Bathroom Re-do

When we did the kitchen, the plumber informed us that since we (unexpectedly) had to redo the entire plumbing for the kitchen, which meant cutting a trench diagonally across and through the floor in the back room (slate tile) and out to the back yard to the something-or-other, and after looking at the bathroom said, "don't do this room in a hurry because you're going to need to do the same".

Rather off-putting. BUT in the meantime, there are things that have been repaired several times over, or are just beyond repair. So the bathroom re-do is going to be 'cosmetic' and functional without touching the bones/guts of the room itself.

Currently it's an old brown/white tile on the floor like a jigsaw pattern, and an offwhite sort of tile on the wall only as a splash back, desperately in need of a paint (we patched the walls and put up a new towel rail and that's as far as we got). The old vanity is ... patchwork and old, the taps have had it, there's no working taps in the bath etc. The vanity unit is accessable to all manner of creepies and is not very functional anyway. Even just when I take the shower curtain down to wash it, the bathroom looks so much bigger... and the ceiling... well... it could also do with some light (the skylight is a definate 'one day' task, not for now) and a decent exhaust fan (like an IXL-tastic).

We are lucky to have a fabulous plumber - she's a legend (thankyou M you rock!), and to do whatever labour we're able to ourselves and source secondhand items if possible.

Here's the rough plans with the 'now' on the left and the 'finished' on the right. It might take a little while, a weekend here or there, after work/school/kids in bed here and there but eventually...




So we will:

• replace vanity with corner wall mounted vanity with facia but no cupboards underneath (corner vanity purch $25 at recycle yard). Much easier to clean underneath, no lost mystery items as under the previous vanity AND enhances sense of space with no cupboard underneath. May be able to fit the clothes 'hamper' underneath (as per 2011 IKEA catalogue p...) and the step stool for the toddler.
• replace shallow bath with corner bath (be visiting the recycle yard again and oh joy to have a bath where your bits don't freeze!) - which can 'underlap' the corner basin by a little if needed. This frees up floor space and means you can walk in the shower from the other end and no curtain neccesary because we will
• remove shower curtain and replace with glass. Opens up space in the room and means you can 'walk in' to the shower without having to open a door at all, or a curtain or anything else - something like THIS. I've heard this approach doesn't neccesarily work BUT I know how far the 'spray' from our shower head goes out when the curtain is open and I don't think it will be a prob.
  
• replace bathroom mirror cupboard (sourced with thanks from Freecycle) with wall to wall shelving (DIY) and mirror doors - yet to decide whether to leave one door-less as open shelving.
  
• cupboard across the 90degrees above the 'new' corner basin
• retile floor and splashbacks as required (s/h tiles). We tiled the laundry last time and it worked out well so happy to do that again.
  
• paint.
• do something with the ceiling and maybe a skylight (it's dark in there even in the middle of the day).
  

This is the corner all-in-one moulded basin I picked up at the recycle for $25 a couple of years ago. It's going to be wall mounted with no cabinet underneath. With a wash and a wipe it will come up great as it's only dirt and dust with the odd scratch on the edges. Still in MUCH better condition than what we have now.


Oh my... there will be shiny taps to clean (!) AND because it's all-in-one moulded that means no silicone/grout edges to clean where a basin would normally be 'set' in a vanity top. like that!

This is the frame my very clever husband built to house the above basin and mount it on the wall.

(those are the dominos on the floor that Zeke was balancing all along the frame beforehand!)

Once we're at a mid-way phase I'll post some 'before' and 'during' photos. I'd actually like to hold off on the 'before' pics until after it's done lol because the before pics look worse on a photo than they do IRL! Or maybe it really is that ... aesthetically challenged, our bathroom lol ;)

So a bathroom on a (very small) budget, that works, looks reasonable and is a space you might even be able to relax in... and that will hopefully last for years to come.