AFTER: Master Bath

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Paint: Benjamin Moore Aura Marilyn's Dress (walls); Wedding Veil White (trim)

Marsh Pictures: One Kings Lane $260

Bubble Chandelier: Wayfair ($125) by Jojo Spring - no longer in stock. The non flush version however is available from Houzz $175

Kokss Garda Freestanding Tub: Houzz $648

Tub Faucet: Build.com Kingston Brass Chrome Essex Tub Filler $237

Toilet: Kohler Memoirs $323

Paper/Towel Holders: Kohler Bancroft Collection $125+

Vanity: Houzz Caroline Avenue $1,000

Vanity Hardware: Klaffs Omni egg knob (OMN9105) $12.15 each, Omni strap pull (OMN9451) $28.50 each (splurging on nice hardware may seem like a lot of money but it makes a reasonably priced vanity look custom)

Dambi White Vanity Marble + backsplash: $800 

Hinged Frameless Shower Door: Wayfair $489

Vanity Faucets/Shower Trim: Kohler Bancroft Collection (ceramic)- Widespread Ceramic Faucets  $318

Mirror: Estate Sale $50

Herringbone Carrara Floor: The Builder Depot Carrara Venato Herringbone 1x3 $11.45/sq ft (shadow gray grout. NOTE: if you are having a white vs. gray grout debate go with gray. I tortured myself over this decision. gray with the best decision. #can'tseethedirt 

Shower Wall Tile: The Builder Depot Carrara Venato 4x12 subway tile $8/sq ft

Carrara Pencil Tile: The Builder Depot Carrara Venato Pencil Bullnose 3/4" $9.95 each

Shower Drain: Kohler Square Tile in Drain Chrome $45

Chrome Storage Shelf: Restoration Hardware Newbury Chrome Etagere $318

 

 

AFTER: Kid's Bath

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Finished Kid's Bath Pix

Paint: Benjamin Moore Aura - Horizon (walls); Wedding Veil White (trim)

Penny Tile Mosaic: The Builder Depot $12.95/sq ft (Polished round 1" carrara venato); shadow gray grout 

Subway Tile/Trim: Home Depot Jeffrey Court Bevel Tile .35 each or $31 a case, Jeffrey Court Allegro Pencil Tile $6 each 

Vanity: Houzz  Addison Double Vanity ($1,350); unfortunately it looks like the price has gone up

Vanity Hardware: Klaffs Omni egg knob (OMN9105) $12.15 each, Omni strap pull (OMN9451) $28.50 each (splurging on nice hardware may seem like a lot of money but it makes a reasonably priced vanity look custom)

Vanity/Shower Trim: Build.com Kohler Bancroft Collection ; Bancroft Widespread Faucets   $345 each; Bancroft Shower Trim $186; Artifacts wall mounted arm $64 

Towel Bars/Robe Hook/Paper Holder: Bancroft Collection $150ish

Shower Door: Houzz Frameless Shower Door $650 

Mirrors: Estate sale $100 for both, but here is a link to something similar

Toilet: Kohler Memoirs $323

Tub: Existing, reglazed by The Painted Otter $250

New cover for baseboard heat: Supply House by Baseboarders (don't forget the endcaps)

Soap Dispenser/Toothbrush Holder/Zebra Stools: Home Goods a long time ago... 

Giraffe Laundry Basket: Pottery Barn $120

Rhino Bust: Anthropologie but they no longer carry it. Etsy always has some inexpensive options

Roman Shade: Pottery Barn Dot Shade $200ish

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEFORE: FRAMING/PLUMBING/ELECTRICAL

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Demo took about 3 days which is in line with original expectations. If you take a look at my previous post's gallery of images you will see that there was tons and tons of concrete. My home was built in 1968 and they used wires and thick cement to lay tile. Pro: my bathrooms were built like tanks. The Con: demo is an intense job. I would not recommend doing this yourself. It took 3 men 3 days. It's also a filthy job. Even if you have the demo areas sheeted off with plastic that pesky dusk is going to sneak it's way throughout your house. It will all be worth it in the end. BUT if you have OCD cleaning tendencies you are going to need to chill.

Next up is framing. I'm expanding the size of my bathroom by a modest 4 x 4 ft. and bumping out my shower by about 1 ft. It was a tough call to add this bit of space because it does make a larger financial impact. Plumbing needs to move and additional carpentry is needed. However my rationale is this: 1) I wanted to replace as much plumbing as possible - my water is very very acidic and went untreated for probably 10 years - so the state of my pipes could be dismal - and if I was going to have to open everything up anyway I might as well get a bigger shower out of it 2) My kids are always in my shower with me and if an extra foot gives me some more room so we aren't right on top of each other I'll take it. 

The framing of the master shower + expanded area wall of the bathroom took 2 days. Plumbing should take 3 days...

A couple of comments I have about purchasing your own valve/trim materials. 

1) DO IT - resources like build.com (I'm sure there are others) will save you a boatload. Ask to be paired with a build.com associate who acts as a concierge of sorts. It doesn't cost you anything, you can ask endless questions, plus you get an extra discount. I guarantee you, you will actually pay less than what your plumber or contractor pays for these materials via upscale brick and mortar shops like Bender. BTW this is purely my own opinion. It's more work for you certainly - but why waste your money paying someone to get the materials for you AND at a price that is actually more than what you can pay on your own? Your time is precious BUT with enough advance planning you can do this.

2) BE FLEXIBLE - you are going to have to return something - it's inevitable. If I have a sense a particular item may need to be returned before I execute on the purchase - I'll try to get it from Home Depot or Lowes. Being able to return something in person I really like. Plus I usually need to go to one of those places already. Today I had a valve that wasn't right. I needed it in less than 2 hours. I ended up having to go to Bender in Norwalk, CT because they were the only ones that had it in stock. It was a little more than if I ordered it online (even with using a trade discount) but the benefit is I was able to walk out with it. 

BEFORE: BATHROOM DEMO. PHASE II BEGINS...

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It's Christmas day for momma. Demo has begun! The dumpster arrived this morning (15 yarder) which is $170 plus $95/ton. I wanted to share what I'm anticipating my net costs to be. This should be pretty accurate as everything has been priced out + I have all of the material finalized and here:

  • Dumpster: $300

MASTER

  • Light Fixture    192
  • Tub     950.00
  • Vanity Base    1099
  • Vanity Top     1250
  • Shower Door    1000
  • Trim/Valves    1873
  • Electrical    750
  • Plumbing    1,800
  • Carpenter/Tiling    5,730
  • Extra Hardware     200
  • Paint    400
  • Marble Tile     2516
        
        
    KIDS    
  • Vanity Base  / Top    1350
  • Trim/Valves    1144
  • Ceramic     245
  • Electrical     750
  • Carpenter/Tiling     2850
  • Extra Hardware    200
  • Tub reglazing     250
  • Paint    400
  • Marble Tile     1012
  • Plumbing     1800

SUM    $28,061

Holy moly! It's crazy that these two bathrooms combined are costing more than my kitchen - but that's a story for another day. Hoping it's going to be worth it! 

Bathroom Renovations = YES!!!!

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My bathrooms are sick. Not the cool version of "sick" but legit sick in every sense of the word. When we bought the house we were too broke to renovate them. Our broke status is still questionable but regardless I have the green light to renovate 2 (kid's + master bath). What I call phase 1 of my bathroom renovations actually happened a year ago. This is what I did:

PHASE I. 

1.) Replaced the toilets:

  • Material/toilet: $360 (Kohler Memoir Toilets + Kohler Triko toilet seat + Water supply)
  • Labor/toilet = $150; if you have a small project like this ask your plumber to go hourly

Side note: don't cheap out on your toilet seat - go for real wood. Plastic looks cheap and it's only going to cost you ~$10 more  

2. Removed the nasty wallpaper along with my amazing best friend who I conned into the endeavor

  • Material: DIF gel wallpaper remover (used about 2 spray bottles + liquid concentrate gallon across the two bathrooms = $50; wallpaper scorer $15; 2 scrapers $20.
  • Labor = In the two bathrooms it took me about 3 days working at night for about 4/5 hrs. Net time with my friend ~20 hrs combined for the bathrooms. This seems ridiculous but there were 3 layers of wallpaper in each bathroom and the paper was put on with some old school glue. Your painter will definitely be more efficient but if you are up for the challenge and your kids are asleep why not? 

3. Had my painter prep the walls (skim coat over where the wallpaper was + sand) and put white primer. I had some medicine cabinets which my painter removed and patched with drywall and then my electrician removed the strange light fixtures and replaced with recessed. I also didn't have any ventilation other than the windows so my HVAC guy put in silent exhaust fans above the toilets (note they make ones that are silent - the whirring ones are a thing of the past). I also added an outlet in the kid's bathroom which had none

  • Painter = Labor: $320 @ $20/hr; Material: free (had the primer + extra dry wall) - Note: if you need just a small piece of dry wall swing by a Ring's End - they have remnant pieces for free so you don't need to buy a whole board
  • Electrician = Labor: $300 @$90/hr / Material: 2 recessed lights ($60) 1 GFI outlet ($20)
  • HVAC Guy = Labor: $400 / Material: 2 ventilation fans ($320)

Having white walls, nice mirrors, and new toilets made all the difference. The bathrooms also were thoroughly cleaned - this made them livable for sure. See Phase I below.