Bathroom Reno

Happy Summer!  Obviously, I have a hard time posting when school is in session, but now that we are out for the summer, I am back! 

As I mentioned in the last post, much of our "reno energy" has gone towards Mom & Dad's house in the last few months.  They finished their addition & kitchen, with just the exterior left to complete.  In February, Dad went on a 5-day retreat and true to form, Mom was dying to do some sort of house project while he was gone (she loves to surprise him!)  She recruited Stephen to help her renovate their old bathroom, now that they have a second full bath.  

Yea, it was rough.  The terrible lighting doesn't help, but it was bad.  It was pretty much impossible to describe the color of those tiles.

Although we knew it was a bit of a lofty undertaking (we knew it wasn't quite possible to finish it in just a few days, when Stephen and Mom both still had to work every day), she figured they would give it a shot and see what they could do!  

Stephen and his dad spent the first day just doing demo.  It was a mess!  They ripped out the tile that was on ALL of the walls, as well as the concrete and metal mesh that was behind it (the real pain).  The floor was just as fun to rip out, and that was finished on the second day.    

Ripping out the tile was easy; it was ripping out this stuff that was tough and time-consuming!

After he replaced some rotten boards in the floor, Stephen spent the next couple days putting in a new tub, installing cement board for the shower tile, and putting in green board (sheetrock) where the walls were tiled, as well as where there was a doorway into my old bedroom.  That entrance really wasn't needed, so they got rid of it!  Mom helped with the demo, and worked on painting the linen closet and its shelves, as well as picking out the new tile and fixtures. 

They also needed to change how the baseboard heat was configured in the room, so Stephen spent a lot of time running new lines for that (I'm sure there were other things involved, too, I just don't know what they are!)  He also got the shower tile finished before Dad came home from his trip, but he still came home to a mess!  I won't say he was thrilled at the surprise, but he jumped right in to help finish it up, and after a few more days of work from all of them, it was done!

 

Apologies for the terrible lighting (I will learn how to white balance), but you can tell what an improvement it is!  The floor tile is mostly brown (not nearly as green as it looks in the photo), and the wall color is a little lighter than it appears.  The new vanity is just like the one Young House Love did in their new bathroom last year.

Before: the door on the left went into my old bedroom.

After: no more door!  So much better.  Mom & Dad's house now officially feels brand new!

Mom & Dad's "After"

While we've still been piddling around with projects at our house (and surely will never stop), lately a lot of our "DIY energy", if you will, has gone towards Mom & Dad's house.  They set out over a year ago to add on to the back of their house.  I couldn't resist going ahead and posting a couple of "before & after" shots... the difference is amazing!

Those two pics. were taken from the exact same place, a year apart.  The first photo isn't quite a "before" shot, since you can already see the construction through the windows, instead of the pretty outside view that you previously saw.  Also- notice Mom's "design board" on the table... crucial!

So basically, they added a sunroom (for lack of a better term) on to the kitchen, as well as a mudroom, two closets, and a full bathroom.  They completely gutted the old kitchen and changed a few walls around to make the whole new floor plan work.  It is all gorgeous and finally in the finishing stages.  

 

 These two photos were also taken from the same angle (the first shot was taken through the torn-out windows, standing in the new space).  They closed up and extended that half wall to create a stairway and create a wall for upper cabinets & a range hood.

 On the french doors... we bought reclaimed door knobs and Dad painted door plates that he's had for years and put them together... LOVE how it turned out.

Besides some help with the initial building & framing from an architect, wiring help from an electrician, and Stephen's plumbing services, they have done it all themselves!  Since they both work way more than 40 hours a week, everything has been done on the weekends and occasional evenings.  Hence the long, but so worthwhile, process.  

All they really have left to do is to figure out some furniture & its placement, pick fabric & sew cushions for the window seats/banquette (sewn by me?  by Mom?  We'll see...), a little tile sealing, and some touch-up caulking & painting.  

Of course, now that they have such beautiful new spaces, Mom has been redoing every other room in their house!  The family room/basement has been re-painted (including all trim, the fireplace, and the built-in bookshelves) and is in the process of being decorated.  The "TV room" has also been painted, along with the hallway and living room (which now has two arched "windows" into the kitchen, thanks to busting a couple huge holes in the wall).  

 Obviously the decorating is in-progress.

 Babies.

Mom & Dad's bedroom also got new flooring, paint, bedding, rug, etc. in the process.  All of the artwork and accessories are still in-progress, but they have done so much! 

 

The new "master bath", with the new closet behind it leading into Mom & Dad's room.  Almost done!

It's been quite the undertaking, and it's not over yet!  So exciting.