Not drawn to scale, but you get the idea.
Not only did we have the ugliest bathroom in Portland, but it was small and poorly laid out. An accordion door was installed and the toilet was directly in the entryway. There was a partial wall built up behind the bathtub that blocked the window. And it was fillllllllllllthy.
We gutted the bathroom to the studs and removed two neighboring back-to-back closets so we could mess with the floor plan. We used the former closet space to install a giant soaking tub.
I found the tub at The Rebuilding Center (a local nonprofit resale store, similar to Habitat for Humanity). The tub had black scuff marks all over it, so I went into their bathroom, put soap and water on a paper towel and tried to clean it off. The scuff marks wiped off clean! I asked the cashier for the price, “THAT? What are you going to do with that? How about $20.”
The only thing it needed was a new drain plug and it fit into the closet space perfectly. Obviously no one tried to clean off the scuff marks. “I’ll take it!” It’s still my favorite score of the house.
In addition to the tub, I found a $25 toilet, a $20 wood medicine cabinet (from The Rebuilding Center… let’s call it RBC from now on) and a $40 pedestal sink (from Craigslist). After digging in a bin for 30 minutes at RBC I found a complete set of matching towel bars, hooks, and a toilet paper holder for $2. Because I saved so much money on the big stuff, I decided to splurge on tile. I chose a classic hex tile for the floors and challenged myself by inlaying a flower and dot pattern along the border of the room. After a few emotional breakdowns (kidding... not kidding), it turned out great! I finished off the room with subway tile and a classic cross handle fixture for the bath/shower courtesy of Home Depot. For the lights I found a great chrome vanity wall light off Overstock.com and a cute schoolhouse globe to go over the tub & walkway.
Our neighbor introduced us to his handyman and we hired him to help with the plumbing, the drywall and mudding. Chris and I did all the rest of the work (with demo help from Dad), so we ended up spending under $2,000 for the full bathroom remodel… maybe even under $1,500!
We lived without a toilet for about 4 days, and without a working shower for a few weeks. Lucky we live next door to a coffee shop that opens early, a few local bars that closed late, and we had gym memberships with showers.
We learned a ton on this project, our first project of many. Chris built the cabinets, did the framing, and learned about the plumbing; I laid tile, learned to drywall and mud the walls, and picked up on the electrical components. When we didn’t know how to do something or what order to do something in, we talked things out, brainstormed, and came up with a plan. We didn’t have much experience, but we were logical, and we solved the puzzle before we started moving the pieces.
It being our first time doing many trades, the bathroom is not perfect and if I could do it over I’d change a few things. But, overall I’m happy with it and proud of how it turned out!
Stay tuned for the next blog post on the main level demo, including the living, dining rooms & kitchen!