Bathroom Before . . . and During

I live in a 1968 ranch style home.  To say the least, it is NOT on the cutting edge of architectural design (i.e. BORING!)  I mean, can you say "shoe box with rooms" :)!!!   Our house has two bathrooms.  Only one of those bathrooms has a shower.  Why would you put in a bathtub (and a small bathtub at that) and not make it a shower?  And furthermore, why would you put a window over the bathtub?  And, one more burning question, why would you have a vanity with an 8 foot countertop, and only put one sink in the countertop???   These are things I have pondered over the past 13 years we have lived in this house. 

BUT THE BIGGEST QUESTION OF ALL IS -- WHY HAVE I WAITED 13 YEARS BEFORE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BATHROOM?????????????????

So, I'm not waiting any longer.  I am remodeling that bathroom!!!  Here are a couple of pictures of the "before" of this bathroom.  Now to clarify, we don't have a master bathroom in our house (built in 1968, remember?)  One bathroom is off the laundry room (that room needs a remodel too, but hey, one thing at a time).  The bathroom off the laundry room has a shower.  All four of us take a shower in that bathroom every day.  That is also the bathroom that the "men" in our house use to get ready in.  It doesn't have an electrical plug in.  Men don't need plug-ins.  The other bathroom is off of the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.  This is the "girls" bathroom. It has a plug-in.  Girls need plug-ins.  This "hall" bath is the bathroom that is getting a much needed facelift.  Sorry, back to the "before" pictures that I took last week.

Here is one more shot of the 1968 formica countertop.  It is white flecked with gold.  Loooooovely.

I'm sorry the first two pictures aren't so great.  They were taken with a phone, since the camera battery was dead.  Hey, I'm just being honest.  We refer to this bathroom as the "bowling alley."  It is about 13 feet long and 5 feet wide.  But you can see what I mean about the bathtub at the end of the room, and the window over it.  And you can see the LOOONNNGGG countertop with one sink in the middle. 

So here's what is going to happen.  I am getting a new countertop with two sinks!  It is cultured marble, but looks like granite (saving money!).  I also bought two new faucets.  I LOVE THEM.  They are oil rubbed bronze.  I can't WAIT to get this new countertop in.  We are going to feel like we are on vacation.  No more pushing each other aside to spit while brushing our teeth!!!  This countertop should be installed over the weekend.  Our friend, the cabinet guy who ordered the new countertop, is going to put it in for us.  His cabinet shop is about 1/4 mile down the road from our house.  I've known him, and his wife, forEVER.  Isn't small town America great?

I am also putting a shower in where the bathtub is.  I use the word "I" loosely here, as "I" am not putting ANYTHING in.  But the guy we have HIRED is actually putting a shower in for us.  We are keeping the blue tub.  I really wanted to take it out.  It is NOT pretty.  But it is cast iron, and would have to be sawed into pieces to be removed, so, I'm living with it (i.e. saving money :))!!!  We are taking out the window that is above the tub and putting in a glass block window.  It had to be ordered, and probably won't be here until next week.  We are going to use the same white tile that is currently in the bathroom and tile up and around the plumbing for the new shower and around the new glass block window.  The glass block will still let in light, but allow for privacy.  Here is a look at the "during" part of the shower remodel.

As you can see, the old window is still above the bathtub.  But, the rough plumbing for the new shower is in.  Once the glass block window is installed, the tile will be installed up higher around the glass block, and the fixtures for the new shower can be installed. I did not buy oil rubbed bronze fixtures for the shower.  They were much more expensive, and will be hidden behind a shower curtain so, once again, I saved a little money and just went with chrome. We are also painting the bathroom a different color.  (Again, I'm using the royal "we," as nobody in my house is applying paint to the walls of this bathroom.) 

I am pretty excited about this remodeling project.  It is a small project as remodels go, but to us it is a big deal.  I'll keep posting pictures along the way and, when it is finished, I'll unveil the "NEW" bathroom. 

Also, just in case you are interested, I'm gonna share the breakdown of the cost with you when we are finished.  I can tell you that we are definitely remodeling on a budget.  We tried to get the most "bang for the buck" if you know what I mean.  And I definitely made decisions based on what would be the least expensive way to accomplish our end result . . . and that is to make the bathroom more useable, and hopefully, look a whole lot better!  Stay tuned!