bathtub tile

bathtub tile is done! and the shower head has been installed. everything looks great!! the bathroom is really coming together... it's so exciting to see our vision and design ideas come to fruition!

 

 

we stumbled across the shower system at Costco. we had already purchased something similar from Home Depot and weren't looking. however, while perusing the aisles at Costco, we came across the Pulse Lanikai Shower System. It had 2 features we wanted; rain shower head and a handheld shower wand, plus an additional feature; body  jets! in case you're interested in getting one for yourself, i think it may now be discontinued, b'coz i didn't find it on the brand's website. instead, i found the Pulse Kailani Shower System, which seems identical.

we purchased both the subway tile and mosaic tile from Home Depot. when it came down to choosing a tile for the decorative border, i was going back and forth between these two choices for a couple weeks. i like both tiles, they each offer a different style and ultimately, the one i choose would change the path of the theme... classic coastal or chic/trendy coastal. obviously i went with classic... b'coz i'm a classy kinda girl! lol... and b'coz i felt it was more timeless... it isn't too trendy and i don't see myself growing tired of it so quickly.

floored

started on the floors today! we purchased this tile last year and had it stored away in the garage for so long that i forgot how it looked! seeing it all laid out brings a smile to my face. it looks great!! tile is bedrosians and purchased from lowe's hardware (link) and cost $2.48 /sq. ft.

the walls are up!

everything is all starting to come together! the wonderboard and drywall have been put up around the bathtub as well as the little nook that will hold shampoo, body wash, etc.

 

 part of the pocket door was also installed...

 

oh!! and we scored this beautiful NuTone chrome exhaust bath fan w/light from Home Depot for only $50 on clearance!! it looks so much better than the NuToneUltra fan w/light we originally purchased for $136! (excuse the mess, the red tape is there to seal the hole and keep away any dust from the attic... sealing the hole and repainting the ceiling is on our project 'To Do' list)

bathtub is in!

our new bathtub was installed today! i even helped Jeremiah get the tub into its space... it's a super tight fit! we connected the plumbing and tested it out... no leaks! success! it was a bit of a hassle connecting the pipes since they weren't lining up easily from the below the tub, so mike had to get down into the crawlspace and underneath the tub to move the pipe in place.

we ended up spending more than we budgeted for the bathtub in order to get some extra perks... we figured we might as well, since we plan on living here for a long while... we're in it for the long-haul! we went with the American StandardEverClean 60x32" Whirlpool Tub from Home Depot for about $600 and so far, we're so happy with our choice! Can't wait to put this to use on those long, stressful, over-worked days or after a grueling gym session!!

open concept bathroom anyone?

this is the view of the bathroom from my home office right now. the wall is completely gone!! open concept bathroom? ewww. the tub is going in today or tomorrow... the floors need to be prepped for it first. the wall will be added back with a pocket door.

gettin back to bathroom business

aaaaand we're back! we're back from an 8 month hiatus to complete the bathroom renovation we started last march! after demolishing the old bathroom, we came to a halt when we needed to find someone to install the drywall and waterproof the bathtub walls. to my surprise, we had no luck finding anyone to commit to the job. since then, this past year has been a battle for time, money, and energy to finish the project, so the bathroom has been in an incomplete state since july.

after many months of struggling to find a contractor, time, and more time in our busy work schedules... i finally came to the conclusion that if we want to get this bathroom done in 2013, we would need to hire someone to work on it full-time and give his/her full undivided attention... something our schedules didn't permit us to do. as much as i wanted to complete this renovation ourselves, i've learned, like many before me, that it's exhausting to take on a home renovation project all on your own on top of working 40-60 hours a week at a full-time job.

so, we finally found someone to do the job... one of mike's buddies, Jeremiah, who also did the crown molding in the townhome we previously lived in. i couldn't be happier!!!

so far, the water-damaged subfloor has been removed and replaced, the old toilet pipe has been removed and replaced, the shower pipes have been updated...

and the drywall has been removed from the wall adjacent to the door to prep for the pocket-door install.. and this was all done in a matter of 3-4 days!

... and just for kicks...
check out this old budweiser beer can Jeremiah found while ripping out the subfloor!

if you want to recap on the progress we've made... click here.

bathroom inspirations

i've had a year now to change my mind many times before i commit to a design for the bathroom. i've mulled over so many style ideas and one that i always continue to return to is a coastal theme. anyone who knows me knows how much i love the beach and the sun... if it were up to me (and not our bank account), we'd have a house on the beach!

just a few inspirations i found on the 'net to get me focused and moving along in the right direction...

source

source

source

source

bathroom remodel #3

work, work, work! this past weekend, June 30 & July 1, Mike and Dave worked on ripping out the rest of the old bathroom. the vanity sink, toilet, and that hideous linoleum floor! we're down to the bare bones now. it's been real exciting to watch this process, as well as be a part of it... i suppose only other homeowners can relate to this. so far, we've spent roughly $300 on temporary dumpsters to remove all the debris and a couple new tools to help get the job done with ease. our budget is $2000 for the entire renovation.

the vanity sink is gone! and so is the linoleum! mike said it was a bit of a struggle removing the linoleum since there were THREE layers of it.  i assume from the 6 previous owners... a few of them laid new linoleum on top of the old instead of removing it. ugh. here we are making things right!

bathroom remodel #2

mike's buddy, dave, had some free time yesterday to help remove the 300 lbs cast iron bathtub. dave... thank you, thank you, thank you! we're so grateful for all your help!

the guys took a sledgehammer to it breaking it in half. they broke down half of the tub and tossed it in the temporary dumpster. the other half is in our backyard until we get another temporary dumpster to toss it into since the one we're currently renting may be close to its max limit (500 lbs) with the debris from last week's bathroom demo.
 

bathroom remodel #1

mike and i finally tackled demolishing the hallway bathroom. we started in march with taking a sledgehammer to the tile around the bathtub but plans came to a halt quickly due to real life. it's a great experience doing renovations yourself, but when you have a full-time job... and full-time life... projects must be done in small chunks at a time that fit with your schedule. thankfully, there is more than one bathroom in our home, so we haven't been in a rush to get this done.

here's what the bathroom looked like before...