STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Elle · Hermes

Bathroom remodel pics!

squishy · Coach

wow... great job!! it must be satisfying to see that kind of progress.

the magazines add a nice touch :)

NCshopper · Hermes

Wow--what a difference! Was the old bathroom wheelchair accessible?

You guys have done a great job and have really added value to your house. And I love the tile! Keep up the good work!

alagirl · Kenneth Cole

It's looking great. I like your countertops. Are they granite?

Elle · Hermes

Squishy - We needed something heavy to put on a bubble in the floor - magazines were the only thing we had lying around that wouldn't make dents around the edges .

NCS - The old bathroom was wheelchair accessible. The previous owner converted it from one of the bedrooms so his wife could use it. The tile is actually a very high quality linoleum that looks like slate! Much warmer on the feet though!

Alagirl - Yup, granite on the counter tops, and double sinks!

Mr. Elle and I are priming tonight and painted tomorrow. I can't wait to post finished 'After' pics!

halleybird · Hermes

oh, it's lovely! I can't wait to start ours, though I am scared about what we'll find when we rip stuff out, since the old owners put carpet in the bathroom.

How much of it did you do yourself? Where did you buy the materials/vanity, etc?

kittenheels · Coach

Wonderful! You guys must be so excited for it to be all done!

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

halleybird wrote:

oh, it's lovely! I can't wait to start ours, though I am scared about what we'll find when we rip stuff out, since the old owners put carpet in the bathroom.

They did WHAT?!?!?! I remember the pics of the house when you first saw it and remember how tacky the previous owners were, but this is above and beyond. What did these people look like? They must have been a style nightmare. HA!!

halleybird · Hermes

Farrah wrote:

halleybird wrote:

oh, it's lovely! I can't wait to start ours, though I am scared about what we'll find when we rip stuff out, since the old owners put carpet in the bathroom.

They did WHAT?!?!?! I remember the pics of the house when you first saw it and remember how tacky the previous owners were, but this is above and beyond. What did these people look like? They must have been a style nightmare. HA!!

I know. They looked like typical suburbanites. They actually took great care of the house (though their decorating left much to be desired!). It looks newer than a lot of freshly built houses. But I can't figure out why one would put carpet in the bathroom -- I am sure it cost more than even cheap linoleum. It's totally gross, because it's not a large bathroom, so there isn't a lot of ventilation. I am sure there is 10 years' worth of mold under there. It smells like mold, too.

Sorry for the hijack, Elle, but I am going to be in your shoes soon!

Elle · Hermes

halleybird wrote:

oh, it's lovely! I can't wait to start ours, though I am scared about what we'll find when we rip stuff out, since the old owners put carpet in the bathroom.

How much of it did you do yourself? Where did you buy the materials/vanity, etc?

We did everything but the plumbing and some of the eletrical ourselves - we moved absolutely everything, and didn't feel comfortable doing it ourselves. After all, a crappy plumbing job done by the previous owner is the reason we had to completely gut and rebuild in the first place! We have a friend that has his own plumbing business who did the work for half price. Also, one of our neighbors is an electrician and offered to help hubby rewire everthing, and all that cost us was a $90 bottle of Cognac because he wouldn't take any money.

Luckily, my FIL used to be a contractor so he was the brains and some of the labor.

All of our supplies have come from either Lowes or Home Depot, with the exception of the floor which came from a local fancy flooring place (we couldn't find anything else anywhere that looked even mildly realistic). The vanity specifically is from Lowes, and the countertop was partial special order from Home Depot. It's all just standard stuff.

H-bird - I'd pull up just a corner of the carpet and pad and see what's underneath. Unless pipes are leaking water into the floor, you probably don't have alot of water damage under the carpet to deal with. At most you might have to replace subfloor (we used plywood - it's more expensive than the MDF that's usually used, but if it gets wet it doesn't swell and disfigure). Our bathroom is 9x10 and subfloor cost us about $75? Are you guys planning on gutting or trying to save as much as you can and updating the rest?

halleybird · Hermes

Elle wrote:

H-bird - I'd pull up just a corner of the carpet and pad and see what's underneath. Unless pipes are leaking water into the floor, you probably don't have alot of water damage under the carpet to deal with. At most you might have to replace subfloor (we used plywood - it's more expensive than the MDF that's usually used, but if it gets wet it doesn't swell and disfigure). Our bathroom is 9x10 and subfloor cost us about $75? Are you guys planning on gutting or trying to save as much as you can and updating the rest?

Thanks, Elle! That's really encouraging, actually. Luckily we don't have to gut the entire thing -- just the shower, which is ugly + has some signs of mold, and the floor. We're replacing the vanity, but that's just aesthetics. We don't have to change the tub or do any special wiring. My husband does want heated floors (we have very poor heating/ventilation in there) and one of those showers with a bunch of different jets, so I am sure that will be $$$.

I am sure my husband and his dad will be doing most of the work themselves, so I may PM you if we need advice!