Bathroom Renovation

 I am so thankful for our new bathroom. We bought this house as a foreclosure about 12 years ago and have lived for a long time with a very broken down bathroom. There was so much work needed and a lack of money to sink into this house for a long time. However, with my return to work, my husband's raises and a small inheritance, we have made some real progress in the last few years. Our 2024 project was our largest yet and I am so thankful to see it complete. 

Our bathroom renovation was completed about a month ago. It went well with just a few surprises...surprises are a given during renovation. Unfortunately, the surprises all cost money. We didn't find any gold behind the walls...LOL. Our home was built in stages. There have been several owners through the years. This bathroom was the original 1955 kitchen that was converted into a bathroom when those owners doubled the house size in the 1970's. Unfortunately, much of the work done in the 1970's was inferior, and we have found crazy plumbing and electrical work from that time period. The big surprise we found behind the wall this time was very dangerous electrical work that included using metal candy boxes for junction boxes(!) and splicing old wiring to new wiring without using proper techniques that have been the standard for over a hundred years!! As this electrician put it, "It is some kind of miracle that your home didn't go up in flames years ago".  Oh, and they did find burn marks of a tiny fire that started and blessedly put itself out years ago. Yikes! That is the third time in the last 12 years that an electrician has said our house could have burned down.  I wonder what we will find behind the kitchen walls if we stay here long enough to gut that room. At least it was all new construction in the 1970's and none of it was the dreaded aluminum wiring commonly used in that decade. The electrician said that the real issue was the splicing from old to new so the kitchen should be in better shape.

 Our goal for this bathroom was actually to take it back to the early 1900's with some modern touches as if it had been slowly renovated through the years with the keeping of original charm. Yes, I know I live in a 1950's to 1970's rancher. I really dislike ranchers and am methodically taking it back in time whenever I have the opportunity.  I am an Edwardian/Victorian light (think minimalist Victorian) lover of interiors. I insisted on Hex tiles for the floor and tiles that are reminiscent of  subway tile for the walls. We went with a larger tile than typical subway tile, because they were on clearance and similar. We also added the chair rail to give that old world charm and to break up the really dark wall colors that Elijah had chosen. I may go back someday and add faux wood paneling and crown molding. 

Demo day is always exciting and scary all in one. 

You really don't want to see wiring like this behind your walls. 

By the window is the original plumbing from the original kitchen sink that they never even capped. It could have broken and flooded behind the walls at anytime!

New drywall. 

Original open water pipes that hadn't been used in 40+ years.

Color on the walls and floor being put in. 

I LOVE this floor. It is a pleasure to mop it on my hands and knees. Is that crazy?

Complete

There was just enough floor tile to create a pattern in the shower nook.

We had the old bathtub removed that was sinking into the basement, restructured the floor and opted for a shower. We still have a bathtub in the other bathroom. I think the room is wonderful. We, of course, went over budget, but it is complete, safe and fulfills many of our dreams. 

Blessings, Dawn