Bathroom DIY Remodel

   It all started with this tile. You know, the one right in the middle, that basically is shining so bright, just grabbing the attention of any innocent passerby, saying "pick me, pick me"! So, that very day, we purchased every palette they had. & this is what lit the fire under our behinds to get our bathroom remodel started, something we had been talking about since we moved in. 

That same weekend we were shopping at Costco, you know, spending $400 on who knows what, and we came across this! We loved it! Double vanity, quartz top, a beautiful shade of gray. We knew it would be perfect for our new bathroom. Purchasing this set all together actually became more cost efficient, rather than buying the cabinets separately and the stone on top cut to match. We were very happy about this find, especially when we had been looking for 2 years for one we liked enough (in our price range) at hardware stores. I don't see the exact one but check out the Costco website to see all of their options and sizes)!

Next came demo day! Like Chip and Jo Jo, DEMO DAY is the start of the new. The only thing we realized is although demo day proves to be fun, it is also intimidating. It took my dad to come over, [the family handyman], to start knocking things off the wall, ripping things out. I think it's harder to demolish your own things. Especially when we knew our working bathroom was very quickly out of commission for who knows how long?! We took out the shower, toilet and vanity. This left many holes that we had to patch up but we were excited knowing it was the start. No turning back now!

As we wanted to do most of this project ourselves, we knew that plumbing was something we didn't want to mess around with. We have heard horror stories of mold growing behind walls and secret  leaks that could cause a whole lot of havoc. We paid $860 for the plumber to remove the drain and install the plumbing for the drain and tub. He also installed the tub. We felt confident in him doing this part of the project for us. We purchased a delta tub from Home Depot (link here), which was very cost efficient. Since this is the guest bathroom, we didn't need anything fancy. 

Next came the backsplash. We chose tradition 3' x 6' subway tile from Home Depot (linked here). For backslashing, you will need 1)    2)    3)

 We had a hard time deciding how far to go with the backsplash. We flirted with the idea of backslashing the entire bathroom, then we thought, how about above, or half way up the wall. In the end, we went the traditional route to just tile around the tub. We are happy with the outcome. I wonder what we would have decided if we didn't have a very active 1 year old baby, that made this renovation so much longer and more difficult! As Nick was on the last wall, I had an irrational last minute decision (due to way too much Pinterest stalking). I wanted a niche! This was definitely a project add-on that delayed our finish time, as Nick had to make a hole in the wall, after half of the tile was already laid. In the end, I'm so glad we did it. I love how we added the floor tile to tie it all together. We choose to not center the shelf, to allow for bigger bottles of shampoo/conditioner and leave a smaller space on top intended for razors and bars of soap.

Ta da! The backsplash looks amazing! & in the end, the niche was absolutely worth the extra $100 and time it took to complete. Below are pictures of the niche before and after the grout.

 

Next step is the floor tile. My FAVORITE part.

Oh, how dreamy it is. We then called the plumber back to install the appliances, due to running out of time (we had my husbands parents staying with us and using this bathroom the next day). We felt the extra $400 was absolutely worth it due to the swiftness of the project being completed and knowing it was done right. We completed the project by painting the ceiling, walls, trim and door white to make the space seem fresh and clean. We love using Simply White by Benjamin Moore and have used it in 3/4 of the rooms in our home. With no natural lighting in our bathroom, we knew that white would be a good choice. 

Beckett loves his new bath. What perfect timing for cleaning all of the dirt off of summer knees and sunscreen greased hair. 

Here's what the bathroom looked like before! What a transformation! We are still looking for the perfect pieces of art and a vintage rug to add some variety. Shelves above the toilet with live house plants will be added too! I will do a follow up post about styling the bathroom when we finish it! We don't want to rush it, to find pieces we really love that work in the space.

 BEFORE 

AFTER