Monday, August 11, 2008

Happenings, part three: The Hall Bathroom

Click to see part one and part two first, if you would like!


Ah, the hideousness that was our hall bathroom when we moved in.


If you need any more proof than just my word, take a look for yourself:



Such a lovely green color on the walls....accented, of course, by the 30-year-old toilet and and even older sink, light, and vanity!




I suppose I should have prefaced all of these construction posts by saying, in case you haven't already guessed, that we purchased a fixer-upper when we bought this house. We did this intentionally--we got a great deal on this house, and you know, Shane being a carpenter and all--but of course, that means that we had a lot of work in store for us....




This was actually one of our first projects. Not intentionally....we came in on moving day and cleaned (with the help of my sweet mommy and my unbelievably wonderful friend Sarah) from top to bottom. Sarah scrubbed everything in this bathroom and my mom scrubbed the floor until both of their knuckles were raw, and they both did an incredible job. All of the visible dirt was gone from every nook and cranny.



Did you catch that? I said, all visible dirt was gone.



What I never realized before I moved into our current home was that steam can reveal all kinds of evils. On our second night here, Shane and I discovered that the heat from the shower was bringing all kinds of....let's suffice it to say, nastiness....down our walls. See, the former owners here were smokers, and apparently, even the cleaning agents that we used on our bathroom were unable to cut the nicotine that had been happily residing on the walls for who knows how many years.



So, we dove headfirst into our first project--painting the hall bathroom with 2 coats of KILZ primer--just for the time being, until we could get to the real makeover.


Hall bath after it's mini makeover:
It was much better for the time being, yet, still somehow....hideous.


Old vinyl flooring (nice, huh?)



Old sink, vanity, mirror, and light
Old shower surround and shower doors

About a year after we got here, the real construction finally began. It was an exciting day, to say the least!

Ripping out the hideous old 'fake' wall tile



Old flooring ripped out, and installation of new plumbing just getting started! Just ask Shane....this is his favorite (read with major, major sarcasm) part of projects--the plumbing!


Daddy's big 'helpers'
Installation of new plywood subflooring....Colin felt like hanging out in the tub to watch Daddy for a little while, and of course, help whenever he was needed


Plywood in!


Ripping out old shower surround and old plumbing
Ripping out all the old shower drywall and surround
Installation of new, water-resistant shower drywall (as an underlayment for the tile)
Front half of shower
Back half

Installation of shower wall tile--Shane made up the design himself of course!


Installation of tile flooring


Grouting tile floor

Grout all done, tile cleaned and looking great!


Painting begins--here is the first primer coat


Primer coat is on! I included this picture specifically so that you would be able to see the texture that Shane put on the walls. It is so amazing looking...it reminds me of an old Italian villa, which is right up my alley!
(You will be able to see the "look" even better in the after shots!)


Beginning the faux-finish on the walls

And, because I know someone will probably ask....this is simply a yellow base paint color with a very dark brown glaze applied over the top. The texture "catches" the color and gives a great depth to the look of the walls. You end up not with one color, but several different shades in the same color palette. Awesome results! We love faux-finishing, and you will be able to see more of it in the coming posts!
Walls finished
Wall above the shower
And now, presenting...the finished result!!
Ah, a little Italian getaway every time I take a shower....one of my favorite "afters" of all so far, and well worth all the effort I put in, I must say! *giggle*
Have I mentioned that my husband is awesome?

11 comments:

Faith said...

HAHA! My bathroom *used to* have those "fake" tiles too. I had never seen them before. I got quite a laugh over them.
Your after is amazing!

. said...

Very impressive! I know how much work it was for both of you! It looks so put together! Where did you get your vanity cabinet? I actually looked at some yesterday but didn't find the exact color I wanted. This is my 2nd fixer upper house, and dear hubby says he want's to do it one more time! AAHHHHH!!!! :0)

Hannah said...

Amazing! I'm having bathroom envy over here. :)

We too bought a fixer-upper--meaning the kitchen and living room were original from the 1940s, and everything else had been ripped out but not put back in (only studs and plywood). Apparently the guy had started 4 years before, and then his wife left him, and he didn't do anything else. Sad for him, but good for us. I think we're *almost* finished--just in time to move. :)

Anonymous said...

It looks great! I also noticed you are a Bath and Body Works fan. I work there part time and they are having their annual hand soap sale. Just thought I would let you know.
Melissa (Skoog) Yocum

Paul Fuller said...

Holy cow!! What an amazing transformation. What a blessing to have a carpenter for a husband, plus one who's good at it!

Julie said...

Just GORGEOUS!!! Shane did a great job! (I'll have to show Ande this post...maybe he'll feel inspired to finish my laundry room/half bath!)

PS My MIL is getting a new floor put in her kitchen, and once that's in I will post pics of the finished product!

Kelli said...

Hi. My name is Kelli and I found your blog through Hilary's portfolio. OH MY! Your bathroom looks great. My husband and I always say that we wish we were handy.

Kara said...

Your husband is so awesome! I told Cory all about Shane's projects last night, and his reply was, "yeah I could do that, but wouldn't it be easier if we just paid someone to do it for me?" I did have to agree that it would be easier on him and faster for me:) Love all the projects...looks good! We too have purchased a fixer upper. We have redone every room expect our bathroom...one day, maybe!

Anonymous said...

alright dev, just one question that will make me love this new bathroom even more.
Did you fix the lock?

Shelly said...

i love the home improvements! love love love it!

Anonymous said...

Ya, but does Shane have hair? Take that!

-Jay