In the Archives: Hall Bath Re-do

So, I haven't been to work in a week, and the kids are STILL out of school because of snow...

Thought I'd go through the archives and show some before/after pics of our house. Please keep in mind I am a terrible photographer and that there aren't really any "afters" in our house, just "durings," because there's always much room for improvement. We didn't have a digital camera at the time of this project, either, so these are scans.

When the realtor showed us our house, with its seafoam green carpets and 3 kinds of wallpaper, she bit her tongue. But when she made it to the kids' bath, she said, "That is one of the ugliest light fixtures I've ever seen. It should be in a book." And people, that heinous fixture was just the beginning of the issues in that bathroom:

That light fixture was 3 feet wide.

The single sink and groovy laminate countertop weren't lovely either.

We tried and tried to get the wallpaper down, but it wouldn't give. I remember running the hot shower all night to help my croupy baby. I just sat on the toilet, rocking her and peeling paper off the walls. The steam helped a bit, but the wallpaper ultimately won.

About 6 years ago, when we had a little money saved, we hired someone to re-do the bathroom by gutting it completely.

Good news: Relatively Inexpensive. Bad News: Sometimes, You Get What You Pay for.

Here is a pic of the kids saying goodbye to their beloved green toilet and tub.

I chose all all-white scheme. The "bathroom guy" had never seen beadboard or subway tile before (red flag, perhaps??) so I purchased them myself. When it came to tiling, I stopped him in the nick of time as he was placing the subway tiles in straight rows. "No, it's like BRICKS," I said. "Oh, the Brick." We were okay after that.

Other notable incidents:

The time he:

1. Brought a day laborer he had picked up at 7-11 into our home. Got in an argument with him, then left the guy stranded in the 'burbs.

2. Dropped a hammer or something in the new tub, chipping the finish. Covered it up with paint, or was it White-Out?

3. Placed the countertop onto the vanity, crushing the top drawer. Instead of telling us, he just screwed the drawer shut like a false front, as if we wouldn't notice.

4. While installing the medicine cabinet, poked a hole through the wall into a hallway. Luckily the children weren't walking by at the time the saw poked through.

We aren't all bent out of shape with the experience. It has been a good teaching tool with the kids regarding integrity.

When the bathroom was complete, in under 10 days and under 10 grand, we were pleased with the results and still are.

Going from a single sink to double sinks was great, and one handled faucets are perfect for kids. These are Kohler "Fairfax" faucets and we have a matching shower head and handle.

The subway tile looks great and goes all the way up to the ceiling.

And I love the beadboard. The toilet is by Jacuzzi, and I just love its old-fashioned lines and white porcelain handle.

The color is Benjamin Moore's summer shower.

This new little niche works for baby keepsakes now, and for Molly's make-up later.

The light fixtures are pretty basic, but much improved, no?

Six years later, If I could do things differently now, I would have:

1. Purchased 2 framed mirrors instead of a big frameless one. Unfortunately, this one is glued to the drywall, so we may either frame it out ourselves or go to http://www.mirrormate.com/ to buy a frame for it. Do you think BLACK or WHITE trim would look better? I need advice.

2. Purchased a nicer vanity and countertop. This one was PRICEY and is made out of flimsy particleboard. We bought it through the bathroom people rather than shopping around. This was right before lovely, furniture style granite-topped vanities were widely available at Lowes and Home Depot. Waah!

3. Realized that chrome fixtures get pretty spotty pretty fast.

My friends who were more patient, and who waited until recently to re-do their 1960's baths used Craigslist, HomeGoods and design blogs for ideas, options I didn't know existed back then.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little, blurry tour. If you have a preference of white or black mirror trim, please let me know! Since we're still snowed in, there might be some online shopping in my near future.