The Evolution of a Bathroom!

 (Sorry this is long ") )


When DH and I moved into this house 23 years ago there was just the 2 of us.  It seemed like such a big house with 4 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths.  But 14 mos later DS came along and 4 years after that DD.  It has never seemed big since!  The hall bath, or 'kids bath' as we refer to it, has had many transformations!  First it was just a guest bath never used.  Then it became the bath to give babies and toddlers baths.  Teach potty training and hygiene habits!  Now with an adult and one soon to be, it takes on a different purpose.  There are 'jams and jellies' as Candice Olson would say.  Razors and curling irons.!  More stuff than I ever had at that age!

Here are a few pics along the way.  This first one is right before we decided it needed to be 'refreshed'.  As you can see the builders oak cabinet is in terrible shape.  See that small window in the reflection of the mirror?  That is the only window in this small bath!  Oh how I hated those faux marble counter tops.

I can't remember when we did the first update, but I do remember that I wanted to do a $500 makeover like they did on Decorating Cents.  Remember that show?  Here is a pic from then.

We painted, replaced the linoleum with slate looking peel and stick, got a new vanity with more storage and a new sink and counter in one.  We took down the mirror that was the length of the room and had it cut to fit the vanity.  I think I decorated in a tropical feel.  This worked fine until 2005!

In 2005 we were in the middle of a kitchen remodel.  We were installing the old cabinets in the garage when we noticed that there was a wet spot on the ceiling of the garage.  Right under the bathroom!!!  UGH!!!
In order to figure out where the leak was coming from without tearing out the walls, DH turned on the shower and sat there for an hour before he could see where it was coming from.  It was in the wall and running down the lip of the tub to the floor!  So we had a choice, just tear out where the leak was or redo all the tile after the leak was fixed.  Problem was we would have to do the tiling ourselves as we had no monies left since we were redoing the kitchen.
So tear it out it was!  Here is DH being funny after tearing out the tile.  Besides having the leak fixed we decided to move up the shower head!  It was very short and DH is 6'3"  and DD is 5'10" .  I think in 2005 we moved it up to 6 ft.

  

 

Don't look to closely at the tile job, we did the best we could!  This is as we were grouting.

 

This is after we finished!  Yeah!

 Now you think that would be enough! But in 2008 we were doing a whole house 'refresh' and that bathroom was on the list again!  But this time we would take it down to the studs!  Fixtures stayed in the same place, couldn't really add on any space, but we glammed it up a bit!  Oh and when we tore down the tiling job we had done in 2005, contractor found that the place were it had been leaking before and supposedly fixed, was still leaking!  So much so that we had to replace floor boards!

Here are pics from the new and improved hall bath!  DH says it is too nice and the kids will never leave!

Added a plug to the side of the vanity for all of DD"s 

hair accessories that plug in. Love it!

Tiled up the wall and wrapped the backsplash onyx around the whole room.  Love how it turned out.

Tiled up to the ceiling, raised the shower head again and used a curved shower curtain rod!  Plus love, love the niche!  We put in a jacuzzi tub, which someday I will get to use more, when the kids leave!  I also put in a barn door or outside pocked door!  This give so much more room inside the bathroom.

Well that is my evolution of my 'hall bath'.  Sorry it was so long.  Just goes to show that if you wait long enough you can get what you want!

Have a great week.