Bathroom Remodeling

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I hated my bathroom! It was obvious that the previous owners remud-elled it, (as cheaply as possible). It certainly was not the original bathroom for this 1926 Bungalow home; everything in it was from a home center, When I moved in, I stripped the wallpaper with the intent of just redecorating it, hoping that that would allow me enjoy it more. However, during that process, the plaster started coming off with the wallpaper. Next, the plastic tub cracked and the plastic sink faucet on the vanity corroded through and no longer worked. My daughter told me she could see me taking a shower through the glass block window from outside of the house while she played in the yard in the evening. I had it, not to mention that I could not even think over the sound of the exhaust fan while it was on.

When we were invited for a consultation to offer this client help, we felt their pain. This was the primary bathroom on the first floor and it was a mess. Furthermore, it was a small 5-'6" x 7-'6" bathroom. After field measuring the space it was determined that the ceiling was 26" lower over the tub and 12" lower over the rest of the space compared to the 9' ceilings in the rest of the house contributing to the confined feel.

Our suggestion to visit our plumbing suppliers showroom produced interesting results. Upon walking into the showroom, an eclectic vanity was the first item that we encountered. "I must have that" was the response! This was intended to be a sympathetic Arts and Crafts remodeling project, how would this element fit in? Further, it did not have any storage capabilities that a traditional vanity cabinet offered.

Ironically, this element became the centerpiece, and challenge, of the total bathroom-remodeling project. A juxtaposition design approach was subsequently taken. Allowing the vanity table to be a centerpiece while surrounding it with strongly influenced Craftsman details that were within the context of the period while still reflecting the client's style.

With the sink table established, we could enlarge the tub by 6" in width and created a decked, drop-in, installation that allowed for a steeping tub. The open sink table allowed for the increase in width without shrinking the space visually. The room was gutted to the studs and joists and the lost ceiling space was recovered, creating a sense of greater volume in the room. The glass block window was removed and reframed to accommodate a horizontal slider window. This facilitates the modesty that did not exist before the remodeling. The entire floor joist system had to be re-built due to the original floor being a built up cement mud set floor in order to achieve a common floor height for the new Terracotta tile floor. All of the walls required new framing to make them plumb, and the deck for the drop in tub had to be framed.

To accommodate the loss of storage from the elimination of the vanity required creativity. The medicine cabinet was on the "wet wall" and was custom built to 5-1/2" in depth to accommodated quart sized bottles and other sundries. A custom built-in wall storage cabinet was constructed within the wall stud cavities behind the door to handle all of the rest of the bathroom supplies, up to and including full sized rolls of toilet paper. Four flip front drawers accommodate personal items were included in the cabinet for items such as toothbrushes, combs, hair brushes, etc.

Every detail is precise in this remodeling project. The fine cut, Listello Slate that makes up the border on the tub deck face is mirrored in the design of the leaded glass ceiling fixture design. The medicine cabinets handle pull, a leaf design, is a replication of the end of the finials of the vanity light fixture. The mosaic tiles in the shower are of animals and flowers, reminiscent of the Craftsman Style, bordered by accenting pieces of the fine cut Listello Slate found on the tub surround. All of the plumbing faucetry items are brushed Nickel including the drain trap, and all shut off valves to each fixture, the towel bars, and all hooks. All of the cabinetry hardware is oil rubbed bronze, with ball tipped final hinges, and oil rubbed bronze switch and outlet covers.

The net result is a juxtaposition of the eclectic with traditional Craftsman Style, successfully blended into perfection.

View More Projects
Bathrooms Project 1 - Bathrooms Project 2 - Bathrooms Project 3 - Bathrooms Project 4