SFGate

Creations Nadia Interior Design are you planning to keep a bath tub or you will build a shower? :)

onthefence If/when you tear out that sink - be careful if you can and pass it along to an architectural salvage place. There are many people trying to recreate this look with period materials.

Deborah Butler, Brickwood Builders There are a couple of American standard pedestals that would help by having built in towel bars. That will give you some space.
http://www.houzz.com/photos/products/american-standard-sink

I don't think it would look strange not to tile the window wall, particularly if you find some way border the sink wall to make it unique. Would depend upon what type of tile you select.

Dura Supreme Cabinetry Here are a few of my fave bathroom designs. Maybe one of these will help inspire you...
Are any of these your style?

Dura Supreme Cabinetry Also, here is one storage solution I think every bathroom should have!

olldbobbi Dura Supreme, I must have that first bathroom you posted. Gorgeous! Another idea for bath storage: [houzz=
]

Interiors International, Inc. Not a pedestal sink because you will see your toilet from the hall. You could build a 1/2 wall to hide the toilet then do a hanging vanity.
If you tear out the tub and build a shower that you could end the tile inside the shower and not put it on the window wall. You really do not need to tile the sink/toilet wall either.

olldbobbi Good point about the toilet from III. Should never be a focal point :))

Interiors International, Inc. Thanks olldbobbi

onthefence Would it work to combine the ideas of olldbobbi and Interiors International by constructing a partial wall next to the toilet? Perhaps have it be about 5' or so high. The part facing the sink could be open storage as pictured by bobbi.

dianahb I have to admit, I love that soft blue/green spa-like tile and tub. I don't like the flooring or the sink/cabinet-- but all the rest seems so soothing to me.

Also, I love pedestal sinks-- rather than cabinetry/sink built-in. That really does offer a very clean and open look, especially if you find a great plumber who knows how to do the hook-ups in a very unobtrusive way. I say that all the time when I post here, but they really seem to open up a space.

But we just had a bathroom re-done, where we tore out a wall that had been originally constructed to hide the toilet (constructed -- not by us-- but by the previous owners-- presumably because the toilet could be seen from the hallway?!). I cannot tell you how much tearing out that wall and eliminating the built in cabinet/sink really opened up that bathroom. With a pedestal sink in place and that silly wall gone, to hide-- what-- the toilet?!-- the bathroom now looks twice the size it was.

We replaced our toilet as well, and given what we paid for that shiny piece of porcelain- gosh-- I want everybody to see it. ;)

What is up with everyone wanting to hide their toilet? It's already in the room it's supposed to be in, and now you have to hide it within that room, too?? That seems so Victorian and a bit repressed to me. I don't get it.

Additionally, I think a really nice pedestal sink will be the first thing you see-- not the toilet. And, you know, hopefully the tile, too.

olldbobbi If you could create a half wall leaving the top open for some pretty plants to sit inside, that might be nice.

Creations Nadia Interior Design they don't even have 7'x 7' - some of the vanity on the pics ( they are nice though) are almost the size of that bathroom:) where the pretty plants would go?

Curb Appeal Renovations I agree. This is a small bathroom. Who cares if the toilet is showing? Plus, get a toilet that is a show piece! One that doesn't have the trap that shows. Like the Kohler Persuade toilet. It is beautiful! There are other Kohler pedestals that can go with this...or other toilets that you can match with pedestal sinks.

As far as the shower goes, don't know if you have other tubs in your house or if this is your main bath, but if you can, I'd go with no tub in here, make it a shower with a frameless enclosure.

You don't need tile wainscoting in this bath unless that's your look. This was typical back in this era.

Post your selections. Can't wait to see what you're thinking about...are you going with something updated...to keep in with the feel of the rest of the house, or something completely different?

Creations Nadia Interior Design i don't want to impose ; but if you'll go on my web site there is a PP presentation BEFORE and AFTER, that bathroom was 5' x 8 1/2', my task was to incorporate the design of the bathroom wth the sink faucet ( it happened to be almost new) , what we created made my client very happy though it included a pedestal sink and you can see the toilet.. :)))

dianahb About the suggestion of a half wall-- that's exactly what we had in our bathroom, and I had no idea how it completely chopped up that room and made it seem so much smaller. This is also not an overly large bathroom. My tiler is the one who first suggested I take it down-- and, wow-- what a difference that made (and, again, it was just a half wall). We also ended up laying the 14" square tile on a diagonal, which really made the room seem larger, too (along with the beautiful pedestal sink which replaced the god-awful cabinetry!). But the very first thing people notice is the tile, and also the sink (which is a Kohler Memoir, the 30"-- it really is a thing of beauty), and also the wall lights, which I consider almost like a piece of art-- not simply a light source.

olldbobbi Well, I care if the toilet is showing, regardless of the size of the bathroom. No matter how they redesign the toilet it's still an eyesore, still a toilet.

The pretty plants would go IN the top of the half wall.

dianahb Well, you know-- it would be different if the toilet was sitting in the living room. Of course, if that were the case, then you'd probably want to put 4 walls around it and call it-- hmmm-- let's see-- OH! I know-- I've got it-- we could call that room a "bathroom!" Yeah-- I love that idea. But to then go and wall in the toilet within those 4 walls we're now gonna call a bathroom -- well-- that just seems, gosh, how shall I put this-- a bit anal, don't you think? Seriously. That is some kind of hang-up. I find it slightly odd and very humorous-- or maybe the other way around. ;)

olldbobbi dianahb, funny! But sadly, I know a few guys who would love a toilet in the living room :((

dianahb haha. Well, where I'm from, we typically see them on the front porch (sans privacy wall surround), along with a broken down couch, sprung springs and all, and maybe a tired old hound dog somewhere nearby-- just to round things out a bit. (There's more, but that's the upscale version.)

olldbobbi '57 Chevy front seat??? Three bent rims stacked with plywood over the top for a table? I think I've seen that somewhere before..... When I first started dating my husband they were replacing all the toilets in his apt complex, and left the old toilets out on the common walkway. Very funny sight, to me, but he was embarrassed. And this was in San Jose, CA!!! High tech capitol of the state.

dianahb ha. I forgot the rusted out Chevy-- oops-- I mean, just the front seat, of course-- yeah- that's a visual that takes me back-- well, to last month. That's a new one for me for a table construction, though. That must be some weird hippie dippy California thing . . . but I like it. ;)

olldbobbi Actually I saw this very cool Decorating Cents show where they were redoing a teen boys room. They used a 57 Chevy front seat for the headboard, it was awesome!!! And they polished and stacked and secured three rims and put a piece of glass over the top for his nightstand. They decorated the white walls by rolling a tire in black paint and then rolling it on the walls! It was totally great.

mnky100 I will be replacing the bathtub with a new one. This is the main bathroom (in the bungalow) and I have a little one that will need the tub and sink. I want to make it modern yet easy to clean. That's why I was thinking of using tile behind the sink but it looks like most photos I've seen would just paint or tile the whole area... Just not sure what kind of tiling is good. should they match the bathtub tiles?

dianahb mnky100: So, are you removing all the tile that's there now? I still think a tile wainscoting around the room is nice, not only behind the sink, but that's just me. I like a wood wainscoting, too, painted-- but you don't have to worry as much about water splashing everywhere if it's tiled.

dianahb Creations Nadia Interior Design: I took a look at your website. I saw the PPT presentation-- nicely done Before & After-- but the bathroom image I really like is the still image under 'bathrooms,' the one with 2 pedestal sinks-- teal green wall, it looks like, paired up with a sort of lime green on the wall that separates the two sinks. I love that.

By the way, you might want to edit your website info on the profile here. You have a colon there instead of a period (in the URL link). Maybe it was deliberate(?)-- but it doesn't work as is, so people have to type it in-- so you might want to correct that; it's a nice site.

mnky100 dianahb: yes, I will be removing everything including tiles from this bathroom. how big is the bathroom you re-did? I wonder if 14" floor tiles would work for me too.

dianahb Ours is a little over 9 feet long, and then the widest part (where the pedestal sink went in) is also a little over 9 feet. But then there's a section where a built-in tub (about 5 feet long, I think) comes out from the wall, so that's not as wide-- and so makes the width between the tub and wall, about 5 feet.

I looked and looked for tile and thought about doing subway tile, with maybe a hex tile on the floor. But I wanted the tile around the tub to go up to the ceiling-- and a wainscoting all around-- and I worried about how sick I might get of seeing that subway tile. I just wasn't sure. In the end, I got a beautiful grey rectified porcelain (laid very tight, so grout lines are super narrow). If you have a store near you that sells Crossville porcelain (Empire series), check it out. It's the prettiest porcelain I've ever seen, and unusual looking-- and very smooth to the touch. It does come in various sizes-- including plank style. It also comes in 14" sq and 18" sq-- probably 12" sq as well. I don't know how big or small a room needs to be for tile laid on the diagonal, but it does visually seem to make a room larger.

If you're re-tiling everything, I do think subway tile is appealing and timeless (my opinion), and pretty affordable. I also love (love) penny rounds. That might be an acquired taste-- not sure. But we're re-doing a second bath, and I opted for penny rounds on that floor. I found some beautiful ones (porcelain) that were very affordable (under $5 a sq foot) and honestly look individually hand-enameled. They're sort of a pale blue/grey with a dark coppery-colored edge to them. I've gone back and forth about whether I made the right decision there, but I think I'm really going to like them. There are lots out there that aren't very interesting looking, I think-- so you have to look carefully-- but these were just really unusual. I think I'll like putting my feet on those, too. ;)

And, given the size of your bathroom, I seriously would opt for either a pedestal sink or one of those sinks set into an open shelf like cabinet. But I really think nothing beats a gorgeous piece of white clean porcelain. It just always looks clean and uncluttered. We have a deep closet in that one room, which helped in not needing additional storage-- but even a medicine cabinet takes care of a lot of stuff.

dianahb mnky100: Also, for my current bathroom, I did end up going online and found this amazing tile place that offers granite; marble; limestone, etc at greatly reduced prices from my local tile showrooms-- about half the price. I had samples sent to me, and what I chose was exactly the same tile I saw at my local tile store, at literally half the price. I paid a flat rate shipping, but even with that, I probably saved about $1000. I also had to pay no state sales tax. I was nervous about buying like that, but I talked with them on the phone; read the positive reviews; and the tile was shipped within the time frame they promised-- all packaged carefully and arrived on a pallet to my back door--and all beautiful-- no issues at all. So that's worth checking out, too. I also found another place online that sells the same glass pencils I wanted (again, at half the price-- and free shipping).

Creations Nadia Interior Design dianahb ! Thanks, actually it's in the process of upgrading,so you are right 100%!!! and thanks again you took your time to look @ that :)))

dianahb mnky100: I was thinking about the diagonal tile on the floor, and I do remember my tiler (and maybe even a tile store designer) saying to me once that you really should be able to have at least 3 full rows of tile (without interruption) if laid on the diagonal. Must be a rule of thumb, I guess. I think it doesn't look right and provide the visual you want without at least 3 rows. So when you have a 14" tile, for instance, laid on the diagonal, that's more like 20 inches. Given your space, you'd be okay (if following that rule of thumb). Hope that helps.

katiekirkendall Toilet: $100 pedestal sink: @$100 cabinet for storage:$100 remove tile and use dry wall mud already premade to patch walls. As for the tub if you don't use this bathroom a lot then regal zing is a great idea. They also do tile.

Dura Supreme Cabinetry olldbobbi - Thank you! I like that storage idea. :) We have more photos of that bathroom too.

Curb Appeal Renovations Whatever you do and whatever tile you use...look for Fusion grout. It's relatively new. You don't have to seal the grout. Drawbacks...it is more expensive, but you'll love it so you won't have to worry about having to reseal the grout, it discoloring over time due to stains or dirt. We use it in all the bathrooms we do now.

http://www.custombuildingproducts.com/products/grout-materials/single-component-grout/fusion-pro.aspx

mnky100 Thanks for all the great ideas! I do like penny rounds but worry they'd be hard to clean. Right now, We're going with white subway tiles, green glass mosaic accent, and charcoal floor. But we're still trying to figure out how we're going to put this green mosaic. We want to put one across the sink wall but not sure if we should do a continuous one going around to the bathtub.

mnky100 This is the sink we've chosen.

Creations Nadia Interior Design if you'll get the same model but with only one hole for your faucet - you will have more room for soap dish or other items:)))

camillealbert Tile just the tub wall or half way around the whole bathroom. The sink is beautiful..is there a matching toilet ?.please don't put up a wall. It will make the room look small and awkward. Have fun. We just did. Master bath and are now doing a powder room in the basement. It's just 5-7. Just a sink and toilet and them I'll have fun with accessories.

dianahb Hey mnky100-- I love the sink. So glad you opted for a pedestal sink, and Nadia above is correct. Our pedestal sinks have only one hole-- and it does make a difference (more room, cleaning around only one faucet, and just a cleaner look all around). I love subway tiles, and what you've chosen sounds really nice.
(Oh . . . I worry about those penny rounds, too, but I have high hopes they will not be hard to clean (and no shower is involved, just on a floor with only a free-standing tub-- and tan grout-- so I'm hoping that helps. ;) But I love what you came up with; I think it will be really nice.

dianahb Oh- one more thing I wanted to add here. And I know this may sound like a no-brainer, but we seriously had to search high and low to find a good plumber who knew how to plumb a pedestal sink. Not all plumbers know how to do that correctly (who knew)-- He plumbed it so that all the piping was connected from the back of that sink directly into the wall-- so when you look at it straight on, and even from the side, it's all very neat and tidy. He did a beautiful job.

Like I said-- sounds like a given-- but good plumbers (with know-how AND an aesthetic eye) seem to be in short supply and worth their weight in gold. So if you don't have one, ask your local plumbing showroom type place to give you a name.

eagledzines I know I'm too late for this discussion but want to add my 2 cents. This is one of the prettiest very small bathrooms I've seen and it would look fabulous with a walk in glassed shower on the opposite wall and toilet on the other side of the left wall of the sink. Coordinating stone rectangular tiles on the floor that went right into the shower and up the wall in the shower alone. Glass doors on the shower would give you more spacious feeling and more space in the shower area. Wall mounted toilet. For what it's worth.

mnky100 Thanks Nadia for your comment. I will look into the one hole sink. The one I bought has a 4" spacing but it does have a one hole option
I got the matching toilet that fits this space. It is a round bowl less than 28" in depth. Can't wait to see it in the space.

Thanks dianahb for all your ideas!! I will keep them all in mind. I have the basement bathroom to redo after this one!

I thought about putting in a shower but we need a tub for the baby. The basement will have a shower

Any thoughts on location of the green tiles? Ok to go around whole room? Or to have one along sink wall. And maybe a 2' strip going down bathtub wall? Don't know if that would be too much...

dianahb So are the subway tiles going all around, like wainscoting? If so, could you use the glass as an accent piece within that, and carry it through? Not sure how you were using the subway tile, but if you're using the glass somehow behind the sink, I'd definitely pick it up someplace else in the room, too.

pkboccardi I am in the process of gutting two bathrooms. One has the exact same layout. I have decided to tile the the tub surround and vanity wall only. I am using calacatta marble in a subway pattern on the bottom half of the tub surround and 4 x4 on the top. This is the only tub in the house. I have, therefore, decided to use a shower curtain, much to the horror of designers I have encountered. However, anyone with children understand how hard it is to bathe children around shower doors! I am using calacatta subway tile on the vanity wall and topping it with pencil mold, a decorative mosaic border and chair rail. Since there will be a shower curtain, it didn't make sense to put money into expensive decorative tile in the tub surround. I opted for a vanity to obscure the toilet. I currently have a pedestal sink and DO NOT like seeing the toilet from the hallway. I found a beautiful vanity at Restoration hardware. It is the Maison 36". I believe it is still on sale. I got the vanity, marble top and basin for $1,605 plus $125 shipping. It is very time consuming to research all of the details, but when you're spending soooo much money it is worth the time. Good luck!

Dura Supreme Cabinetry eagledzines - I love the tile and mirror choice in that bathroom.

stoyem I love your pale green mid-century tile and fixtures! You might want to check out some of these retro bathroom renovations to see if you can come up with a bathroom re-do you like while preserving what you have. If it's just not your thing, please do sell or donate the sink and bathtub :)

http://retrorenovation.com/category/hi-pam-reader-spotlight/bathrooms-hi-pam-reader-spotlight/

Creations Nadia Interior Design I love your choices! i would tile all around and use subway tiles in a brick pattern - it will look good with your glass tiles and will help to hide imperfections of the wall if you'll have to deal with such thing :)))

redheadedwmn Love the tile you picked! I would suggest using the glass accent behind the sink, It makes such an impression and with the light shinning on it, WOW!

dianahb redheadedwmn: That's a really nice design, and you put the gray floor there in the illustration, too. That's really pretty.

mnky100: By the way, check out discobath.com for glass mosaics if you haven't already bought yours. They have great prices. I wanted these grey/blue glass liners for my bathroom, and they were selling them at $3.15/each- exact same glass, same maker-- everything-- as my local tile store which was selling them at $9+/each. Free shipping included.

mnky100 Redheadedwmn, I really love this suggestion! But I will be doing subway tiles all around since we will need to use this as our main bath... I'm thinking of putting a strip of green down the center wall of bathtub with the tiles going horizontal. Trying to figure out if it will look good with the rest of the space...

Dianahb. I just got the tiles today.

mnky100 Redheadedwmn, for your suggestion, would I just leave the edges of the tiles showing? how would I finish the two sides?

blindsdirectcanada I would recommend a Shutter for the window. It works great in a bathroom.

dianahb mnky100: We just finished a bathroom, using the 14" sq grey porcelain (which has some variation to it -- so it's not one solid color) that I mentioned before. We also used a small square glass mosaic which consisted of pale blue.grey, dark blue/grey; beige limestone; beige glass-- all little squares. It's really pretty and goes so well with the grey. The glass really seemed to elevate things-- like looking through water.

But the tile itself went up behind the sink, just above a recessed medicine cabinet, and then as wainscoting around the room and up to the ceiling on the three walls that surrounded the tub/shower combination. Within all of it, we ran this glass mosaic-- something like a 5" or a little less strip. I worried a little that it might look like a racetrack or something-- but it doesn't. And because the wainscoting is stepped down from the taller walls surrounding the tub, it works well really well. As a friend of mine said, "This reminds me of really nice charcoal pants with a crisp white blouse (all that white porcelain), with a little jewelry to set it off." I thought that was such a good analogy.

I really liked the glass mosaic so much that I had wanted to do what Redheadedwmn suggested above-- up the wall behind the sink-- but my tiler (and the designer at the tile store) just said "NO" to that right away. They looked at me like I was insane. I'm not sure why as I thought it would be really nice, but they just said "Too much." Not sure if they thought it would be "too much" for me (knowing my taste), or just "too much" overall. I'm glad now we didn't do it, but it still seems like a nice idea to me. ;)

Anyway-- I think what you've chosen will be really spectacular.

Creations Nadia Interior Design No! you don't leave your tiles open @ the end - you can use aluminum tile edge to make the look nice and finish:))))

mnky100 I mentioned putting the green tiles going vertical but the tiler said no too. :p
Now I'm thinking of using the green tiles to go around the tub area, close to the top of wall. But then it won't connect with the sink wall green tiles...

dianahb Well, we do have ours going around our tub area, but the tiler brought the glass up much higher than what's on the wainscoting (because I chose to put the tile that goes around the tub, all the way up to the ceiling, so the glass strip runs down from the top of the wainscoting about 10 inches and just hits the bottom of the recessed medicine cabinet, which is kind of nice-- and then it steps up and goes vertically about 30 inches-- then goes horizontal again (which still makes it about 2 feet from the top of the ceiling), and then steps back down again around the walls. The sink itself is set in an alcove, so that breaks up the wall a bit.

Anyway-- it all works out really nicely. The glass does meet up-- there's really no break-- a very smooth transition. I was concerned it might look odd, but it doesn't. I'll try to send a picture of you like.

The only reason I can think that the tiler(s) don't like running that glass all the way up like that is that perhaps that only works well if you have a really large bathroom (?). Also, I'm wondering if, when you cover a large wall with it, like that, in a relatively small bathroom, it ends up looking like Las Vegas. My personal opinion is that covering a big space like like might look dated in a few short years. I'm not sure, but I'll ask my tiler next time I see him. ;) I know the tiler and the designer at the store were both horrified when I suggested doing that. Up to that point, they had a good opinion of me; after that, they never looked at me the same way again. ;)

Southern Patina Interiors Sorry but who makes your pedestal sink - didn't see this info amongst the posts. Thanks.

Kathy Kenez Nice vintage bath! I love the sink and funky laminate counter. The only thing I'd replace is the floor.

If you do destroy it, please take everything to your local salvage yard - including the medicine cabinet. Some people are trying to restore bathrooms like this one.

Southern Patina Interiors I like the vintage bathroom too - Have you considered just replacing the sink?
The bathroom probably works with the rest of your house. I would try to keep it harmonious so the bathroom doesn't stand out and look out of place.

dianahb I liked that soft blue/green tile, too, but the "funky laminate counter" is really pretty horrific by any standards.. It looks like something cheap that was added in the late 70's. As mnky100 mentioned above, the room is not all that big, so eliminating the overwhelming cabinetry will help open up the space.

As for the tile, I probably would have changed out the flooring, but not the wall tile. Then again, if you put in a separate sink, you might be hard-pressed to find one in the same color-- so then you're stuck with a white sink that stands out (not in a good way) against all that green..

Putting subway tile in is still in keeping with the look/age of the house, I'm guessing. I can understand why someone might get sick of the existing tile, but I'd try to have the tiler take it out carefully and then sell it.

mnky100 Dianahb, please post a picture of your bathroom. It sounds very pretty. I'd love to see it.

The sink is from kohler and has matching toilet.

We left the sink and bathtub out on the curb and someone has already picked it up. As for the tiles, they were really stuck to the wall and had to be chipped away we couldn't save them...

dianahb Okay; I'll see if I can do that. Wow-- you're on your way. We've never been able to save any old tile, either-- though we also never wanted to save any of the stuff we had in here. I didn't care if I ever saw it again. :)

Kathy Kenez I bought a vanity from a salvage yard with the exact same laminate for the 2nd bath in my 1966 split. It has the original orange sinks in it! Can't wait to replace the bad oak re-do.

Subway tile is wrong for a 50s ranch. So is wood wainscoting, oak, doors with panels, travertine and so much more.

dianahb Hey Kathy,

I'm not convinced that "subway tile is wrong for a 50's ranch." It was obviously used earlier, but also used in mid-century modern homes, if I'm not mistaken. That might be found more in specific regional areas (?)-- but now updated in so many different ways (beveled; various colors; various sizes-- but still considered subway tile; subway glass tile; subway mixed with mosaics).

Subway tile seems pretty timeless to me. We live in a house built in 1927, and before that-- a house built in 1880. I'm certainly not adhering to historical accuracy with any of them. If I did, I probably wouldn't have liked that 1880 toilet.

My feeling is that you should just do what you want, but always take the time to be thoughtful, and save your money so you can put quality in the home-- not something that's trendy and/or the least expensive route. Every time I've put something in my house that I thought-- at the time-- was too expensive and I could have gone another route-- I'm so glad I didn't. As far as I'm concerned, quality (and some amount of good taste) is what counts. I think it's the junky and mostly trendy stuff people use that gets dated.

We've spent the last 20 years ridding ourselves of the cheap route the former owner of our house took (a respected local builder, no less). With this last bathroom, we'll have eliminated the last vestiges of his bad, cheap taste and idiotic mind-boggling building methods.

redheadedwmn Sounds like you have a solid plan for what you want. I just remodeled my tiny 1950's bathroom over the summer (awful pink and maroon tiles with a cast iron tub in poor shape). I think that tile can make such an impact and as much as I love the details of my home, the bathroom had to be gutted and I'm so happy with improvement. It's now a modern, comfortable, usable and attractive space!

Anyways, for the edge of the tile, check out a tile shop or even a big box store. There is an edging material that comes in chrome, nickel, bronze, etc. Best of luck and I'd love to see some "after" pictures when you get the project completed!

redheadedwmn oh, and here's a pic of my 50's bathroom reno. We've completed since this picture was taken. We added glass tile for a backsplash, large mirror, pendant lights, new window... My layout is almost the same as what you have. Being that this is our only bathroom for now, I had to find a vanity with storage that also fit the dept of were it met the door jam.

Carriage Lane Design-Build Inc. only putting tile on either end of the bathroom creates a lovely look and drawers your eye to the back creating a longer seeming space. Doing a wall hung cabinet is fine but I would look into extending the countertop over top the toilet and have it slimmer so that you can get that extra bit of countertop.
Try to stick with light marbles and tiles of that nature with perhaps a darker vanity to create a dramatic look and not loosing the openness of the space

mnky100 Dianahb, Love that last paragraph of comment you made. I hope I don't spend the next 20 years fixing up what had been done before. Our next project is the basement bathroom. It looks horrible right now. Need some inspiration for that too. Can't wait to see a pic of your bathroom. It sounds so pretty.

Anyway, I did thought about keeping the sink but we're want a modern clean look for the whole house. (The only retro thing we're keeping is the laundry sink.)

Yes, I'll definitely post some pictures when it's done. :)

LaRena Dorsey We are putting in a two people shower.

dianahb mnky100: I'll try get a picture up today. I really love it. The last bathroom is being worked on as we speak (obviously not by me).

I love old houses, but I've never been in one yet that didn't have to have the kitchens and bathrooms re-done. What people will do to a space never ceases to amaze me. We waited a long time-- too long-- but we wanted to get it done right, and "getting it done right" always seems to cost more $$$ than you think it will. And there were always other things that needed to be done sooner. And, of course--with old houses-- nothing is ever what you think it will be-- never square, or flat, or even, and studs in unpredictable places. And, of course, the more you tear away, the more you discover (mostly bad).

Still, we're nearing the home stretch now. I did manage to find some great places for tile and even found (also online) Robern cabinets and Kohler sinks-- for far less than I could find at local places. A little searching online-- and amazing what you can locate-- and always free shipping. We've never had an issue with any of it.

But I'm with you on the clean modern look. The older I get, the more clean lines I want. I just cannot tolerate clutter and "stuff." One thing I love about the bathroom that was recently completed-- it is such a joy and so easy to keep clean. Something about that clean white porcelain, too, that just has a look that can't be beat.

Anyway . . . I could go on and on . . .

mnky100 Redheadwmn, the blue mosaic is gorgeous. I really like that!

mnky100 Dianahb right now it's so far so good with this bathroom. The subfloor is fine and the pipes still good. The drywall is going up. Haha, you're right, with old houses things are never really where you think they should be... Our water meter pipe is right in the middle of the basement where we want a foyer... Anyways, that's another story.

mnky100 Hi all! It's getting there! Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I'm going to get the sink with one hole. Post more pics later. :)

dianahb Oh wow-- gosh-- things are going super fast for you. We're moving in slow motion over here, in comparison. I love the green and white. Also, you'll be so glad you got the sink with one hole. Less cleaning, and just a clean look. Can't wait to see more pictures! Now I'm thinking I should have gone with white. I really like this.

Southern Patina Interiors Hey - sorry but couldn't find a post of the sink you chose - who makes that and what's the name of the model - thanks, renovation is moving along great.

dianahb She said it was Kohler. It looks like their "Perigi" to me. Look up Kohler pedestal sinks, and you'll get a whole page of them; compare to the pic she showed above.

Southern Patina Interiors Yes I know, there tons of Kohler sinks to choose from. Thanks for the lead.

Southern Patina Interiors dianahb -don't think it's the Perigi sink - they don't look the same to me.
If someone has the name of the sink, please let me know, thanks.

John Whipple - By Any Design ltd. Sometimes you need to check with a plumber. If you Houzzer's get stuck Terry Love and his son Jamie have a great plumbing forum here; http://www.terrylove.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?5-Shower-amp-bathtub-Forum-amp-Blog Tons of information within this web page.

dianahb Well, it looked similar to me. Check out this page: http://www.us.kohler.com/us/Bathroom-Sinks-Pedestal-Sinks/category/651381/429706.htm Maybe it's the 'Cimmaron' or 'Wellworth.'

Sorry-- looking at it again, I think it's the Cimmaron. But when I click on that picture, on the Kohler site, nothing comes up. So I'm wondering if it's discontinued. ?

mnky100 Yes it's the Cimarron model by Kohler.

mnky100 The sink with one hole is special order from Home Depot. They didn't have it at the store.

soberg The mint green fixtures are actually quite pretty....are you dead set on getting rid of them?

Granite Transformations I think a pedestal sink would give you more space to maneuver in a tight bathroom. You could always put a nice basket on the floor for your towels and miscellaneous bath items.

Rather than gutting the bathroom, you could resurface the tile and bathtub. An insert would work to update the dated 60's blue. You could install a more modern tile on the walls, or even granite. Here's a link to show you some options you'd have with resurfacing- http://www.granitetransformations.com/southjersey/services/bath-remodeling/our-bath-remodeling-services/

I think a mosaic tile would be beautiful in this space. You could install a nice wood plank floor, the pedestal sink, paint the walls a sand and install mosaic tile. http://www.granitetransformations.com/southjersey/products/mosaic-tiles/colors/traditional-mosaic/

flgrandma I like your bathroom as is, except for the counter-top. If you don't want this to look like a bathroom form the hallway, why not change the door? If you could post a couple of photos from the hall, I'll see if I can find some examples for you.

Frank Webb's Bath and Lighting Center I am rather late in this discussion and I did not read every post so forgive me if i am not adding anything new but have you thought about a wall hung toilet? They save a lot of space because the tank is in the wall and if you mount the sink on the wall as well it will have a clean modern feel

mnky100 Flgrandma. How do I change the door? What do you mean?

flgrandma mnky100, I'm still looking for good photos, but here are a few ideas for spicing up the end of your hallway. One would be to paint that whole end of the hall a color that you like, not white. The paint would include the wall, trim and door. You might want to change out your door for one with heavy etching that would allow light into the bath, but would still protect privacy. Another idea would be to have etched glass only in the top panels of the door for a little more privacy.

Unless you have plenty of funds, I'd discourage you from taking a functional bathroom from one specific era (1960s) to another specific era. You might go to the Houzz blog that discussed what is trend and what will stay. Ideabook: 10 Popular Home Design Trends — Timely or Timeless?

Also. some photos from Houzz of different doors. Ideabook: bathroom doors

Let me know if any of this interests you and I'll keep looking. Good luck with your choices.

baggie2 Our house has a bathroom at the end of the hall, and, like you, I really didn't like the view. Fortunately, our bathroom window was the focal point. There was a solid blank wall to the left of the door in the hall, so I had our builder make that end of the hall look like it opened to another area with the mirrored French doors. The left door is a "dummy", but can be easily removed to gain access to the plumbing to the new shower. I hope you can find a solution you like as we'll as I like mine!

shortped I am late in this discussion also but I do not like a charcoal gray floor in a small bathroom....also, I think every piece of hair etc will show!

mnky100 Hi Baggie2. We've gutted the bathroom because the tiles were cracked and the sink was no good. We want to go for an updated look. Here it is so far. We're waiting for the pedestal sink to come in.

mnky100 We thought about putting in a shower but this is the main bathroom and we need a tub for the little one.

mnky100 Think I should paint the walls? They painted it white for us...

dianahb Isn't your floor going to be grey tile? I can't remember now. I'd probably paint the walls a very soft grey/green.

Dura Supreme Cabinetry dianahb - great color choice. A neutral grey/green would work well with the tile.

dianahb We just finished a bathroom renovation a few months ago-- it has a shower/tub combination, which I really like. We're (still) in the throes of renovating another bathroom, where there was an oversized shower that took up so much space. The room itself was relatively large-- but this shower was ridiculous-- which, in the end, we decided to eliminate. That allowed us to take down some walls, and then I couldn't believe what a big room we had. So we're putting in a free-standing tub (I hope I don't regret it), but that also has a shower head on the wall. So we'll put up a long curtain-- and though the tub isn't in yet, the room has just opened up considerably.

I don't mind a built-in tub/shower combination, but showers by themselves-- those cavernous-like glass boxes-- I find strange. As much as I love showers, I don't like the look of most of them, which translate to me like weird glass boxes within another (sheet-rocked or plastered) box. Too many boxes.

mnky100 Thanks for the colour suggestion. I will be painting in a few weeks.
We're putting in a shower with seat for the basement bathroom. We're going to frame it so hopefully it'll look less cavernous. :)

dianahb Haha. I know. I am hung up on those bad cavernous showers, possibly because I had to live with one for 20 years. Our bathroom was a disaster. We're getting ready for this free-standing tub to be installed next week, but the saleswoman actually suggested that I see if I have any trouble stepping into it (in the showroom). I'm a runner and like to think of myself as active and, you know, able to pick up my leg and step into a tub, but obviously I looked quite frail to her. Nevertheless, I took off my shoes and-- gosh-- had no trouble doing that. Five years down the road, I might, and then I guess we'll be forced to put in another cavernous shower. ;)

Meanwhile-- not to hijack your thread here-- but we did get our penny rounds in and grouted today. I love them-- not to everyone's taste-- but these I really love. The color is a soft blue/grey and they are not even in color throughout, which I like-- looks more hand-enameled to me, each one. They feel great on the feet, too.

baggie2 Dianahb, like your floor and I think the freestanding tubs are wonderful, but not for us. Grrr's to that impudent sales lady! So much for tact. Happy bubbles to you. : )

dianahb Thanks, baggie2. We never take baths. Honestly, I don't know what I'm thinking, really-- but it's such a pretty tub. ;) I just had the space and always wanted one. We did put in a shower head as well, so we'll have one of those long (I'm thinking elegant sheer linen) shower curtains that go all the way around. I think it will be good-- well, as long as I can lift my leg over the tub rim.

I was in yet another tile store the other day, and one of the salesmen gave me some incorrect grout information, which another much younger sales(woman) told me was wrong, and -- as we walked away from the salesman-- she says, "That old guy back there you were just talking to-- he has no idea what he's talking about." That "old guy" looked to be about 40-- if that. Yikes, I thought to myself. I must have looked like the crypt keeper to her. ;)

mnky100 Dianahb. I love that flooring. So pretty. I thought about using the hexagonal ones for the bathroom but decided to go with the 6x24 tiles. In the photo of the bathroom it does look black... They should've done the grout a bit lighter I think.

panzyzz If you must tear out this lovely bathroom, you can hop on over to http://retrorenovation.com/forums/ and sell the pieces together. There are many people out there who would love that color!

dianahb Thanks, mnky100. I only just saw your post here this morning. I really am loving the floor. The grouting made such a difference, too. The walls were painted yesterday. The tile on the walls still needs grouting-- and, of course, nothing else is in yet. Things move like molasses around here. You'll be done with your second bath before we finish this one.

I do like the 6x24 tiles a lot. It looks like a charcoal grey(?). I think you'll be happier with the darker grout. I went back and forth with grout colors myself. You wouldn't believe how many bags of grout I have sitting around here. In the end, I decided that grout looks best when it's just there to do its job, and not to make a statement-- unless, of course, you want it to make a statement. ;) But I think when the tile stands out more than the grout, that's probably a good thing. I just want the grout to mesh and hopefully recede. Looking at your photo, that looks like a good choice you made.

I like that the plank flooring echoes the shape of the wall tiles, specifically the glass tile. And I really like that you made that strip wider around the tub. I wish I'd done that with ours; that's a very good look, too.

I had thought about hex tiles, but I saw them laid in a tile store, and that really turned me against using them. I don't know if you have to have a very specific floor size for those-- but something about them I really didn't like, once I saw them installed. You'd think penny rounds would be very busy (to my eye, since grouted, they're not), but I felt the hex tiles I saw were disorienting-- possibly the wrong grout color? Plus, they were incredibly filthy. I know they're getting commercial traffic, but they were amazingly dirty. Anyway . . . you made a good choice.

baggie2: Very sleek shower-- pristine. I really like that. Now maybe if I'd had something like that, I wouldn't always be referring to showers as cavernous. ;)

mnky100 Hi dianahb. Thanks for your post. We're now re-thinking the pedestal sink because we saw a nice vanity that will go well also with the bathroom. Here's the pic. It doesnt have corners so it will take up less space when opening the bathroom door. Plus the pedestal sink is on back order now. working on the basement bathroom which should be done in 1-2 weeks.

baggie2 Dianahb,

We had other reasons for the large shower and I am including a picture of one of them. The boy doggie refused to be photographed in the shower. Dilly will do anything for a photo op. : ). She was responsible for my broken arm and shoulder so maybe she humors me a little. She weighs over 90 pounds, and our old boy doggie weighed over 80 pounds and hated baths. He was part chow and his girth nearly matched his length so getting him into the tub was nearly impossible for me.
I could get his front legs over the edge of the tub but those suction cups he must have had on his back legs stuck to the floor and then his front legs suction cups would appear and I could not budge him. Since they are inside dogs they rarely need bathing...fortunately.

BTW, I tried to get our builder to make a self-clean bathroom. I wanted all stainless steel, including floor, and I would just have to lock the door and turn on the "self clean" function. Like the ovens!

baggie2 There should have been a comma and then "like the ovens", but my spell know-all changed the meaning with the period. Sorry. : (

dianahb baggie2: I do love the idea of a self-cleaning bathroom. I think you might have a marketable idea there, and stainless is all the rage right now, too (or have I missed that trend already>) ;)

Dilly is gorgeous. Is that a white golden retriever? She's really beautiful and sure doesn't look like a 90 lb bruiser. We have a very handsome border collie who does not understand the whole bath (or bathroom renovation) concept. Well, being a border collie, I'm sure he understands it--- he's just above all that. ;) 90 lbs, though! Wow. I'm not sure I could handle that with one dog, much less two. In fact, we've noticed that-- through the decades-- our dogs have gotten progressively smaller. We had a golden retriever, years ago, then an Australian shepherd, now a border collie. He's the smallest at 47 lbs. And, of course, since we know I will barely be able to get into our tub myself, I know I won't be able to lift him in there, either.

mnky100: Don't you hate it when all these things are on backorder someplace? We won't get a door until the end of March. Seriously. Why it has to come from another state is beyond me. (At least it's made in the U.S.-- that's something, I guess). But, I don't know. I still like a pedestal sink. Have you seen those sinks attached to walls? Some of those are really nice-- very sleek looking-- and then you could put storage underneath that. Also, check out Restoration Hardware. They have some interesting ones. I like the idea of the rounded cabinet, though. I've not seen that before. Also, it's official. You will have your second bathroom done before ours is even thinking about being finished.

dianahb baggie2" Haha. Yes-- another great concept. The Kuvasz service dogs whose main job is to get people in and out of fancy tubs they never should have bought in the first place. I swear, when this is all done-- which, you know, might be in July at this point-- I'm going to take a photograph of it all, with my leg raising up to the 23 inches to get into that tub. If I never return here with that photograph, you'll know I could never actually raise it that high. And that will be a sad time.

I'm not familiar with the Kuvasz, but what a beautiful breed. They must be really well-behaved; otherwise, I'm guessing it would be difficult to control that much dog. They really do look like big (with much thicker coats, it seems) rare white golden retrievers. Our border collie, Tucker, is a sweet sweet boy. And he does herd people. He's also very smart-- but he does like for people to be in their proper place. He bites our ankles and pulls on our pants legs when he thinks we're not towing the line. I should get him working on the tiler, plumber, electrician . . .

Barnhart Gallery Aww -- my Great Pyr is a cousin to the Kuvasz -- here's a photo of him:
http://www.cafepress.com/+the_great_great_pyrenees_ornament_round,330552913

Dura Supreme Cabinetry panzyzz - Great advice! It's always worth looking into recycling and salvaging as much of your old materials. Who knows, selling your old cabinets, tiles, counters, etc. might help fund some of you renovation costs.

Inside Out Staging and Design I am glad you are considering changing the pedastal sink. If this is your main bathroom, you need storage. Pedastal sinks, although lovely, work much better in powder rooms. We have double pedastal sinks in our master (where there when we bought house) and I HATE them! Tried to convince hubby to change to double sink vanity bought lost that battle :). We have an armoire in our bathroom which houses our big"stuff" and medicine cabinets for smaller items.

dianahb InsideOutStaging: We just ripped out some god- awful cabinetry in a bathroom, put in a beautiful pedestal sink in its place-- and all can say is-- the difference is like night and day-- and so much earlier to clean, too. It really did open up the space, and it looks like the alcove where the sink now sits was tailor-made for it. Admittedly, we are fortunate to have a tall deep closet, with shelves, in that particular bathroom-- and we put in a recessed medicine cabinet-- so we don't need anything else.

But we now are in the midst of a second bathroom renovation (master), and we had 11 feet of built-in cabinetry, top and bottom-- with 2 sinks in that, that I abhorred. It was put in (not by us) in the early 1980's-- and all MDF board. If I had to come up with a really bad looking bathroom, I don't think my imagination would have carried me that far.

The thing is, we never used half that cabinetry space, and the other half we did use, I just filled with stuff I didn't need in the first place. When we ripped all of that out, I had to clean out the cabinets first, and most of what I had in there I threw away. Honestly. How many shampoos and conditioners and moisturizers and old prescription bottles does one person need?

So now we are putting in 2 pedestal sinks instead, with a lovely piece of free-standing furniture (4-drawer mid-century modern piece) that will sit between the 2 sinks, and 2 recessed medicine cabinets And after ripping out a lot of unnecessary stuff inside the bathroom itself (along with non- load-bearing walls), I have room for a lovely glass-fronted cabinet that will hold towels or vanity jars filled with unnecessary moisturizers and shampoos and stuff. ;) But I know that will be plenty.

I sound like a broken record, but sometimes I think we've all been led down this path where we think we must have inordinate amounts of cabinet space in a bathroom. For me, though, the less available cabinet space I have, the less junk I store. It forces me to only buy what I need.

But also-- I think medicine cabinets hold more than we think they might-- and to mnky100- I'd also check with a carpenter to see if there's space in your walls to do some recessed cabinetry, in addition to recessed or surface-mount medicine cabinet(s). And olldbobbi posted a photo above of some open shelving that looked great up on the wall behind the toilet or sink. That's also the type of thing you could see about getting recessed.

I just feel like there are lots of options out there where you could keep a pedestal sink, even in a small bathroom-- that are often not considered, mainly because no one suggests them. I think we're just so used to the built-in vanity/cabinetry idea.

dianahb I keep meaning to upload this picture. This is a pedestal sink, where a built-in cabinet/sink combo used to be. Not everybody's taste for sure, but if the space is there (and you have some way to fit in a bit of storage), it just translates as a very clean and (surprisingly) modern look to me. I also think pedestal sinks like this depend on a great plumber who can get all that plumbing behind the sink, so you never really see it straight on, and barely see it from the side.

baggie2 Dianahb, we used this Koehler sink in our master bath, but mounted it on a counter height cupboard. We love the extra space on the edges, and the wonderful clean look. We needed the small cupboard for storage or we would have used the pedestal. Love the pedestal look, but I was overruled.

Inside Out Staging and Design Dianahb, I am all for purging! It's what I do! However, I am also realistic and although you may have room in your bathroom for extra cabinetry there is no space in this bathroom and if I read into it correctly there is a child young enough who is still given baths and probably has all kinds of bath stuff ;). I am fortunate to have a large bathroom which can accommodate an armoire but many don't. I am of course always thinking if resale and people always want storage whether they need the 64oz Costco size shampoo or not ;).

dianahb baggie2: I guess you can do that, right? I forgot that the pedestal and basin are sold separately. Isn't that extra space amazing? I do think it has such a clean, modern, sleek look. I would love to see a photo of how the basin looks, mounted.

I also kept meaning to write to you about what read like a horrific story-- running into the tree at night, with the dog. You must have been really disoriented, no knowing what happened. What a scary thing. I have had dogs before that took off like that, including the one I have now-- but I was in a place where I could just let that leash go and, you know, hope for the best. :)

dianahb InsideOutStaging: Yes; I completely agree. My point, really, was/is that I think there are often smarter and more inspired ways to carve out storage than the typical vanity-- even in a small bathroom-- hence, my suggestion of, perhaps, hiring a carpenter to see if there's space in a wall for recessed wall cabinetry, or for a tall recessed medicine cabinet (in a side wall). And, as mentioned, several photos were posted above, notably from olldbobbi and Dura Supreme Cabinetry, that offered up some really interesting storage alternatives. I particularly like the multi-shelved cabinetry above the bathtub-- which would also make it convenient for those hard-to-reach items, like that 64 oz Costco shampoo(s). ;)

woodcliff20 Your washroom is exactly the same as mine, except it's pink. A mirror image!! My bungalow was built in the 50's, and I have the same design dilemma regarding tiles and when to stop. I am putting a vanity instead of a pedestal sink. I'm going for a white classic look with Carrera marble. The flooring will be basketweave marble tiles. I think I'm going to put in a modern compact Duravit Starck 3 toilet. I'm debating on whether to buy the Kohler Archer tub or the Azzura Adora tub.

mnky100 Woodcliff20 hope to see some pics of your space- before and after!
Thanks for all the comments. Gives me a lot to think about as we're still debating whether to go with the pedestal sink or the vanity. I will definitely need some storage but don't want to give up the floor space. Anyway, we will decide soon... the contractor will be done everything else (2nd bath, finish basement & kitchen) in 2 weeks time.
Dianahb. I'm surprised that it will take that long for you but I'm sure it will look fantastic once it's done. :)

dianahb mnky100: Well, gosh. Come to think of it, we're kind of surprised, too.

I think part of the issue is that I'm basically the GC on this job (which gives you a clue as to how much respect I'm getting.) ;) No, seriously.

The other (main) issue is that I will use only one tiler. This particular tiler is amazing at what he does-- and he's been doing tile work for us since the late 1980's. He's so good at what he does, that I don't mind the time it takes. Plus, he tries to save us money by doing a lot of other stuff (like the complete and total demolition and framing of doorways) that might be done faster if I brought a crew in-- but would probably be done in a worse way (if "worse way" is possible in demolition terms) and cost a lot more.

I don't know how other people do bathrooms (faster, I'm thinking), but our bathrooms seem to require complete and total gutting (back to the studs kind of gutting). We see pipes and wires and all kinds of behind-the-scenes stuff that no homeowner should really have to see. I have a whole new appreciation for what keeps a house going. It's a horror story-- disaster waiting to happen-- on the precipice.

And then there's the whole waiting game (necessary items on back-order), or the line-up scenario-- where the plumber can't do his thing before the electrician, and the electrician can't do his thing before the tiler, and and the tiler can't do his thing before the dry-wall folks-- oh, and then there's the carpenter.

So all those people have to be lined up in the right order, and sometimes one person can't get here for 2 days, so that sets everything back for 2 days. Then the plumber gets sick, and that sets you back another 4 days. And the light fixture that was perfection? You know-- the one that took half your life to find? Well, it turns out to be a problem.

And so it goes. I've also lucked out on some excellent craftspeople (even the dry-wall guys are incredible at what they do-- and, believe it or not, it's hard to find people who can do a perfect job of hanging and taping sheetrock). So I'm really particular about the plumber I use, the carpenter I use, the tiler, etc. And each of them works alone. So they're slow-- but they're really really good.

I don't mind waiting if the job will be perfection when finished. I am amazingly picky, though as my tiler stated this morning, as I was standing over his shoulder and pointing out a tiny grout issue- -- based on some of the people (women) he has to deal with-- I'm "like a girl scout." ;)

baggie2 Diana,

I give you a lot of credit for being your own GC. Our GC is a nice guy and a great woodworker, but not well organized. He didn't seem to want to try different suppliers, but I suppose it's more expedient for him to use the same ones he always uses. I learned my "assertive" lesson the hard way many years ago when a plumber convinced me to install a brand of garbage disposal with which I was unfamiliar. He said it was"basically the same" as the brand I had before. "Basically" it was installed under the sink is where the similarity ended. It didn't grind well and was very noisy! I couldn't wait for it to wear out, but it did seem to have a long life span, which I did not find to be an attribute. Durin our bathroom remodel, I had to push for a certain brand of toilet despite our GC's dire warnings against it, but I now know to hold firm. You GC's can be quite opinionated! : )

baggie2 Diana,

Here are some photos of the cabinet mounted sink. My tall husband really likes the size and height. As I said, I love the pedestal look you chose, but this is his bathroom. : )

dianahb baggie2: I just wrote this whole long post, and somehow it disappeared. Probably for the best. My posts are too long. This one will be, too, I'm sure.

First, thanks so much for posting these photos. I love the Kohler basin used like a vessel sink. That's a spectacular look, don't you think? There's a local plumbing/lighting showroom here that's huge--with everything pertaining to kitchens and baths-- and while they show the Kohler pedestal sinks (as pedestals), they do not show an example of how the basin can be used like this. And they really should. I've never seen it shown like this. I really like it-- and looks great set in that granite (?) countertop, too.

I just think that particular Kohler model is a real work of art. They've created a piece that can fit equally well into any style bathroom, to my mind. Really sleek. And I do so love that extra space all around the edges.

I've often wondered about the height thing for tall people-- which really is a big deal, especially with a sink and cabinets-- something you're using every single day. So did you get the cabinet custom made at a certain height, too?

Also-- I love your countertop and the diamond tiles behind it. They mesh really well-- beautiful combination.

I think if we each had our own bathroom (which I think, by the by, every married couple should have), I feel confident my husband would not have chosen penny rounds-- probably not even the pedestal sinks. The sinks didn't take any convincing, though-- but you can bet we went round and round on the penny rounds. As you correctly pointed out, though-- we GC's are not only highly opinionated, but we are also a demanding lot. ;)

dianahb baggie2: Starting a second post here just to respond about the whole GC thing. Several of the people who are working on this bathroom have done work here, or in another house, before-- so that makes it much easier, I feel. And many of them have worked with each other, on other jobs, so they're comfortable working together.. And they're all just really nice people who also have great personalities-- and each has his own quirky sense of humor, too (but, you know, they actually have a sense of humor, which is big in my book). Gosh, I do sound demanding-- but that's so important and something no one ever talks about.. So, you know, aside from their expertise, they're just pleasant to have around, and I feel that's really important-- given how much your life is disrupted with these types of renovations.

As I said before, I'm also pretty laid back about the time it might take, but I am extraordinarily picky about getting things done right. And I really don't have much issue there, either, because I've worked hard at finding some very good craftsmen. So it's easier than it might seem. If I had no idea where to begin or where to find good people-- or if it was a huge renovation or restoration (including structural stuff)-- then I'd most likely hire a GC.

baggie2 Diana,

Thanks for the comments. You are fortunate to have good skilled workers. Our tile guys put down marble tile squares in our entry as their first project. When my husband came home the day the tiles were laid, he said, "will they eventually 'settle' so the edges aren't sticking up?" As you well know, there is no settling. The installers didn't make them level and they would have been a tripping hazard. I believe they fully intended to leave them that way! Our contractor made them take them out and completely redo the entry. Ugh! My question was, who will be installing our bathroom tiles? It was the same guys with the head of the tile company directed involved everyday. They certainly did not work with good humor and complained bitterly about all my tile selections. They installed a marble basket weave mosaic floor tile and were not happy campers, but it looks good. I like to think I provided them with a learning experience! : ). You are right about humor...

woodcliff20 mnky100,

Here is my 50's pink bathroom. The contractor will be taking it apart tomorrow - sad to see it go....but I'll probably get over it pretty quickly when I see my tiles, new tub, vanity, toilet and shower installed :)

Aesthetic Tile Imaging Diana,
Please have a look at my Houzz.com project pictures of art tile. Perhaps you may want your own custom art for your bathroom tile.

mnky100 Woodcliff20. looks like we have exactly the same bathroom! Pls post some pics when renos are done. Can't wait to see it.

Kathleen Amatangelo Get a hinge put on the door that keeps the door closed, without you having to think about it since it is at the hall end. These hinges are often the ones found on inner doors linking attached garages to the house. This is a great idea for any bathroom, such as off an entry, etc., where the door is best kept closed.
You hardware store/door store can help you find this hinge. This is just an example of how they look: http://www.ebay.com/itm/380586774518?hlp=false&var=

baggie2 Mnky, how is the bathroom coming? Anxious to see pictures!

dianahb mnky100: I'm with baggie2. What is happening over there??

mnky100 Hi dianahb and baggie2, things are coming along. We've been busy with the basement bathroom. There were issues getting the one hole pedestal sink for the main bath. We're going with the 3 hole and then getting a plate to cover it. Pics to come soon. Here's the mirror and lights we chose.

dianahb mnky100: Thanks for the update and the photo! (And I'm so glad to hear someone else is having issues getting what they want. ;) I love both the mirror and the lights. Very nice. I especially love the mirror-- It looks like it might tilt; does it? It all looks really great. I cannot believe how much you've been able to do in such a relatively short time period. My lights finally came in, and only 3 showed up (4 were ordered). They promised the 4th was on its way. But the tile is all in and grouted now, and the tub, sinks, toilet go in on Monday. I can see me waiting until doomsday for that 4th light, though. Always something.

Can't wait to see photos of the basement bathroom. Every time I look at your main bath here, I think maybe I should have gone with white tile and glass liners. This has a nice clean streamlined look. Love it!

baggie2 Mnky, I especially like the mirror, and wondered the same thing as dianahb wondered, does it tilt? Everything looks so crisp and clean. I am looking forward to seeing Diana's pictures of her wonderful tub also! We have not heard from our new remodelers for about three weeks. We thought we were going to turn our utility room into a bathroom, move the washer and dryer to the storage room, put in a new access door to the back yard, and redo the peak and fascia on our house. We like the houses this group has built, but are not happy with the waiting. Hearing that we are not unique in our frustrations is a help, and your good outlooks are appreciated. : )

dianahb baggie2: Yes; I've decided there's good news and bad news here. We probably missed the boat by a few years. If we'd started all this back when the economy first tanked, when everyone was dying for employment-- it would have been 'Katy bar the door' time-- trying to keep the remodelers away-- so thrilled they would have been just to have work. So that's the bad news-- our timing was way off. The good news is that it seems like the economy must really be picking up! ;) But-- yes-- you're definitely not unique in all your frustrations.

On the upside, my vanishing 4th light actually showed up today! So that's a bit of bright and unexpected good news. The tiler is here as we speak, finishing up some last minute stuff. The recessed medicine cabinets are going in right now, and the plumber shows up on Monday. I'm thinking by the end of March, we should have a bathroom. Photos will appear soon. I'm psyched! ;)

Meanwhile, I'd get on the horn with your remodelers. Three weeks is a long time to not hear from them. I've gotten way too good at this (lots and lots of practice), so let me know if you want me to call them for you. ;)

baggie2 Thanks, Diana,

You always make me smile. I can only imagine that call! ROTFL

mnky100 Yes, the mirror can tilt. We were excited to find one that was square and it fitted in the space. :) (there were lots out there that were round or oval). We have yet to paint the bathroom. They painted it white for us and they've moved on to working on other parts of the house... We are going to wait till they're done with the other stuff first before going back to repainting.
Looking forward to seeing your remodels!!

dianahb mnky100: Yes, the mirror is great! It IS hard to find a square mirror. I like this one a lot and love that it tilts!

And I hate to say it, but I'm so happy that you're having to wait on the repainting. ;) Our painter is here as we speak, painting our bathroom. I think it's going to take a series of Saturdays; otherwise, we would have had to wait until the end of April. It's a slow process, for sure. But I'm excited about the plumbing (bathtub; sinks; toilets) going in on Monday. Pictures to follow, for sure!

Are you liking your newest bathroom basement remodel?

mnky100 Dianahb, what was the paint colour you suggested? I'm no good at choosing paint colours. They're either too bright or too dark after I paint the samples on the wall (for the bedrooms). Right now I'm thinking of the pale sea mist from Benjamin Moore for the bathroom. Any other suggestions?
We're not tiling our basement bath. It is very simple with a vanity, shower stall and toilet. Then will add in the accessories of course.

dianahb mnky100: I don't remember what I might have suggested, but the 'pale sea mist' here looks like it would go really well with what you have. You could have a lot of options with your tile, but this looks soft and spa-like-- very soothing. I really like it.

Paint colors are so difficult, because what looks good on a chip or in the store changes drastically once on the walls and with the way the light works in your house, and changes throughout the day. I'm using this Benjamin Moore color called Wind's Breath-- which, I swear, looks like wall board before it's painted. A friend of mine saw the swatch on the wall, and she said couldn't believe I was thinking of using it. But use it I did. And once up, it's just perfect-- a sort of light grey/beige, but is richer than it first appears. I love the way it looks throughout the day and night, too.

But I really like what you've picked here. If it looks good in your room, I'd use it. And against white, too, it will be pretty.

mnky100 Thanks dianahb. I will get a sample to test it out in a few weeks... Winds breath is oc-24 from Benjamin Moore. We have oc-10 (white sand) for our basement bathroom. It's just a bit lighter than yours. They are nice, neutral off white colors.

dianahb mnky100 & baggie2: Well, ladies, it's been a while, and I thought I'd post an update. I am constantly hijacking mnky100's thread here-- but wanted to let you know that it's now official. My own bathroom renovation has slowed to a glacial speed. I'm working with this plumber who is great at what he does, but it appears he is the sickly type. Before that, it was a series of "emergencies." (I did ask if raw sewage happened to be backing up into someone's living room, because other than that, I know of no plumbing emergency that should have kept him from being here.) On the upside, the painter is almost done, and the electrician shows up Monday to finish everything-- because all 4 of my lights arrived. So by Monday afternoon, we should have a gorgeous couple of rooms, with no plumbing installed. I'm psyched. Oh-- and then there was jury duty. Yes-- I got called-- couldn't believe it. Everybody I know says, "They picked YOU for jury duty?!" Even our daughter asked me how I managed to NOT get myself out of that. And then she says, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you'd make a terrible juror." So there you have it. I have learned, though, that it's a lot quicker and easier to send a murderer to prison for life than it is to get a plumber to show up at your door.

Well, that's been my last week or so. How's the basement bathroom, mnky100? And, baggie2, do you still need me to make that phone call to your remodelers? (I'm sending bad guys to prison now, so making a phone call should be a cakewalk.) ;)

baggie2 Diana and MNKY, I think we should start a business or write a book with the vast first-hand experience we have garnered. We won't be needing an attorney since Diana now has legal expertise. ( Did you really have a murder case!?? Grand Theft Auto was my most exciting case, and we let the kid go free. )
I worked for an M.D. so I could determine if the workmen are too ill to do the assigned project and how many hours they could work. MNKY will be in charge of supplies and ordering since she is good at locating products and expediting their delivery. (I am thinking of the cute square mirror, among others). We still have not heard from the newest almost contractor, but I had an old fashioned cold and then the husband got it-in spite of the fact that he vowed he would not! So we were not prepared to deal with outsiders for a couple of weeks. Looking forward to your pictures! Carry on, ladies!

dianahb baggie2: I think a book would be great! Think of all the good we would do, guiding others through all this. I like the idea, too, of being able to check to see if the "sickness" is for real. My husband thinks that the plumber is actually afraid to put in this bathtub, and he keeps getting sick to avoid having to do it-- a psychosomatic kind of thing. This is the kind of thing we sit around and discuss at night-- whether the plumber is having psychosomatic issues or not.

Yes; my legal expertise is now pretty vast. This was a 1st degree murder trial--and I can safely say that I am very very thankful that I am not in (nor heading to) prison. My plumbing issues seemed kind of minor in comparison to this. Open and shut case- and, yet, we had two people who were "unsure" and one who wanted "not guilty." It was bizarre, like maybe they were sitting in a totally different courtroom from the rest of us. Fortunately, my typical ongoing stance with the workmen served me well in there. In the end, our guy was not so lucky as yours, but I sure feel a lot safer. ;)

I'm sorry about your cold and lack of response from your newest almost contractor. Wow-- that's bad. Maybe he's in cahoots with my plumber. MKNY seems to know what she's doing. We need her tips (or workmen).

baggie2 Possible book title..."Our Obsessions with Workmen". "Workmen Obsessed"..."Not with My Contractor"..."Cahoots". (I just like that word)...just musing. Hope you are all in a finished state. Happy Easter,

laurae1967 Looks very stylish and updated. Glad you didn't overdo it with the green tiles. What you have looks terrific. A whole wall would have been too much.

dianahb baggie2: I'm guessing if you have the time to conjure up potential book titles, your newest almost contractor has not yet resurfaced? ;)

I do like "Workmen Obsessed," though-- as well as "Cahoots." I like that word, too. Maybe "In Cahoots," as I suspect they're all in cahoots, in one way or another. Throw in, "Is my tiler bad-mouthing me behind my back, do you think?" (possibly too lengthy and too much about me), or "It's not me; it's you." And I also like your term, "A Finished State."

So we never hear from mnky100. I'm guessing she is in a finished state and enjoying her new bathroom(s).

Well, I do have some exciting news. My sinks, bathtub, and toilet are in. Not exactly usable just yet-- though there is running water-- but there's some o-ring issue that needs to be resolved (wasn't that the issue with the Challenger?)-- and an escutcheon issue. And then there's caulking to be done. But it looks gorgeous. I am going to be sending pictures today.

Happy Easter! I hope you get to dye some eggs.

baggie2 Diana,

So happy for you and am anxious to see the pictures, especially the one of you stepping in and out of the tub with great agility! Will you be sending a copy to that teenybopper saleswoman? I am thinking word has spread through the workers' grapevine that you were instrumental in sending someone to a max facility prison and they all want to finish your projects and be done with you. : ). I may show your credentials to our "may be" contractor along with your post re: offering to intercede on our behalf. Were we to Skype at this moment, I would appear to be green, and not because it is Easter. Hope to see your bathroom soon...this is a phrase I believe I have never before used.

dianahb baggie2: Yes; they definitely want to be done with me-- this I know for sure. (And they should be afraid . . . very afraid. ). ;)

So here are some very recent iPhone pictures. We don't have the fronts on our medicine cabinets yet, and we don't have a door or molding for the door just yet-- and some other stuff-- like a replacement o-ring and caulking. Nevertheless, we've come very far. So ignore the stuff that's not yet done. And I couldn't manage to raise my leg over that tub today-- tomorrow, for sure, though.

mnky100 Hi! Wow dianahb, your bathroom is gorgeous! I love the tiles and how everything fits together so nicely.
Haha...The idea of a book is great. My workmen have been working at a speedy pace tho the main guy is on vacation for 3 weeks. My bathroom is almost done. The wall has been painted now. The floor is still covered up because we're doing the floors for the rest of the house now. Seems like lots of workmen will be using this bathroom before me.
Baggie2 good luck with the renos :) I'm anxious to see some pics.

dianahb Hey mnky100! Thanks so much. I'm really liking it (though still not quite ready for actual use). The painter just finished up on Saturday, and both the plumber and tiler have minor things still to do-- but I really appreciate your comments. I'm very pleased with how it came together. I wasn't sure there for a while, especially the penny rounds, but I love them. And once all the plumbing went in, everything else seem to just work like I envisioned it-- which is the best you can hope for!

And, yes-- I'm too familiar with that scenario-- when workmen get to use your new bathroom before you do. (Maybe that's a title contender, too.)

Well, send us some pictures when you're all done. And, yes, baggie2 as well. :)

baggie2 Diana, Really like the bathing room! I especially like the penny round flooring...wish I had done that! It is timeless and beautiful. Also love your clever "dueling" pedestal sinks and the way you have set them in their own unique area with the floor and walls seeming to wrap around and envelop that part of the room. Also love the "high-stepper" tub with the plumbing in the wall. Did your plumber try it out like the guy in the Koehler commercial?
We are still waiting for the "probably-not-to-be contractor", but family was here last weekend and others will be coming for the next two weeks so we are not in a big rush(good thing).

baggie2 MNKY,

So happy for you to be rid of the workmen and mess. I will keep you guys posted on our possible new bathroom. I am worried when they won't even call us with a plan and estimates!
What do we have to look forward to once they begin. I may need your guys, even if it means cross country travel. At least if they stayed here I could get them up in the morning and supervise the work. Wait...I had teen-age boys so I already know getting people up and working in the mornings is not my strong suite. Hope to have pictures sometime before Justin Timberlake collects Social Security. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done and a beautiful FINISHED (hooray!) remodel!

dianahb Hi baggie2: Thanks so much! I do so love my penny rounds. I was angst-ridden over those, for so long, and now I can't even remember why. I think that's my favorite thing about this bathroom-- well, that and the "dueling sinks." Somebody asked me the other day if we had a problem using just one sink. I could never find one large sink-- and after searching and searching-- I finally had a eureka! moment when I realized that, even if I found one, I just don't want to have to share a sink with anybody. That's all there is to it.

I still need to take a picture of me able to reach my leg up over the "high-stepper." I actually had a friend come over the other day, and she took one look at that tub and said, "You know, maybe you should get an Asian looking, really pretty, stool to just sit there, in case you need it. ??? I must look like I'm seriously ready to fall apart. One thing that would definitely give me trouble would be stepping up and down on a damn pretty Asian stool to get in and out of that tub. I'd break my neck for sure.

The plumber was not like the one in the commercial, though I do have my suspicions about the tiler. The plumber does stare, however, in a kind of lustful way, at those Kohler sinks. Of course, I find that I stare at everything Kohler in that way, too. His cohort who helped carry the tub up-- after it was all in-- took one look at everything and said, "In all the years I've been doing this, I've never seen a bathroom like this." And he paused, shook his head, and said, "Not ever." So, yeah, that was kind of ambiguous. He did say he loved my penny rounds, though.

We're still not in there, believe it or not. So I go in every morning and just stare at it all. I like to imagine it would be a nice bathroom to have and use one day. Okay-- so the plumber is coming back to fix that o-ring issue, and some escutcheon issue (which has become my new favorite word). Maybe something like-- "Those damn plumbers and their fancy escutcheons-- they're all in cahoots!"

So the "almost contractor" has transformed into the "probably-not-to-be-contractor?" Yikes. I can still make that phone call for you. I had to yell at a door guy the other day, which I followed up with an appropriately stern email. Apparently, according to this guy, I'm the first disgruntled client they've had in the 24 years of being in business. Isn't that amazing. Well, I can't envision raising boys-- at any age-- so if you could handle that-- you're probably okay on your own. But do yell if you need me. ;) Enjoy the company!

baggie2 OK!!! We met with the probable contractor today! MNKY, need ideas for inexpensive fixtures and ideas for the new bath with shower. We are taking our current utility room and making it into a bathroom which will have a shower we can use for humans and doggies. I said we wanted a shower door, but am rethinking that idea since I had a bad experience bathing a cat in a shower with a door. Diana!! Can you believe we actually talked to a living breathing contractor. They said nothing will be touched until everything is ordered and ready for installation.
We had so many white subway tiles, white square tiles, and maybe even several squares of our basket weave marble flooring left from our bathroom so we will be using those for sure. The contractor, who shall henceforth be known as "Chad", seemed to think we would have enough, but they will count them and evaluate how best to use them. I would like to start a new discussion about the new sink so please, MNKY and Diana, help out in the new small sink decision. Looking forward to your suggestions!

dianahb baggie2: Wow! Congratulations!! Chad sounds like a dream. Is that his stage name, do you think? So I want to know why I get workmen with names like Billy Bob and Bubba? Seriously. Chad is definitely a stage name, but he sounds like a hunk.

Okay-- well, I love that you can use all the wonderful sounding left-over tile. That's great. I'm jealous. It already sounds beautiful.

About sinks-- I admit that I buy online ALL the time. I go to fancy showrooms and find what I want, and then I buy online. I even bought those fancy Kohler dueling sinks online for about half what they were asking for them in the store. They arrived in perfect condition, with absolutely no issues. And I have bought from VintageTub.com and also from FaucetDirect.com, and probably some others I can't remember right now.

Don't know how much you want to spend on faucets, but we love this sink faucet, which I did see in my local plumbing showroom, and then I bought from FaucetDirect.com. It's a Pfister, one hole, and I love it because it's modern and only one item I have to clean around, and the water is really pretty as it flows out. ;) Price varies if you're going with chrome or brushed nickel, from $164 to $229. Based on a lot of what I saw, I don't think those are bad prices. This is not skimpy looking and is made well and looks good. http://www.faucetdirect.com/pfister-gt42-df0-kenzo-waterfall-bathroom-faucet/p1699815 They have others, but the brushed nickel will always be more expensive. So if you stick with polished chrome, you'll spend less money.

So check out FaucetDirect, and also VintageTub. I bought a pedestal sink and toilet from VintageTub, which was a Porcher sink-- like it a lot. Not sure they still sell it, but they do sell some smaller pedestal sinks:
http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/sinks.asp
And this place (thebathoutlet.com) has some nice smaller sinks as well-- not sure how the pricing matches up-- but you can check them out for faucets as well: http://www.thebathoutlet.com/Bathroom-Sinks/?gclid=CLO1zfPOvrYCFQexnQodXAwAhQ Qualitybath.com is another I've bought from, too-- with no issues.

I also don't know if you have a Habitat for Humanity store in your area, but ours is full of amazing stuff. Lots of people have told me to go there for sinks, etc. I found everything I needed for the bathroom, elsewhere, but I did find a great exterior door at Habitat-- But you should check it out, and on Craig's List in your area, too. People buy tile, sinks, etc that -- for whatever reasons-- don't work for them, or builders make mistakes, and sometimes places won't take returns, so they donate it to Habitat, or try to sell on Craig's List.

Those are my immediate suggestions and thoughts. I'll think some more, while I'm trying to imagine what Chad looks like. ;)

And so interesting that you posted today. I had to yell-- big time-- at my plumber this morning. He's all finished, except for this o-ring continuing saga-- and, boy, did he hear a mouthful from me today. By the end of the day, he was calling me and saying "Please. Can you give me just one more chance? I'll be there tomorrow; I swear." It's too late now, though..

Anyway . . . I'm so excited for you and your fancy new doggie/human bathroom! I bet the dogs are excited, too!! My dog loves my penny rounds, by the way. He goes in there to sleep every night. Even though he has a big old soft bed to sleep on, he chooses the penny rounds instead.

mnky100 Hi baggie2. Good to hear that you've at least talked to someone and things are moving a bit. The shower we have in the basement is the mirolin madison4. It is like a cave but its clean looking. We chose the tripanel shower door to go with it. I think it's better than the 2-panel door because you'd have more space to get in there when the door's opened. My inlaws have this same shower and they use it to wash their dog. I'm not sure about washing cats. The shower does have a seat so I guess you can sit in there with the cat if needed...
We bought the same kohler toilet as our upstairs bathroom. It was not too expensive. We got it on sale for $214. Here's a pic our basement bathroom so far. We didn't put in any tiles.

dianahb mnky100: That looks really nice. I like the wall color. Is that the one similar to Winds Breath? It looks really good. We didn't put any tile in our downstairs bathroom, either, and like that. And so who is not putting down the seat on that toilet??

baggie2 MNKY and Diana,
I knew I could count on you guys! I looked at the Porcher sinks online and really liked them. As you mentioned, Diana, the extra edge space on a sink is great so I am keeping that in mind as I decide. Have you really fired an ill and psychologically challenged plumber??!!! Do MNKY and I have to brush up on o rings and come and help you? Several years ago we replaced a very old furnace and I became quite the expert on plenums, but no o rings were involved in the project, so that is a whole new area for me. If we do a good job maybe NASA could use us! MNKY, I did not know about the triple door closure and that sounds great. I really didn't want to use a curtain. We no longer have a cat so it will just be a large dog and me since my husband seems to think I "relate to the dogs so well" that I should have the privilege if bathing them. I tried the Huck Finn methodology to get the husband to help, but he read the book.
We do have a habitat store here and I must admit to being hooked. I bought a couple of drawer pulls to try for our finished bath and liked one so well I ordered all of them online. It's good to hear that your online purchases were successful. I will definitely look at those websites. Now...Chad is the actual name and I won't be sending a photo of him or you would definitely want to come and "supervise" my project. I will give my best effort to deal with the daily face-to-face contact which will undoubtedly be required. I imagine you both agree that close personal scrutiny is the way to deal with this. I don't want a repeat of our other project or I would never even consider this approach. : ). Will keep you posted when time allows.

michee627 so... I think based on all of this that you ended up leaving the tile line as is around the window... I have a bathroom that appears identical in layout... anyone with ideas as to what to do with the window ?? it is all but in the shower and although I was hoping to avoid it I cant come up with an idea other than dropping the trim and tiling right up to it??

dianahb This isn't my bathroom (not original poster here), but we did just re-do a bathroom and have a window situated like this. We did a tile wainscot, and the tiler just tiled up to the window and right around it. The window moldings/trim remained-- he just tiled around it all. It looks good and seamless. I'm not sure I would have liked it any other way. ?? Why do you want to avoid tiling around the window?

michee627 Like in the orig pic our window trim is basically inside the tub line. Previous owners just left the trim off the left side of the window and put in a glass shower door on the tub. We are taking out the door and have either to do different trim than the rat of the house to get u narrow enough or take it off and tile to the Untrimmed window. I'm having trouble imagining that look

dianahb Oh, I see what you mean. I actually saw another bathroom recently that my tiler did-- and these people did take off the entire trim around the window, and the tile was basically the trim. I thought it looked terrific and wanted to do that in my house, but we had only just replaced our window, and it was fancy wood trim, so I felt bad about removing it. Plus, it just looked good with the tile surrounding it. But-- I do think that's a great look-- and makes sense, given the location of the window. If you're hiring a tiler to do your work, ask for pictures. I'm sure he's done it in the past. But the one I saw was a deliberate choice that had a very integrated look..

michee627 Thanks. If you run across any pics of that look I'd love to see it. I'm prob my own tiler :) unfortunately for me.

dianahb Just Google "tiled bathroom windows," and you'll come up with some. Here's one:

mnky100 Meickhoff, we tiled the bathtub area on one side and didn't tile around the window on the other side. We've painted the untiled area so when we look from down the hall, we can see the painted wall (at the top), the window and the bottom half of the wall that's tiled. I thought about tiling that whole wall too... But thought it'd be too much tile when looking from outside the bathroom.

Haha dianahb, I have yet to use that basement bathroom. must be the workers leaving that toilet seat up!

dianahb Don't you hate it when they get to use your bathroom before you do??

michee627 This is a pic of the before

mnky100 Michee627, I think if you frame the whole window it'd look much better. We tiled the whole bath tub area including the ceiling I'm not sure which pic I've posted before of the new bathroom. I'll post a better one later on.

baggie2 This is the doorway leading into the current utility room from the dinette...looking for ideas...see next...second picture is standing in room..picture 3 is the area they want to place stool and sink...picture 4 is closet which may become shower....see next

baggie2 This door is opposite the first picture and is entry to storage room, scheduled to become utility room..last picture is across from the side of the washer..door to the garage. So many doors! I am dragging my feet about signing the contract. Maybe I am just tired of the process, but I am not sold on the layout. Any suggestions?

dianahb Hey baggie2. Happy Tax Day!

First off, WHO is winning all those pretty ribbons?? I am a huge fan of ribbons and awards and trophies and the such. External validation-- I'm all over it. So-- kudos to the guy/gal winning those! So why are they hidden in the washer/dryer soon to be bathroom area??

But in answer to your question, I had to look at this a couple of times. So, in that first picture-- as you walk in-- that door to the left (to our right on the screen) is to the current storage area that will soon become the utility room. Or is that another closet door? If that's a second door-- and not the same one we see in picture one-- what's it used for? Is it just a closet? If that's a door to a closet (and not the door to the current storage area), then I might open that up as open shelving. That eliminates so many doors. And is it possible to put in a pocket door where the washer/dryer will be (now a regular door to storage room)? Again, if that's possible to do, it will streamline things and the room won't seem so door-centric.

Where those double doors are-- to a closet, I guess-- seems like a smart choice for the shower placement. That makes sense to me.

I have more, but tell me if I have the layout correct.

michee627 Baggie2: do you have a layout actually? did they do a drawing for you... you could take a pic of that and post it? Having some trouble picturing it

michee627 I think I'll start a new string of questions and see what you all think.... that way we won't get mixed up and we can answer Baggie2's ideas. BTW I switched my name from meickhoff to michee627 just in case you were confused :)

baggie2 Michele,

Here is the drawing, but not sure how helpful it is. It is looking the same direction as photo 1. Just an aside,
I am so very sorry about the people impacted by the terrible attack in Boston. My condolences to them and to their families and friends.

baggie2 My ipad changed your name...so sorry I didn't notice sooner. Silly thing thinks it knows everything!

baggie2 I have moved my discussion to a new discussion area. I apologize MNKY for usurping your discussion. I look forward to your input as well as Diana's and other contributors. Please see my new comments. I am in need of flooring ideas for the bathroom, but it will be strictly utilitarian.

baggie2 My new discussion group is "Transformation from utility room to bathroom....FYI, since I had trouble finding it myself. : )

michee627 My new discussion group is .... "Bathroom window encroaching in tub space" I'd love ideas on how to handle tile levels....