Once upon a time (last year), while I was showering, I noticed that some of the grout was missing between the tiles in our shower. I later showed it to David, who became very concerned. It was not only missing grout, but the wall was would flex out and leave an inch wide gap in the corner when you pushed on it. It looked like it might be a problem. We worried that we might be damaging the ceiling right about the boy's bedroom and wondered if mold might be involved. We immediately stopped using our shower and for several months, all seven of us shared the same shower. It was less than ideal.
So, with few options and even less choice, we bit the bullet and decided to replace the shower. That decision rapidly escalated into a two bathroom remodel job. We tried to do it as responsibly as possible while still keeping everyone sane. Could David have done it himself? Yes. Definitely. But he has enough on his plate and we needed to get it done in a timely manner. We decided to use a contractor. We had several companies bid, and chose the one we thought was most budget conscious and still good. Knowing that our kids were growing, we opted to also redo/finish our basement bathroom. When we bought the house five years ago, the shower was only roughed in.
So, after two months of having strange men coming in and out of the house all day, dust everywhere, plastic running up and down the halls and stairs, loud noises that made naps impossible, and plenty of difficult decisions, discussions, and stresses (all during the holidays, no less) we have two lovely, functional bathrooms (and one ugly one) for our family to use! It was painful and expensive, but we are sure grateful for it now and know that it will benefit our family for decades to come.
Here's a picture of our basement bathroom before the remodel. It was a very basic, cheap just-to-get-by room.
The linoleum was rolling, the sink wasn't sealed to the counter tops, moisture was getting into the walls from the sink, etc. It was time to fix it up.
So this was the room we chose to focus on first.
Look at it now! The walls are pretty bright, I know! It took me a while to get used to them (even though I was the one who chose the color). But it's very bright and cheery for a kids basement bathroom.
The counter top is marble. I had fun buying a few little decorations like the sand timer, etc.
I love these cute signs that I found. It looks like they were made for this space!
This picture is kind of dark, but I wanted to show the beautiful light fixture that I picked out. David really wanted to get the kids a medicine cabinet, but there were pipes running through the wall, so it had to stick out a little bit. That meant the existing light fixture wouldn't work. I had to look for something that stuck out farther and wasn't too tall. It was a little bit of a splurge (except that I'm a terrific shopper and got it on a great sale)! But I love how it lights up the space! And it's really unique.
Cultured marble is the way to go for our family! No grout! Easy to maintain! Pretty! There's a seat in this shower. The kids think that's pretty cool.
This was David's idea. I think it's brilliant and/or inspired. He said, "We should put up quotes, stories, poems, and stuff we want the kids to know in the bathroom right across from the toilet. We'll have a captive audience there. They won't be able to NOT see it!" So that's what we did! I bought a pretty frame and every once in a while we change up what's in there. I've already changed it once since we got it.
Perhaps my favorite part of this bathroom is the tile. I mean, I obviously liked it when I chose it, or I wouldn't have chosen it, but I LOVE it now that it's on the floor. It makes the whole place!
Now lets move on to the before picture of our master bathroom. In many ways, it was totally fine, but the water damage gave us an opportunity to change the little things that we didn't love. I LOVE the mirrors, and moved them to other places in our home. We never really used the double sinks - it seems we both used the same one all the time. The flooring was carpet, which we didn't love. The lighting was dim, and the counter tops were formica that had been painted over. In some places, the paint was starting to bubble up and peel.
Our tub was great! No changes needed there, except maybe the removal of our rubber ducky spout cover. The tile would all have to be replaced, of course.
And the separate water closet was fine, but once I saw how nice our new toilet downstairs was, I ordered a new one for this room too.
Our bathroom really turned into a palace! I love everything about it!
The cabinets are several inches taller than they used to be (nice for a couple of six footers like David and I). The back splash is so lovely. Changing to a single sink opened up a lot of counter space for us. Speaking of which, the white granite counters are HEAVEN! I really worried over going white-on-white, but it's probably my favorite part of this bathroom now.
The contractor extended our shower a few more inches. In the before picture, you can see that it went in a little bit more. It was only a few inches, but it feels so ROOMY in there now!
We used the same accent tile as our back splash in the shower as well.
The tub feel like a spa with the fancy tray, the beautiful artwork, and the fairy lights in a jar.
And the tile in this room is lovely too. I love this bathroom! It's almost TOO pretty to use!
