There is something about the idea of a baby coming in a few months that has got George and I to really kick some remodeling into high gear. I don’t think I’m at the “nesting” stage yet that everyone talks about because I sure as hell don’t have the motivation to clean, organize, and pitch but I’ll hire someone to do our bathroom. And hire we have done!
Our one and only bathroom is dinky, normal looking and doesn’t offer much in the way of a great designed bathroom. It has a toilet, vanity, tub (that is salmon colored), mirror, lights (BRIGHT big bulbs that are not friendly) and towel racks. Again, normal but very small. We have talked about remodeling our bathroom for about 3 years and we have tossed around various ideas of what it could have or could look like. Other projects have always come up and got in the way of the bathroom though – our kitchen, dining room. living room, basement… the list goes on. Another factor was that we really didn’t want to tackle this project DIY style so we needed to save the money to have a professional do it for us.
Here is a “before” picture and what we plan to do:
shot from our Realtor when we were going to sell... you get the drift!
- GUT IT! That’s right, take this thing down to the studs and get rid of EVERYTHING. All the white tile that comes up the wall, the tile that is NOT flush to our hardwood floor in the hallway, the stenciled ivy that I’m sure took forever to detail, all the WOOD that is everywhere will all be G-O-N-E!
- No more traditional swing-open door. We are going to have a pocket door installed (thank you to the best interior designer, Patti Minniear, for that awesome idea). At first, I didn’t get the purpose but then it was explained that it would help save space in the bathroom as we won’t have a door that opens in the bathroom to worry about anymore. I’m now thinking what other rooms we can have pocket doors for, I know its not a new idea and you can find them in older homes but we are going to bring it back. New trend!
- In-set shelving for our shower – no more crappy plastic shower caddy that hangs in the corner of the shower. No more huge shampoo bottles sitting on the window ledge and no more balancing of the razor so that it doesn’t fall off the caddy 3-5 times per shower. This was probably George’s favorite idea for the bathroom and when our contractor saw that it would work for us made all the difference in our finalized plans.
- New tile design for the shower that goes all the way up the wall to the ceiling. This is apparently a more modern look (which is our style) and it helps to prevent mold which is easy to get in a shower. Not only will we have a neutral tile going up the entire wall of the shower but we will also have a pretty design including mosaic tiles to add some extra flair!
- New tub and new toilet. You think…who cares about that stuff, but I DO! I was told that taller toilets are the new thing and the same goes with higher tub sides. That is all good and fine with me BUT I’m only 5’2″ and need to keep an eye on how HIGH this toilet will actually be. My grandparents have a toilet that is higher for “older” people and I’m sure its helpful but when I use it my feet don’t touch the ground. I’m NOT about to hop off and on a toilet everyday!
- Our new vanity will be one of my biggest concerns. With a small bathroom also comes a tiny linen closet and no space for all my makeup and hair stuff. I have made it very clear that I need a vanity that has lots of drawer space and lots of room for all my hair and makeup stuff. We’ll see how this pans out because I want something that matches our new decor as well. The hunt for a vanity begins….I’ll keep you updated.
The Herron Nest 
I love my high toilet but potty training on them probably not the best :)) let alone your ‘shortness’ ….lol. For vanities, Lowes has some really nice ones and Costco website is a great place to find a more luxurious look as well as granite or quartz top and sink already a part of the deal. Love that you can hire a contractor…..sweet!!
hahahaha… never thought of the potty training aspect. THANK GOODNESS we are starting with a girl first… could you imagine? Poor Mason is going to come to Aunt Jes and Uncle George’s house and we’ll have to make him pee outside off the back deck, haha! Don’t want a firehose situation in my new bathroom. Wow.. too funny! Contractor sent over a pic of a vanity just recently that seems to work but I’m curious to see it in person. It is a dark dark wood (love) with the brushed nickel hardware. I’m getting so excited!
Jesy!
This brings back so many memories for me! When we were pregnant with Lindsey we did the same thing! Gutted and re-did our one and only and very small bathroom in our first house!!! Ken and his Dad did the job, though. My biggest memory is when they were trying to decide where to put the toilet paper holder. I was pretty far into the pregnancy, nauseous (I was the whole 9 months), and had bronchitis. I was laying on the couch half asleep when Ken called me in to “sit” on the toilet and let him know where I would like the holder to go so it was convienent for me. I DID not feel up to it and told him I really did not care, but he insisted. I went into the bathroom and sat … only I had missed the part where he said “pretend to sit but don’t put any weight down because the toilet is not bolted down.” He got mad when I sat (hard, because I was mad that I had to even do it); and I got mad because he was mad and “yelling” at me. We actually got into a huge fight over it! LOL Not a good memory at the time, but it makes me giggle now!
When I was pregnant with Emma, we re-did our basement! What is it about pregnancy and remodeling? Maybe that is our form of “nesting”? I NEVER got into the clean, organize and purge mode! 🙂
Jodi
Jod!
Your story is hilarious and probably one of the many reasons that George and I decided to go ahead and save the money to hire a contractor. Home projects can be so stressful and that was evident when we redid our kitchen DIY style a few years ago. I was PMS’ing, hot, tired and everyone was sort of looking at the ugly linoleum tile probably thinking of a grand plan on how to get it up off the floor. I was NOT being patient and just wanted to get it done because I was on a deadline. So I grabbed the tool we borrowed from Bob Baur and literally let out all frustration on the damn floor! haha! I got quizzical looks from George, Mom and Dad but I got the party started.
Thanks for sharing the memories and I think you are right….I’m not wanting to organize and really CLEAN so this is my way of nesting. Good point, I’m going to use it from here on out!
Oh – and a thought on shopping for vanities. We recently added a bathroom to our basement and we ended up with a vanity from Ikea! Might be worth taking a look there!
Jodi
One word of advice….make sure the toilet seat is a standard one to replace someday…apparently the toilet that came with our house was the “cadillac” of toilets and when the seat broke, it was over $200 to replace just the seat! Lesson learned for when we redid the other bathroom!
As for remodeling while pregnant…we famously were gutting our kitchen before Emma was born and by the time everything came in (cabinets etc.), we had 6 weeks to complete it before she was due…of course they promised it would be done. The day they were scheduled to start the demo, my water broke at 4 a.m. and she arrived 6 weeks early. First call to Dr., 2nd call to contractor, saying door was unlocked and hurry it up! Ah, memories!
WOW… that was probably intense! I think I sort of remember this story and it makes me feel double-good that we are starting in September. Originally I was very lax on the date and didn’t mind if he started in late October but now… not so much! Regarding the toilet, I doubt he is getting the cadillac for us but I’ll double check now! Thanks for sharing, too funny! Love you!
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