this with our very little tax return money, we did all the work and it turned out great. It's beautiful and functional!

A view from the hallway. We corrected the issue of having a narrow entryway by choosing a sink that "floats" off the wall. Basically just an uber cool pedestal sink that doesn't take up much space. It creates space, actually, and visually...but it lost us storage with no vanity. Window improvement: Instead of hanging a curtain back up, we decided to frost the glass of the lower 6 window panes. We used something that you cut to size and rub on. Worked like a charm!

A "splurge"...shower or body sprays! I was resistant to the idea at first, due to cost, but Brian was able to plumb it in for minimal material cost, and we scored a fantastic deal on ebay for the chrome body sprays (all 4 for $80), so I really couldn't complain of the cost in the end. The most expensive part was the handle to turn then off/on...it was $150. Yikes! All in all though, sooo worth it. We love them! It makes a steam shower effect in our little bathroom, and also makes for a great double shower when pressed for time without having to cycle in and out of the water. This is considered a "pricey" upgrade to a bathroom, and this is when it's handy to have such a skilled husband! (making it not so pricey)

 We put recessed water proof lighting in the shower. We can see! The ceiling is like a stiff plastic thing (like the plastic tub surrounds) so it wipes clean easily and doesn't build up mold

Water in action!

I found the floating wall shelving at Bed Bath & Beyond, it was $30 for all three shelves. We got an oval beveled mirror from Lowes, mirror lighting from Lowes, and recessed lighting in the main room too. It's very bright in there! We also have a FAN. A huge improvement. Another improvement is a secondary crawl space access and a clean out line (or something like that - I am SO not a construction person), outside for handy access in case of future backups or plumbing issues.

Molding...we went with a pretty thick molding, but eventually as we upgrade the rest of the house, we'll do the same throughout so it'll all match. You can see it surrounding the closet in the reflection of the mirror.

We did a Travertine floor with the chrome "slueter strip" (that is what Brian calls it?) around the border edge (that silver rounded strip between the tile and painted wall). The shower is porcelain tile (or was it ceramic? I forget which is "better" now, but we got the better one, I think that is porcelain)

This is how we dealt with the lack of vanity storage...we used to keep our towels on a shelf in the closet. By having the towels out here on shelves above the toilet, the closet shelf was empty and ready to hold all the vanity items. I purchased 9 bath towels and 3 hand towels. Because that amount fits great on my shelves, and because thats about all we need for a week+ worth of showers without doing laundry.

Love these! They are perfect for setting things on, since our sink can't do that

Awesome sink. Love it! The stool is for the kids to easily reach without "pulling up" on the sink, as it is anchored to the wall...but I'm sure they could pull it off somehow! They've been thoroughly educated on the etiquette of our new sink. The "table" there is something we already owned (foyer/telephone table). This is the location that my custom made medicine cabinet and counter will go. For now, this works like a charm!

So you must know I super cleaned up the bathroom for all of the above pics!! We can't live like that everyday, it's our only bathroom. We just fake it like that when guests come over:-) Here is a pic of a daily living scene...

Shelves hold soap, toothbrushes, hair clips etc. The hooks hold our towels, bathrobes, a hairbrush, a straight iron...you can even see the cool night light plugged in too (the kids love it!)

Potty seat, ready for action! Little table will one day be replaced, but for now serves it's purpose nicely!

Here is my conceptual drawing for Brian (so he makes it right) of Phase 2. The medicine cabinet/counter. You can see my front view and side view drawn there. The top part will be a medicine cabinet (similar depth to a typical one, just taller and thinner), it will connect down to a counter like surface (similar in size to current table), and then under the counter will have open shelving for decor (candles) or baskets with items inside

All in all, we feel like we made the best choices we could, got the best deals we could and are very happy with the results. It serves our needs very well!