Beige and pink with a cheap vanity, teeny tiny tub, a more-or-less dysfunctional toilet and all manner of ick. In our New Year's post, we talked about trying to decide whether to do a full scale remodel professionally or attempt a do-it-yourself version. Well we saved a little money and started figuring out what we want and decided that total gut and remodel was the way to go. We're hoping to not have to move any electrical or plumbing, though while the floors are exposed, we may decide to replace whatever piping is down there with PVC, depending on the condition.
So what are we looking for? Here's our wish list:
- rip back to the studs, subfloor, etc, insulate outer wall and window area and install backer board
- install neutral, non-porous, large tiles to ceiling in shower area
- new water-efficient toilet (white--none of this cruddy pink stuff anymore)
- new, larger tub
- deep sink on a vanity (need the extra storage space)
- built in shelves in tub area
- grip bar in tub (who knows? might come in handy)
- recessed medicine cabinet
- new ceiling fan and light
- new lights over sink
- hand-held adjustable shower
A picture in a recent issue of Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine had a picture that sort of exemplified a lot of what we want:
I think I'll probably stick with gray on the walls too, but otherwise, this is a fairly good idea of our ideal style.
We've already had two estimates so far and plan to get a lot more. We've gotten some contradictory information (one guy thought they might be able to save us some space by installing a pocket door but the other guy doesn't think it's possible given the location of our studs; one guy suggested we automatically replace our original pipes with PVC but the other didn't think we should bother unless the pipes look corroded) but are getting a fairly good idea of what's possible and--more importantly--what it will cost. Usually I don't like to discuss price but this blog is a good place for a sanity check, so I'm just going to throw it out there: it looks like we can expect to pay approximately $10,000.
So, dear readers, here's where I ask for your help! I know some of you out there read and never leave comments but we want advice and opinions, so please send us a message. Have you done a remodel and what do you wish you had known? What features would you add to your bathroom if you could? What features should we add/remove to make it more child-friendly? What kind of design elements and colors would you recommend? We need ideas!!!
Stay tuned while we get a few more estimates and report back with our findings.
4 comments:
I definitely like the grip bar in the tub. Whether a person is 8 or 80, it is very handy to have. Bathtubs/showers are slippery! While we're on that subject, you might consider getting a bathtub and shower with some sort of built-in tread (do those exist? I think they do, but not sure). As for child safety, if you could make sure you don't have too many hard, pointy surfaces that stick out in random places. Like the countertop for the sink- maybe getting rounded corners. Just some thoughts.
~Tara:-)
Oh you can totally do this one yourself! Not only will you save a ton, but it's actually fairly simple and DIY-ers tend to get a lot more personal-ness because they do it themselves. I guarenetee that barring any major surprises, you can easily come in under the $10 grand mark... of course you can go for the really fancy products (tile, fixtures) and end up over that, but most likely you'll be under. The most important thing is know what materials are a must - using the green board instead of drywall and such. The bathroom of course has a ton of moisture, so you want to know that you're putting in materials that take that and can last with it. You can go to just about any Home Depot or Lowe's and just ask though. We also have a book that has come in handy quite a bit. It's like a DIY for Dummies that Home Depot created, and it literally has everything you need to know about any project at home. A really wonderful website is diynet.com too. You can find everything there from replacing a light switch to repairing your foundation. They'll have a ton of info and help there for "simple" remodels like a bathroom. Ok, so I'm now making my own blog post with this little novel, so I'll just say one thing... Especially for you, think about taking a piece of furniture and making it your vanity. Salvage an old piece, buy a new fabulous desk/dresser/console, really put your personality in it. ♥
We had two of our bathrooms completely gutted and remodeled last year. We used the same contractor who had finished our basement and who my parents always use and he charged about $5,500 each for labor (he said he normally charged $7,500 but since it was the height of the recession he needed more work) and we bought all the tile, cabinets, etc. Instead of bath vanities we ordered from the kitchen cabinets at Lowe's so they have the higher height. We did have to move the drain in the basement bathroom when we expanded the shower and move a heating duct in the hallway bathroom but nothing else was that drastic. He did replace a couple of pipes but not all of them.
If you are looking at it being kid friendly, I would get a toilet that can flush a lot. We got one that could flush a whole bucket of golf balls. Not sure if our pipes can handle that, but I've had coworkers tell me strange things there kids have flushed so we tried to be somewhat prepared.
I would be wary of trying to do it yourself unless you really like that kind of thing and have a lot of time to spend on it. I think it took our contractor 3-4 solid weeks to get both done, so if you were only working on it part time it could take a while.
You can feel free to come and look at ours if you like.
Libby
A really late comment, but my housemate has been mentioning installing a tile heating system for our kitchen. Apparently you can put small copper pipes running hot water under the tiles, and that does the trick. Or you can buy an actual heated tile system to instal before your tiles (that's more expensive, but might not be that bad for a small space). Maybe that will work in your bathroom. I think it's a child friendly idea :)
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