Bathroom Remodel

The hall bathroom has been our current long term project. We started the project in September but we've been taking our time. The remodel isn't anything major, we haven't changed the size or layout, just replaced things and brightened it up.

What we started with


The original bathroom was, like the kitchen, partly redone at some point. The vanity, sink and tub were original but the tile in the tub had been replaced with a vinyl enclosure, the medicine cabinet had been replaced and the toilet may have been replaced though we weren't sure. The house inspection revealed water damage to the subfloor in both bathrooms so after the repairs were made the floors had to be redone. We were able to pick out our choice of vinyl for the hall bath and tile for the master bath. We paid a little extra to have an upgraded vinyl installed. It has a pattern that looks like 4x4 white tile with gray grout. We now plan to match that look on the countertop with real 4x4 white tile and gray grout.

Demolition/Construction begins

After removing the toilet and vanity, we discovered that the wall behind was in not-so-great shape. The plumbing had been redone at some point and whoever patched the drywall didn't do a very good job. We also talked about putting the medicine cabinet into the wall to gain some illusion of space. So down came the wall board. Unfortunately we discovered that the vent for the sink drain ran right across where we wanted to put the medicine cabinet. The vent could have been redone with some creative plumbing, but it didn't really matter because we couldn't find a medicine cabinet in a maple finish didn't come with a hefty price tag. The decision was finally made to put a large flat mirror on the wall and a smaller plain medicine cabinet on the side wall by the sink.

Another minor roadblock was deciding on the lighting we wanted. We had to determine if the fixture had to be moved before the wallboard could go up. After finally finding a light we liked, the wiring was redone to add another outlet and connect a bathroom fan which we added. Then the drywall was put up and taped. We had to pick up the pace a bit because a friend was coming to visit and we wanted to have the hall bath for her to use. A new door was put in, the toilet was installed and the vanity and sink were temporarily put in.

The toilet is a low flow model (1.6 gallons) that was actually paid for by the water department. As an incentive for homeowners and contractors to install low flow toilets the water departments here give rebates. For a short time the rebate was increased from $75 to $100 so we (and everyone else in the city it seemed) bought two replacement toilets. Even the toilet shopping was problemsome. Because of the rebate, the home centers were out of everything except the most expensive one piece models or the cheapest ones, or they'd have a bunch of tanks but no bowls or vice versa. People were resorting to finding out when the shipments were due in hopes of getting the model they wanted before the rebate deadline. The rebate itself isn't over but people really wanted that extra $25! I must say though that I think the toilet rebate did get us going on remodeling the bathroom so I wonder how many other people did the same.

Slowly making progress

The next step was to texture and paint the walls a blue green color. Then the medicine cabinet was installed, the mirror hung on the wall and the vanity was secured. The current roadblock is the tile for the countertop. There are so many colors, sizes and decorative tiles available, it's tough to decide. After many trips to tile design stores and Home Depot, we've decided to go with simple, 4x4 inch white tile with gray grout.

Aaron tiling the countertop

What's left


Lessons Learned



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