See 2 DIY Bathroom Remodels for $15,500
A little Internet savvy allowed this couple to remodel 2 bathrooms in their Oregon bungalow
What could you do in 16 weekends? In that time, Oregon couple Allan Dushan and Maura Ahearn completely remodeled two side-by-side bathrooms — a larger hallway bathroom and a smaller main bedroom bathroom, which share a wall — in their 1960s 1,040-square-foot bungalow. They tackled the projects themselves, including moving a wall 1 foot into the smaller bathroom to get a walk-in shower in the larger one (see diagram below).
Dushan handled all the construction and installation but saved the plumbing for a professional. The former software engineer–turned–real estate agent taught himself how to frame walls, hang drywall, install tile, relocate electrical wiring, pull all the necessary permits and more. Meanwhile, Ahearn, a visual merchandise manager at the nearby Nike world headquarters, picked all the materials, finishes and colors, creating a Houzz ideabook for design inspiration. “We definitely couldn’t have done it without the Internet,” she says. “It’s like a modern whiteboard.”
Dushan handled all the construction and installation but saved the plumbing for a professional. The former software engineer–turned–real estate agent taught himself how to frame walls, hang drywall, install tile, relocate electrical wiring, pull all the necessary permits and more. Meanwhile, Ahearn, a visual merchandise manager at the nearby Nike world headquarters, picked all the materials, finishes and colors, creating a Houzz ideabook for design inspiration. “We definitely couldn’t have done it without the Internet,” she says. “It’s like a modern whiteboard.”
1. The Hallway Bathroom
BEFORE: Dushan and Ahearn just didn’t like the standard finishes used in the hallway bathroom, especially the light pink floor tile.
The rear wall with the grab bar is the shared wall with the smaller bathroom. This space originally measured 83 inches long and 59 inches wide.
BEFORE: Dushan and Ahearn just didn’t like the standard finishes used in the hallway bathroom, especially the light pink floor tile.
The rear wall with the grab bar is the shared wall with the smaller bathroom. This space originally measured 83 inches long and 59 inches wide.
AFTER: Pushing the rear wall back allowed them to go from a 25-inch-wide bathtub to a 30-inch-wide walk-in shower. The space now measures 93 inches long and 59 inches wide. (The extra inches came from Dushan’s changing the 2-by-4 dividing wall to a 2-by-6 wall to accommodate the plumbing.)
A new pass-through window brings natural light in from the smaller bathroom.
Dushan wanted to run the ceramic wood-grain-look tile all in one direction for ease of installation, but Ahearn chose to have the floor tiles run lengthwise and the shower tiles run horizontal.
Two showerheads give the couple the option of getting ready in the morning at the same time.
Floor tile: Moda Manhattan, Oregon Tile and Marble; door handles: Chown; rug: West Elm; shower bench: Aqua Teak, Houzz
A new pass-through window brings natural light in from the smaller bathroom.
Dushan wanted to run the ceramic wood-grain-look tile all in one direction for ease of installation, but Ahearn chose to have the floor tiles run lengthwise and the shower tiles run horizontal.
Two showerheads give the couple the option of getting ready in the morning at the same time.
Floor tile: Moda Manhattan, Oregon Tile and Marble; door handles: Chown; rug: West Elm; shower bench: Aqua Teak, Houzz
DURING: Here Dushan stands in the gutted bathrooms right about where the wall separating them used to be.
You can see the window at the back that’s in the smaller bathroom. The large hole ripped out of the floor is the result of Dushan’s discovering rotted-out subflooring (seen here piled on the left) from years of a leaky toilet flange.
It was a surprise that cost him two extra weekends and about $300 to repair.
You can see the window at the back that’s in the smaller bathroom. The large hole ripped out of the floor is the result of Dushan’s discovering rotted-out subflooring (seen here piled on the left) from years of a leaky toilet flange.
It was a surprise that cost him two extra weekends and about $300 to repair.
DURING: During demolition Dushan discovered that two 2-by-4 walls butted up against each other — one for the bathroom, one for the kitchen — on the right. The extra space gave Dushan the idea for installing a wall-mounted Toto toilet, seen here. The extra wall meant it’d be easier for him to run things through for the bathroom plumbing. “I didn’t care how much it cost; we could save 10 inches of space by not having a tank in our 5-foot bathroom,” he says.
He replaced all the old galvanized plumbing in the wall and relocated it into the new wall between the two bathrooms, which you can see framed up here. He used wood screws and a power drill to frame the wall instead of a nail gun, which he didn’t have and didn’t want to buy, because he was already over budget. The method makes pulling apart the framing more difficult than if it were done with nails. “The poor fool who goes to remodel this after me is going to curse me for using wood screws,” he says.
He replaced all the old galvanized plumbing in the wall and relocated it into the new wall between the two bathrooms, which you can see framed up here. He used wood screws and a power drill to frame the wall instead of a nail gun, which he didn’t have and didn’t want to buy, because he was already over budget. The method makes pulling apart the framing more difficult than if it were done with nails. “The poor fool who goes to remodel this after me is going to curse me for using wood screws,” he says.
DURING: Dushan applied a waterproofing paint called RedGard for extra protection in the shower. There’s also a waterproof fabric underneath the Schluter linear drain shower pan, which was another splurge item.
AFTER: Here you can see the linear shower drain, which is covered in tile pieces for a seamless look. Water drains through what would have been the grout lines.
The wall-mounted toilet saved vital space in the compact bathroom. The silver wall panel comes off so Dushan can pull out the “guts” to replace any parts when needed.
2. The Main-Bedroom Bathroom
BEFORE: The smaller bathroom (shown here at 59 inches long and 55 inches wide) connects to the main bedroom but doesn’t contain a shower or bathtub. The wall on which the toilet paper holder hangs is shared with the larger bathroom off the hall.
Dushan and Ahearn considered removing the wall altogether to create one large bathroom, but they liked having two bathrooms for when guests stayed over so nobody had to bump into someone else in the middle of the night. Plus, this way the couple had their own bathroom to wash their hands and brush their teeth at night, and keeping two would allow Ahearn a place to put on her makeup while Dushan used the other bathroom.
While he toilet and vanity were functional, the couple didn’t like the off-the-shelf style of them. They wanted a modern look with more countertop space.
BEFORE: The smaller bathroom (shown here at 59 inches long and 55 inches wide) connects to the main bedroom but doesn’t contain a shower or bathtub. The wall on which the toilet paper holder hangs is shared with the larger bathroom off the hall.
Dushan and Ahearn considered removing the wall altogether to create one large bathroom, but they liked having two bathrooms for when guests stayed over so nobody had to bump into someone else in the middle of the night. Plus, this way the couple had their own bathroom to wash their hands and brush their teeth at night, and keeping two would allow Ahearn a place to put on her makeup while Dushan used the other bathroom.
While he toilet and vanity were functional, the couple didn’t like the off-the-shelf style of them. They wanted a modern look with more countertop space.
AFTER: Looking into the new bathroom at pretty much the same angle, you can see the dramatic transformation. The couple completely gutted the two bathrooms and pushed the wall on the right into this smaller bathroom by a full foot, bringing the space to 59 inches long and 43 inches wide. They then reconfigured the small bathroom by pushing the toilet over toward the wall on the left and creating a narrower vanity area on the right with a 12-inch-deep custom cabinet with a compact vessel sink and a slim countertop that runs wall to wall.
Dushan made sure all his work was up to code, pulling the permits himself and working closely with his local building department, even calling the hotline early in the morning to ask questions about his plans. He had to get a plumbing permit for moving the pipes and an electrical permit for moving the wires. “You have to think everything you’re doing probably has some measurement required. Always assume it has a code,” he says.
He plugged all his measurements into SketchUp to ensure he had enough room to make everything compliant, such as having 15 inches of clearance on both sides of the toilet. Playing around with the program was how he was able to figure out that he could get a walk-in shower in the larger bathroom by encroaching into the smaller bathroom by a foot.
See key measurements to make the most of your bathroom
Dushan made sure all his work was up to code, pulling the permits himself and working closely with his local building department, even calling the hotline early in the morning to ask questions about his plans. He had to get a plumbing permit for moving the pipes and an electrical permit for moving the wires. “You have to think everything you’re doing probably has some measurement required. Always assume it has a code,” he says.
He plugged all his measurements into SketchUp to ensure he had enough room to make everything compliant, such as having 15 inches of clearance on both sides of the toilet. Playing around with the program was how he was able to figure out that he could get a walk-in shower in the larger bathroom by encroaching into the smaller bathroom by a foot.
See key measurements to make the most of your bathroom
Because it was such a small space, Ahearn and Dushan felt comfortable splurging on $30-per-square-foot Ann Sacks tile in wood grain for the flooring. “It stays warm, and you don’t need to sweep all the time,” Ahearn says.
The new sleeker-looking toilet had to be anchored to the floor by drilling through the expensive tiles. “I can’t tell you how slow I worked to drill the holes,” Dushan says.
Ahearn sits on the toilet seat and pulls out a lighted mirror to apply her makeup at the counter ledge. Ikea buckets hold her makeup supplies.
They used maple trim for the window frame to match the new maple cabinets. Ahearn likes to burn candles near the window, so they installed a quartz sill for safety and easier cleanup.
Dushan had to crawl around in the attic during a hot summer to get the one recessed can light in to highlight the piece of artwork. “I probably lost 10 pounds of water weight crawling around up there,” he says.
Artwork: Jim and Jon Sholly, Commercial Artisan
The new sleeker-looking toilet had to be anchored to the floor by drilling through the expensive tiles. “I can’t tell you how slow I worked to drill the holes,” Dushan says.
Ahearn sits on the toilet seat and pulls out a lighted mirror to apply her makeup at the counter ledge. Ikea buckets hold her makeup supplies.
They used maple trim for the window frame to match the new maple cabinets. Ahearn likes to burn candles near the window, so they installed a quartz sill for safety and easier cleanup.
Dushan had to crawl around in the attic during a hot summer to get the one recessed can light in to highlight the piece of artwork. “I probably lost 10 pounds of water weight crawling around up there,” he says.
Artwork: Jim and Jon Sholly, Commercial Artisan
“I love penny tile,” Ahearn says of the backsplash. “If I could have done the whole bathroom in it, I would have, but it’s hard to work with and expensive.” The penny tile gave the space a modern retro feel that she ran with, choosing a vintage mirror instead of a standard medicine cabinet.
On the bottom right, you can see how the countertop is tapered. That’s because after Dushan pushed the wall in a foot, the countertop would have been sticking out into the doorway. Dushan could have narrowed the door, but at 27 inches, it was already narrower than standard. He instead chose to taper the countertop to make the edge go around the door frame trim and sit flush with the wall.
A pass-through window near the ceiling on the right brings natural light from this smaller bathroom into the hallway bathroom. “That was one of our awesome ideas that we patted ourselves on the back for,” Dushan says. “It makes the big bathroom feel bigger.”
On the bottom right, you can see how the countertop is tapered. That’s because after Dushan pushed the wall in a foot, the countertop would have been sticking out into the doorway. Dushan could have narrowed the door, but at 27 inches, it was already narrower than standard. He instead chose to taper the countertop to make the edge go around the door frame trim and sit flush with the wall.
A pass-through window near the ceiling on the right brings natural light from this smaller bathroom into the hallway bathroom. “That was one of our awesome ideas that we patted ourselves on the back for,” Dushan says. “It makes the big bathroom feel bigger.”
Here’s the larger bathroom cost continued, with the total cost for remodeling both bathrooms.
Your turn: Got a great remodel to share? Post “before” and “after” photos of your project in our Before & After section.
More: A Designer Shares Her Master-Bathroom Wish List
Your turn: Got a great remodel to share? Post “before” and “after” photos of your project in our Before & After section.
More: A Designer Shares Her Master-Bathroom Wish List
The bottom right space is the main bedroom, which connects to the smaller bathroom. The larger hallway bathroom is directly above it. The couple moved the wall a foot into the smaller bathroom to make room for a walk-in shower in the larger one.