Well ,I'm surviving the bathroom remodel so far

7 years ago

It started last week and it's completely gutted . All that's left in there is the toilet . We have to do the quick pee when the guys aren't around ! When they are ..... we brought down an old commode that we had in the attic. We're using it in a spare bedroom . Better than nothing !

I don't know how many times I thought we should throw that old thing out and we never did. Now I'm glad we kept it. I've been storing all the medical equipment that my family ever used in my attic . We have walkers,canes,wheelchairs.........my attic looks like a medical supply store ! LOL I guess I shouldn't be in such a hurry to throw the stuff out .As I'm getting older , I see we may need to use them ourselves . Do you keep stuff like that ?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

Fun2BHere
7 years ago
I don't have any stuff like that to keep, but I remember when my grandmother died while residing with my parents that we kept some of the medical items for a year, then discarded them. Your experience shows how nice it is to have some things on hand. In the same situation, I would be using a camping setup or the local coffee shop's facilities, I guess.
marylmi
7 years ago
I kept the commode and Walker I had for my husband. I keep them stored in the basement. I also kept my mother's cane and it came in handy one time when I fell and twisted my ankle some years ago. I went on a search for that cane and was happy to have it !
Related Discussions
Pics of bathroom so far, what do you think?
Q
Comments (10)
Thanks everyone. Brooke and ritamay- I appreciate your thoughts! I think a strip would be more subtle, less expensive and less hassle than the whole back wall. In fact, this wasnt even the glass tile that I wanted. The stuff I wanted was gorgeous, and completely sold out for a couple months. I think that all this brown might overwhelm the bath. Or I could just paint, not do any backsplash and wait. That may be the best route. I need to speak with the contractor and see what he is cabable of. If he cant do this, than it will be paint all the way. dianlo, I am so emotionally and physically exhausted from this project. You are right that I just want to be done. I DREAD going to home depot now, the sight of home/remodeling magazines makes me nauseous, and I am acclimating to the drywall dust/no kitchen/one sink (which is a luxury, actually). The only thing is that the concrete backsplash is not cheap, and I almost think that I could do something better for the money, or not at all.
...See More
New Bathroom/Addition vs. Bathroom/Kitchen Remodel
Q
Comments (5)
thanks to all who have posted so far, especially Eric. We can probably save/budget down the road for a kitchen redo, or do part of it ourselves. Additions would be a little harder for us except finish work (floors, tile, etc. Can do drywall even but would need to find time to do it). What that kitchen has is a U shaped layout, not too bad except there are overhanging cabinets between a small dining/family space and the kitchen. It's a counter/pass through kind of setup where someone can sit at stools and talk with the person in the kitchen....except the cabinets hang down so the person in the kitchen has to look under them. We would likely tear those out and relocate the stovetop to the perimeter wall and make that pass through an island. Then that entire space could become kitchen/dining. It is possible we could still move out a wall on that (kitchen) side of the house down the road too, we are in Hawaii so all the construction costs are much, much higher than mainland. So jealous of all the posters here who can put on a large extension for less than 50K. Plan A or Plan B will cost us about the same. We don't plan to sell and move anytime soon, but should we need to we're leaning toward sq. footage instead of just extending current bath and upgrading the kitchen. Our neighborhood is about 20 years old so people are beginning to redo those rooms as the fixtures and appliances are ageing. We redid all the appliances about three years ago with stainless finishes, new faucet/sink, and redid the countertop Corian, so the kitchen is livable - just need to clear out some clutter and make smarter usage on available storage space. We could paint or restain the cabinet doors to freshen it up. A few neighbors are creating the "big bang" kitchen now but I'm not certain a 70K upgrade will improve the value that much as a new neighborhood is planned about 5 miles away within the next couple of years. Would we love to live in a "WOW" kitchen, of course. But as with most people we have to make a decision on where it is best to spend the money for now. We could feasibly also add on a 2nd story in future years, but we prefer the single story and if we age-in-place as planned, the new bath will include wide accesses and no-curb shower.
...See More
Bathroom Reveal, Thanks to the Bathroom and Remodel Forums!X-Post
Q
Comments (6)
Lovely! I like the classic white tile and porcelain and how you used furniture pieces in the bathroom. I love that the storage at the end of the tub has pull-outs that can be reached from the toilet. Your custom sink and backsplash and counter are unique and beautiful. Yours may be the first bathroom sink I have seen in which a small or medium dog could be washed! That is a good thing! I showed your pictures to my DH because I am thinking of classic tiled walls with a chair rail for when we redo our bath in a couple of years. He liked it! I was expecting him to say, "too old fashioned." He did not, he said it looked nice. From him, nice is a compliment. He even liked your rows of listello. I was just at the Tile Shop's site the other day looking at the Hampton tiles because someone was selling some on Craigslist. I am hoping to do as you did and get what I can cheaper there, and fill in the rest from the store. I can see that you worked very hard to secure all of your materials - and then cut the floor tiles to size and culled the Hampton tiles, too! You succeeded very well in getting the look you wanted while saving money along the way. Congratulations, and thank you for the pictures and great detail and supply list.
...See More
I'm trying to choose a bathroom vanity (X-post from Home Dec.)
Q
Comments (3)
We will be using a different counter top. This is one that we both like. It's white ceramic with an integral bowl. It's available in two thicknesses - 3/4" and 1 1/4". Both of the vanities are from Fairmont Designs. We've seen them at several plumbing supply showrooms. I have also found several sources on line, including Amazon! As much as like #1, it does read contemporary to me, too.
...See More
kathyg_in_mi
7 years ago
I have my Dad's cane and walker (a nice one), a shower chair I bought for Mom and I think there might be a commode too. I use the cane on occasion but the rest is in the garage attic. Oh yeah, have a wheel chair up there too!

Doesn't hurt to have some of these things.
Granny J
7 years ago
I have the wheelchair, walker, commode and cane that were my sister's. I used the wheelchair when I had foot surgery, the walker after knee surgery and now use the cane when out shopping.
desertsteph
7 years ago
my sister gave me our mom's cane a few yrs ago. I pulled it out last July when something happened to my left leg. I had to use a walker for several weeks and the hospital sent one home with me. I'm keeping it and I bought 2 large hooks for the wall in the laundry room for it's home. I still use the cane sometimes when I go out, just in case someone bumps into me and I lose my balance. Also when I take the dog out - for the same reason. I have found that the cane is very helpful reaching somethings at the grocery that are on a high shelf or when all of the items in the front of a shelf are gone - as long as the high ones aren't canned goods or in a bottle.

inside I get around fine without it.
wildchild2x2
7 years ago
No we don't. In fact we found it nearly impossible to find someone to take a brand new commode that had never been used off our hands. An in home care place finally took it. Several family members have had injuries requiring crutches. But they are provided before you are released to go home anyway. So after a while we had several sets. No point in saving them so I donated them. The times we had to have things like wheelchairs insurance paid for them to be rented not purchased.

We do have a couple of canes in the hall closet. Nice wooden ones I have no idea where they came from. Most likely from DS's motorcycle accident twenty years ago. he sort of made his cane a fashion statement for a while. ;-)

What we are doing is making sure any remodeling we do takes aging in place into account. That includes making sure materials used are low maintenance and easy to keep clean. Hard flooring that is not slippery, ergonomic storage for frequently used items etc. Our attic space is less a storage area now. Less climbing up the pull down ladder. The garage has been cleared of useless junk and DH has built adjustable tables,with storage and such for his specialty tools so he can tinker into his sunset years.
Olychick
7 years ago
Our community has a medical equipment organization (non profit) where you can get walkers, wheelchairs, etc. for free when needed (you may have to qualify as low income; I'm not sure. They take donations of no longer needed equipment. It's really a great resource for both those in need and those needing a place to donate.
Annie Deighnaugh
7 years ago
Our town has a lending closet for all kinds of medical equipment for free. It's done via the Senior Center. It was great when I broke my ankle, or when MIL was getting more infirmed. We were able to borrow a lot of stuff.

Well ,I'm surviving the bathroom remodel so far

Comments (8)

Fun2BHere

marylmi

Related Discussions

kathyg_in_mi

Granny J

desertsteph

wildchild2x2

Olychick

Annie Deighnaugh

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US