4 Year Anniversary Tour – Moving the Bathroom

This was the thing that officially blew up my schedule and budget. When I bought the house the bathroom was cheaply built and a little small and awkward, but really not bad for a house this size. The plan, of course, was to keep it. At least for a little while.

Bathroom

But this bathroom was sandwiched between 2 bedrooms that were really no bigger than walk-in closets. And worse, only 2 of the 3 bedrooms had closets and those closets were only 12 inches deep.

So, I already knew the plumbing and wiring were shot, why not just move it?

You can see that I left the front bedroom where it was but made the back bedroom bigger, added 3 nice closets, and got a big bathroom. So here’s the last time the middle bedroom was a bedroom. The crazy sloped wall jutting into the room wasn’t original. This room used to be square before someone made the bathroom bigger. (Also, the new studs are a half inch smaller than the original ones, and they weren’t long enough to reach the ceiling)

Then I discovered there wasn’t much to the bathroom floor I bought and the plumbing and wiring were devised by Rube Goldberg.

I got a few friends to help me get the tub up the stairs and to its permanent location, which was then in the middle of the room. The last 3 feet behind the tub became the closet for the front bedroom.

And then finishing the room: I got total hacks to do the floor. It’s not right but it’s there. The wall tile was a craigslist find but I got conned. The seller told me I was getting 1000 square feet when he only gave me 500. I went to Mohawk Tile in King of Prussia, which sells the same Seneca handmold tile that I got, and found out that it retails for half what the guy said, too. So this means that instead of getting them 75% off, I paid, gasp, retail on Craigslist! But I like them and because they’re so irregular, you can’t tell they were installed by a rookie.

So to finish the room (for now) I painted the walls a light blue, added shiny chrome towel bars and shelves, and got a temporary shower curtain rod. My mom picked out the curtain and put it up without asking me, but now I’m happy with it.

The window is just a bit smaller than the (long lost) original to make room for the toilet. Here’s a before/after of this corner.

You can see that even though it’s much improved, it’s definitely not done. I have room for a big vanity with 2 sinks (which lots of people tell me I’ll be thrilled to have) but in its place I just have the little sink and cabinet that came with the house, the classic college student microwave cart, and bare lightbulbs I yoinked from the basement. They can go whenever I find a pair of lights that I like that don’t cost hundreds of dollars (and know what I want).

I was thinking of sticking with a kinda rustic, kinda modern look and getting a plain, modern vanity cabinet with stained wood slab doors and a marble top. But nothing’s decided until it’s bought, so feel free to tell me how you want the room finished.