Friday, June 24, 2011

Project 2011: Downstairs Bathroom

I know, I know. It's been forever. I'm still kickin', though. And, even better - I'm back with the home improvement project of the year: the downstairs bathroom!

As you might recall, I did update it a tad in the past, including removing the wallpaper and adding some paint as well as adding a new faucet. However, it's time for major overhaul - well, an overhaul nevertheless.

Here are a few before pictures to show you the scope of the project as well as the tiny, itsy-bitsy space in which I'll be working. Loyal readers may recall that this was originally the coat closet under the stairs but was converted to what has lovingly been renamed the Harry Potter Bathroom.

Here's the sink. The faucet was added a couple years ago and the sink is adequately petite enough to stay. The chair rail, however, will be saying farewell. I'm thinking that on this wall behind the sink I will tile with some glass tile. My friends Leslie and Paul recently installed some beautiful greenish-blue rectangular glass tile and it would be pretty to cover the wall in it. It's a tiny space, after all - what the heck.

Next is the beautiful light/exhaust fan combo. Honestly, I've looked and looked for something small and relatively similar in size so I don't need to make any new holes in the walls. However, it's been tough finding something that doesn't stand so proud from the wall. Any suggestions on a flat light/fan combo that isn't so darn fugly?

Then is the toilet. I think this has been one of the most challenging things to find. I've been looking for something pleasantly petite to replace this old thing for probably as long as I've had the house. I've found one or two options - one is terribly ugly and the other is cheap and I'm concerned about its longevity. I'll probably end up going with the ugly because it's also expensive and I think I've learned my lesson about inexpensive fixtures. You'll see below how much fun this will be to install given the room in which I will have to maneuver.

Finally, is the floor. Since this is the downstairs powder room, I think I'm leaning toward some white and black hexagonal tile to make it a little more period-like. Since it's a tiny space, I'm even considering some nice marble. I'll probably do dark gray grout just to keep it looking good. Besides that, I think I'm fairly happy with the paint color in there so I'll probably stick with it. I would like to see about some kind of shelving unit or cabinet to mount on the wall above the toilet. Currently, there isn't any storage in there and it would be nice to have a bit of room to store some things in there.

The timeline is to begin in mid-July after my class is done. I'm hoping I can do it in a week but that probably means it will take me two weeks (see, I'm learning). It's been a while since I've done anything major so I'll probably need a few days to get into the swing of it as well as to prepare myself emotionally for any surprises I may find under that ugly vinyl floor...