Our bathroom

I'm not quite sure what to label this bathroom.  I suppose it should be considered the 'main' bath in the house because it's the only one with a tub, and it's the one most everyone uses since it's closest to the living room.  It could also be the 'guest' bath because we have our own master bath and this one is right across from the guest room.  Whatever it is, it needs help!  We have done absolutely nothing in here but put up a curtain rod that always falls down, and add the towels and rug.  If I had it my way, this bathroom would be gutted and there would be a solartube installed because I despise not having natural light, but we just can't invest that money in this house.  So, I'm working with it. 

This is the most boring bathroom I've ever seen.  Everything is white, or should I clarify, varying shades of white - except the tan walls that are so drab.  Do you love the preschool white plastic handles on the vanity?  Me neither. 

The vanity has those typical 70s doors that so many old kitchens had.  We have the old kitchen cabinets that match this vanity in the downstairs workshop and laundry room, too.  I'm not entirely sure if the floor goes underneath, and we don't want to spend unnecessary money, so I'm going to work with this vanity and counter.  Hopefully I can pick a color to paint the cabinet without losing my mind. 

The counter is a decent white Corian with integrated sink.  That is great, because I have a plan to sand/refinish it to hopefully look like it wasn't abused for 20 years.  More to come on that when I figure it all out!  The light fixture is a hideous two light that makes it about as bright as a cave in here.

My plan includes a new FOUR light fixture because we just have a ton of space up there...this one in fact!  It is the same Seagull Driscoll line as the chandelier in our dining room, and it is a splurge at $175.  I chose chrome to keep it very classic, yet modern in here.  

The light takes 4 100w bulbs, so I'm hoping it will be as bright as the sun in there.  It is also 30" wide so it will look more proportional to the vanity.  I also got a new faucet, this one by Grohe.  I thought this one fit the slightly retro style I'm going for. 

I also procured a new mirror because the one we have is damaged.  I wanted a 'statement' mirror, something other than a plain frameless one.  It had to be big because the vanity is 49 inches, but all the ones I liked were either 30 inches wide (too small) or meant to hang vertically.  I bought several mirrors and returned them before I finally found the holy grail at TJ Maxx/Homegoods.  During a 20% off for associates weekend, even!  Did I tell you guys I married Shaun for his TJ discount?  I'm just kidding.  Mostly.  Behold the simple beauty:

Hey, I haven't done a thumb up on here for awhile!  It was $100, so $80 plus tax with our discount.  Score!  At 28" high and 40" wide, it is almost the exact size of our existing mirror...just two inches shorter.  I can live with that!  The outside edges are a brushed silver.

The tub.  Well, the tub itself isn't bad, but it totally doesn't match the tile surround.  And SOMEONE, for whatever reason, caulked the tiles instead of grouting them...so I'm sort of surprised they are still on there.  You can also see that the last row of tile is clearly different (whiter) than the rest, right next to the still-unused potty chair.  This is the case on both sides.  Some shady work was done in here.  This bathroom is full of secrets.  Like Gretchen Weiner's hair.   

Luckily, the tub drains fine and the fixtures are clean.  I don't mind the built-in soap dish or the matching towel bars and TP holder.  I will keep them because I honestly don't know how well they will come off the wall, and I don't want a huge patch job after we take them down.  The toilet is being replaced because it is a 1980s Kohler Wellworth - it was the cat's meow in it's day, but now we're lucky if our turds go down after a couple flushes.  Out with the old!  It will be replaced with a nice new Kohler Cimarron. 

Because it's such a boring box in here, I'd really like to 'Young House Love' this bath by raising up the curtain rod (which will be replaced with a chrome one) and getting a super long curtain.  I can't seem to find anything I like, though.  I would even be open to just using regular window curtains, but I'm feeling very picky for some reason. 

More dumb almond outlets and switches.  They never end.  The previous owner put the white plate on, not me.  Silliness. 

The worst part....the hideous ceiling.  Whoever did the texture in here did a very poor job and it has to come down.  Along with all the wallpaper!  More wallpaper, but I believe it's the last.  Thankfully, it's just a small bathroom with tile floor so we don't have to worry about the mess.  But, I'm really not looking forward to this job.  I think I might also replace the fan with a fan and light combo...but I'm unsure if I will hire an electrician to make it two separate switches, or just have the light and fan come on together.  It would be even better to have a light in the shower, because it's so dark in there!

I really wanted to stay around 1k for this bathroom facelift.  Luckily, we have a friend that does plumbing and he is going to help us with the installation of faucet and toilet.  So, to sum up our plan and budget:

 

Replace light ($175)

Replace toilet ($230)

Replace faucet ($110)

Replace fan with new fan+light unit (Estimate $100)

Towel rack for above toilet ($80)

Replace mirror ($85)

Replace cabinet hardware ($40)

Paint cabinet (Estimate $25 for samples and final quart)

Chrome curtain rod (Estimate $20)

Extra long shower curtain or window panels (Hopefully $60 or less)

Wall paint ($35)

New towels, rug and accessories ($50 if I'm lucky)

Refinish kit for counter ($10)

 

Hopefully I will have some progress to show you soon!