finished bathroom, semi DIY, semi low budget

14 years ago

Hello! I have read a lot more here than I have posted, but am happy to say that I can now post a finished bathroom. I started with questions here several months ago, bought most of my supplies online, and we did all of the work in the last 3 weeks of June, though I just put up the baseboards today. This was a "semi DIY" job, in that I hired a contractor to do the electrical, plumbing, window replacement, fan installation, and used his guy to do the marble fabrication. I did all the little stuff: recaulked the tub and surround, painted, installed lights and cabinets, tiled, etc. I was going to buy a stock dual vanity cabinet, but my contractor works with a cabinet maker who built a custom unit for me, which I purchased as raw wood, then did the finishing/sanding and hardware myself. I called this "semi low budget" in that I just decided it was worth it to me to hire pros to do stuff that gave me a headache to think about, but I did a lot in my spare time, and this made the job go by very quickly, too. We were only without a usable room for about 1 week.

I was really tempted to pull out the whole tub and surround and replace it with tile, but decided that for my budget and sanity, I could dress it up with decorative tile ont the edges, add a new curtain and rod, and call that good enough. Nothing in the room moved, and the only structural changes were a new dual pane window, a fan venting to the outside (no ventilation before), and a double vanity where there had been a single. We did surface mount medicine cabinets because I wanted BIG units, and we would have had to cut studs in the wall to install these. Also, our bedroom is on the other side of that wall, and I was not sure I wanted the extra noise through the wall if the cabinets were recessed.

It is hard to get good photos of a bathroom! I did not bother to include pics of one corner of the room, b/c it is just a closet that got a fresh coat of paint and some new organization. :)

Thanks for the help and fun reading here!!!!!!

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Comments (15)

homey_bird
14 years ago
I love the transformation. You converted a confused space into a streamlined, clean and spacious space! Great choice of wall color and congratulations on a well executed vision. Enjoy!
lauren674
14 years ago
Nice! You've done a wonderful job choosing your materials and made a beautiful bathroom. Love it!
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Hi guys! Thanks so much for the compliments. Bill was here today putting the final touches on everything (we're so excited!!) and he told me there were questions on this thread. Sorry I didn't respond earlier. I think Bill answered most everything, except the wood counter question. It's holding up great! Looks brand new. Of course it's only a couple months old, so I'm not sure what that's worth :) I just have to finish the window curtain and apply grout colorant to the floor tile grout (which was stained before we even used the bathroom by all-natural cleaner, grrr....) and then I think we can officially call it completed.
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pepperidge_farm
14 years ago
Great job! would love to see more photo of the floor-- what is that?? tile?

congrats!
muscat
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks! I know that this is not the dramatic remodel that a lot of people achieve, but it fit our time frame, budget, and energy for such things :)

The floor is a sheet vinyl product. I had wanted to to marmoleum, but the price scared me off (about 2x the price of this stuff). It seems like it is going to be a good choice- clean looking, simple and very nice to walk on, 25 yr warranty. I'll post closer-up photos of it during daylight hours.
User
14 years ago
I was having a hard time seeing your vision with it before, but it's beautiful. Great Job!
gbsim1
14 years ago
Muscat, you did a great job! We did a facelift on a bathroom last winter and it is great. Not everything needs to be a gut and redo. You pulled it together nicely. I especially like your sink/vanity top and your lights! Congrats!
muscat
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks! We are really happy with it, and just having two sinks is the biggest luxury right now......and a window that is easy to open and close, and medicine cabinets that actually hold everything, a shower curtain that makes the shower feel roomier......simple pleasures!

I will get to posting other floor photos. We're out of town this weekend, and left too early today for me to get anything extra done. :)
bellcrest
14 years ago
Nice transformation!! Good job!
muscat
Original Author
14 years ago
The floor:
MariposaTraicionera
14 years ago
I was wondering about the flooring. Nice job. Do you like that type of curtain rod? Does it feel like it's taking up more space?

What colour paint did you use? Looks grey on my monitor.
muscat
Original Author
14 years ago
Funny you should ask about the curtain rod. We were in a hotel that had one like that, and my husband and I were both surprised how effectively it made the tub feel roomier. When I bought it, I went for the double rod so that the inner liner would always be easy to remove alone to wash, since before I had the two curtains on one rod and one set of hooks, and it was a pain to wash. I also thought that even if I hung the two curtains one one rod, it'd be nice to have a place to hang extra stuff to dry. Well, I do love the curved shape of the rod, and it does make a difference when you are in the shower, but I'm still undecided about the double rod. Its up, and the holes are in the tile, so it stays for now, but I'm not sure it was worth it.

And the paint is more of a taupe then anything else. Dont remember the name.

Thanks!!!
jenredwolf
14 years ago
Please share more details about that flooring if you would! I have lurked for months and joined just to ask you about it, manufacturer, color name, etc... Its just what I've been looking for!

Thanks in advance!
muscat
Original Author
14 years ago
Hello! The floor is by IVC, and is called Willow Creek Beryl. I believe the "Willow Creek" is a series that has individual colors/patterns, and mine is called "Beryl." Weird thing is, I just did a google search and was unable to come up with it, even on IVC's website! Here are a few links that may be helpful:

IVC website:

http://www.ivcgroup.com/

A list of dealers:

http://www.designbiz.com/biz/BrandProfile.asp?CompanyID=89242&BrandID=962&CMDPage=local

The chain I bought it from is in Sacramento,CA and the east bay area, CA. They have only had it for a few months, I think.

The material was about $3/foot, or $27/yard, but comes in a roll 13.5 feet wide, so for small rooms, it can still get a bit pricey, since you have to start with a minimum purchase of 13.5' in one direction. I have a huge piece of floor left over for my parents to use. :)
hudsonleigh
14 years ago
Hey Muscat, it looks great. The floor is nice, love the shower curtain rod (looks very high end!), and the marble backsplash came out great! You posted about that marble before, right? It's very pretty....

Congratulations!
muscat
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks!

Yeah, I posted about the marble back when I was trying to figure out if it was a REALLY dumb idea to try to save the shower surround, and just dress it up. I could not find any pictures of anything similar, but just decided to try it anyway. Considering the cost savings, I'm happy with the result. :)

finished bathroom, semi DIY, semi low budget

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finished bathroom, semi DIY, semi low budget

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