Bathroom remodel..where to start?

16 years ago

So we've been toying with the idea of remodeling our bathroom. It's a small size (can't be more then about 6'x8'). We have the tub, toilet and small vanity (probably about 24" wide). No interior closet or anything. The shower walls are completely tiled up to the ceiling while the rest of the walls are tiled about 2/3 up. The tub,toilet,TP holder, soap dish, towel handle, toothbrush holder are all like a dark peach/tan ceramic color. I hate it. The tile on the walls is in ok shape ( 4x4's white with gold sparlkies), but the shower tiles are looking pretty grungy. Looks like the grout has worn away too. I believe everything (except the vanity) is original to the house which is approx 30 years old. We've been talking about looking into Bathfitters as an option. I'd still like to replace the flooring and fixtures myself at some point. BUt with a 1 and 3 year old we CANNOT Be without a bathtub for very long. We have a half bath downstairs for toilet usage, but no additional bathtub. If we did look for a complete bathroom re-do how long do you think it would take? ANd any idea of cost? We are not looking for high end, we live in a modest house but would just like to update the bathroom not galmorize it. I've been thinking of cheaper ways ,but one thing that always gets me is how to deal with the ceramic soap holder/towel holder etc. that are glued onto the wall. We obviously don't have an extra tile to replace them with if we tried to remove them. Any other suggestions???

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Comments (5)

kgwlisa
16 years ago
What is the existing tub made of? What kind of shape is it in? Do you intend to keep it?
nadine33
Original Author
16 years ago
I don't know the material...just the plain run of the mill kind. I'd prefer to get rid of it as it's that ugly tan/peach color, plus my kids have used the "Washable" tub crayons on it and they're NOT washable...so there are some stains on it.
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Building codes and get those municipal construction notices if necessary. Dumpster rental? Haul? I would talk to city/town first and find out what needs to be legally. Then: Walls. Insulation. Moisture barriers. Check for mold. Electrical upgrades. (wiring for appliances, lighting, supply sockets) Ventilation. Heat/AC supplies/returns. Then plumbing. Not sure if you are going to pre-purchase large items before install? Just be sure to measure width/depth and mark on subflooring just where everything is going. Do you have room for the elongated toilet seat when opening the door? Things like this. I don't know how many times I was sent back to get the right item once the wrong one just didn't fit. Some distributors will charge a restock fee for returned items. Be warned. :) Walls - taping, sealing, prime and paint/finish. This is when - after all is dry and looking wonderful - fans and lights too, are installed. Be sure as rain where they are to be placed. Once the hole is there in the ceiling...if it needs to be moved -- you will notice patching. Switch plates, etc. (might want to buy TWO of them, if one gets ruined) Some say floor next. (Heating in floor?) I say install tub/toilet/sink. Run the water to be sure there is no leaking/sealing probs. More than one time a nice floor has been ruined due to leaks between the sub and the flooring. Then tile or whatever. Vanity can be placed on top of flooring and probably should if you decide to change from vanity to pedestal type later. Unless you rip out the old flooring and start over... your choice. Then light fixtures. Once all the huge hammers, ladders, etc have been removed :) Broke a glass to a lamp during install that could not be returned or replaced due to it being on clearance. Had to change out the entire light fixture :(. Still sad about that but it looks ok. Hope all goes well and you have no uh-ohs at all that can't be cared for quickly. Getting ready to do a tiny reno on my upstairs bath too after the estimates from local companies went way over budget. OUCH! Glad the one downstairs is done but that light fixture!! ;) Remember, perhaps to buy 2 of some items, in the off chance something breaks during install. Just a suggestion. Video for later. Always fun to watch once it is done. Have fun! :)
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Horizontal: I would take your top row and shift it to the right just enough to have a full tile on the far right side (or to the left to have a full tile on the left). Eliminate the slivers. That would shift the next row down over by the same amount, which means your beginning and end tiles on that row are different widths. This doesn't matter. Vertical: I would do illustration #2 to make the 3rd row even with the tub. That also allows you some flexibility on the top row to cut the tiles to fit an uneven ceiling. If you're planning on full tiles and the ceiling slants up, you'll have a gap. Corners: Tiles should "wrap" around corners. So when you come to the end of a horizontal row, and cut the tile to fit, the drop piece should be the first piece on the adjoining wall. When you caulk the corners (no grout!), use one that matches the tile and it will look like the tiles wrap around the corner.
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nadine33
Original Author
16 years ago
Here's the layout....

ANd a pic looking into the entrance (I have since painted and decorated)

This is looking at the shower while standing by the vanity

And looking towards the vanity wall...

You can't see teh floor but it's very ugle small tile with yucky dirty grout lines. And the toilet and tub are the smae color as the ends of the towel holser
kren_pa
16 years ago
ug, that color is AWFUL! you have my sympathy. my friend had that tan in her bathroom combined with yellow tile and yellow and brown speckled linoleum. very very bad. i know what you mean about needing the bathtub...with a 1 year old you could use the kitchen sink...but with a 3 year old you really need the tub. when we were renovating our only bath, our 2 year old took baths in the laundry tub, which was a great adventure for her. is that a possibility for you?

i can't imagine what would even go with that tan color..but if you were interested in a tile bathroom, you could do white in the rest of the bathroom (white tile, toilet, sink) and leave the tub and tub surround where they are. then in a few years you could tackle the tub and surround hiding it with a shower curtain in the meantime (or bathfitter). when your kids are older they would probably be ok using a temporary shower in the basement. one bathroom homes are hard...we picked a house with two baths needing renovation this time, just so we wouldn't have the "one bath" problem again. good luck kren
nadine33
Original Author
16 years ago
Nope we don't have a laundry tub. Just a regular washer and dryer.
We might have the possibility of sending the kids to teh in-laws for a few days this summer and try to time things like that, but I have no idea how much time it would take to re-do teh whole bathroom? I'm all for DIY, but I think this job may be too big for me to handle. I like tiling and would do that part, but tearing everything out, installing a new tub toilet, and then putting everything back may be too much. Honestly I'd prefer just tiling in the shower area and painted walls everywhere else, but this would obviously require that we tear down all the walls and start from scratch. And I only have so much vacation time from work, so I could probably have no more then a week to get stuff done on my own....

Bathroom remodel..where to start?

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