House Transformation Chapter 1: The Master Bath

This is the first installment of pictures of our newly renovated house. We will be blogging about all of the rooms, but to do a thorough job (without being long winded) we needed to break this into multiple posts.

We've been promising before and after pictures for months. Frankly this whole process has taken much longer than I anticipated. Going back 7 months, Nicolette and I parked the moving truck outside our new town home. We unlocked the front door, and a wave of stench billowed out from the door. It was a pungent mix of cigarette smoke, cannabis, rodents, stinky feet, alcohol, and a geriatrics ward.

Let me fill you on this home’s history. It was built in 1980 and was inhabited by an older woman (or at least we think so). After that, it was rented to college students—specifically college boys. Essentially they destroyed the place. We had our work cut out for us. Enough talk.

First, here is the BEFORE.

Note the wallpaper; I think it was inspired by Monet.
Yes...that vent IS sticking halfway out of the wall.
This is the old tub. It was filthy, but Nicolette cleaned it up. Unfortunately, there were large CRACKS in the tub that were not noted on the inspection. We were really concerned about water damaged and knew that it would need to be replaced. Because it is a tub/surround combo, the whole unit (bathtub and wall surround) would have to be replaced!

Let the demolition begin!

You may be able to see that the vinyl flooring was pieced together (the black line by the blue cup). It was curling upwards where the 2 pieces met. The whole floor needed to be replaced.
Luckily it was fiberglass and not cast iron. It was fairly easy to remove with just some elbow grease.
We got some strange looks from the neighbors as we carried our old tub to the dumpster.

I next secured the new tub. Nicolette helped me lift it into place only to have it land on her toe. Good thing it didn't break! (Her toe, that is.)

I replaced the vinyl with this porcelain tile floor that was on sale, and the new tub/surround is hiding behind my legs. I like this floor and tub better anyways.

AFTER: Here is the finished tub. Paul (our contractor) moved the plumbing for me, and then I was able to install the faucet, drain and hardware for the tub. It is nice and deep so you can really soak in it. Nicolette was the first to try it out. After a week of going to a neighbors house to shower, it was a very needed change of pace.

Paul also moved the duct work before I laid the tile floor. This is how a heating vent should look anyway. After Nicolette removed the wallpaper, we were able to paint a fresh color on the walls, ceiling, and baseboards.
The new toilet was really easy to install. It was really inexpensive and in about a year it will have paid for itself in water savings. The new sink cabinet was from IKEA and contrasts nicely with the light-colored tile.

I also replaced the outlets from that old almond color to white, and I replaced the light fixture. The backsplash was extra from the kitchen so I put it up one afternoon.

We'll be posting more before and afters soon! It was worth it. About 2 months ago a unit down the street had an open house. The owner replaced their bathtub/surround and the Realtor told me that they spent $3,000 dollars doing it. They didn't even touch the rest of the bathroom. I was able to change literally EVERYTHING in the bathroom for about $2,000. Thank you First Time Home Buyer Credit.