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Saturday, November 5, 2022

Finishing the Basement Bathroom: Part II (The Reveal)

After more than 14 years of living in this house, I was truly beginning to think we would never have a bathroom in our basement. We had long since gotten used to going upstairs every time we needed to use the bathroom (extra exercise!). But a few months ago, we finally settled on a contractor to do the job for us and got on their schedule in October. It took them a couple weeks, which was really nothing if you consider how long it would have taken us to DIY it. 

As a reminder, here's what stage it was at when we turned things over to the contractor. For more before pictures (and a brief history of how we had to reconfigure this bathroom layout early on to make the space more efficient), check out my previous post


But let's be honest, you're just here for the "After" photos (don't blame ya), so keep scrolling to feast your eyes on our shiny new bathroom! At the end of this post, I've included a list of the various materials/fixtures we used. 

It's always a bit challenging to envision how an unfinished space will look once everything you've selected is all put together, but honestly I'm super pleased with how this turned out. It may be the smallest bathroom in our house, but ironically it's the nicest.



We still plan to add a couple floating shelves (either glass or wood) above the toilet. I just don't want anything that feels too heavy or obtrusive in this small space.



The finished shower space is about 36" x 42". The niche provides storage space, and I also wanted to include a foot rest to make leg shaving easier.



The oak butcher block was part of a slab that we already had on hand from our kitchen renovation. We left the color natural and simply applied several clear poly coats for a nice, smooth, water-resistant finish.


Because the bathroom is so small and there's not much counter space, we utilized the space between wall studs for a built-in niche that coordinates with the one in the shower.


The mirror we chose is simple and frameless, so as not to detract from the picket tile wall and pendant light  which are the main focal points.


We chose to add a towel bar on the vanity drawer because we didn't want a towel hanging on the wall next to the sink. It just seems like a cleaner look this way (plus the bar doubles as the drawer pull).


So if anyone needs me now and can't find me upstairs, I'll just be down here in our bathroom gawking in disbelief and delight.


MATERIALS/FIXTURES/COLORS

Wall mount faucet
Pfister Kenzo Wall Mount Bathroom Faucet (Brushed Nickel)
Shower faucet
Pfister Kenzo Tub & Shower Trim Kit (Brushed Nickel)






Sunday, October 30, 2022

Finishing the Basement Bathroom: Part I

 She's baaa-aaack!

Well folks, it's been one year and ten months since my last blog post (cedar chest chalk paint makeover). That might be a new record lapse for me. Rest assured though, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I know everyone was worried.

Let me just get right to the big news around here lately. After more than 14 years in our little house on the corner, we finally got the bathroom in our basement finished! Let me clarify... we finally decided to hire someone to come do it for us. After the countless DIY renovations we've already done, this was a project we were willing to just fork over some (okay, a lot of) money and hire it out. After all, they'd have the bathroom done in two weeks when it would probably take us 6+ months. Also, the idea of us trying to do a fully tiled shower and backsplash wall with no tile experience? Hard pass.

BUT, before I get to the reveal (which I'm going to save until my next blog post, #sorrynotsorry)... here are some photos of what the bathroom looked like in the "before" stages. We did all the framing ourselves way back when we framed the rest of the basement. Luke also did most of the drywall, along with the electrical wiring and plumbing hook-ups. 


Oh, and if you want to take a walk down memory lane with me, check out this post from 2011 about how we had to tear out the concrete floor to re-work the location of all the plumbing and drain pipes... That was such a traumatizing fun experience, I had almost forgotten all about it.


It's a very small bathroom, but the layout we designed accommodates a 36x42" shower, a 30" wide vanity cabinet, and of course a toilet. We also planned for a large niche in the shower and one in the wall next to the sink to help maximize functional space.


All the materials have gradually been purchased over the past year or two, with the exception of the vessel sink which we bought about 10 years ago (yes, seriously... back when we had the ambitious idea of finishing the bathroom ourselves). This bathroom was really our first experience with picking out all the materials for an unfinished space, rather than just figuring it out as we go, which has been the case with some of our other DIY renovations. That was a little overwhelming, just because decision-making in general is tough for me, along with trying to envision what it would all look like together.

The price of the sink was pretty reasonable, but some of the other fixtures (such as the Pfister Kenzo line of faucets and coordinating towel bars) were a bit of a splurge, considering our typical penny-pinching shopping behavior. 



Wall mount faucet
Pfister Kenzo Wall Mount Bathroom Faucet, Brushed Nickel



Shower faucet
Pfister Kenzo Tub & Shower Trim Kit, Brushed Nickel


Shower floor tile


Mosaic picket tile (for niches and vanity sink wall)


Pendant light fixture



Towel bars, etc.


Stay tuned for my next post to see how it all came together! I promise I won't make you wait another two years.