Powder Room Revamp or Remodel or update, you pick

I wish I had pictures of this bathroom from the day we moved in. I don't, so here's the visual. Imagine iridescent blue wallpaper with a 1980's design clad with massive pink flowers of some sort. It was hideous. You can see some wallpaper in some of the before photos, this is actually the original wall paper from, not the iridescent florally blue stuff I speak of.  It didn't take long for me to get busy removing the wallpaper, but as we all know, moving in to a new home is time consuming, which equates to a very half ass job on my part. Despite the half-assedness, the wall paper was gone, and there it sat for 3 1/2 years desperately anticipating my next move. We did replace the toilet shortly after moving in, and just recently, I transformed the wood work and opened up the space a bit (remember this post ?), however, it just wasn't enough.

Here she is in all her pre-demolition glory.  I had already painted over the brown on the top portion of the wall, because of course, I FORGOT to take pictures.  Imagine that! Anyway:

Mark removing the "nice toilet"

What a MESS!!

Mark laying the marble tiles.

Mark talked me in to replacing the vanity with a pedestal sink (brand new, craigslist $75) and laying white marble tile, which I am so, so thankful for! I wasn't sure I'd like the pedestal sink, but wow, the difference. The space feels much more open and less cramped. Since the remodel I have had two people comment on the "nice toilet". What they didn't realize was that this is the same "before" toilet. Suddenly, our "nice toilet" is much more noticeable now that the huge vanity is gone. I have to admit, it is kind of funny to eagerly show someone all of the new improvements and they end up commenting on the "nice toilet". Something I never would have anticipated, but funny none the less.

Aside from all of the obvious surface work, Mark also replaced all of the old plumbing that is now visible behind the sink and added a joist (?) between the studs on the wall where the pedestal sink is now to allow the pedestal to anchor in the correct spot. Blah, blah, blah. So, enough of that. Here's the fun part. The after pics!

I am so, so proud of my talented husband.  There is nothing he can't do!  I am just so impressed with all of his work and the TIME, oh the TIME.  He came to bed many nights after midnight...after working a full day at work.  My only contributions were picking out the paint color (Behr Verdigris), priming and painting everything and caulking and spackling.  Other than that, Mark did it all.  

And on to the next project. ;)

Transformations

Challenge #1: Out with the 80's

This bathroom is a very good representation of what the rest of our house looked like when we first moved in four years ago. Had I documented the REAL transformation from day 1, you'd see iradescent blue and pink wall paper with 8 inch flowers lining the remainder of the walls.
Gag. Me.
The wallpaper was one of the first things to go when we first moved in. Now we are left with brown, brown and more brown.

Here's a before...had I thought about documenting this prior to starting the project you could actually see the cabinets ON the walls, but hey, I've started and that's what matters, right? So here we have floor to ceiling (very low ceiling I might add) cabinets, in 1980's honey oak brown. Extremely well made cabinets, with MUCH potential. I had already removed the top cabinets in this picture so you're seeing the inside. The bottom cabinets have already been removed as well, but I realized I should probably get them in the picture for good measure. (Check out that awful hardware and hideous wall paper!!)

I decided paint wouldn't be enough for this small space, so I decided we needed to remove the upper doors to open up the bathroom a little. Mark added the beadboard walls and trim, spray painted the brassy hardware black and I sanded, primed and painted everything. I ended up using two coats of primer and two coats of paint. I used Behr Cottage White in Semigloss. For the doors and level surfaces I added Paint Easy to the paint (not to the primer) to eliminate any brush marks. This added more time and effort because I really had to watch for drips, but the finished product was soooo worth that extra effort. Brush marks?? What brush marks??



Instead of buying a new TP holder to replace what appears to be the original TP holder from the 80's, I had Mark spray paint the wood pieces. Instead of leaving good enough alone, I decided to use a little toile scrapbook paper and some Mod Podge to finish off the look. I'm still not sure about it, but it will do for now.



Everything on the shelves were items I already owned but dressed up a little. EXCEPT for the black metal frame. I found that at Hobby Lobby on the clearance shelf for $4.76 (Normally $13.99). The tall candle was a candle that I've had for 10 years (I think it was a wedding gift) and have never used, I wrapped it with a 12x12 sheet of scrapbooking paper and added a the green ribbon for a splash of color.
The black metal piece on the top shelf was something I bought at Hobby Lobby a few years back, it was antique white and framed...the frame was chipped. The 8 year old removed the frame, and Mark spray painted it black.

I am currently working on fixing up a serving tray that I found at Goodwill which will be added to the shelf to add in a little color.

Next on the agenda is a new drop in sink, bead board walls and popcorn removal. Yeah, I probably should have done the popcorn removal FIRST, but where's the challenge in THAT??

Bathroom Remodel Back in BLACK!

So, now that school is over, and I have time on my hands, I decided to tackle the master bath cabinets. It's funny, our bathroom remodel has been complete for quite some time now, but in our minds it hasn't been 'complete'. It's incredible what a little bit of paint can do. Our cabinets were all 80's and the rest of the bathroom up to date. Something had to be done. Sooo, after half a quart of Sherwin Williams Black, a nice little sanding block to antique a few edges here and there, and some bronzy spray paint to cover the ugly 1984 brassy handles, we have a kick ass bathroom. Next is the powder room cabinets and then I'm on to the kitchen. Somebody stop me!!!

Rub a Dub Dub, we have a TUB!

The plumber finally made his last trip out to install the tub fixtures yesterday. Lastnight the kids got to stay up late and enjoy their very first jacuzzi bath.



The tile surround for the tub was finished today, but other than that, nothing has changed. Thursday will be 10 weeks since the first day of demolition.

Bathroom Remodel Day 1,573,984

WE

FINALLY

HAVE

A

SHOWER!!!


And shower fixtures, and rugs, and towels, and a half hearted attempt at decor that will only be around for the weekend. Monday, it all comes out for more construction, but for now, we will enjoy!

Don't forget to click to enlarge!

Bathroom Update

The bathroom is coming along nicely. We're SO close to being done. Yesterday, the plumber installed our shower head, and we got to take our FIRST SHOWER!!!!!! All that's left to be done is texture, paint, a few light fixtures, a few plumbing fixtures, a toilet, and some small touchups.

The wood floors came in, but unfortunately, they were not the ones we ordered, so we're back to playing the waiting game again. We've been told that they will have them here Monday and will be able to begin. I'll believe it when I see it. Meanwhile, we're living in a construction zone and have been for waaaay too long. We're more than ready to be done with this.

Bathroom Remodel Day 5 and beyond

We're moving along slllooowwwly, but we're getting super close to being DONE!

Here's Day 5....most of the tile is in place, we're anxious to see what it will look like once the grout and trim pieces are in place:








And here we are after days 6 and 7.... a wee bit more tile and grout later and now we're talkin':

And after day 8 (Friday Sept. 28th), Mark and I are getting more and more impressed with our design! It's actually starting to look like a bathroom! We're getting so close





Since the last pictures were taken, the only change is the arch above the opening to the water closet is back. Now we'll contiue to wait for the plumber and electrician to show up, and after that all that's left is patching, taping, floating and texturing the walls, and getting the glass enclosure installed around the shower. That's IT! We are now in to week 6 of the remodel.

As for the wood floors...nothing has changed. They were supposed to start demo this morning, but it's not much of a surprise that I came home to an empty house with no changes. PLEASE LET ME KEEP MY PATIENCE with these people!!!!!!

I'm hoping to find some more time to update with all of the recent happenings at the Urben house as soon as possible. Right now, I'm off to the dentist AGAIN, but this time for some relief. I'm pretty sure I have dry socket from the molar I had pulled last Thursday. I'll be feelin' good in no time, I'm sure!

Bathroom Remodel: Day 4

Friday, Jeff framed up the tub and shower, and added a couple corner seats in the shower as well. We originally planned on "bench" spanning the entire side of one wall, but Jeff got creative and thought up the corner seats to allow us more clearance in the middle. That proved to be an EXCELLENT idea, and now we haven't really lost any shower space by adding the corner seats.

In the last picture you can see where he came out from the wall about a foot to give us some extra room in the shower, which will also give us an area for shelves on the adjacent wall. We might end up using the space for free standing furniture in lieu of built in's. We have a lot of decisions to make!

We've purchased all of the electrical and plumbing fixtures, so all that's left is finding the perfect vanity mirrors.

Bathroom Remodel: Days 2 and 3 along with an update

Two weeks since deomlition, and yes, we're only on day 4 of actual work. So far the water closet has been framed in and the plumber has been here twice and done no actual work. Right now Jeffrey is framing in our tub surround and shower.

As for all the new work that we're having done on the hole in the wall and replacement of our wood floors, we're still where we were 2 weeks ago. The adjustor came out last week and we're waiting to hear what the numbers are so we can start picking out flooring.

Even though I intended on having more free time now that the kids are in school, just the opposite seems to have happened. With being on the PTA Board at both schools, volunteering, and my new workout schedule, I'm completely overcommitted (who me??) and up to my eyeballs in To-Do lists. AND, I haven't even started my job yet! I'm not sure how I'm going to handle everything once I'm working, but hopefully, things will calm down and I'll have more time for whatever else it is I'm forgetting to do. (housework maybe, keeping up with my family and friends???)

The kids are doing great in school, they've already completed their first two weeks and seem to be adjusting to their new schedules well. I talk to Alex's teacher everyday, and have already begun to hear the stories about Alex's silly antics. Fortunately, his teacher and I are very like-minded and she just adores him, and appreciates his sense of humor. Yay! She quickly discovered his ability to read and has him "teaching" two other boys to read. He is so, so proud.

Ashley is working super hard on her daily homework assignments, and I've been so proud of her determination to be neat and organized. Ever since she was a toddler, she's always been extremely particular about making sure things are all in the right place and neatly organized, and it's proven to be a very helpful trait! Everyday, Alex and I walk to meet her afterschool and walk home together. Alex asks about her day, she asks about his, and they are just so sweet to one another again! Summer had it's moments, so I'm so, so thankful that they are back to their old selves again. Distance DOES make the heart grow fonder, that's for sure!

Day 2

DAY 3

Bathroom Demolition: LEAKAGE!

After finding water in the wall below the master bath Mark immediately called the contractor (after turning off the water to the house, of course). Within 10 minutes, a superindendant was on site, and within 15 minutes of his arrival, a plumber was here. They were able to locate the leak fairly quickly and cap it to prevent any additional damage. Here's the bad news:





The good news is that our contractor has liability insurance and will cover all the cost of the repairs which he estimates to be around $10,000...most of which will cover replacing the wood floors. It looks like a very small spot, but since mom installed them 2ish years ago, they have discontinued this style of parquet...sooo, they're now going to have to replace the entire hall, dining room, living room and Ashley's room, which is a VERY large amount of wood flooring. We're pretty bummed about having to rip up the floors that mom worked so hard on, but we're also trying to look on the bright side. Our old water line was weak, and according to the plumber, could have broke on its own anytime now. I can't imagine having to foot this bill right now! We are so, so fortunate!

Bathroom: Demolition, Day 1

One day late, but finally, the bathroom remodel has begun! Before we let the workers attack, we had to get some fun in first. What could be more entertaining than watching a couple of kids draw on the walls and carpet...watching them hammer walls out, that's what!






And finally, it's all GONE!!! We have a looong way to go, but we're on our way!





We interupt this post *literally* for a bit of a problem. As I'm uploading pictures Mark informs me that we have a BIG problem. Looks like something happened during the demolition and water has been leaking in to the wall below the shower for the past 24 hours. The wall is dripping, paint is sagging, parquet floors are buckling...and there's still the basement that we can't even see because it's filled to the brim with my brothers stuff. Big problems. Huge problems.

I will update as this progresses.