the bathroom.....is DONE.

You guys.  When I started this remodel TWO YEARS AGO, if you had told me how long it was going to take me, I would have laughed hysterically in your face.  I thought I'd be finished by the end of Summer 2012.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Oh my.

I also never would have done it if I had known how long it would take me, so I'm glad I didn't know then what I know now.  I've muttered "When this bathroom is finished, I can die a happy woman!" far too many times in the past two years, so now I'm kind of scared.  I mean, I don't want to die NOW, I just want to be happy that I actually finished the bathroom when I die in my bed, after a good meal and a sound night sleep, when I'm 96.

So.... before another two years goes by, let's look at the after pictures of this basement bathroom.  This is by far the hardest DIY project I have ever tackled, and also the most fulfilling.

 

Here's the great news:  Sometimes I do a little photo shop work when there is a problem I don't feel like fixing before I take pictures.  For example, when we took pictures of the toilet area a few months ago, there was a gaping hole to the left of the toilet that needed to be fixed.  A little editing came in very handy!

However, I wanted to be completely DONE when we took the final pictures so I could check the entire project off of my ever-growing and very lengthy list.  So, I patched that drywall behind the toilet, as well as another hole by the sink, where the outlet had to be moved (again).  For the record, patching drywall is not my favorite.  In fact, it might be my least favorite.

When I started coming up with a plan for the lighting in this space, I was really drawn to fixtures like this from both Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware.

They had that kind of coastal, industrial look I was going for, but at a price of between $300-$500 per fixture, I knew it would never happen.  And I was sad.  For about a minute. Until I realized that I had  a few that looked almost identical in my garage from my hoarding days when I bought about 40 of them when a restaurant was going out of business!  I ended up selling all but a few of them and I absolutely love them.  They provide a little "wow" factor, as well as plenty of light for a basement bathroom.

On to the mirrors, which proved to be a big project.  After sketching a hundred different ideas, I finally came up with what I wanted, and Melanie knew exactly how to execute it.  She made precise measurements of everything I needed and I went and bought and cut all the boards.  I showed up at her house one evening, and we routered out a groove on the backside of all the boards so that the mirrors could just sit inside without having to be glued or fastened to the wall in any way.  This is such a brilliant and custom way to hang mirrors.  She is so smart.  The mirror was the original one that was in bathroom, I just had it cut into three smaller pieces.  I recruited my dad for a day, and he was able to install the mirrors and surrounding woodwork.  The mirrors were SO heavy, it took me, my dad AND my mom to get them in.  Then came the time consuming and very messy task of filling, sanding, caulking, taping and painting.

Also, I haven't ever addressed the door situation.  The original door opened up into the bathroom and if anyone happened to be sitting on the toilet, they would have lost their legs from the knees down when the door flung open.  It was just dumb design and I had to find a way around it.  I had always wanted a barn door somewhere in the house, and this was the perfect place to use one.  I found an antique door from my girls at The Old Brick House, which is a monthly vintage market here in the Phoenix area that is amazing.  (@oldbrickhouse)  If you live here, you should go.  If you don't live here, come visit!

I painted it a soft gray, distressed it a little, and sweetly talked my father-in-law into installing it when he was here over Christmas.  He was able to use the original hardware as the outside handle, and he spent a lot of time filling in odd holes and straightening things up.  He did a beautiful job with the installation.  I bought the track and all the barn door hardware at Tractor Supply Company for around $100.  It was galvanized metal, but I spray painted it a matte black.  After scratching our heads and scouring the hardware section at Lowes for a solution on how to have the door lock from the inside, we finally settled on this simple design that works amazingly well.  I couldn't be happier with it!

I painted the two little signs on the outside of the door using matching frames I found at Goodwill for a dollar apiece.  I had the idea two years ago when I started this whole mess, and the completion of them makes me so happy.

While my electrician was here working on the bathroom, (eons ago)  I already knew I wanted to use a barn door in this hallway, so I had him remove the sconce just outside the bathroom door and install a can light in the ceiling.   (The bathroom door had already been removed, but I propped it back up for the picture, just so you could feel my pain.)

I was left with yet another drywall repair, and so I decided to cover the small hallway with paneling.  I headed right over to my neighborhood Lowes in my work costume (they probably think I'm a legitimate hobo) and got all my paneling cut.

I primed it, then painted it the same color as the adjoining walls, and I really love the added texture and interest it gives this small hallway.  Plus, I didn't have to patch the drywall.  Win, win.

My view from the couch is about a million times better now.

 
Another small but needed detail was the added leg supports on the vanity.  Technically, the vanity was made to float, and although it was secure, that long butcherblock top and the two sinks are super heavy.  That alone was making me nervous, but the vision I had of teenage girls hopping up onto the counter to do their makeup was causing me anxiety.  So, with the leftover butcherblock material, we wedged some legs under the vanity for added support.  They look modern and sleek and now I can sleep at night. 

I shake my head, even as I'm constructing this post, about all that has transpired in this tiny space.  Bathrooms are a big deal.  So. Much. Work. 

Two beautiful pictures inspired all the change.

 

I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.  It is SO FAR  from perfect it's almost comical.  I could point out 100 things that are wrong with it, but ever since I read {The Nester's} book {It Doesn't have to be Perfect to be Beautiful}, I have fully embraced all its flaws. I highly recommend her book.  It's SO good!

I MUST thank my dear friend and neighbor, Melanie, for helping me finish this bathroom.  She is the most helpful and construction savvy girl I know, and she is the only  reason this bathroom is done.  I can't even begin to list the things she helped me with or the number of hours she has spent in this bathroom, but I'm so thankful that she was willing to guide me along and be my tiny cheerleader every step of the way.  She's an incredible friend.

This bathroom is the most perfectly imperfect space ever, and I'm happy to claim it.  This project made me stretch and do things I didn't really want to do, things I didn't know how to do, and things I wasn't good at doing.   But the "befores" and "afters" speak for themselves.  Although imperfect, it is definitely a big improvement.

IT'S DONE!!!

Oh, what a feeling!

your girl,

jilly

bathroom update, vanity installed!

I know.  Can this be over ALREADY?

Hey, no one is more excited than I AM when something happens in that bathroom, but I like to take two months off at a time.  Or a year.  Don't judge.

Once upon a time (2 years ago) I decided that this gross, outdated bathroom HAD to go.

Fast forward a year and a half and I had finished the shower, flooring and toilet area.

However, I  still had the vanity area staring me down.  The orange-y oak just wasn't working for me anymore and let me show you why.  This monstrous cabinet almost attacked you the second you walked into the bathroom.  The pictures make it look a lot less terrible than it actually was.

All the shiny, protective finish had worn away inside the sinks, so approximately 3.2 seconds after scrubbing them down, mold would appear.  Not a fan.

Also, I would like to start my own caulking school.  You don't cut the tip off so your hole is an inch in diameter.  If you do that, you end up with something like this.

Really?  Who did that and thought it was good?  Baffling.  And very unacceptable.  Not to mention, impossible to keep clean.  A tiny bit cut off the tip of the caulking tube at an angle, then smoothing out the caulking with a wet fingertip is all it takes to create a beautiful seal.  Who wants to come to my School of Caulk?  I'm about ready to qualify myself as a professional in that area. 

Anyhow, I got super excited one afternoon to get this thing out of my face.

And this is what I was left with.

 

After I finished the flooring, we cut into the wall to see what mystery awaited us in the plumbing department.  The new design called for the sinks to be in different spots than the originals. 

Even though pipes were exposed, it looked better than the old vanity, so I took a couple months off.  It's a good thing I'm my own boss.  I'm pretty sure anyone else would have to let me go....

BUT...... I had a made a plan a year earlier for a new vanity when I walked into IKEA and saw these beauties clearance priced at $49 each, down from $300 apiece.  I purchased two of them for a crisp $100 bill. A $500 savings is exciting.

I talked my family into assembling them the second I got home!  Everyone was thrilled, trust me.  Jaci was serenading us on her guitar to calm our nerves, just like they did on the Titanic.

The vanities sat, completely assembled for a very long time in the basement storeroom because I was on my year hiatus at this point.  Melanie did some very fancy plumbing maneuvers to get the pipes where they needed to be for the new sinks.  I watched in absolute amazement as she measured, cut pipes and glued them together with precision.  She is seriously a plumbing ninja.  I can't even imagine what a plumber would have charged to do it.  Basically, I'm willing the bathroom to Melanie, even though she probably hates it.  And I can't believe I didn't get a picture of her doing her thing!

Fast forward to a few months later when I must have sobbed uncontrollably to poor Melanie about my plight, and so she showed up at 9:30 one night ready to help.  We got the vanities installed and the oak butcher block from IKEA cut to size and secured to the top.  We also set the sinks on top just to see how the whole thing was going to look.  I think we did a little jig but since it was well after midnight at that point, we didn't have the energy to make up an entire routine.  Darn it.

The vanities provide so much storage.  They have 8 big drawers that all have the soft close feature.  Since the toilet has a soft close feature as well, I never hear any banging coming from the kids' bathroom, and that is music to my ears.

The sinks are from IKEA as well, but they don't carry them anymore.  They were called the ANA sink and faucet and I have no idea why they discontinued them.  I think they are so cool.  When I bought the vanities, I could only justify buying one sink and faucet.  The sink was $160 and the faucet was $79 and  I was just going to make do with one.  BUT, a visit to the "AS-IS" section (my fave) produced a floor model ANA sink and faucet combo for $79!  Sold.  I had dreamed of  two sinks all along so it was meant to be.

Despite my demands for all drops of water to be kept INSIDE the sinks, this is a bathroom after all and I really wanted the butcher block top to be well protected.  I did a lot of research and finally came up with this sealer at a local woodworking shop.

I didn't want the finish to be shiny and I loved the natural look of the wood, so I got a flat finish and applied about 6 coats with ample drying time and a light sanding in between each coat.  I love the way it turned out, and so far it has been super effective in repelling the stray drops of water.  The wood still looks natural and unfinished but it's well protected.

And so, there is another day in the life (I mean 3 months into eternity) of this bathroom story.  The only big things left are the mirrors and light fixtures.  The lights have actually been installed and the mirrors.....getting close.  I also have about 10 small things on my punch list, including a couple of drywall repairs, (goody) but I am honestly seeing the finish line.

I totally think it's going to be done before Christmas.

your girl,

jilly

  

clean potty talk

While working on my bathroom and changing everything out for bright, crisp white finishes, I couldn't help but notice this sad little bisque colored toilet tucked in the corner.

There was nothing wrong with the toilet, except for it's dingy color.  Which in fact, made it all wrong.  I was stewing about it because I really didn't want to replace it.  But I really did.  My poor brain.  (and husband) 

It just so happened that my friend Tom had rescued a boatload of  toilets from a warehouse that had burned down.  Nothing was wrong with their functionality or porcelain finishes, but they had some soot and grime on them.  Pshhht.  This girl is not afraid of a little bit of dirt.  So, {Melanie} and I found our way over to the toilet hoard to see what we could hunt up.

I really wanted a one-piece toilet because of the ease of cleaning and the overall aesthetic.  There was ONE toilet that fit the bill, and it was love at first sight.  Sleek, one piece design, compact and stunning.  

It didn't have a seat with it, so I went and sat in my car (out of the 110 degree sun) and googled the toilet to see if I could order the seat.  And look what my eyes beheld....

Do you SEE that price?  $1,564.95.  That's when I nonchalantly asked Tom how much he wanted for the (brand new) filthy orphan toilet with no seat.

$65.

You guys, I didn't even try to talk him down!  And I sort of felt like a thief as we drove away with that beautiful mess.

Since Melanie is a legitimate contractor, she ordered a seat right up for me, paid for it, picked it up and delivered it, complete with a bow and thoughtful card as a gift to me and my family.  She's so amazing and I feel like the luckiest girl in America to have her living three doors down.

After I got the toilet all cleaned up, Melanie came over for the big install.  Of course we thought we would get-er-done in an hour's time......until we realized we were missing a $10 part.  And it was a special order.

What a shocker.

It's fine.  The kids haven't had a bathroom for over a year now, what was another week and a half?

Meanwhile, I went to Goodwill.  A practice that always clears my head.  I was looking for a canvas that I could paint something on to hang behind the toilet.

BAM!

The perfect size and shape, with no raised texture.  Since it's basically the first thing my kids will see each and every morning, I really wanted it to be something that would stay with them all day.

I considered the same cross-stitch phrase that hung behind my Grandma's toilet:

"If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat." 

But it was too long. :)

After really searching, I found the perfect quote and instantly knew it was the one.

I wanted it to look like subway art, so I taped off the frame of my newly acquired ($10) treasure, and painted the canvas with chalkboard paint.  I suppose I could have used any black paint, but I had the chalkboard paint on hand, so that's what made sense.

After I spray painted the frame in a satin nickel and painted a 1/2" white border around the perimeter of the canvas, I decided how I wanted the quote to look.  After printing it, I got busy tracing it onto the canvas with some white transfer paper.

Then came the fun part of painting it with a steady hand, small brush, and some white paint.

We (meaning Melanie) finally got the toilet in.  I was an excellent assistant.  I was in awe that she knew how to do every single part of it.  When she started drilling through the tile and into the concrete foundation, that's when I knew plumbing might be out of my league.

I was excited to hang my subway art up over the most anticipated toilet of the year.  NEVER has a potty been more appreciated!

One more time, just for fun.

 I love it!  I wish I could show  it to you from several different angles, but it's a really tight space.  The lid closes softly and you flush it by pushing a button on the top of the tank.    It's probably the nicest thing in our house. 

And now my friends, we've made it to the home stretch.   A new vanity, mirror and lighting is all this bathroom is lacking!  It should be done in another year.  I kid.  Hopefully.

Just wondering, does this look like fun to any of you? 

That's what I thought....