Reader Bathroom: A Diver’s DIY ‘Mermaid Glam-Shell’
A Florida diving instructor turns 1 bathroom into 2 with DIY work and help from pros
This series profiles bathroom updates ranging from DIY projects to professional remodels.
When Raisa Hannus, a scuba instructor in Key Largo, Florida, turned her home’s only full bathroom into two, she chose a whimsical theme that reflects her passion for the sea. She describes her new bathrooms as a “modern mermaid’s den” and a “mermaid’s ‘glam-shell.’” Their star feature? A shared two-way aquarium window styled into a whimsical sea life scene.
When Raisa Hannus, a scuba instructor in Key Largo, Florida, turned her home’s only full bathroom into two, she chose a whimsical theme that reflects her passion for the sea. She describes her new bathrooms as a “modern mermaid’s den” and a “mermaid’s ‘glam-shell.’” Their star feature? A shared two-way aquarium window styled into a whimsical sea life scene.
The old bathroom was just 5 by 8 feet, but with a little adjusting, Hannus got two functioning bathrooms — one for her bedroom, the other for the guest room.
The Original Bathroom
BEFORE: Hannus was not a fan of what she describes as the “ugly floor tile and a half-rotten particleboard vanity.”
Hannus pushed out the wall shown here by 1 foot and the wall opposite it by 3 feet. She used the extra space to create two spaces: a roughly 4½-by-8-foot bathroom with a tub, and a second, roughly 4-by-8-foot bathroom with a shower. Her goal was for each of the upstairs bedrooms to have its own bathroom. The bathroom for the guest room can be accessed from the hallway, while the bathroom in Hannus’ room can be reached only from inside that bedroom. Next see the two bathrooms she created.
BEFORE: Hannus was not a fan of what she describes as the “ugly floor tile and a half-rotten particleboard vanity.”
Hannus pushed out the wall shown here by 1 foot and the wall opposite it by 3 feet. She used the extra space to create two spaces: a roughly 4½-by-8-foot bathroom with a tub, and a second, roughly 4-by-8-foot bathroom with a shower. Her goal was for each of the upstairs bedrooms to have its own bathroom. The bathroom for the guest room can be accessed from the hallway, while the bathroom in Hannus’ room can be reached only from inside that bedroom. Next see the two bathrooms she created.
1. The Guest Bathroom
AFTER: Here is the larger, guest bathroom after the renovation. Hannus did the product buying herself. She also did a lot of the physical work, though she got some help from friends.
Since the original plumbing locations were shifted to accommodate the two new spaces, Hannus hired out this work. The plumbers replaced the copper piping with PVC. Hannus kept track of the number of new holes drilled through the floors to make way for new plumbing and electrical lines. By the end of the project, it totaled 15.
“Uh-oh” moment: When the curved tub Hannus had ordered online arrived, it curved out a bit more than she had expected. Based on the pictures, she says, “I figured no more than 2 inches. I had just about that much extra space between the tub and the toilet. Turned out the curve was 4 inches!”
The extra curve in the tub meant that Hannus had to move a portion of the wall frame that was already in place and shift the location of the toilet. She also had to reduce the size of her vanity, then worry if the granite countertop that had already been cut would actually fit. “Luckily everything fit in the end, just barely!” she says.
The decorative feature above the toilet is a faux fish tank she created using two glass panels and some wood trim.
AFTER: Here is the larger, guest bathroom after the renovation. Hannus did the product buying herself. She also did a lot of the physical work, though she got some help from friends.
Since the original plumbing locations were shifted to accommodate the two new spaces, Hannus hired out this work. The plumbers replaced the copper piping with PVC. Hannus kept track of the number of new holes drilled through the floors to make way for new plumbing and electrical lines. By the end of the project, it totaled 15.
“Uh-oh” moment: When the curved tub Hannus had ordered online arrived, it curved out a bit more than she had expected. Based on the pictures, she says, “I figured no more than 2 inches. I had just about that much extra space between the tub and the toilet. Turned out the curve was 4 inches!”
The extra curve in the tub meant that Hannus had to move a portion of the wall frame that was already in place and shift the location of the toilet. She also had to reduce the size of her vanity, then worry if the granite countertop that had already been cut would actually fit. “Luckily everything fit in the end, just barely!” she says.
The decorative feature above the toilet is a faux fish tank she created using two glass panels and some wood trim.
Here is a closer look at that faux fish tank, which adds a whimsical sea scene to her diving-themed space. A piece of sheer turquoise fabric serves as an aquatic backdrop. She filled the glass with her favorite treasures, including miniature sharks, a Day of the Dead-themed mermaid figurine, and tiny coral and seaweed.
The feature is visible from both bathrooms. In each side of their shared wall, she placed wood trim around the glass to finish off the panels. She can simply unscrew the frames to change out the sea scenes.
The feature is visible from both bathrooms. In each side of their shared wall, she placed wood trim around the glass to finish off the panels. She can simply unscrew the frames to change out the sea scenes.
BEFORE: Here is a view of the other side of the original bathroom.
AFTER: This is the renovated space. Hannus built the cabinetry under the vanity herself, spending just $100 on materials for both this vanity and the one in the second bathroom. The mirrors for both bathrooms are repurposed. This one, in the guest bathroom, is from the original bathroom.
Paint: Serene Thought P470-2 (vanity wall) and Silent Breeze P470-1 (other walls), Behr
Paint: Serene Thought P470-2 (vanity wall) and Silent Breeze P470-1 (other walls), Behr
2. The Second Bathroom
This is the second bathroom, which has a shower instead of a tub. It is Hannus’ personal bathroom, and thus the master bathroom. She has set up a coffee station to enjoy as part of her morning routine. “I’ve always liked a hotel-like setup where everything is handy,” she says.
The sinks for both bathrooms were a steal — she found them on eBay for $65 each. The mirror came at no cost since it was donated by a friend who had it sitting in the garage.
(Note the faux fish tank above the toilet.)
Lessons learned: “Probably the biggest learning was not to rethink, doubt and change any design decisions along the way!” Hannus says. Most frequently, “after hours of back-and-forth, I ended up going back to my original design,” she says. “And those times that I didn’t go back, I ended up spending hours accommodating the change.”
Sink faucets (both bathrooms): Ikea
This is the second bathroom, which has a shower instead of a tub. It is Hannus’ personal bathroom, and thus the master bathroom. She has set up a coffee station to enjoy as part of her morning routine. “I’ve always liked a hotel-like setup where everything is handy,” she says.
The sinks for both bathrooms were a steal — she found them on eBay for $65 each. The mirror came at no cost since it was donated by a friend who had it sitting in the garage.
(Note the faux fish tank above the toilet.)
Lessons learned: “Probably the biggest learning was not to rethink, doubt and change any design decisions along the way!” Hannus says. Most frequently, “after hours of back-and-forth, I ended up going back to my original design,” she says. “And those times that I didn’t go back, I ended up spending hours accommodating the change.”
Sink faucets (both bathrooms): Ikea
Hannus splurged on a Tile Redi shower basin, a one-piece shower pan that comes leakproofed. Hannus says she chose this option because it allowed her to avoid the need to mix and pour concrete, the worry about getting the draining angles right, and the wait for the concrete to dry. Also, it eliminated the need for a waterproofing membrane, she says. The ease of this option was well worth the extra cost to her. The gray mosaic trim shown in the shower here also trims the tub and vanities, and is a favorite feature.
Walls moved: Yes
Plumbing moved: Yes
Plumbing replaced: Yes
Professionals hired: Bayside Plumbing & Maintenance, Wire Nuts Electric and Keys Wide AC
Special features: A feature window that serves as a faux fish tank between the two bathrooms; custom shampoo niches; mosaic trim in and around the shower, tub and vanities; pocket doors
Splurges: Tile Redi shower basin
Savings: Doing most of the work herself, spending hours online finding products at the best price and receiving help from friends
This project was part of a whole-house remodel. Total costs for the bathrooms are estimated, since in some categories (like plumbing, electrical and permitting) work was done for other parts of the home and not broken out room by room. The costs here represent the estimated cost for just the bathroom renovations.
Cost breakdown
Permitting costs: An estimated $600 for the bathrooms’ share of total permitting costs
Tub: $400 ($250 for tub plus $150 for faucet and shower head)
Shower: $1,000 ($800 for Tile Redi basin plus $200 for faucet and shower head)
Vanity cabinetry: About $100 for materials
Sinks: $250 for sinks and faucets
Countertop: $350 ($50 for granite countertop remnant from her friends’ kitchen plus $300 for labor to cut and install it)
Tile: $500 for white wall tile, mosaic wall tile and trim around shower niches
Lighting: $2,600 ($100 for one vanity and one shower light plus about $2,500 for electrical rewiring for the bathrooms, including relocation of the main line)
Accessories and decor: $150 for towel hooks, toilet paper holders, vanity baskets, shower curtains and rugs
Flooring: $150 for large floor tile and mosaic floor tile in shower
Plumbing: $5,000 for materials and labor for new and rerouted water lines and drain pipes plus installation of tub, toilets, sinks and faucets
Windows and doors: $700 for pocket doors and windows
Other: $3,200 for materials and tools for framing, drywall and seams, waterproofing, paint, caulking, grouting, and exhaust fans
Labor: Included in the categories above; otherwise all labor done by homeowner and friend
Total: $15,000
Mosaic tile: Cristallo, M S International; rain shower head: eBay. See more rain shower heads
More
How People Upgrade Their Main Bathrooms, and How Much They Spend
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
Before and After: 6 Bathrooms That Said Goodbye to the Tub
See more Reader Bathrooms
Walls moved: Yes
Plumbing moved: Yes
Plumbing replaced: Yes
Professionals hired: Bayside Plumbing & Maintenance, Wire Nuts Electric and Keys Wide AC
Special features: A feature window that serves as a faux fish tank between the two bathrooms; custom shampoo niches; mosaic trim in and around the shower, tub and vanities; pocket doors
Splurges: Tile Redi shower basin
Savings: Doing most of the work herself, spending hours online finding products at the best price and receiving help from friends
This project was part of a whole-house remodel. Total costs for the bathrooms are estimated, since in some categories (like plumbing, electrical and permitting) work was done for other parts of the home and not broken out room by room. The costs here represent the estimated cost for just the bathroom renovations.
Cost breakdown
Permitting costs: An estimated $600 for the bathrooms’ share of total permitting costs
Tub: $400 ($250 for tub plus $150 for faucet and shower head)
Shower: $1,000 ($800 for Tile Redi basin plus $200 for faucet and shower head)
Vanity cabinetry: About $100 for materials
Sinks: $250 for sinks and faucets
Countertop: $350 ($50 for granite countertop remnant from her friends’ kitchen plus $300 for labor to cut and install it)
Tile: $500 for white wall tile, mosaic wall tile and trim around shower niches
Lighting: $2,600 ($100 for one vanity and one shower light plus about $2,500 for electrical rewiring for the bathrooms, including relocation of the main line)
Accessories and decor: $150 for towel hooks, toilet paper holders, vanity baskets, shower curtains and rugs
Flooring: $150 for large floor tile and mosaic floor tile in shower
Plumbing: $5,000 for materials and labor for new and rerouted water lines and drain pipes plus installation of tub, toilets, sinks and faucets
Windows and doors: $700 for pocket doors and windows
Other: $3,200 for materials and tools for framing, drywall and seams, waterproofing, paint, caulking, grouting, and exhaust fans
Labor: Included in the categories above; otherwise all labor done by homeowner and friend
Total: $15,000
Mosaic tile: Cristallo, M S International; rain shower head: eBay. See more rain shower heads
More
How People Upgrade Their Main Bathrooms, and How Much They Spend
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
Before and After: 6 Bathrooms That Said Goodbye to the Tub
See more Reader Bathrooms
Bathrooms at a Glance
Who lives here: Raisa Hannus
Location: Key Largo, Florida
Size: “Before” bathroom, 40 square feet (3.7 square meters); “after” bathrooms, 31 square feet (2.9 square meters) and 37 square feet (3.4 square meters)
Total cost: About $15,000
Construction time: Seven months
Here is Hannus on a dive to the Willaurie shipwreck off the coast of Nassau in the Bahamas. “We found the skull on the wreck,” Hannus says. Reportedly the skull is an old movie prop, as “many movies have been filmed in those waters.” Hannus says other people on the dive joked that her rescue attempt came a bit too late.