Kitchen update help plus bathroom
Erica Newell
2 years ago
Featured Answer
Comments (7)
morz8 - Washington Coast
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Small Bathroom Help 6'6'' x 5'. Convert Bedroom to Bathroom?
Comments (17)You are going to want more than 32" for the toilet. 36" is standard (and perhaps even code in some areas???? Not here in Maine but I heard people saying that on other forums...) We have 34" and it feels fine but I dont think I'd want to go much tighter. You could solve that simply by flipping the closet and shower. So, have your shower -rotated 90 degrees and witha glass end wall- at the end of the tub (which is a nice setup you can see in many bathrooms, the tub deck can actually protrude under the shower glass wall and be a ledge or seat in the shower). Then the passageway moves to the left, and you can steal a bit of space from the other closet for the toilet. Either that of have a shorter vanity. 48" isn't a size I'd fight for. It's too short for a double vanity, really (unless you're using one of the new two-faucet 'trough" styles) so why not go down to 42" and have a better toilet area? For resale, though, you should consider a double vanity. Some people I guess expert truly huge ones, like at least 5+' long. But you CAN get smaller ones, Ikea has some great ones for tight spaces. But if you're not selling anytime soon, do what YOU like!! (But I still think you'll want more toilet space...)...See MoreHelp me keep dated tile but update this bathroom
Comments (21)Since you're changing the floor, I'd change the vanity and leave the tiled tub for now. Tiling a tub is a big expense, and it can be hidden behind a shower curtain. For the floor, you could use LVT, something like Armstrong Alterna or Congoleum Duraceramic. It's warmer and softer than ceramic tile and can be laid right over sheet vinyl and grouted for a ceramic tile look. You'd want tile to go under your vanity. Vanities have gotten taller. If yours is short, I'd replace it with a 34" H vanity. You could buy a sink base and three drawer cabinet from one of the RTA places. I'm most familiar with Barker Cabinets. If you want to keep the vanity, you could order new full overlay doors and drawer fronts from Barkers. You could paint the frame and purchase painted doors and drawer fronts. They offer a medium stain too. That way you can coordinate your counter, floor, and vanity color without being tied to the golden brown color scheme of the tile. I'd also cover that odd niche with a large mirror....See MoreModernize existing bathrooms, or build master bathroom?
Comments (24)Many thanks to everybody who answered, you have all been very helpful in clarifying my very muddled thoughts. Here is a hopefully clearer description of the situation: The house is a 50's ranch style, with 3 bedrooms and a hall bath (4.5x8.5 ft) clustered on one side of the house, and the kitchen, office/den and another hall bath (4x9 ft) on the other side of the house, with a great room in the middle. We plan to stay in this house as long as we can, but we are in this city for my husband's work, and if something happens (although unlikely with his kind of job), we know we'll have to move somewhere else; therefore, we'd like to make updates to the house while keeping resale in mind. Our (excellent) realtor said that for resale we should have an ensuite. After reading the comments, I have to clarify with him if he thinks a lack of ensuite will narrow down the market significantly, or if we 'simply' would not get the best price for the house. Most houses in the area are old (in the whole city actually), and we saw plenty without ensuites. We saw two of the neighbors' houses, and they did not have ensuites. This is what we considered: 1. Redo the bathrooms with the existing footprint (not that we have room to change anything inside), but we can go far into making them pretty, 2. Add a door from the master bedroom to the hall bath next to it, and close access from the hall. This I think would be a bad idea, not only because the people in the other two bedrooms will have to go across the house to the other bathroom, but also because the master bedroom will end up with windows on two walls, three closets on another, and two doors on the fourth side. Not restful. 3. Add another bathroom next to the master bedroom where the closets are, with one closet door transformed into a bathroom door. This bathroom would be 4.5x12 ft, although it could go to 5x12 if need be (but no more, because we'll hit a big window), which will have a shower but no bathtub. We talked to a professional who said it will fit fine with the caveat that the toilet will likely be the first thing you see in front of the door because of the current clearance requirements. 4. Build an addition. This again I think would be a very bad idea, since it would be blindingly expensive and the house is already on the higher side of square footage for the surrounding area. We will of course fix everything that is broken. The interior doors are the original 50s doors, hollow core dark wood look with lots of scuffs and holes, and they were cut short to fit the now non-existent carpet, so I would qualify changing them as fixing what is broken (and they bug me every time I look at them... ). The windows are a perk; we are still divided on those. I tend toward option 1, while my husband is going for option 3, although he agrees we do not need another bathroom. The reason I feel ill equipped to make this decision is that I'm originally from Europe, and even after so many years here I feel mildly perplexed about the North American love affair with bathrooms. Our previous rental was built in the last ten years and had a huge ensuite which I didn't like. I found it hard to keep as clean as I thought it should be, and it was so large I felt as if I was doing my business in public. Given the bathroom pictures on Houzz, I'm clearly in a minority. Your comments help ensure that I don't miss anything that might otherwise be obvious, so thanks again. And extra thanks to whoever makes it to the end of this post......See MoreHelp Understanding Kitchen and Bathroom Remodel Costs
Comments (22)The one week time frame for the project raised my eyebrows, if only because we are dealing with a similar bathroom project, except we removed a tub and are making that space a shower. We are going into our 6th week (including one week of vacation for the GC). Our single contractor and his helper laid the marble tile floor and tile shower and updated the light fixtures and switches themselves. He brought in the plumbers and painters. He is here almost every workday without fail. I won’t even get into the material costs. Except to say I did most of the buying under his instruction with the exception of installation materials like grout, sealer, and shluter bits and pieces, etc., which he purchased. I had good luck finding higher end towel bars, light fixtures, and other ’jewelry’ on E-bay and “Amazon Warehouse”, but I was willing to try ’open box’ items. I will say that our costs were way beyond your estimates, but I have trouble staying on budget. We have not received a bill from our GC yet, but I expect it to be double what the Remodeling Magazine estimated and we live in (low rent) Cincinnati. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised. We have used our contractor on five other projects so I knew what I was in for. We work well together and do everything on a handshake, which of course is not recommended, but it works for us. We have a lot of trust between us which is valuable to me, after having worked on other home remodeling projects with other contractors who were not so dependable. Good luck with your project....See MoreErica Newell
2 years agosayboone
2 years agodarbuka
2 years agocpartist
2 years agocpartist
2 years ago
Related Stories
BATHROOM DESIGN10 Bathroom Trends From the Kitchen and Bathroom Industry Show
A designer and his team hit the industry’s biggest show to spot bathroom ideas with lasting appeal
Full StoryBATHROOM MAKEOVERSBathroom of the Week: Fresh Update With Mediterranean Touches
A designer helps a newlywed Denver couple create more openness and a spa-like vibe in their master bathroom
Full StorySELLING YOUR HOUSE10 Tricks to Help Your Bathroom Sell Your House
As with the kitchen, the bathroom is always a high priority for home buyers. Here’s how to showcase your bathroom so it looks its best
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNBetter Circulation for a Family Kitchen and Bathroom
An architect’s smart design moves helped rearrange this Louisville kitchen to create a more sensible workflow
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNDesign Dilemma: My Kitchen Needs Help!
See how you can update a kitchen with new countertops, light fixtures, paint and hardware
Full StoryBATHROOM DESIGN12 Tricks for Updating the Bathroom
Give your bath a lift with a fab new mirror, rug, hardware, wall covering or color
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGN3 Dark Kitchens, 6 Affordable Updates
Color advice: Three Houzzers get budget-friendly ideas to spruce up their kitchens with new paint, backsplashes and countertops
Full StoryBATHROOM MAKEOVERSRoom of the Day: See the Bathroom That Helped a House Sell in a Day
Sophisticated but sensitive bathroom upgrades help a century-old house move fast on the market
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNKitchen Update Befitting an 1880s Federal-Style House
An interior designer opens up the floor plan and balances old and new in a Pennsylvania home
Full StoryBEFORE AND AFTERSKitchen of the Week: Bungalow Kitchen’s Historic Charm Preserved
A new design adds function and modern conveniences and fits right in with the home’s period style
Full Story
cpartist