I think your house is adorable! I love the lodge look in your bedroom.
Are you going for more of a lodge/rustic feel in the bathroom too? it already is cottagey to me.
Can you post pics of your new shower? I cant visualize it.
5 acres!!! I am jealous! I saw your garden photo too. wow!

I think your bath and bedroom look homey and roomy. If you wanted to continue the lodge/rustic feel in the bath, you mentioned you can do the same wood wall treatment in there. Then paint the cabinets all the same color, I dont know what color, white is certainly an option or something fun like a red/blue or green, mid tone.

Or you could paint the walls in the midtone red or blue or green, paint the cabinets white to match with the tub and toilet and pick up on the wood tone with a tannish counter top and wooden framed mirror etc. Add some textured accessories like a basket, wooden boxes, etc.

Fun project, will be interesting to see what suggestions you get. I'm all for frugal decorating. 5 acres sounds wonderful.

Thanks Copper & Sunnie, this house was very cheaply made so I read online to get idea's & as I get the money I try to upgrade everything & make it look nicer. It doesn't really have to match the bedroom it's just that I painted it with a lot of purple, red & white a while back & it didn't seem to go with the bedroom at all. Since it is the master bathroom it seems like it should kinda go with it...doesn't it? The shower was just ordered yesterday & won't be in for a couple of weeks. So I want to buy everything before then & have a plan so that when the contractor comes to install the shower he will know what else we need done & a lot of it we will be doing ourselves. We did the bedroom in this style because we stayed at a few log cabins on vacation & loved them so this was our way of having that lodge feel at home. The rest of the house isn't this rustic looking & we are the only one's who usually use this bathroom. The shower is 30" wide now & new one will be 60" wide. No tub because I have a bad leg & it is hard to get in & out. The flower bed that you saw is from about 10 years ago, it has change a lot since then. When we bought our place it was just vacant farm land & woods so we have changed it a lot over the years. Thanks for any & all idea's. Here is the reason for the 5 acres, my life time dream to have my own horse finally came true. Terri

Here is a link that might be useful: Horse

What about doing varnished wood for the countertop? That can be very inexpensive especially since, with your rustic look, you don;'t want any fancy woods. I would think some nice wide doug fir boards glued up as countertop, varnished all sides (regular floor poly is what we used on ours and its holding up well!) with either a drop-in sink similar to what you already have, or something semi0recessed (that sits up a little more above the rim, a little bit more of a vessel sink look but not quite that drastic and tall.)

What about using a mexican glazed sink in wood countertop, and painting the cabinetry one of the pretty, bright colors in the sink glaze....? Maybe yellow to keep it bright?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230136237757&hlp=false&rvr_id=208477048438&crlp=1_263602_304652&UA=M*F%3F&GUID=50c6eb0112b0a0e0f1d253b2fffed7b2&itemid=230136237757&ff4=263602_304652

Here is a fir countertop... so picture it atop bright-painted cabinetry.

And here is a nice-looking, REALLY inexpensive countertop: it is the Ikea Nuremar countertop in oak. It's like $50!

another nice-looking wood counter:

Stacy those are some really good idea's. I didn't know you could use wood in a bathroom, thought it wouldn't be very sanitary or easy to clean but I know I have seen them in kitchens. Looks like I should have never painted the cabinets to begin with which is why I haven't painted my kitchen cabs for fear I would regret it later. Although when I look at all of the kitchen pics with pretty painted cabs I love them. Maybe I like too many different styles...I also Love the last room you posted. I will look into everything you have sugested here. Thanks

Thats the nice thing about paint- you can re-paint whenever you want.
I like Staceyneil's idea of a wood counter- very homey.

sunshine, as long as you seal the wood well -all sides and all openings cut into it, like like the holes for the sink and faucets, you'll be fine. As I mentioned, we used regular polyurethane floor finish in a satin finish on our mahogany vanity top. I do wipe up big spills, but am not fanatical about drying every drop of water on it. Basically, just like a hardwood floor. And the great thing about it is that even if something happens to it, you can always sand and refinish it! My vanity is very modern, not the style you are looking for, but here it is:

And don;t fret about having painted the wood... I think that the wood on top of painted cabinet can look gorgeous... you just have to pick the right color, tile, and accents to bring it all together.

What is the floor now? Is it staying or changing? Can you post larger pics of the existing bathroom so we can see better?

The floor is carpet, Big mistake, live & learn I guess. I was planning on putting some sort of ceramic tile down on the floor & maybe backsplash, not sure on color. Does anyone have hardwood or engineered flooring in their Bathroom? We do have engineered flooring in our other bathroom & it seems to be holding up great, no kids at home. I just want to make sure that the floor & is something that can last for a long time & with my different tastes as the years go by as well as anything else I invest in here that will be higher ticket items. Stacy I love your bathroom, looks like something out of a magazine. Do the Mexican sinks hold up very well over time, they look interesting. I would love red in the room somewhere, seems to be my color in a lot of area's of my house right now. The purple table in there right now will have to go, won't have room when shower gets installed. I would like somewhere to sit when doing hair & makeup. What about extending the counter top & having a place to sit at the end? Would that look bad? Do you prefer walls half wood or what ever & half painted or just painted all 1 color? I thought you would be able to click on the small pics to enlarge but didn't work out that way. For some reason when I try to post the bigger pics from photobucket the same way I did the small ones I get a square box when I preveiw my message instead of the pics. Is the code different to post pics larger? They are all 480x640 or less. Thanks, Terri

OK, I think I finally figured it out. Grrr
Please excuse the mess.

Can you post a sketch of your floor plan, showing the dimensions of the room, door location, planned shower location, toilet, and where your new window is going to go?

Your idea of extending the counter into a vanity zone sounds good, but I'd like to see the dimensions on paper first.

Are you planning on putting hardwood in the bedroom, or sticking with carpet there? If it will always be carpet there, I'd do tile in the bath. If it will be hardwood, or engineered wood, I'd consider using the same material in your bath (especially if its engineered which is more recommended for wet areas.) But tile is great, of course, especially if you put in electric radiant heating wore underneath. We did that in our 2 bathrooms recently, and it is THE BEST thing we did in the renos! Cozy warm tile underfoot, yummmmm! We DIY'ed it and the materials were cheap (maybe $300 total for the smaller bath.)

I'm not sure how the mexican sinks hold up, but the great thing about a drop-in sink is that it's so easy to change it without messing with your cabinetry or counters, if you want to later on. I have always wanted one, and I will have one in my next house :)

Assuming the measurements permit it, perhaps this:
Floor

Ooops, I dont know what happened at the bottom of my previous message there, sorry!

Sunshinetm - I'm so envious of your 5 acres and having your horses at home. When STBX and I sold our house, I truly wanted to buy a little farmette. But, being 50ish and single - I was afraid of all the work I would have to do to maintain the property and my horse(s). I knew that time spent w/my horse would be limited, as all the maintenance would chip away at my "horse time".
So, I built in a development and I still board my horse out. Luckily, I'm in a still fairly rural area and we have alot of boarding facilities. But, I would love to wake up to the smell of hay and seeing horses out grazing.

When I am starting a design process, I like to first collect a whole bunch of pictures that I love... this might be a helpful exercise for you? Take a look at these photos, and others (houzz.com is a great place to look, that's where these are from) and any time something GRABS you, save it. Then, go back and try to identify what it was that attracted you. Was it a detail that you saw that would work in your space, like a counter extended to be a make-up zone? Or was it a juxtapostiion of materials, say rough wood and smooth tile? Was it an overall feeling of lightness, coziness, etc? A color palette?

If you like any of these below -not literally as a traslation to your space, but if they have the right "feeling", let us know... that will help other people get a better feeling of what sort of space you want, and give you better advice.

Plus, it is just fun to look at pictures ;)

[

[traditional bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by charleston interior designer Alix J. Bragg

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[mediterranean bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/mediterranean-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2109) by photographer Elad Gonen & Zeev Beech

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[traditional bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by charleston architect Frederick + Frederick Architects

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[tropical bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/tropical-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2108) by hawaii kitchen and bath Tervola Designs

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[eclectic bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2104) by interior designer Design Associates - Lynette Zambon, Carol Merica

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[modern bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2105) by boston interior designer Rachel Reider Interiors

[

[traditional bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107)

[

[bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/bathroom-ideas-phbr0-bp~t_712)

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[traditional entry design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-entryway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_741~s_2107) by charleston interior designer Alix J. Bragg

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[bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/bathroom-ideas-phbr0-bp~t_712)

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[eclectic bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2104) by boston general contractor ARCHIA HOMES

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[traditional bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by toronto architect David R. Myer Design Consulting

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[traditional bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by other metros interior designer Judith Balis

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[traditional bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by san francisco interior designer Walden Design Group - Cynthia Walden

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[traditional bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by austin kitchen and bath Palmer Todd

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[traditional bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by chicago general contractor Stonebreaker Builders & Remodelers

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[eclectic bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2104) by chicago interior designer New Leaf Interiors

Sunshine: I had to share with you a picture of one of the bedrooms in our weekend log cabin. It looks just like yours! So you obviously accomplished your goal.

I agree with those who sugges a wood counter. Our one bathroom in our cabin (it's small - less than 1000 sq feet) has white beadboard like yours, and we painted it Eddie Bungalow gold, which goes great with the logs. I would also paint your cabinet frames the same white as the doors. Get some rustic lights, and your're good to go. We just bought a cheapy mirror at Lowe's because the sconces I bought were too sprawly for a bigger mirror.

Your place is really cute! The good thing about rustic is how well it lends itself to purchases from yard sales, flea markets, etc.

Dee

dee,
does your bathroom floor have slate? I like how it goes with the logs....

Stacy:
It's Daltile Continental slate in Brazilian green, but it has a grey look to it. It's in the living area, kitchen, bath, and hall. We like it, but it does show the muddy dog paws a lot.:)
Dee

WOW, what great idea's!!! Dee I love your cabin & the floors. I would love to see more pics of it, looks like it is exactly what we like. Jeannie01, I understand where you are coming from, it is nice but a lot of work, I rely on DH a lot for help around here. What about engineered wood flooring in the bathroom? Will hairspray & such hurt the flooring? It's not like you can mop it, right? Same will probably end up in the bedroom because of the dogs although I love the feel of carpet. Do big rugs over engineered flooring mess them up at all? Since we are slowly going to be getting rid of our carpet all over & we have a pretty open floor plan do all of the rooms flooring need the wood to match? I know we did a small Bath in engineered flooring & when we went to do the area outside of the bathroom after some water damage that wood had been discontinued & we couldn't exactly match what was in the bath. We can't afford to buy the whole house flooring all at once & the engineered wood is a lot cheaper than real wood. I would love the wider planks in BR & Bath if possible. My only concern about wood flooring is that it will look to dark in the bedroom & bathroom with so much wood or walls color of wood. I could put the wainscoting up part of the wall but I hate to pay to have it dry walled properly finally & then pay to cover half of it up with wood. :-( It isn't a very big bedroom but it does have 2 big windows. The bath is very dark which is why I want at least 1 window put in. Wood countertop sounds great if it isn't too expensive with it being so long. Drywall all the walls & paint them Eddie Bungalow gold gold like in Dee's picture? Not sure what color the cabinets should be. I am not sure where exactly to put the window or should there be 2 very small windows? I will draw up a sketch with the measurements of the room later this evening. As far as the pictures go...I love them all but for the style & function I am looking for here I like the shutters on the windows #1 like the wood with the white, #2 not much that I care for, love the wood in #3 but since I don't have a place for a big window in bathroom it could it be too dark, I would Love to have a makeup area exactly like that with the small counter & chair (Perfect), I like the seating area in #4 although I don't need that much room for the area, #5 pretty but too dark, #6 too much small tile & same colors, #7 to modern, I like #8 but worry that so much white would not go with the bedroom, #9 is very pretty also, #10 is pretty, #11 pretty but does it go with Bedroom? It is to white for me. I could be totally off about my perception of whether it flows with my bedroom or isn't very dark, Please let me know if I am. I don't have to have everything matching just want it to not be so drastic of a change like I had it recently (which had even more purple than what you see here.) #12 I like the ceiling but not with the rest of the room & the mirror looks like it would go with my Bedroom & I do like the rest of the room but not really the paint color. Like the tile floor. #13 I like the floor & walls but don't really like the darker or reddish colored wood, even though DH does, it's my bathroom. #14 I do not like the floor but the rest is pretty & very classy just not exactly sure if it is too modern for me. #16 I like the rustic looking cabinet. #17 too much white, #18 I really don't think I like the Mexican sink :-( sorry. These are an awesome collection of pictures & have saved all the one's I like things in, you seem to have my style down pretty well., where do you live & can you help me with all of my house decor??? Thanks everyone for all of the help, it means more than you know to have strangers help like they do on these forums. No I am not calling anyone strange...it is funny how some people like 1 thing & another hates it. Look at that one post where a woman was trying to get rid of a whole room full of wood walls in a house she bought & another person is trying to figure out how to get hers to look more like that. I have never really been into the modern looking things at least as far as my home decor but not really into antiques either. I guess I like cabin, lodge or country type decor mostly with a punch of color here & there. I also like my house to feel comfortable , cozy & welcoming. I don't like things or rooms to be too dark even though I like wood & red paint, if I had a fancy house I would have a ton of beautiful windows with natural light. I only have 1 outside wall in this room to have any windows put in, originally planned a sky light, have the hole cut in ceiling but garage roof covered it up so they said they couldn't put it there. I asked about a solo tube but don't think the contractor at the time wanted to deal with it & said it couldn't be done. I will draw up the floor plan & dimensions later this evening. DH said he doesn't think I can leave up the white part I have on the walls & just have the top part dry walled because if would be different depths on the walls (not sure how to say that) & the top of the walls have to be done because it is wall board there now & a mess. I can't reuse the bottom wall boards because they are glued on. You all are so helpful & sweet to help, better watch out, my kitchen is next as soon as I get the money to tear out one area & put some sort of island in there thats open to the living room. I have already started saving pics. LOL Terri

Hi Terri,

(when you post, would it be possible to use returns sometimes to break it up into paragraphs? ...Makes it a lot easier to read! :) )

Ikea "nuremar" wood countertops are quite inexpensive. 6'+ is $129 and 8' is $170. Ask about them over on the kitchen board, lots of folks have them and LOVE them! Do you have an Ikea anywhere within reasonable driving distance?

I think you should decide a general theme/look before deciding actual paint colors. Sounds like you like Dee's bathroom and may want to do something similar? her slate-look tile floor is lovely.

How much of this are you planning to do yourself? Any? Like, painting the cabinetry; finishing the wood counters, if you do that; tile? Because if you like that rustic-painted cabinet in the pic above (#16?) there are lots of folk on this board who can tell you how to get that weathered effect....

Installing one window will be less expensive than two... lets take a look at your floor plan and see what makes most sense.

It's really not at all difficult to do a really nice bathroom on a budget. We just did one for $3,000 that looks like it cost a LOT more, and we had to replace all the fixtures, subfloor, etc. If you search "DIY elegant bathroom" you will see photos of it. Don't worry, you can create a beautiful space without breaking the bank :)

It does sound like you will lose your beadboard if you need to re-drywall everything. But that's not too pricey to re-install if you like that look...the thin panels from Home Depot, rather than the "real" T&G stuff, at least!

What will the new shower be like? Is it a pre-formed unit or are you tiling the walls? What are the doors like?

Stacey -posted so many cute photos
and Dee your cabin is enviable. Please please dont tell me it has a front porch and is on a lake :)
Sunshine- I forgot to tell you how beautiful your Tennesee Walker is( no, I only knew from your title- but I know he is one gorgeous animal!)

Here is your post - with returns- I hope I didnt pick weird spots for them. -
WOW, what great idea's!!! Dee I love your cabin & the floors. I would love to see more pics of it, looks like it is exactly what we like.
Jeannie01, I understand where you are coming from, it is nice but a lot of work, I rely on DH a lot for help around here.
What about engineered wood flooring in the bathroom? Will hairspray & such hurt the flooring? It's not like you can mop it, right? Same will probably end up in the bedroom because of the dogs although I love the feel of carpet.
Do big rugs over engineered flooring mess them up at all? Since we are slowly going to be getting rid of our carpet all over & we have a pretty open floor plan do all of the rooms flooring need the wood to match?
I know we did a small Bath in engineered flooring & when we went to do the area outside of the bathroom after some water damage that wood had been discontinued & we couldn't exactly match what was in the bath. We can't afford to buy the whole house flooring all at once & the engineered wood is a lot cheaper than real wood.
I would love the wider planks in BR & Bath if possible. My only concern about wood flooring is that it will look to dark in the bedroom & bathroom with so much wood or walls color of wood. I could put the wainscoting up part of the wall but I hate to pay to have it dry walled properly finally & then pay to cover half of it up with wood. :-(
It isn't a very big bedroom but it does have 2 big windows.
The bath is very dark which is why I want at least 1 window put in. Wood countertop sounds great if it isn't too expensive with it being so long. Drywall all the walls & paint them Eddie Bungalow gold gold like in Dee's picture?
Not sure what color the cabinets should be.
I am not sure where exactly to put the window or should there be 2 very small windows? I will draw up a sketch with the measurements of the room later this evening.
As far as the pictures go...I love them all but for the style & function I am looking for here I like the shutters on the windows #1 like the wood with the white, #2 not much that I care for, love the wood in #3 but since I don't have a place for a big window in bathroom it could it be too dark, I would Love to have a makeup area exactly like that with the small counter & chair (Perfect), I like the seating area in #4 although I don't need that much room for the area, #5 pretty but too dark, #6 too much small tile & same colors, #7 to modern, I like #8 but worry that so much white would not go with the bedroom, #9 is very pretty also, #10 is pretty, #11 pretty but does it go with Bedroom? It is to white for me.
I could be totally off about my perception of whether it flows with my bedroom or isn't very dark, Please let me know if I am.
I don't have to have everything matching just want it to not be so drastic of a change like I had it recently (which had even more purple than what you see here.)
#12 I like the ceiling but not with the rest of the room & the mirror looks like it would go with my Bedroom & I do like the rest of the room but not really the paint color. Like the tile floor.
#13 I like the floor & walls but don't really like the darker or reddish colored wood, even though DH does, it's my bathroom.
#14 I do not like the floor but the rest is pretty & very classy just not exactly sure if it is too modern for me. #16 I like the rustic looking cabinet. #17 too much white, #18 I really don't think I like the Mexican sink :-( sorry.
These are an awesome collection of pictures & have saved all the one's I like things in, you seem to have my style down pretty well., where do you live & can you help me with all of my house decor???
Thanks everyone for all of the help, it means more than you know to have strangers help like they do on these forums. No I am not calling anyone strange...it is funny how some people like 1 thing & another hates it. Look at that one post where a woman was trying to get rid of a whole room full of wood walls in a house she bought & another person is trying to figure out how to get hers to look more like that.
I have never really been into the modern looking things at least as far as my home decor but not really into antiques either. I guess I like cabin, lodge or country type decor mostly with a punch of color here & there. I also like my house to feel comfortable , cozy & welcoming. I don't like things or rooms to be too dark even though I like wood & red paint, if I had a fancy house I would have a ton of beautiful windows with natural light.
I only have 1 outside wall in this room to have any windows put in, originally planned a sky light, have the hole cut in ceiling but garage roof covered it up so they said they couldn't put it there. I asked about a solo tube but don't think the contractor at the time wanted to deal with it & said it couldn't be done.
I will draw up the floor plan & dimensions later this evening. DH said he doesn't think I can leave up the white part I have on the walls & just have the top part dry walled because if would be different depths on the walls (not sure how to say that) & the top of the walls have to be done because it is wall board there now & a mess. I can't reuse the bottom wall boards because they are glued on.
You all are so helpful & sweet to help, better watch out, my kitchen is next as soon as I get the money to tear out one area & put some sort of island in there thats open to the living room. I have already started saving pics. LOL Terri

Stacey, thanks for all the photos! Eventually hope to paint the oak vanity in our main bath along with the natural beadboard. I'm thinking white beadboard and was considering espresso or black for the vanity, but that red one just leaped off the page! I love it!

Thanks for the compliments, Stacy, Terri and Cooperbailey. And Cooper, no water :(, but a nice back deck and views. It's really not very fancy, but here's a few more pics:
Dee

Here is the floor plan with the new shower in it, 1st attempt at this so not to impressive sorry, but you get the idea, I hope.

Dee, your place is awesome!!! Thanks for sharing. What state is it in? Looks like a beautiful place for it.

Cooperbailey thanks for the rewrite, I will try to do better... My TW horse is my Big baby, love him :-)

Staceyneil, are you a designer or is this just your passion? Either way, thanks for taking the time to help as well as all of the other people helping. Together I am confident this will be beautiful.

It looks like the closest Ikea store is 92 miles from me, can drive there if need be. We do have a kitchen store close & I will find out if they sell these. Do they ship reasonably?
I love tile & wood. If we tile, I will have to try & do it myself & if wood, our contractor will do it.
Contractor will do shower, drywall & any trim work, maybe the floors & definitely the window. We will do the painting, finish counter, tile work & anything else we can do such as electrical & plumbing. We are not very good at actual construction work & such so we need contractor for that type of stuff. The white shower (no tub) surround unit will be 60"x 35" & will have a curtain, no door. Their will have to be a wall to accommodate the faucet & such on the left side of the shower similar to the one I have in the pic of the way it is now.

Yes, I do like the look of Dee's bathroom with wood or tile flooring whatever would look best. We can replace the bead board if needed. Looking at the pics posted it looks like it is usually much higher up the wall then what I had it, is this the case? I don't really want a ton of white on the walls. DH said that I don't use all of the cabinet space I have in there so if I am ever going to want to replace it now would be the time? What do you think, is this something I should consider that might work better for what I would like to do, or not necessary? I am not sure if extending the counter to accommodate a makeup zone would look good because it might feel like it is crammed in. I really want to include an area for this though. DH said it could be possible to maybe move the tall cabinet next to the door but wouldn't know until we actually tried. I do need some storage in there for towels & such, somewhere. The sink needs to stay where it is so we don't have to move any more plumbing.

In pics # 6 & 7 what do you think they have on the walls? Painted wood of some sort?

$3000 sounds exactly around what I was trying to be in here but I keep adding stuff so if needed I can always add what I can't afford as I save more money, as long as it will be functional in the mean time. I want to pay cash for this only, don't want any extra bills :-)

Now I am off to see if I can find pics of the bathroom you did Staceyneil.

What code do you use to post your pics on here? I see mine have a little square next to them so I am doing something wrong. I am using photo bucket. Terri

Hi-
I'm just drawing this up but some of the measurements are conflicting. You have 14' 10" for the total room length, but then 64" + 52" (toilet space) + 35" (shower)... what am I missing? Also- what's the distance between the sink wall the the wall to the right when you enter?
Thanks!
STacey

Terri,
I drew this up using the added-up dimensions you gave for both walls -which pretty much agree- instead of the 14' 10" measurement, which is a couple feet longer. If I'm wrong, then these ideas are mute, and I'll redraw it. Let me know. (Adding up the smaller measurements I get 150"-151.5" total room length; that's what I drew.)

{{gwi:1597868}}

If this is correct, there won't be enough space to simply extend the counter down for makeup area without creating an odd, ungainly space down next to the shower wall. BUT... there's a nice nook there for making a built-in make-up area on the wall next to the shower. I would use the same counter material (I think you will find that nothing comes close, price-wise, to the Ikea counters, and they are totally worth the 3 hour drive! I know a lot of people who've driven all day for it :))... anyway, I'd use the same counter material, and build it in by setting it on a 9" cabinet on one side, and simply attached to the wall with cleats on the other side. Or, no cabinet, more legroom, but then you will need wall storage for all the makeup and stuff. Maybe a nice slim wall cabinet on one wall would work well and be the cheapest way to do it nicely?

Put a big window in between the vanity and makeup desk... lots of natural light.

I like the idea of losing the big tall cabinet next to the sink, if it works with your budget. I think the room will feel much airier and spacious without it, to compensate for the fact that you're adding more shower bulk, which will make the room smaller. It also seems to me that the 18" deep space opposite the vanity is sort of wasted now. How about doing open shelving there, with a matching set of pretty boxes/baskets on it to hold some of your bathroom stuff, and folded towels can also go there... imagine how much more open feeling that whole vanity/sink area will feel without the tall cabinet there. You could do some open shelves, and some hooks if you like robe storage there...

I would replace the mirror over the sink with a larger one, with nice sconces on either side. In the wall area now taken up by the tall cabinet, you could add a couple more (matching) open shelves with baskets/bins if you need more storage.

If you decide to replace your vanity, I would highly recommend getting base cabinets with drawers rather than doors. it is SOOOOO much easier to stow your stuff, like all the bottles and tubes that end up on the counter, if there are drawers to pull open rather than hard-to-access shelves inside regular cabinet doors. If you wanted to explore doing that, I'd recommend simply getting base cabinets (just like kitchen ones, except they are shallower (although it'll be cheaper and easier to use regular kitchen ones if you have the depth for 24" cabs there, I couldn't quite tell from the drawing...) For example, using Ikea kitchen base cabinets, you could do the whole run, from the corner next to the door, to where the vanity ends now, for about $600 including a whole bunch of soft-close drawers, in this style (of course there are lots to choose from!)

or $525 in this style of cabinet (I know you don't ike the green color, but the pics are just for the cabinets)

{{gwi:1597871}}

Some Ikea bases with drawers actually come in 12" deep sizes, so even if you didn't have space for full 24" deep, you could still do it.

By the way, when I was poking around on the Ikea web site, I saw several drawer/cabinet things that are a nice, rustic look like you're after. Very inexpensive, too. You might like some of them. If you are considering re-doing your cabinets, that would be another possible budget-minded way to go :) by using something like this, and a wood top. Might need to add some slightly taller legs (easy to do in similar pine) to get it to the right height.

If you do something along these lines, I don't think you need the beadboard on the walls. Especially since you seem not to like "so much white"... although of course if you want to spend a bit more you could do rustic wood siding on the walls.

I think you asked about painted wood walls, above. WEre you talking about this:

Wow, my mistake on the total length of the room. It is about 150 inches you are correct, so your drawing is great, thanks.

The tall cabinet in the corner is actually 24" deep then the counter starts at a 20" depth. The 24" comes right to the door trim, so I am not sure if 24" cabs & counter would make it feel closed in or work fine? Might work if I didn't use a corner cab thats very deep. I like your idea about the make-up area in the corner. Hopefully with a window there it won't feel to closed in there because it seems like it is the only place left. That side of the shower will have to be a 35" wall up to the ceiling because that is the side the plumbing needs to go on.

I think getting rid of the tall cabinet is a great idea, never would have thought about how much more open it would feel but I think you are 100% right. Depending on how wide the counter is I wonder if it would feel closed in the add shelving on the opposite wall. I could save that until the end & see how it feels & looks.

How wide of a mirror do you think would look good above the sink area? Sconces are a plan should there be something similar above the make-up area?

Window-should it be frosted or how do you make it more private? That window will actually face my driveway.

I agree that drawers are the way to go, that tall cabinet is basically useless because I have so much junk in there & can't really see whats in there. It works well for towels & thats about it.

If I put in rustic style cabinets would it be better to buy something different than wood for the counter top? Or go with a painted cabinet & wood top?

The tongue & groove planks are what we used in our bedroom & DH did it himself. I love the look but was afraid it could look to dark in there with that on the walls & I read that painting it doesn't work out so well. Although I do love the look in the picture you posted.

IKEA, is it a store where everything is there for you took look at & order or do you pic it out online & then pick it up at their store? I am off to their website right now to take a look around.

I keep thinking, let me check to see if anyone wrote anything new & then I will get off the computer...but every time I look & end up looking on line at all sorts of thing for the bathroom & next thing you know....Hours have gone by. LOL Got to love it :-)

Oh one more thing, I really love the way you & a lot of people have taken a old dresser & used it for a vanity. Do you think there is anyway something like this would look good in here? My Sister-in-law owns an antique mall & does estate sales so I am sure she could find me something good to use if you think it would look good.

You have definitely given me a whole lot more to think about. I appreciate all of your work on helping with this. Anyone else having anything to add, Please feel free to join in!

Terri

Sure you can paint V-goove! They even sell it pre-primed for you. You just don't use the knotty pine type if you're going to paint it. I almost did something similar in the small bath I just did (before my DD started making design decisions!) Originally, I wanted the space to feel sort of nautical (we're sailors) and I was going to do horizontal board paneling like that, painted.

If it were my bathroom, I'd consider doing the V-groove walls, painted a light color, white cabinets, and a wood countertop with a white ceramic sink. But, I like light, bright spaces, and from your earlier remarks maybe you don't as much?

In our bathrooms, we used frosted glass ("privacy glass") for the windows in the shower. We also have regular double-hung windows and I wanted to be able to see some sky & trees when I was in the bathroom, so I put window treatments on the lower half only. That way anyone outside can't see people inside (they can see the ceiling, though) but we can see some nature. I used white cotton material with a bit of a design that's sheer enough to let some light in, but just opaque enough so they're not see-through. Another option if you're using double-hung windows is to use clear glass in the top half and privacy glass in the bottom, and then in the summer, open the top pane down, rather than the usual bottom pane up.

Ikea isn't set up to use the web site very well. It's not a very user-friendly site. The best thing to do is go to the store. It's a total experience! On the top floor they have all these little rooms and vignettes set up so you can see design ideas, and try out the furniture. There are lots of little bathrooms and bedrooms and kitchens, it's really fun. Then you decide what you're buying and go get the items off these racks in the self-service area. It's a different sort of shopping experience but REALLY fun. They have great Swedish Meatballs in their cafeteria, too. All the furniture is flat-pack, you assemble it yourself, which is why the prices are so low.

As far as the width of the mirror, if it were me, I'd start by choosing the cabinets, counters, tile, etc, then make a drawing of the wall and see what looks best. If I'm not busy when you get to that point I can do that drawing ("elevation") for you.

And, yes, I'd do sconces and a mirror at the vanity as well.

If you want to use a furniture piece for a vanity, then that is going to be the anchor for your design. You'd want to find that piece, and then play off it's proportions, material, style, etc to choose the other things in the room. It IS a bit of a carpentry project to make it work, though, so just be aware of that. I certainly think it could work if that's what you want to do. Just think about the amount of storage you need, and that the plumbing is going to make some of the space un-useable. Maybe you can find a nice big server/buffet that's at least 5' long to use. But if you REALLY can't move the sink plumbing over even 18" (which is probably not that hard to do) keep in mind that you'll have to center it on the sink, which means that it can't be longer than 5' or so without blocking use of the makeup area, and that the space just inside the door will be underutilized (though maybe a pretty hamper could go there? If you have a few inches leeway to move the sink (usually can just by pivoting the drain parts) you can shift it a bit to the left and make it work much better. Do you plumbing pipes come out of the wall or up through the floor? That'll also affect how you could use a furniture piece.

Regarding Ikea shipping: I recently considered purchasing a small wardrobe for my laundry from Ikea (decided for DH to make it instead). The wardrobe was $250 or so. The shipping for it was around $350!!! I don't know whether that is reflective of their normal shipping, but you definitely need to go to the store, if you have one nearby.
Dee

I can't post much now but found this picture & think this is what we are going to do on the walls. We can paint the top any color we want & would have the wood to type into the bedroom. I think going half way up would keep it from being too dark looking in there.

Dee, that is kind of what I figured due to the weight. Thanks, Terri

Nautical would go nice in that room but I think it looks great the way it ended up.

Don't think that I do not like light spaces, I love light airy spaces but not always solid walls of white. I love color on things also, I guess it looks like I have chosen to go with the rustic theme in there. If I ever want to change it down the road, there is always paint, right? I also have another smaller bathroom that will get a makeover eventually as well. LOL DH thinks it is gonna be very bright in there once we get a window put in & new lighting. I guess I am having a hard time envisioning it because it has always seemed so dark in there.

Since the ceiling isn't real high where we are talking about putting the window I am not sure we will be able to have a nice top open window. I will talk to the contractor about that when I see him next. Probably when he installs the shower.

I would like to check out the IKEA store & will make plans to go there in the next week or so, you all have me wanting to go there bad now. I did see a great deal on Craig's list for a counter top that is the same size as my counter with a grey speckled marble top & white sink. There were no pics but it is close to me. I may have to go check it our because supposedly it is new & only $30. I doubt that it would fit with my theme at all but it can't hurt to look. I think I will check out the habitat for humanity store kind of near me but in a bigger town to see what they have available.

I probably won't go with a furniture piece in that room although I Love the look. As a matter of fact, I might try to take out the tall cabinet & reuse the sink cabinets, unless I find a deal I just can't refuse. I am sure DH could move the sink I am just trying to keep the plumbing to a minimum. He isn't a plumber but has figured out most things we have ever wanted done in the past. I just don't want to add too much stuff for him to do extra that might be more complicated & plumbers cost a fortune. Our pipes come up threw the floor I believe, we have a 4 foot crawl space under the house that he usually has to get into to do any plumbing work. The plumbing is under the insulation & everything so it isn't the easiest thing to get at.

DH did say I better hurry up & decide where I want any electrical moved before he starts working on the walls.

To be continued....LOL Terri

To skip the ramble & get to the ? Please go to the end of this post....

OK, major demolition started yesterday & today. I also bought my tile for the floor which is a grey with a little mix of browns in it. We have an area in the ceiling that was supposed to be a sky light but because of the attached garage roof, couldn't end up being there. They patched it sort of... half a**ed...to say the least...now since we started to tear everything apart we noticed the patch area (plywood) where the skylight was supposed to be once upon a time has some mold on it, Great!!! So now we have to find out why, hope it isn't from any major roof damage, we will find out soon. We also ran into an issue when we took the old shower out. It seems the vent pipe that goes out to the roof was actually ran under the old shower (shower was sitting up on boards so pipes could run on top of the floor under shower) & up threw the ceiling to the roof in the wall that we tore down, needs to be moved for the longer shower & where the plumbing will be installed. So to make a long story a little shorter, there is more plumbing work & possible repair work ahead that wasn't originally planned...probably a typical story. when remodeling. Now I see why the shower base had such a high step to get in & may have to be the same way in the new shower. I have a leg that does not bend at the knee so I was really hoping to get the shower entrance as low to the floor as possible for future ease of entering & exiting. We will have a plumber come out & see what all needs to be done & what can be done to help our situation, Plumbers aren't cheap unfortunately :-( Anyway...sorry about the rambling...LOL

As a side note, this is a modular/double wide trailer home & I have to say we are VERY disappointed in the work that was done when they built this home! I know that it was a lot cheaper than a stick built home & we knew materials in the house were cheap. We just figured as they wore out we would replace then with better quality items. This has proven to not be as easy as one might think. Nothing is standard size & as you tear things apart, such as walls, the quality of the work that was done is appalling to put it nicely. Had we have known what we were really getting, we would have never made the decision we did about buying one of these homes. Hindsight is 20/20. Just wanna forewarn others thinking of buying one of these homes. Make sure you know Everything about your home, maybe monitor every step of the building process & be aware of what you are getting into before you have one built. My biggest problem has always been looking for instant gratification, not a very good thing. We would have been better off buying a stick built shell & going from there a little bit at a time as we could afford it.....Sorry about the rambling......

Since we need some extra plumbing work done, DH said if I want the vanity & sink moved at all to let him know ASAP, We took out the tall cabinet to the left of the vanity. DH said it will not be a problem to move the sink down to the left or right. So what do you think? Should I move the vanity all the way to the wall to the left, to the right or leave where it is? I am Not replacing the vanity cabinet & am thinking about either buying the paint kit to paint the top like I have read about or buying a counter top for it, or tiling it. I am kind of steering away from the wood countertop idea...not sure I am convinced it would be a good long term idea...I have just read more cons than pros on the wood counters, especially in bathrooms. Anyway, contractor is coming out Thursday evening to list materials we need to buy & give idea's about the whole project. Any input before then will be appreciated. Plumber should be out this weekend so any tips for him are appreciated as well. I will keep everyone informed on the progress. Any more idea's you have please share!!! I love to hear all options I have with this project.

I noticed the tile I chose is very similar to what Dee has posted. I am so happy to see that because I wasn't sure how the greyish look would go with the wood. It goes beautifully with hers so I think it will work just fine! Terri

I live in an old condo and want to do an update to my small master bathroom.
I have a cast iron tub in an alcove that is in perfect condition, and would like to avoid the cost of removing it and replacing it with a newer cast iron tub.
I like a more traditional look with mouldings and wainscotting.
I plan on replacing the tub hardware (wall mounted) and would like to use a wainscotting on the alcove walls.
The tub is only used for bathing. (There is also a small stall shower in the bathroom.)
Can I also put the wainscotting on the front of the tub, or must I replace the tub since it does not have a flange as would be needed if it tiled it.