I'm in Arkansas for training for the next six weeks, but before I left I managed to make some progress on mi casa. I absolutely love how it's coming along. I can't use the toilet in there, I don't shower in there, and I don't really use the sinks, but I couldn't help from going in there over and over again and just staring at how great it is coming along. I'm super happy with it and so thankful for the help from my boyfriend.
Here are a couple before and in progress shots. It is coming along, though more slowly than I would like. I guess that's the norm in home remodeling?!?!
Putting this post together is the first time I've really looked at all the photos side by side. Man, it's come a long way. schew. What fun and I can't wait to get home and finish things up.
Here is a simple layout of the Master bath. I personally think it is an odd layout and I brainstormed many ideas of how to change it. I dreamed big and then had to rein it back in to fit the budget, so I left all the major plumbing items in pace and decided I could do a lot cosmetically to freshen up the space.
looking down the hall at the lovely vanity and it's "hollywood" light fixture. I actually tried to sell it on craigslist for $20...shockingly I had no takers! There are two closets to the left with double bi-fold doors. I'm thinking about removing them and replacing them with some fabric sliding curtains so that I can have better access into the interiors.
The vanity itself is in pretty good shape. It's solidly built so I am repainting and adding new hardware.
Looking to your left while standing at the vanity. Look at the light coming in through the window. I knew that the light needed to come into the vanity area.
Oh pretty (disgusting) wallpaper. The bane of my existence at this house. Had. To. Go.
Another view of the wallpaper and the wall that needed to come down. I understand wanting privacy on the toilet, but there wasn't a door here anyway, so I didn't feel bad taking away part of the wall.
TIme for demo. The best and dirtiest part of renovations. It actually took quite a bit more than just a hammer to bust through the wall. I was excited to use the reciprocating saw on this project!
I was disappointed to see the vent pipe and electricity coming down though the part I wanted to remove. I paid an electrician $125 to relocate the switch to the wall on the left, which made it more convenient anyway. I then re-framed as close as I could to the vent pipe and I did let my man in on the action with the reciprocating saw. He helped remove the header.
The new granite tops and faucets. So pretty! I purchased the granite remnant from a local granite place and had it installed professionally. I also got a small piece to go on top of the half wall to finish it off. I installed the faucets, which turned out to be WAY more of a task that I had anticipated. I bought inexpensive faucets and I really wished I had paid more for ones with pop-up drains and the water lines included. The extra expense of water hoses and then new pipes to connect the drains made the inexpensive faucets, not so inexpensive.
Also be aware that if you change your sink, your dain plumbing most likely will not match up. I was in full on plumber mode for this task, cutting pipes and everything. There may have been some frustration and head bumping. I also did get sprayed right in the face too. Better make sure those water hoses are fully connected before turning the water on!
Now that the wall is down it was time to make better use of the rinky-dink closet next to the shower. I really wanted some built-ins in that area to give it a more polished and upscale look.
I ripped out the door and frame, which was installed to compensate for the completely un-square corner. I think there was a line of caulk that was at least 1/2 think minimum. Here we built two boxes out of the plywood from a built-in we took down in the bedroom. We based our measurements on the material we had and decided on a large lower area with a drawer on top. Next to come are shelves and lighting above.
We clad the sides of the walls with 1/4 plywood because they were torn up pretty bad. I also wanted to frame around the built in and not have it go right into the corner. We left the 1x2 shelf braces up on the left side of the wall and nailed the plywood on top of them to create a gap on the left. That gap will eventually be covered with the same size trim that will cover the raw edges on the right.
I initially thought I wanted a rustic wood look to this nook, and was going to white wash the plywood sheets, but I decided I'm going to paint it white with a dark contrasting color on the back wall.
Here is the built-in all trimmed out with poplar trim pieces. I absolutely LOVE how it turned out. I get so much satisfaction seeing my sketch turned into something in my house. I'm so proud that we built this ourselves. It still has a way to go, but I think it's sooo much better than the dinky closet that was there before.
Ahhhh.... painted cabinets. This is seriously one of the easiest transformations you can make. Paint is relatively inexpensive and a total DIY job. For minimum cash you can really update your furniture with paint. I chose the paint color to go with the granite. It is Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron. The walls are a couple shades lighter on the paint swatch, Bunny Gray. The cabinets aren't as dark as I had intended, but I think that is because I did not have BM mix my paint color.
I learned a lesson with painting this bathroom. Don't skimp on cheap paint. I bought some because it was on sale at my local paint and hardware store ($15). It was terrible! The walls had a terrible chalky finish and the paint itself had a lot of clumps in it. The store gave me my money back and I went to BM to get the correct paint. I also changed colors. The original color (in the first photo I showed with the granite) was a much bluer color that I loved, but didn't love with the granite and grey cabinets. Second lesson learned: you can always paint over it!
Pretty light fixture from Home Depot....and look at that planked ceiling! Whohooo I absolutely can't stop looking at the ceiling. I tried to remove the popcorn, but it must have had two layers, so it was a bear to scrape even the slightest bit off. The planking is pretty inexpensive, I believe I paid $60 to do my bathroom ceiling. Of course when I went back to get planks for the bedroom ceiling Lowe's had the stuff HALF off! The guy in the millwork department at Lowe's said that they weren't going to be carrying the EverTrue brand anymore, so that's probaby why it was so cheap.
Just look at how crisp and clean and polished those ceilings look! I removed the crown, added the plank ceiling, re-installed the crown and then painted it all. I'm not joking when I say I go in there and just stare at the ceiling.
The process is taking a long time. I've done it all except for the electrical and the granite installation. There were hours of wallpaper removal and even more hours of wall repair and sanding. Two different wall colors and a new ceiling. In the long run I would love to re-tile the shower, but for budgetary concerns once I finish up this room I am going to move on into the kitchen. I think the money to re-tile can be better spent in there. I'll just cover that tile with a pretty shower curtain. I've been itching to do some sewing anyway.
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