When we initially moved into our home back in 2015, this bathroom was one of our very first huge renovations we tackled together. Needless to say we have learned a TON since then! So many mistakes were made but that is the beauty of DIY. Over the years we learned more and more and this time around the bathroom renovation was completed so much quicker and efficiently.
The Problem and the Plan
Although this bathroom functioned great for us at first, we quickly outgrew it. This is not only our guest bathroom but also our two boys bathroom. With a pedestal sink we had zero storage, not even for a toothbrush! The floor tile we chose was meant for a backsplash and was always dirty, impossible to clean. Needless to say, it was time for an upgrade.
Luckily we had a coat closet on the shared wall of the current bathroom. The plan was to remove the wall and push the bathroom back to gain an additional 2 feet in the bathroom floor plan. This additional space allowed us to shift everything over and make room for a double vanity that we so desperately needed.
The Mood Board
The Renovation Process:
Demolition:
After coming up with my design plan and sourcing my products, demolition began! I first cleared out the front coat closet followed by the wall separating the two spaces. Luckily the front door was right next to the closet so we just carried all of the demo straight out the front door into the dump trailer. We removed absolutely everything because we had to move most all of the plumbing and electrical.
Plumbing & Electrical:
Next up was rerouting the plumbing. We needed to move over the toilet a couple feet and add in a new drain for the shower. Luckily we are on a raised foundation so this made the re-routing process a little easier than if we were to have to tear up a concrete slab. Grandpa Rich is our go to guy for these portions of the project so I will not be going into detail. We also added in new water lines for the shower and additional vanity sink.
For the electrical we added in two additional outlets, one for a docking drawer outlet for inside the vanity and additional for the opposite side of the vanity. We removed the existing vanity light and added in 3 wall sconces that would flank the new mirrors. Since there’s no windows, only a skylight in this bathroom, we added in 4 additional puck lights to the ceiling that went all the way into the shower.
Closing the Walls Up & Waterproofing:
After everything was ran, it was time to close the walls back up. First we built a new stud wall to seal up the old closet opening. We used Hardibacker for the walls, taped and mudded them followed by spraying texture. Next we moved on to waterproofing and creating the shower space.
I applied RedGuard to the entire floor of the bathroom along with all of the shower walls. I used a 38″x60″ Kerdi Shower Pan that I cut down to 33″x60″ with a razor blade. These are pre sloped so that the pan will drain appropriately. Once cut we dry fit in place and marked where the new drain hole would need to be. Used a 4″ hole saw to cut through the subfloor because we live on a raised foundation making this part pretty simple to move plumbing. Use mortar to secure the shower pan in place on the floor. Once set, I used the Schluter-Kerdi system orange membrane strips in all of the corners and seams of the shower. Lastly coated everything with RedGuard again.
Tiling:
I decided to go with a natural stone pebble mosaic tile for the shower pan. I have a detailed video on how I did this tiling to ensure it wouldn’t look like a “grid” and more natural. I used Mapei grout in the color Cobblestone for the shower pan which requires no additional sealing.
Next I tiled the bathroom floor in the same tile that I have in our other bathroom and laundry room. The Madeira Buff Allen & Roth tile. I used the same grout color as the shower pan.
Lastly, I tiled the shower walls with the Black Luna Smooth Subway tile from my curated tile collection with Tile Club. I chose to do a vertically stacked pattern and have a video showing a more detailed tutorial here. I used Mapei grout again here but in the color Charcoal. Lastly a black grid glass shower panel was installed on the right hand side of the opening. Added champagne bronze fixtures and an adhesive shower wall shelf caddy.
Paint & Wall Treatments:
Once the tiling was complete, I decided to go with a bold color for the walls. Death by Chocolate by Behr Paint is such a great velvety brown/rust color that brough so much mood and richness to this space! Before painting I first added three arches on the wall adjacent to the vanity. I used flexible PVC trim secured with pin nails and caulking. My plan was to add an “outdoor scene” ion each arch to appear as if you were looking out into a field. I knew the panels of wallpaper were 19″ wide so I made the inside width of my arches 18″x65″ so I would have a little wiggle room to trim the edges. I used three panels of this beautiful wallpaper mural from WallBlush.
So often people overlook the “fifth” wall but I love paying attention to it! I added warmth back into this space by adding tongue and goorve wood planks across the entire ceiling. I first white washed them followed by using a light coat of Minwax Honey (Special Walnut creates almost the exact same tone).
Vanity:
The last step before decorating was to bring in the new double vanity. To make room for this beauty was the main reason we expanded the bathroom! It came with the marble countertop, both sinks and the option of gold and silver hardware. We now have tons of storage and the doors and drawers are all soft closing. We used champagne bronze faucets and hing two arched mirrors above the sinks. Narrow ambiance sconce lights were added to flank the mirrors as well. I added a docking drawer in one of the drawers so I could have in drawer plugs for hair tools and toothbrush chargers!
Decor:
Lastly it was time to decorate! My absolute favorite part when the design really starts coming together. I added a Loloi runner rug, towel hook and a couple pieces of artwork above the toilet. With everything going on in this bathroom, not much was needed.
Everybody loves to know the nitty gritty of how much my renovations cost so let’s break it down! Like always with full transparency, I always state when a brand sponsors products where the cost to me is free but I still state what the cost would have been. I was gifted both the wallpaper mural along with the shower wall tiles.
Cost Breakdown
GFI outlet: $20.33
100ft Romex 14/2 wire: $60
Rebuild wall 2x4s (9): $33.75
3″ 2″ 1.5″ ABS pipe, glue and fittings for sink, toilet and drain rerouting: $190.05
Brass plumbing fittings: $203.80
1/2″ Hardie Backer (9): $133.65
RedGuard: (2 small containers) $111.94
4 pack 4″ canless LED lights: $54.88
(3) 2″x 4″ Sconce boxes: $9.42
Set of 2 Mirrors: $147.89
3 Sconces: $160.65
Shower & Sink Faucets: $525.12
Shower Tile: $1,036.44 (gifted from Tile Club)
Schluter trim & Grout: $84.89
Moulding and Baseboards: $68.51
Wallpaper Mural: $113.40 (gift from WallBlush)
Total cost: $5,760.81
My Cost: $4,613.97
All in all I think this bathroom looks WAY more luxurious than that price tag! This project took us 6 weeks from demolition to completion which is amazing for a DIY project! Did you trust the process? I hope you love it as much as I do!
