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spendogirl's 100% DIY bathroom

15 years ago

Well, since I posted our renovated 80's nightmare kitchen, I thought I would pop over here and post our unbelievable nightmare of the main bathroom..

Whatever could go wrong, did go wrong with this renovation..

Again, like the kitchen, the bathroom was torn out right down to the studs, re-insulated, drywalled..the whole shabang..

The nightmare begain on first day of demolition when we discovered tons of rotted wood and mold under the 4 layers of old flooring and the old tub...it was obvious the previous owners just kept covering up problems.

Behind the tub surround we found funky blue tile, which was easily removed..

This bathroom underwent two renovations from us.. the first was a temporary solution to "clean up" the bathroom as it was when I moved in as you can see from the pictures below..

The second reno was about 6 months later to completely gut and redo..

Some basic facts.. we knocked out a wall to allow for a soaker tub..(used a closet from bedroom behind wall) and installed a walkin shower..

Entire bathroom was done with Kerdi and ditra...expensive, but in the long run..worth it..

The vanity was a basic cabinet and we added the posts, and used the all in one granit/sink combo as the top (its uba tuba)

It took approximately 4 months from start to finish.. it's been done for about a year now and I still enjoy walking into my tropical retreat...

I'll be happy to try answer any questions you may have..enjoy!

Comments (19)

busybme
15 years ago
Lovely! You did a great job!
MongoCT
15 years ago
Nice transition!

Opening up a bathroom always has the potential to turn into a horror show.

Not only did you give that bath an overhaul, you gave it an underhaul as well.

Mongo
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Home Inspection Help!!!
Q
Comments (14)
1406. Fireplace Condition Safety Item. The flue is open into the attic; blocked by insulation. Recommend that a fireplace specialist permanently seal the opening with steel to prevent accidental heat or flames from entering the flue and attic spaces for safety. ====Fire hazard. My old house had signs of a previous attic fire. Did you ever have a chimney sweep inspect your chimney? 803. Walls Seek Further Review. 1.) Active leaking observed at the foundation wall. The framing at this area was extremely wet. Recommend repairs as needed. 2.) Efflorescence observed at foundation perimeter; this is a mineral deposit left behind from exterior water infiltration, recommend consulting sellers as to moisture problems or a licensed contractor for review. See gutter and carport slab comments. ===Well, there is leaking and the inspector thinks it might be from the gutters and carport slab. How do the gutters drain? . Some center posts have been removed and replaced with stacked blocks which may allow settlement to occur. Client is advised to consult licensed building contractor for additional information prior to closing. ===Is this in a basement or crawl space? Sounds like there is a support problem. . 1.) Flexible plastic drain tubing has been installed from the laundry is improperly connected into the plumbing waste lines near the hatch opening under the bathroom; improper or missing fitting noted. This line is also not properly sloped/supported for positive drainage. Evidence of leaking noted at the improper connection. 2.) Active drip type leak also observed at t\supply pipe fitting under the center bathroom. Recommend further review or repairs as needed by a qualified licensed plumber ===Someone played do-it-yourself-plumbing and didn't know what they were doing. If I was buying, I sure would like a plumber to go through the whole house first to see if there is any other diy. 1812. Distribution/ Ducts Repairs Needed. Ducts are lying on the ground at some areas. Recommend securing to framing or excavating under the ducts to prevent moisture and mold accumulation. Recommend review/repairs as required by a qualified licensed HVAC contractor. ===Ok, sounds like crawl space. And you have been losing heat/cooling through your ducts. Does this help?
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Love the skylight!
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Comments (5)
I'm planning to add 2 solartubes to our house at some point. It's not next on my list, but I did the research on it about a year ago. They're supposed to be easy to install for do-it-yourselfers, which we're not, so we'll be paying for installation too. They're not supposed to leak, like regular skylights can. I plan to get the dimmers in them, since the room we're planning to put them in has the tv. (They also come with electric lights for nighttime, but I don't think I want that.) I'm getting impatient just thinking about this! I hope you enjoy your wonderful sun tunnel!
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spendogirl's 100% DIY kitchen
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Comments (31)
Quite impressive! Another DIY here, and boy it takes a long time, doesn't it? Just FYI, your granite tiles look a lot like the counter material I bought for my basement vanity (long story but when I picked it up, is a different granite)- it was called G-3564 (YUP- that's the actual Chinese name for the granite), also know as Danyang Red, or Louyan Red from the Fujian Province it is a biotite granite of Paleozoic Age. (I like to research, and hate to see all my hard work go to waste! :>)
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Building a Home / House Plans
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Comments (64)
Some people really like to do-it-yourself. I do. For example, I trim my own bangs. It's a money saver and I think I do a pretty good job. (And if I make a slip, in a few weeks they're long enough to trim straight again!) And if I was looking for a pretty standard type of house, I might just find some standard plans that worked for me. But if I had the kind of non-standard wants that the OP did, and was laying down $$$ for a house, I'd want someone who had the right training to do a custom job for me. Especially if I'd been looking at standard plans and finding nothing that suits me.
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bodiCA
15 years ago
Stunning! What an inviting exotic retreat you created! Always helpful to be realistic about the nightmarish process to build the dream, thanks for the reality shots of getting from before 'through' to the dream after. Love your rich colors, wonderful details, transportive decor and using space for Both, a shower AND that fabulous tub! Which tub is that and it's measurments please? Hope you have a second bath, that one will be a challenge to share!
stu2900
15 years ago
That's gorgeous! Love the tile colors and design. Very warm and inviting!
spendogirl
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you everyone for your nice comments..

Bodica....the tub is a Mirolin 64" long x 35" Wide x 18" deep. I know I had to do an extensive search for this tub as I wanted to use as much space as I could for the tub. I believe the cost was around $650 canadian..
bto24
15 years ago
Your bathroom is beautiful. Can I ask what the actual dimensions of the bathroom are?
Excellent job!
spendogirl
Original Author
15 years ago
bto24, the dimensions are approximately 10 x 9
monicakm_gw
15 years ago
Fantastic job! Love the rich, exotic feel you've created. Which Toto toilet is that? Congratulations!
Monica
charlikin
15 years ago
Beautiful! Love the colors, especially the tile, and with the plants and other fittings, it's perfectly exotic and luxurious feeling. Really nice!!!
spendogirl
Original Author
15 years ago
Monicakm... the toilet is American Standard, and it's fantastic!! very comfortable... I can't remember model number, but it was definately one of their top models..I believe the price was around $400 cndn...hth
raehelen
15 years ago
Very nice!

When I saw the earlier photos with the palm tree towels, thought that was your 'tropical retreat'! Much prefer the improved version!

We are DIY a total house reno, but have never done any tiling before. Did you guys lay all the tiles yourselves? Have to admit I'm a little worried about doing that part...
spendogirl
Original Author
15 years ago
Raehelen... yes..we did all the tile ourselves..we invested in a good wet saw and just dove right in..we spent numerous hours searching the net to make sure we were doing it right..it's not perfect..we know where our mistakes are made..but it certainly was a learning process.
tenloris
15 years ago
Just beautiful! Could you give me information on the tile that you used?...love the color and tile work!
MariposaTraicionera
15 years ago
Congratulations! What a beautiful bathroom and it's even more so because you did it :-)

It's much better to make the mistake yourselves than PAY someone to screw up, trust me.
raenjapan
15 years ago
Wow, that was an ugly bathroom. The new one is just gorgeous. Congratulations!
susanlynn2012
15 years ago
You did a beautiful job with the tile that is rich in color and design and the changes you made yourself that really improved the space and made the bathroom updated and very pretty. Thanks for sharing. You did an amazing job with the tile for doing it yourself I could have never done such a great job myself. I especially love the areas for your shampoo and conditioner. Thanks for that idea when I am ready to redo my Master Bathroom.
arleneb
15 years ago
What a beautiful bathroom! I hope you're patting yourselves on your backs. It's just perfect.

We're building -- at the point of deciding tiles etc in the baths, so this is a timely thread for me . . . saved some of the photos.

Arlene
yadax3
15 years ago
Your bathroom is fabulous. Everything is put together so nicely. Huge congrats!
gsciencechick
15 years ago
This is so gorgeous! I love the rich colors. Congratulations.

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