We know there are lots of you out there who are eagerly waiting for our nursery makeover project to begin. And it will. Just not quite yet. After all, the third bedroom (aka: soon-to-be-nursery) which normally looks like this…
… currently looks like this:
We know, it’s embarrassingly messy (you’d be surprised how many readers take comfort in the fact that we actually live in chaos from time to time). The reason? It’s ground zero for our last big, pre-nursery project: a total bathroom remodel! We’re talking about a gut job down to the studs- which even involves the rental of a mini jackhammer. Yeah, we’re pretty excited about it.
And for any of you who have been following along with our weekend sneak peeks via Twitter and Facebook, you’ve actually heard how some of that demo has gone. But before we put the cart before the horse, we need to talk about the whys and the hows of our one-and-only full bathroom makeover. We think the classic look of the original black and white tile, the basketweave floor and even the cramped quarters are all quite charming (and befitting of our 1950’s ranch).
Yeah, it looks pretty darn good from afar, but upon closer inspection is also has its fair share of flaws that we just can’t get over – shattered wall tiles (from what we assume was the house settling at some point), uneven and stained flooring, and a chipped sink just to name a few.
Oh well. The original bathroom served our house well for over half a century (what more can you ask for right?) and although we’re all about saving what you can and working with whatcha got, in this case we’re sorry to say that after a pretty serious cleaning and recaulking effort a few years back- which certainly tided us over for a while- the time has come to bring the bathroom up to speed. And after living vicariously through my parents’ two DIY bathroom makeovers (one seen here) – Sherry and I have finally decided to bite the bullet and get ‘er done. Like, now. But of course we’ll still be bringing in some classic tile and materials that won’t look too futuristic and out of place in our 50 year old ranch. Fear not.
The approach: well, we’ve already begun tearing things down to the studs and plan to build it all back up again with our own four hands (ok, and with my dad’s generous assistance as well since Sherry’s doing a pretty important job on the side). So there will be new walls, a new tub/shower surround, new flooring, and a new DIY vanity project before we officially turn our attention to the bean’s room. Of course we plan to donate as much of our old stuff (vanity, faucet fixtures, etc) to the Habitat For Humanity ReStore to give them a second life. And if all goes as planned, the entire redo should be done before Christmas. Fingers crossed…
Oh and because we know it’s coming, to answer the “where will you shower?” question (since it’s our only full bathroom in the house), we’re nothing if not resourceful: I plan to use the shower at my gym every morning on the way to work and Sherry will swing over to my sister’s house (we’re super lucky that she lives extra close) and borrow her bathroom in the evenings (she’s a night showerer- weird huh?).
And speaking of my lovely/quirky wife, she’ll be posting very soon about all the design details including a working mood board of sorts (since I’m sure most of you are now saying “ok, but what will it look like!?!”). And since we know that you like all the pre-planning details (sometimes it’s hard to know where to start) we’ll be including a ton of those as well so stay tuned for that. We’ve actually already selected a lot of the new materials (floor tile, wall tile, a chunky nightstand that we’ll retrofit with a sink and faucet) as well as borrowed/purchased a bunch of tools that we’ll be using… hence the nursery currently looking completely unsafe for a newborn. Fun, fun, fun.
But while we’re on the subjects of bathrooms, does anyone else out there have a bathroom that could be termed a “Monet” like ours (also known as: pretty from afar, ugly up close)? Are there any impending bathroom remodels on the agenda? Or recently completed bathroom sprucing projects? Anyone crazy enough to tear their bathroom down to the studs in hopes of having things up and running again before Christmas? Do tell.
Hailey says
Can’t wait to see the transformation. I worked on our bathroom yesterday (just posted a comment on your caulking post) and we also discovered that our exhaust fan, doesn’t vent. The fan works, I can tell it is sucking some air, but we stuck our head up into the attic and saw that there is no venting. So, without doing more investigating, it appears that the fan vents directly into our attic. So, for the time being we are not using it, until we can afford to have an electrician come out and replace the fan (with a higher CFM unit) and vent it properly.
I also need to re-texture the walls and ceiling. I can see they did some patching to the old plaster and didn’t bother to match the texture. After that, I am going to repaint, add some crown molding, a new light fixture, cabinet above the toilet and a towel rack.
Patty says
We are also in the planning stages for a ‘down-to-the-studs’ bathroom remodel in our 70’s ranch: think avocado green and you might have a good picture :-) BUT, we know our limits and #1 will be hiring a contractor, and #2 won’t start until well after Jan 1, 2010!
aimee says
You guys are such an inspiration. I am waiting with baited breath for the nursery AND the “during” and “after” shots of the bathroom. So funny that you guys called it…I am one of those who sighs with relief when I see even just a wee bit of chaos in at least ONE of your rooms, so thanks for sharing that too. ;) We are about to start a major master bathroom makeover too so this couldn’t have come at a better timing. Good luck and hope you are feeling okay, Sherry! You guys, as always, ROCK. :)
Ashley M. [at] (never home)maker says
THANK YOU for sharing this with us :) I’m one of those people who takes great comfort in knowing that your place isn’t groomed and perfect 100% of the time . . . because ours definitely isn’t either. In fact, right now our extra bedroom is a complete dumping ground because we just did 1,000,000 loads of laundry.
Our bathroom is similar in that it looks pretty good from afar, but definitely needs some work. Anyway — good luck — can’t wait to see the mood board & get some inspiration!
<3 Ashley M.
Rachel S. says
Our bathroom probably NEEDS a complete renovation, but we are settling for removing wallpaper, painting, new vanities/sinks and new mirrors. We’re trying to get it done before my husband gets deployed. Things could really get rolling if I could just commit to a paint color! Can’t wait to see the plans for your bathroom!
vanessa says
We did a bathroom reno over the summer. It was suppose to take 2 weeks, but…. Our 1950 house is made of concrete blocks instead of studs. So the cast iron tub was set into the blocks so we had to keep it. We took the tile off of the shower surround and we founds a really deep morter bed set on top of concrete blocks. How did we get rid of it, hand chisel and grind. Our house looked like it was on fire from all of the dust and I am still finding dust all the way in our attic! Worst time of my life, but I don’t think we could have paid someone to do that work and I would hate to know their price. We went with subway tile and octagon and dot floor to keep the original look. It turned out great but our tub isn’t level so the caulk line around it “grows”. It wouldn’t be so noticable if we didn’t go with dark grout/caulk. So moral of the story don’t buy a concrete wall house with plaster and if you use dark grout it shows your flaws more than white grout.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Vanessa,
Hmm, your bathroom sounds suspiciously as complicated and insane as ours. Wait til you see what we we dealt with when it came to demo-ing everything out. And what we found behind it all!
xo,
s
Anna says
Perfect timing! We’re pregnant and due in April 2010, and considering a Master Bath remodel. Problem is our bath is TINY… and it looks like your is too. So, i am most curious right now about the dimensions of your bath and a layout plan, like the one you shared for the basement. It seems you always manage to use the space you have very well.
And can this be done before Christmas? Heck YES! y’all can get ‘er did! (LOL, I’ve been living in NC for 18 months, can you tell?)
Liz says
We have almost identical bathrooms! Same wall and floor tile and the set up is the same too. We have the same problem, everthing looks nice from afar but up close ewww! I can’t wait to see your bathroom transformation!
hishouse;herhelp. says
i totally know what you mean when you say that bathroom looks good from afar! then when you live in it you realize all the little flaws.
our kitchen is under construction and down to the studs right now, check out the blog for pics! i think it would harder to live w/out a bathroom than w/out a kitchen! at least you have that half bath! phew
Julianne Hendrickson says
Just a note–we just did this to our 1960s ranch, sent you the pictures a while back, and i would HIGHLY recommend putting in new plumbing where you can reach–exchanging your glavanized for up to date PVC–it is going to save us a lot of headaches, and we will never have to rip up the beautiful tile to fix a problem underneath.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Julianne,
Great point! We actually had to have the old leaky plumbing replaced a few years ago (behind the tub/shower and under the sink) so we’re happy to say that we’re good to go! But it’s a great tip for anyone who has their room all gutted- now’s the time to make those upgrades in electric and plumbing!
xo,
s
Sara says
We have a bean due in May and are gutting a very small master bathroom in our 1952 ranch. It’s okay from afar but has a crack in the shower pan (it’s a stand-up shower only) which is causing mold on the walls. It has white tile on the walls, stained yellow and white basket weave on the floor, and yellow tile in the shower. We are DIYers for the most part, but with a baby on the way and the hub’s starting his own business, we will be hiring a contractor for most of the work and doing some of the smaller jobs like installing the sink, toilet, and fixtures, ourselves. Can’t wait to see your ideas for inspiration! I wan’t to keep our bathroom pretty traditional as well, with a small tile on the floor and larger tiles on the wall. I’m wondering if you’re going to continue tile on the walls, or just tile the shower. It seems like leaving tile off the walls would make the rooms seem larger, and a great way to cut costs. I can’t decide for ours.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sara,
Yup, no tile on the walls except for the shower surround. The room will look less broken up and more seamless and expansive. Stay tuned for more details…
xo,
s
auto dealer software says
Ew that tile is nasty all right. Far away it looks gorgeous.
Liz says
We recently re-did our guest bathroom (for the second time) after a botched tiling job (it was our fist time tiling a floor. And we made some mistakes.)
You can read about it (and see pics) here: http://willtherebecake.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/the-great-guest-bathroom-redo-part-deux/
srabee says
i look forward to your bathroom remodel, i really hope you post a before and after in one post and not drag it out into multiple posts like you did with the basement.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Srabee,
Sorry to disappoint but we’ll definitely be posting multiple times to chronicle the step by step bathroom makeover project. Many readers request detailed posts (like the planning process, the demo process, the tiling process, etc) so that’s what we have in the pipeline. We think of it less as dragging things out and more as sharing our progress as we go. Although of course you can just come back around Christmas to see the totally updated after (and skip all that stuff in the middle if you so choose). No pressure to read every post we write or anything! We just love being thorough and explaining things so others can follow along at home if they’d like.
xo,
s
Elisa @ whatthevita says
Can’t wait to see all your posts on this! I like the progression posts better than a simple before and after. I have a moodboard that I developed for our master bathroom and I love it, but I don’t think we will work on the bathroom until around an year later, its like 6th on our list of rooms to do :) you can see the moodboard here http://whatthevita.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/because-purple-was-our-wedding-color/
Elaine says
My favorite line of your blog posts to date: “since Sherry’s doing a pretty important job on the side” Love it! Love it! Love it!
rebecca says
I am so excited that you guys are starting your bathroom makeover now. I have a similar situation – a 60 year old brick ranch with only 1 bathroom. We’ve been talking about renovating the bathroom and now that our recaulking efforts are starting to deteriorate and leaving us a little leaky, it’s time to put sledgehammer to wall and get it started. I want to get a new tub, tile the walls, retile the floor and replace the toilet. Our pedestal sink is fairly new and can stay. I’m just having a hard time choosing tile because I can’t visualize the finished product. I’m counting on you guys for some guidance and inspiration. Good luck with your project – I’ll be following closely!
jbhat says
You guys are so smart to get this done before you have your little one. I cannot wait to see the board, the progress shots and the unveiling of the magnificent after shots.
What a great gift to yourselves!
Amy says
We just bought a house, ripped out everything from our ONE AND ONLY BATHROOM, all the way down to the studs! It’s an absolute nightmare right now. We’re hoping to at least have the tub area done by christmas, since we’re moving in just days before Christmas (yes I know we’re crazy!) The floor and new toilet will come hopefully with the new year. The sink will be the last thing we do as I’m still deciding between a wooden console vanity or a sleek chrome and white thingy. The bathroom will be all white – subway tile on the walls and carrara marble floor tile.
Can’t wait to see what fixtures you pick out!
The old toilet will still be in place for as long as possible until we change it out – so we still at least have somewhere to “go” :)
Photos here: http://itsagoodhouse.blogspot.com/
So yeah, I feel your pain!
Briar Oak says
I can’t wait to see updates and eventual results! We are going to be doing a major re-do on one of our bathrooms soon so I hope to get some good ideas. One question – I seem to remember you did your big kitchen re-model a few years ago right before the holidays, too. Is the timing just a coincidence, or do you know something we don’t know?…
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Briar,
We actually did our big kitchen remodel over the course of a few months so it did start at the end of one year and finish around February of the following year. The timing is just a coincidence though! Too funny.
xo,
s
Stephanie says
I just had to share some cyber-love from a fellow night showerer – we’re not weird! For me, it’s about staying in bed as long as possible on weekday mornings, plus I exercise after work so scrubbing off the sweat (not to mention the general grime of the day) before bed is a must.
Krista B. says
Man oh man. Bathroom redo has been the story of my life for the past few months. We purchased our 1915 bungalow in August, moved in September and started tearing down the bath right after. Ill have to send you some pics of the before and after as soon as the after is complete. The before had PINK everywhere including the shower surround! We knocked out a wall into the hallway to make the bathroom bigger,it will now be the master bath and one day we will add another bath in the house. We transformed a dresser into a vanity, tiled the floor and shower, added bead board, a knee wall, new toilet, sink (Which we got from Habitat store)and all new faucets.
We were creative with our showering while the tiling was taking place, from friends houses, the gym and at one time we even filled the kitchen sink with hot water, put the sump pump in the sink, hooked up the garden hose and sprayer through the kitchen window, and rigged the sprayer to the side of the house for a nice HOT shower outside on the patio (We wore bathing suits of course). Buy luckily we finished tiling the shower pretty quick!
Luckily we are on the last steps of the redo as we are renovating the entire house, and currently running water and electricity for a washer and dryer (The house had a 2 story garage next door that the owner sold seperately and that is where the washer and dryer were housed) Whew.
Can’t wait to see your new bathroom!
Jessica says
I can’t wait to see how your remodel goes. I would like to do a complete bathroom remodel but it is still in the dreaming stage at this point. I have a very similar bathroom. It is small with old tile that looks nice from far away but it never looks clean no matter how hard you clean it. Plus I have about 4 different shades of off-white going on which drives me nuts. My biggest fear about re-doing my bathrood is the shower/tub area. I have a cast iron tub that is peeling like crazy and needs to be replaced.
Connie says
Holy Cow! You guys are normal. Keep on inspiring! One thing you should share with your readers is that these projects can be “Exhausting!” I’ve been on a project kick thanks to you! Several projects are near completion. However, I just can’t stop thanks to your blog. U Rock!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the kind words! It’s definitely hard work to fix up your house on the cheap- especially if you’re DIYing as much as you can! But isn’t it worth it in the end? At least we like to think so! Especially given that John spent over 20 hours demo-ing the bathroom out this weekend (we never felt so good come Sunday night when everything was done, done, done).
Good luck with all of your projects!
xo,
s
Heather says
We have a really ugly bathroom with layers of dirty carpeting, rusty toilet, and a really bad layout. We decided to move the bathroom to another section of the house (seeing we’d have to redo plumbing anyways-it’s old and rusty) to where it’d make more sense.
We decided to take the new bathroom space down to studs too… and found we live in a log house!!!!! It was insulated with burlap, cardboard, newspaper from 1920 and layers of dated wallpaper. That was a very interesting day!
So, needless to say, everything has been taking much longer than expected but thankfully I also have a very kind sister who lives nearby where we shower and do laundry. :)We were expecting to use the old bathroom while we worked on the new but things were pretty far gone and that idea didn’t work.
Check out my blog for fun photos. :)
http://heatherathomeinthetownships.blogspot.com/2009/10/our-little-house-in-big-woods.html (log pics)
holly says
you have no idea how timely this post is!!! my husband and i are almost finished with our major master bathroom gut job/remodel (also down to the studs). it has taken much longer than we expected due to the old age of the house (no clean angles after 72 years of settling) but we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. after receiving some initial help and tutoring from my mom and stepdad (they are DIY rockstars) we’re doing it ALL by hand.
before: green and black tile with a green toilet and ped sink to match!
after: subway tile extravaganza!
painted this weekend and began installing the sink. this coming weekend we hope to have everything DONE (toilet, lighting, etc.!
Danielle@Newlyweds Paradise says
Our bathroom is just like yours! We have the square tile on the walls with the mosaic floor. I LOVE the bathroom, but have started to notice a neverending crack in the tile as well. We aren’t demo-ing it now, but it will have to be done in the future. Can’t wait to see how it goes.
AlysonO says
WOW I cannot wait to see what you guys do!! I am trying to do my own bathroom spruce up on the week between Christmas and New Years since I have off from work!! And by spruce-up I mean new paint, turning a shower stall into a linen closet, and installing a new sink and vanity (IKEA!!) You guys installed your own sink right? – is this simple plumbing switch-out DIY, or should I call in a pro??
YoungHouseLove says
Hey AlysonO,
Anyone can definitely install their own sink and vanity, but it’s not an autopilot mission so you have to do a little research and know what you’re doing when you go into it. We recommend googling around for a few simple tutorials or videos and even checking out a how-to book with step by step directions from the library. It can be done though! We did a bit of research and actually converted the vanity in our half-bathroom into a pedestal sink (which was a bit more involved since we had to take out some drywall and attach it to a stud) but oh so worth it! And of course we plan to swap out the vanity in our big bathroom makeover this time as well. Good luck!
xo,
s
Michelle says
We are lucky enough to have 3 full bathrooms in our fairly small ranch w/ basement. We also have a child who is physically handicapped and are looking at the prospect of renovating one of the bathrooms to make it accessible. I played with the idea of beginning this large project in November, (gutting to stud, completely re-tiling, tearing out our hall linen closet to make bathroom larger, finding an appropriate sink, etc), but couldn’t bear the thought of our house being in complete disarray over this holiday season. Good luck to you in your reno!!!
Megan Taliaferro says
We also completely redid our bath when I was pregnant with our first child. Is it a nesting thing? :) We finished it 2 weeks before our baby was born! That was actually our only bathroom, so not only did we not have a shower, but also no toilet!! Our gym was just down the block, but that was definately not fun when I was 9 months pregnant!!
Hayley says
Ooh, I can’t wait. I’ve been dying to redo our bathroom, but the hubby has a hard time visualizing my “vision” for our bathroom. Pictures are much better for him :) PS, I’m an evening showerer too. It’s nice to have that to look forward to at the end of a long day at work. Plus, then you can let your hair dry naturally, saving your mane and your utility bill!
patti says
i’m having flashbacks to two years ago with i was 8 months pregnant and we were forced to do a total bathroom overhaul. the only other toilet in our house was up stairs. you get the picture, right?
but anyway, our bathroom is just how we want it now and we took everything out – nothing stayed – down to the studs. can’t wait to see what you have in store!
Grace says
Yay! I’ve been hoping you guys would tackle the subject of bathroom renovation. My husband and I are working on the very same thing right now (and hopeing to have it done before the new year). We’re doing a total re-haul, so I’m excited to see what inspiration you can give me. :)
Madelaine says
We are in the midst of a redo in both the main bath and the powder room due to an unfortunate leak in the main bath. Luckily, the water went straight down to the powder room and not out onto the hard woods and we have a second full bath in the basement. It is a barely functional bath, but there none the less.
We are taking the opportunity to redo the powder room completely, especially since everything had to come out down to the studs. Very excited about this. The main bath is just getting a new floor and new toilet. The existing sink will go back in.
Of course it doesn’t end there for us. We are getting new carpet in the family due to the water coming out of the powder room and finally getting rid of the interlocking ceiling tiles in the family room. We are hoping the work will start this next week and be done (mostly) before Christmas.
Very fortunate that my dad is a contractor and will be doing the work for us. We will just have to finish some demo before he starts and finish any shopping.
Good luck guys, can’t wait to see all the results!
Wendy @ A Southern Accent says
OMG – you totally hit the nail on the head with this one! I’ve been trying to peel the wallpaper off our bathroom for a year now and it is my goal to have it completed by Christmas. I’ve started to think I’m not going to make it and even asked my husband last week if he could gift me someone to finish it as my Christmas present. Then I back-tracked because I want to be able to say I did it myself – but wow – it is so hard. I’m peeling the paper, it’s messing up the sheetrock, so I’m having to then sand everything and there are some water spots underneath it all, so I’m planning to top it all off with Kilz, then paint a beautiful blue color I’ve found at Restoration Hardware and I’m going to have Lowes match cause it’s cheaper. I want to find a carpenter to create a built-in to replace the crappy wood shelves that are in a little cubby on the side now and take down the mirror and replace that and the sink faucet. Whew….and would love to install some sort of new flooring as well…but just need to find the time and money. All before Christmas. That’s all.
I’ll e-mail you a pic of how it is currently so you can truly appreciate it. I took a pic so I could a before and after….if there ever is an after one day!!!!
I read your tweets this weekend and wished it were me working on my bathroom! Sherry is very lucky to have a husband that is willing to help out with the projects! Mine would just rather hire it out…
AlysonO says
Thank you!! I have a couple books from family, I should take a look!! I can’t wait to see the mood board for your makeover!!!
Amy Thomas says
Sherry,
I have a HUGE question for you!:
My husband and I have now lived in our 1st house for 8 months. We share your same motivation, but are very intimidated by projects we’d like to tackle. (one of ours being ripping out all the old shower tile, and lath and plaster wire mesh behind it – so cant wait for that post! :)
Neither one of us are super handy, and I guess we’re afraid of “breaking” our little nest. What did you all do to get past the hump of “how on earth do we do this, and not cause a even bigger problem?”
Thanks!
Amy
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amy,
This is a great question! We definitely had many false starts and a ton of insecurities three years ago when we started working on our house and we definitely made our fair share of rookie mistakes (I painted all the trim in the entire house with white flat paint instead of semi-gloss… talk about a bad idea!). The good news is that unlike brain surgery, most home-based projects can be done, undone, fixed, revisited, etc. So it’s not like you get one shot to get it right or your vanity dies! I think in the end it comes down to taking on smaller projects first (switching out light fixtures, painting walls and then moving on to brick and paneling, etc). That way to gain your “sea legs” so to speak, and can grow your confidence and experience to tackle bigger and better projects.
We’re also huge believers in research so we rely heavily on tutorials and videos we dig up on google and how-to books that we check out of the library. Because there’s no such thing as being too prepared. In the end it’s always comforting to think of the worst case scenario (like: if we can’t demo this bathroom ourselves we can always hire a handyman to finish what we started, etc). For example, once when we were trying to switch out some simple bathroom fixtures we sprung a leak and had to call a plumber (since we weren’t armed with the know-how to fix it ourselves). It turned out that our pipes were 50+ years old and it was just time to get them replaced, so while the plumber was here he switched everything out for a few hundred bucks and now our bathroom is a lot more updated and ready to be remodeled a few years later. In short: start slow and gain confidence by doing more and researching things thoroughly before beginning the tougher projects. And never be afraid to call in an expert if you get in over your head. Good luck and happy reno-ing!
xo,
s
Jenn says
We have the same bathroom, complete with cracked wall tile, old grout, and a toilet that was manufactured in 1939 and installed in 1944 when our house was built. We have to save our pennies for another year or so, but I cannot wait to see your plans (and probably copy them!). Good luck!!
Ana says
The bathrooms in my old house had some Monet-like qualities. The grout in the master bath was discolored and crumbling, but people rarely noticed because they were mesmerized by the bright aqua 1960s tiles. The hall bath had the original gold-and silver-spangled formica vanity top that had scratches and rust spots I could never quite get out as well as walls covered in (damaged) textured wallpaper that someone painted over. In pictures, the bathrooms looked cute and vintage. In person … not so much.
The bathroom of my new house (built in 1950) needs an overhaul and I’ll be reading all your remodel posts to get ideas and head off possible trouble spots. I’ve got at least one problem I can’t find the answer to — the walls under a chair rail in there are covered with a vintage wall covering that was made to look like real tile with grout lines. I saw an ad for it once in a vintage magazine but forgot to buy it in my excitement over finding the perfect buffet for dining room storage. I’m not sure if it contains asbestos (as many things back then did) so I don’t know whether to remove it or just cover it. Something must be done though because it was painted over and the paint is cracking and there were spots where it bubbled above the heater. Add that to a damaged 1970s vanity, corroded faucet, vinyl flooring and an almond fiberglass shower/tub surround and you have? A bathroom crying for help. At least everything works and doesn’t leak, right?
Amanda says
I currently am living in the KrazyKrackHouse… a Thanksgiving weekend tiling project turned into a mold remediation/subfloor replacement/plumbing for old homes with lead pipes 101/power tool extravaganza now spanning 14 days. I am hoping to start tiling tonight and get the toilet in by Wednesday!
Doni says
I’m a night showerer too! Just wanted to share the love since I get crap for it all the time!
Also, really excited to see more of what you’re going to do there. I’m sure it’ll be beautiful, as always.
heather a. says
Ooooooh Boy, am I excited about these future posts!!!
Our bathroom was remodeled (badly) at some point. They added a linen closet that takes up way too much space. The floor tile is hideous and fake. Instead of putting real tile on the walls, they put up “tile-esque” paneling. They did a crap job too because it’s bowing out from the wall in several places. And the best part… at one point they added onto the back of the house. There was once a window in the bathroom, that would now look into the addition if it was still there. Well actually… it is still there. They just covered it with plywood. Framing, sill, glass and all are still in the wall between the two rooms. And oh it gets better! To run the HVAC to the addition they dropped the ceiling in the bathroom with ACOUSTICAL CEILING TILE!!!! Who DOES that!? The bathroom also has a serious mold problem because of the ceiling. UHG.
Our house was built in 1948. We joke that the previous owners remodeled based on what was on sale at Home Depot that day, and must have been severely intoxicated the entire time.
Needless to say we CAN NOT wait to gut the bathroom. We’re taking a different approach to showering though. We’d like to turn our half bath into a full bath first. At least it’s in better shape.
Good luck!!! Can’t wait to see how this goes for you!
Gina Leigh says
I enjoyed browsing around on Young House Love for the first time! Especially loved all the photos of your amazing room by room renovations. Well done!
Carrie says
Can’t wait to see what you two come up with! I’ve been slowly updating my only full bath (with no windows… it was a little drab in there). So far I’ve painted the walls, painted the vanity and added hardware. Next on the list is tearing up the ugly yellow vinyl floor and laying tile! My dad also made a wood frame to go around the generic-in-every-80s-house-mirror, and I can’t wait to put that up!
Good Luck with your reno and I hope everything goes smoothly for you :)
mariel says
hey guys i’m psyched to see your bathroom reno underway! looking forward to more pics and details!!! i have one totally unrelated question…but of course it relates to home decor!
where do you get most of your frames from? and do you ever get odd-shaped artwork custom-framed? do you know of any good deals when it comes to looking for custom-size frames?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Mariel,
All of our frames are from Ikea with the exception of a few from Target. They’re cheap and they come with nice big white mats for polished results that looks a lot pricier than they really are. We haven’t custom framed anything (we usually DIY our art to fit the frame- and we’ve been known to cut a print to fit it as well) but we have heard that Michael’s has some great options (and they offer up 50% off framing coupons from time to time). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Janice says
Here is a warning for you:
One of my friends is renovating his powder room – a total gut job. He’s finally getting to the final stages. Now, this guys is a real stickler for quality materials and workmanship. He researches everything and is insanely pedantic about every step. He put down the orange stuff that goes under the tiles, and laid a gorgeous tile floor. Last week, before he did the grout, he started to install the new door jambs & get those ready. He did a test to make sure the door hung correctly. It did. But it revealed that the transition from the hallway hardwood to the powder room tiles was visible by a couple of inches into the hallway (when the door was closed). He had centered it in the doorway. A door isn’t centered in the doorway. A door is flush with the walls inside the room. What had happened is he had removed the hardwood transition piece, and totally forgot about it. So, he spend last week ripping up the tiles and the orange stuff, and this past weekend scraping the floor. A heartbreaking mistake.
There’s your warning for the day! But I know your project will go smoothly!!!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh good warning Janice! We’ll be careful, we promise! We’re extra confident about things since we’ll have John’s hero-esque dad helping us next weekend when it comes to framing things out and laying tile (he’s done two bathrooms in about six days each- both this summer/fall). We’re thrilled to be learning from the best and we promise to pass on all the tips we learn along the way!
xo,
s
Meredith says
I think “Monet” totally describes your bathroom! When I first saw that you guys were gutting it, I have to admit that my first thought was “WHY?! It’s already lovely!”–I never would have guessed at some of that damage from the pictures!
Best of luck on the remodel. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Amy E. says
can’t wait to see more details, but wanted to let you know you’re not alone! we’re in the process of rebuilding our master bathroom shower. it had a leak in the shower pan which was motivation enough to get us moving on it. what stinks is our house is only 11 years old! there’s just not as much craftsmanship now-a-days.
well, we’ve been working on it on-and-off for months and i’ve finally posted about it! thankfully it’s not frustrating since we do have a second bathroom with a shower/tub combo. we’ve been making good progress on putting up the wall tiles this past weekend and we’re hoping to have it done soon; check it out: http://entegans.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/shower-duck/
let me know what you think!
-Amy
Aalia says
Hey, guys. I enjoy your blog and this is the first time I’m writing you. Whoopee!
My husband and I recently bought a house built in 1969. Since the house is on the older side, and because we have a toddler, we got a lead inspection. Luckily none of the paint used was lead-based but it turns out all the tiles in our kitchen and bathrooms contain lead in the glazes. We were told that if we did a remodel we would need to take extra care to try to remove the tiles in whole pieces. Have you had to tackle this in your bathroom renovation or do you know anyone who has had to remove lead-based glazed tile? If so, what is the best approach? I’d love to hear about any suggestions you might have.
Thanks for your time and keep up the good work.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Aalia,
Good question! Since our house is from the lead-era we definitely take on every demo project with caution and take any necessary safety measures that we can (better safe than sorry, eh?). We just googled lead abatement and lead demolition for lots of tips. We’re planning to blog about a few of the specific precautions we took (using a plastic tarp to seal things off from the rest of the house, wearing gas masks, disposing of clothing and items afterwards that could have been “exposed”, using TSP cleaning fluid to wipe down any and all possible lead dust and debris, etc) so stay tuned for that. Basically lead can be eaten (when it’s in paint chips) or breathed in (when it’s released in dust form) so keeping food out of the demo area, sealing things off tightly, wearing masks so as not to inhale anything, and cleaning everything up at the end with TSP is a nearly fail-safe process. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Ashley @ SouthMeetsSouth says
John and Sherry ~
We are currently in the midst of a major bathroom remodel! Our bathroom is down to the studs. We still have to rip out the floor, toilet, mirror, sink, and countertops. We’re also cutting a hole in our shower wall to make the opening bigger ~ less cave like. It is a very daunting task – especially with our nursery currently in progress and lots of other things on the to-do list. I want it all finished before we have family over Christmas night and, of course, before our baby girl comes home in February. Oh my goodness! I don’t know how we’ll get it all done. I’ll look to you for inspiration. Haha!
~Ashley
http://www.SouthMeetsSouth.com