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

Sink 
Kingston Brass Parisian White Vitreous China Vessel Sink

Wall mount faucet
Pfister Kenzo Wall Mount Bathroom Faucet (Brushed Nickel)

Shower faucet
Pfister Kenzo Tub & Shower Trim Kit (Brushed Nickel)

Shower wall tile
Carrara 12x24" Polished Porcelain Stone Look Tile

Shower floor tile

Carrara 10x12" Ceramic Hexagon Mosaic Tile

Mosaic picket tile

Cienega Springs Mixed Glass Mosaic Tile

Pendant light fixture

James Allen Tyrell Single Light 9-1/4" Mini Pendant w/ Glass Shade

Mirror

Frameless Oval Beveled Edge Bathroom Vanity Mirror

Towel bars, etc.

Pfister Kenzo 24" Towel Bar

Pfister Kenzo 18" Towel Bar

Pfister Kenzo Toilet Tissue Holder
Pfister Kenzo Robe Hook

Wall color
Sherwin-Williams Alpaca

Vanity color

Behr Delicate Mist

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. 

Sink 
Kingston Brass Parisian White Vitreous China Vessel Sink

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

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

Shower wall tile
Carrara 12x24" Polished Porcelain Stone Look Tile

Shower floor tile

Carrara 10x12" Ceramic Hexagon Mosaic Tile

Mosaic picket tile (for niches and vanity sink wall)

Cienega Springs Mixed Glass Mosaic Tile

Pendant light fixture

James Allen Tyrell Single Light 9-1/4" Mini Pendant w/ Glass Shade

Towel bars, etc.

Pfister Kenzo 24" Towel Bar, Brushed Nickel

Pfister Kenzo 18" Towel Bar, Brushed Nickel

Pfister Kenzo Toilet Tissue Holder, Brushed Nickel
Pfister Kenzo Robe Hook, Brushed Nickel

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

New Year, New [Old] Table: A Shabby Chic Chalk Paint Makeover

On a whim this weekend, I decided to tackle another chalk paint project, albeit a small one. That's the great thing about chalk paint -- once you make up your mind on what you want to do, you can just get right to it (as long as you have the paint and brushes, of course). No prep work required, other than maybe a little cleaning of whatever surface you want to paint! 

For those of you out there who like immediate gratification, this Before & After is just for you. Keep reading on for all the details!

So the subject of this latest transformation is a little end table we've had forever (I'm pretty sure it was a hand-me-down from my sister). In fact, it already underwent a basic black makeover several years ago. But the gloss black just wasn't doing it for me anymore, especially since most of our furniture is now matte and distressed. 

Chalk Paint Coffee Table Makeover

** UPDATE: I just wanted to say hello and thanks to all of you who are visiting from Pinterest! It appears this particular pin has gotten a lot of love. Since I finished this table makeover around 2 years ago, it's still holding up great. The table doesn't get a ton of heavy use, although I've since applied two extra coats of wax for good measure. And now back to your regularly scheduled blog reading! **

Seven months. That's how long it's been since my last blog post. Whoops! There's been much progress in this past year around these parts--mainly related to finishing our basement. But I wouldn't even know where to begin with those updates, so for now I'm just going to share this latest project that's totally blog-worthy (if I do say so myself).

Basement Inspiration: Part II

Last week, I decided to start sharing some ideas that I have for our future finished basement (partly to help keep myself motivated as we DIY our way through this looooong process). Well, it turned out I had quite a few ideas and had to cut my post short. So now I'm picking up where I left off!

{ via custommade.com }

As I mentioned last time, we'll have a small room that will serve as our office (and/or my craft space). We've framed out a door opening for it with something like the photo above in mind. 

Basement Inspiration: Part I

Can you believe it's officially summer already? The temperatures around here definitely tell me that it is, but this year is just going way too fast. We haven't really done any big projects lately, but we manage to stay plenty busy with the usual everyday things--especially now the lawn & landscaping need a lot of attention.

So, since I don't have any completed projects to share this time, I thought I'd daydream blog about an ongoing project in the works: our unfinished basement (cue dramatic music). We're DIY-ing everything as much as we can, but I'm about ready to fork over the money and pay someone else to take over. Right now we have most of the framework finished, as well as part of the plumbing. We still have to finish putting insulation up on the ceiling and outer walls (a tedious task that neither of us is motivated to do), then electrical. None of this is very exciting to me.  I just want to get it done and get to the fun stuff quicker.  
Which is why I've been saving design ideas for our future finished basement (thank you, Pinterest). In case you're curious, the layout will include:
- 1 bedroom
- Office (or hobby/craft room)
- Living area
- Wet bar
- 3/4 bath
- Laundry room

Time for some pretty pictures now, yes? Here are just a few of the ideas I'm loving and may have to put to use in our own basement!

A "Floating" Cabinet

Our laundry room has been in dire need of some storage solutions. Currently, we have one wall that we use to stack things up against, but we also wanted to figure out a way to utilize the space above the washer and dryer for additional storage.

Awhile back, Luke scored some free cabinets from a school/office that was being renovated, and we’ve had a couple of them sitting in our basement ever since then, just waiting to be put to use. (And let me just say, these things are heavy.)

I wasn't sure how to go about hanging a cabinet in this space, with all the plumbing/drain pipes against the wall. But Luke had the idea to built a “floating” frame of sorts to house one of the cabinets above our washer. In theory, it seemed pretty simple, but it ended up taking quite a bit of figuring, measuring, leveling, squaring, and tweaking. In a nutshell, this is how it all went down:

First, we measured the depth of one of the cabinets and cut a 2x4 that length, then screwed it into the studs of the wall in the laundry room. Then, we cut a treated 2x3 to the height of the cabinet and glued it to the concrete wall with LocTite. Once it had set, we also nailed it in for extra reinforcement, using our handy Duo-Fast Strike Tool. (We used a 2x3 here because we were up so close next to the drain pipe.)

Next, we attached a 2x4 to the joist above, in case we ever decide to finish the laundry room and add a ceiling.

After that, we cut two more pieces to support the other side of the cabinet. These were screwed together at the corners, and then screwed into the treated 2x3 and the 2x4 above. Now we had a frame for the cabinet to rest in.

It wasn’t fun trying to lift that sucker up above our shoulders and shove it into the space, but we finally managed. It was a very snug fit. From the inside of the cabinet, Luke also added screws to attach it to the frame. I have to admit, I was a little paranoid about how this set-up would support the weight of the cabinet, but it seems pretty sturdy. We may go in and add another 2x4 beneath for extra reinforcement.

Now I have a convenient place to store detergent, dryer sheets, and miscellaneous items that would otherwise be scattered haphazardly around the room.

As you can see, I still need to fill it up. Not a bad problem to have. Eventually, I'd also like to add a rod to the left of the cabinet to hang clothes to air-dry.

What's your laundry room storage situation?



If these walls could talk....

They would probably say, "What the $&*#% took you so long?!"

Three years, three months, and sixteen days after we closed on our house (but who's counting?), we finally have some walls in our unfinished dungeon basement. Before I continue, I realize that if we're getting technical, this is merely the framework. But for the sake of feeling like progress has been made, and because it's my blog, I'm calling them walls, mmmkay?

So ladies and gentleman (hello? anyone still out there who cares?), I now present the proof of our progress:

The first wall

It's up!

Adding the doorway to the laundry room, plus one of the walls for the shower in the bathroom

View from in the laundry room

Okay, there's only so many photos of 2x4s I can show before it starts to get a little redundant. That's all I really have time to post right now, but I had to stop being a tease and actually show the goods. Well, you know what I mean.

I've also determined that summer is not exactly the best time to start any large project, because there are too many other things going on. So at this rate, maybe I'll have more walls to show by, say, November? I kid, I kid... hopefully.

My weekend workout with a bunch of studs

No, I'm not talking about hunky men (except for my husband, of course). These studs:

For those of you who were starting to think that my blog was turning into a cooking blog instead of a DIY blog (not that there's anything wrong with that), this is proof that we've had some real projects going on around here. This weekend, I hauled all these 2x4's down to our basement (while Luke was busy prepping/planning/measuring). At least I'm good for something! You can't tell from the picture above, but it was also a 100+ degree day. Just sayin'. So about an hour and a liter of sweat later, I finally had all 51 of them downstairs.

Yes folks, this means we are actually, seriously starting on our basement! There's been a bit of a lull since our concrete/plumbing work several weeks ago (hence all the recipes I've been posting), but things are picking up again. Hopefully I'll be able to show off a wall (or two) soon!

But in the meantime, don't be surprised if you see another recipe from me.  ;)

Concrete is Really Heavy.

How do I know this? Because I had to shovel it into about 50 buckets and lift them into this window well to fill in our basement hole.

Let's backtrack. We originally had scheduled the concrete truck to deliver on a Saturday, when we would have had five total people to help us move it. But we found out the Friday before that they didn’t have enough deliveries to work on Saturday, so it had to be postponed until the following Monday at 7:30 a.m. Thankfully, my parents were still able to come and help us out, or else there was no way we could have done it. My dad already had a lot of helpful tools (edger, groover, wood float, finish trowel, square shovel, wheelbarrow), so the only thing we had to buy was a magnesium float. Woot!

Since traipsing through the house and down the stairs with buckets of concrete was not exactly desirable, the only other reasonable alternative was taking it down through the aforementioned window well. So we loaded wheelbarrows from the truck, and my mom and I shoveled it into buckets to hand to Luke.

We got concrete with fiberglass mesh in it (which acts as a reinforcer), since that was what was originally used in our basement. It kinda looks like it has a bunch of tiny hairs in it.

Luke got the crappy end of the deal, since he was the one on the ladder who was taking them down through the window. And it’s not that I’m not confident in his brute strength or anything, but I found myself secretly praying that he wouldn’t fall backwards every time I handed him another bucket.

Oh, did I mention that we only had one hour to unload all our concrete before they started charging us $1 per extra minute? No pressure to get it done quickly or anything…..

Meanwhile, my dad was working on smoothing and finishing the concrete until it was flush with the existing slab. I couldn’t see what was going on down there, so I had Luke snap a couple of pictures. Looks like Dad knows what he’s doing!

Once we had finally shoveled our last bucket, our work was not yet done. We still had an 18-foot-long sidewalk to pour. Although Dad had some experience with finishing a sidewalk years ago, we all gave ourselves some good ol’-fashioned YouTube education in advance.

The sidewalk pouring went much quicker since we were able to dump the full wheelbarrows directly into our formwork instead of hassling with buckets. We started doing this while Dad was still working away in the basement.

After we had pretty much filled the formwork, we realized that was probably not the smartest decision, since Dad would now have to step in the concrete to screed it, instead of screeding and filling at the same time. But we managed to make it work. Good thing he had some heavy-duty Muck Boots on. After screeding with a 2x4, he used the wood and magnesium floats and finally the finish trowel. (Sidenote: I had no idea it was spelled "screed" until I looked it up. What a weird word.)

It was already looking good, but it really began looking like an honest-to-goodness sidewalk once they started the edging and grooving to make the control joints (which allow for expansion and contraction due to temperature changes). Luke and Dad had a pretty good system going, but since the sidewalk was so wide, it was quite a reach to get over to the other side. Rather than fashioning some sort of harness to hold onto Luke, it was easiest for me to just grab onto his shirt to keep him from falling in the wet concrete. Oh, the things one must do when DIY-ing….

Classy.

By noon-ish, the sidewalk was just about finished. Not bad for a morning’s work! We did try putting Dudley’s paw prints in it, but I thought they looked kind of sloppy, so we smoothed them back out. Then Luke tried writing "2011" in it, and that didn’t look so good either. Maybe it had already started to harden too much. Anyway, we ended up leaving our sidewalk impression-free. A few hours after pouring it, it was already hard enough that I couldn’t even make a dent in it with my finger.

Once we cleaned up all our tools, we took Mom and Dad out for cheeseburgers at Five Guys Burgers and Fries (their request), and they headed home. Later that day, Luke and I put a plastic “tent” over the sidewalk since there was rain in the forecast. Providing some extra sun protection also helped the concrete from drying out too fast, which apparently can cause premature cracking.

As excited as I was about our basement hole finally being filled, I just wanted to keep looking at our sidewalk. Who knew watching concrete dry could be so exciting? However, it’s probably not as exciting for you, so I will refrain from posting all the photos of drying concrete... after this one, I mean.

Oh, in case you’re interested, we unloaded the truck in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. (In fact, we probably didn’t use all the concrete we ordered.) But the delivery guy said they wouldn’t worry about charging us for the 15 extra minutes. He was really nice!

Concrete Cost Breakdown for Sidewalk & Basement Floor:
Formwork: About $20
Fibermesh Concrete: $132.75 for 1.5 cubic yards
Delivery Charge: $100 plus $8.75 fuel surcharge
Magnesium Float: $15
Labor: paid in cheeseburgers and fries


We’re probably going to take a little break before starting any major construction in the basement, but it’s just exciting to know that our bathroom now has a floor again! Just to clarify: Hole in the wall = good. Hole in the floor = bad.

Anyway, I’m off to go check out our sidewalk again. Thanks again, Mom and Dad!

P.S. Pouring your own sidewalk? Here’s a pretty good tutorial, since mine wasn’t actually very explanatory. If we can do it, you can do it!