Monday, July 20, 2009

I Once Owned Ottawa’s Worst Bathroom

metamorphosis

                                                                               Thanks to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting Metamorphosis Monday!

 

Really, I did.  Hideous, mildewy, disgusting, pink.  Need I say more?  Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll just show you.

Kidder bathroom BEFORE 003 

That’s not even the worst.  The next one is:

Kidder bathroom BEFORE 001

I can hardly stand to look at it.  The bathroom was mostly original to the house, built in 1973 (the Pepto-Bismal coloured sink was replaced later, since it didn’t match the tub and toilet).  We had a leaky roof and pretty substantial water damage to the ceilings in the bathroom and our bedroom, so mold was becoming an issue.  I remember at one point watching a stream of water pour out the bottom of the light switch plate. 

Anyway,  we saved our pennies and gutted it last October (I know, I’ve only finished/styled it now!).  Everything went – from the ceiling, to all the drywall, to the subfloor.  Here’s a picture:

Kidder bathroom BEFORE 004 

We found something interesting under the tub when it was ripped out.  It wasn’t treasure, unfortunately, but it was funny and I’m keeping it as a souvenir.

stubbybeerbottle

 

 

 

 

So someone was drinking on the job while building my house.

That sure explains a lot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

After 5 days of noise, mess and a nap-less baby, here is the finished bathroom:

bathroom after (2) 

The door opens into the bathroom against the towel wall, so I took the door off the hinges to get this shot.  You gotta do what you gotta do, right?

bathroom after 3

So much better!  It’s clean, fresh and pretty!  And, believe it or not, the whole renovation cost only $7000.00!  I really wanted a budget friendly makeover, so I chose inexpensive tiles for the floor and shower.  Laying the tiles in a brick-joint pattern creates visual interest for standard 8”x12” tiles.tiles

I had hoped to add a border of glass mosaic tiles, but it wasn’t in the budget and I couldn’t find the right colour combo.  Don’t you hate when you have something in your head but can’t find it?

A laminate countertop in cream with white and blue specks is fresh and neutral.  White cabinets and fixtures are clean and simple, and if something needs to be replaced in the future there’s no worry about mismatched colours (ie. the Pepto-Bismal pink sink).

spidermums 

I made the artwork myself with a $20.00 pack of canvasses from Wallack’s and some leftover paint from my main floor. I mixed the paints in various ratios to achieve a gradation of colour for the backgrounds.  Then I went online and found some flower silhouettes that I printed out, X-acto’d, and painted with more leftover paint and some shimmery mother-of-pearl paint (that’s why the pic in the bottom left corner doesn’t show up too well – the paint is only semi-opaque).

bathroomart

My only real issue is that I didn’t specify to the guys doing the work that I wanted the shower curtain rod a little further out (more even with the edge of the tub) and a little lower – though in a bathroom, the “flood pants” look might be more suitable!  They caulked around the edge of the rod so I can’t move it.  Well, I guess I could, but it’s so neatly done that I don’t want to wreck it.  So it stays.

The bedroom makeover continues.  I’ve got the walls all painted and the colour looks great!  The drapery panels and rod are back up, but one of the roman shades has to be replaced (the clips holding it onto the track broke).  I’ll update as I go!

Sarah

8 comments:

  1. Oh the bathroom is just gorgeous. So pretty and fresh looking. I love the tile. Your colors are lovely. Beautifully done. Hugs, Marty

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  2. Looks a million times better - I love it!
    Great job on the artwork.

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  3. Super improvement Sarah and to think it was done on a budget. ENJOY! -Brenda-

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  4. Fantabulous makeover!! Wow!! I love your artwork -- so creative :-) And the mirror & scones are beautiful.

    The stubby under the tub is too funny!! When we demo'd our bathroom in our old house, we found a dead squirrel under the floor. Eeek!!

    I just got a complete sample kit of glass tiles from Mirage Glass Tiles in the US. Next time you're looking for glass tiles, let me know -- I have A LOT!!

    Heheheh!! Yeah, no crappy carnival caricatures for us!! ;-) Happy to hear you like our new blog design :-)

    Kelly

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  5. Sorry -- had a typo in my previous comment.

    Wow Sarah - your finished product is sooo much better than were you started. I love it when I get such great results on a small budget! Great work - I look forward to seeing more of you projects.

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  6. Hello Sarah,

    Your bathroom remodel is perfect! What a fantastic difference!! As for your too-short shower curtain (or too-high rod ;-) haah!)... I think it would look FAB if you found some fabric in the colour of your wall (or a pattern that used the wall & tile colours) and sew a border on the curtain. You could put the border on the bottom or the top of the curtain (you'd have to cut off/replace the existing top)... either would look great :-)

    Looking forward to bedroom updates!
    Victoria @ DesignTies

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  7. VERY nicely done. I bet it feels much better to be in your bathroom now...!

    Jen Ramos
    www.madebygirl.com
    madebygirl.blogspot.com

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