1 Down, 10 to Go

Better late than never, right? The 1/2 bath is complete! It's actually been finished for a week, but we're just now finding time to upload the photos. Drumroll, please...

Here is the view from the doorway.

We basically gutted the bathroom (we left the sheetrock up, but that was pretty much it. With all the patching and sanding we had to do to the walls though, we may as well have replaced all of the sheetrock, too!) We have had lots of painting help from Megan's mom & dad, and Mom was nice enough to Kilz the walls and ceiling (remember the horrific BLUE?? Scroll down to the last entry if you've blocked it out) and paint the first coat of the grayish white paint color we chose.

Originally, we bought a quart of the same color in a high gloss finish to use for the stripes. After lots of taping and painting, it turned out okay, but just wasn't quite enough contrast for the look we wanted. So, we went back to Home Depot and picked a lighter white in an eggshell finish (the original paint was flat). The second try turned out perfectly! It's just the look we were going for.


The floors are the same bamboo that we installed throughout the first floor, with the exception of the dining room and front hallway, in which we left the original oak. Stephen & his dad did a great job on the floor installation, and we bought and painted new baseboard and quarter round for the bathroom.


After Stephen put in the new baseboard, we (and by that I mean he) installed the new vanity (which we scored for 1/2 price!) and toilet. We hung the mirror and quickly framed a piece of fabric to serve as temporary art, and that was that! Finito.


So there you have it. Our first finished product in the house! The goal is to have the majority of the house presentable (we're realistic enough to know that it will never be "finished") by Monday, the 21st when we are having guests. Wish us luck! Here is one more pic of our new bathroom. Happy December! Just 2 more weeks until Winter Break...