Monday, February 1, 2010

DIY Bathroom {Demolition & Assessment}


It appears my transition to the updated version of blogger has caused some formatting issues.  Please be patient until I can get this issue resolved. 


After a year long break, work is resuming in our bathroom. I thought this would be a great time to bring you up to speed on that project.


****I interrupt this post to tell you that the redesign of our living room is taking a short sabbitical. Sabbatical-a period of time Lisa takes to research and decide on decorating/ design plans before moving forward. And now back to the regularly scheduled programming***

You remember this from the before tour?


 
Believe it or not, Hubby and I were delighted by the original state of this bathroom. For us, original meant no hackjob renovations to work around.

Within weeks of closing on Seaborn, we rented the largest roll-off dumpster and began a full-on house renovation.

This bathroom was high on our to-do list. So take a closer look...I don't want you to miss any of the details:

Dated vanity and faucets



Stenciled vanity, laundry chute and linen cabinet





Pink and blue wall tile




 Mosaic Floor Tile

After gutting the bathroom, it functioned as a janitorial closet for two years. When work resumed last February (2009), we remembered why we had stopped.
Hiding behind the wall was a BIG secret. The toilet's cast iron vent stack had corroded. For a cost of $1500, the plumber was more than eager to replace it.
Lucky for me, Hubby is a jack of all trades and my Jeff-dad {ex step-dad} is a professional contractor. The only obstacle was the 120 miles between our homes.

Once we found a time that worked for both guys, it took two loongg days of filthy work to replace the vent pipe and re-plumb the entire bathroom.
Newly installed PVC vent pipe





Once Hubby installed new greenboard around the bathtub and backerboard on the floor and walls, we finally had a blank slate to begin construction.



The total cost to replace the vent stack AND install new plumbing was about $200... well below the plumber's quote of $1500.



ASSESSMENT
As a DIY decorator, I try to assess every element of the space {floor, trim, walls, window treatments, lighting, furniture and accessories} before moving forward with a design plan. Here is my assessment of this bathroom.

  1. I liked the mosaic floor tile. However, the original tile needed replaced due to it's poor condition.

  2. I didn't like the pink and blue tiles, but I liked the shape and size of the 4x4 wall tiles.

  3. I liked the frosted window glass for increased privacy.

  4. I liked the idea of sconces flanking the mirrored medicine chest. Did not like that the sconces were the only source of general lighting.

  5. I didn't like the dated vanity and toilet. However, I loved the cast iron tub with period styling.

  6. I loved the style of cross handle faucets that were originally on the tub.

  7. Hubby hated that there was no real shower; only the hand-held jobby in the low clearance bathtub.

  8. Liked the built in features (shower bar, toilet paper holder, and laundry chute).
So there you have it, the demolition and assessment of our bathroom and a preview of what's to come. I hope you'll come back to see the updated pictures. I think you'll like it!
Check out the links below for more creative ideas!

Sincerely, Lisa


Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage
Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors

27 comments:

  1. Hi Lisa,

    Wow, that is quite a job! Timeless Tuesday goes live at 8:00 PM tonight. Don't forget to join the party! I'd love to have you :)

    Paula Grace ~
    http://paulagracedesigns.blogspot.com/2010/01/timeless-tuesday.html

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  2. so far so good. Can't wait to see the finished bath.

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  3. I'm holding my breath to see the finished product! I was able to reread your before tour over the weekend, making me all the more excited to see the after! Have you been without a bath for a whole year? Dee Dee

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  4. This is a great project to watch on my end. Great idea to do a full assessment before you get started. I like that you are keeping some of the older elements like the tub and the laundry chute. I really look forward to seeing how this all comes together.
    Jane

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  5. What a HUGE savings on what you've done so far! Isn't it nice to have such handy family members? :-) I'm excited to watch the progress.

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  6. Why in the blue blazes did the previous homeowners put it baby blue AND baby pink tiles? That might be the strangest bathroom tile choice I have ever seen. I cannot wait to see what you do with it.

    And I keep meaning to reply to your previous comment- I thought that was Charleston! It looked really familiar, we were there in 06.

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  7. Thanks for your comments! I'm really excited to share this project with you all.
    PK, it's a blessing to have talented handymen, we've been able to AFFORD things that I never thought we could have.
    Good question DeeDee, thankfully we have another bathroom downstairs.
    Lisa

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  8. Oh, I was so excited to find this post...and so excited to see what comes of it...I have a bathroom with the very same hideous pink tile and floor tile too. The floor tile is gray and pink. I despise both, but am unsure what to do about them since I'm not sure I can handle getting rid of all that tile myself. But I'll anxiously await your re-do!!

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  9. Wow, you've already done so much. The fun part is ahead of you. I'd love to be starting on one of our bathrooms, you should see the tile in there!! Crazy what some people think looks good...
    I hope you can stop by for a visit sometime.
    XO
    Heidi - Heart and Home

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  10. Can't wait to see the finished results!!

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  11. I had to lol, Thought I was the only one who came to abrupt halts on my projects after hitting roadblocks. Glad to see you overcame yours finally and are back on track. I love your assessment comments, something i need to start doing before i begin. How clever of you. I'll be following your progress on this! BTW, Thanks for your kind comment on my triple chair bench over on Gail's blog "My Repurposed Life" That project too came to a halt for nearly a year because I cut a piece too short and had to figure out how to fix! LOL!
    Thanks again,
    Rose

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  12. Wow! What a job that has already occured. I can't wait to see the step by step process that occurs on the path to lovliness.

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  13. Wow! Our bathrooms were twins! I was laughing while reading your post because I SOOO understand. My husband replaced our stack himself with little to no help from me and the whole time I was thinking "this is never going to end!" It can be so hard to keep up that initial enthusiastic momentum when all your seeing is plumbing that has to be covered up! I always joke that the majority of a renovation gets spent on all those things that get covered up for the finished product and no one really understands how much work goes under that plaster/drywall. Well I am here to tell you, I understand! Hang in there, it is going to be beautiful!

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  14. good luck with all those decisions! I can't wait to see the "after" pics! I for one, usually just jump in, and figure it out along the way. NOT that it is the best way, mind you... just my way! :)
    gail

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  15. Wow! We had similar tile in a previous home but we chickened out and decorated around it! In our new house we have demolished just about everything so I can relate! The mess is so worth the end result though! Can't wait to see how it all turns out!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday.

    Kat :)

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  16. Wow. I can't wait to see the end results!

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  17. Lisa, I admire you for taking this on. Can't wait to see the outcome.

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  18. Can't wait to see it -- and pink and blue tile -- what were they thinking??

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  19. Wow, you have a huge job ahead of you, but it looks like you've gotten a great start! I can't wait to see how it turns out, good luck.

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  20. That is quite the project. I hope you plan on living in that house for many years to come. We did this huge master bath renovation in our last home and decided to move closer to town about 6 months after we finished. (after living with a ripped out bathroom for over a year!) I can't wait to see the finished bathroom. I just know it's going to be fantastic.

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  21. Really anticipating the finished product! Can't believe someone would mix pink and blue tile like that. But I know you're going to work your magic. Lucky for you that hubby is a handy man. Good luck on the project!

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  22. That is one nasty bathroom! If you can believe this, ours was much worse and it's my latest entry on my blog... all the ugly before pics and the more pleasant after. I had been creating PDF pages to share with my sister-in-law and realized I could convert my files to jpg images to post on my blog. How wonderful for me.

    I can't wait to see your after photos. By the way, you didn't mention your bathroom sink. It's very unusual and kinda funky. With new faucets and vanity, it might look great. Yes?

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  23. Can't wait to see your finished results. I love makeovers and sometimes have a hard time believing it was even the same room!

    I wanted to let you know that most of the items for my playroom mantel were found at Ross and TJ Maxx. The other pieces were found at vintage and antique shops - which I adore. I have a thing for unusual objects - I have a hard time passing them up! Thanks!

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  24. I love pink and blue but not in a bathroom. My bathrooms need a remodel so bad but I am terrified of what we will uncover once we start. I can't wait to see what you do.

    Thanks for checking out my kitchen makeover.

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  25. WOW! This is quite a project, but it will be so worth it in the end. Looking forward to seeing your finished project!

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  26. Oh no, you mean you got rid of the teal lace carpet!!! And you probably didn't really want to see what was in those stubborn closet drawers ;-)
    I can't wait to see the final reveal.

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  27. My bathroom was so bad I wouldn't even take before pics, can't wait to see finished project! Lezlee

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