So after proclaiming that the time had come to do something about our dated and dull bathroom on March 26th, we have done a complete overhaul of this small-but-important room in our pad. One month, a lot of elbow grease, a few dolla dolla bills, and we can (almost) call this one officially done-zo. The *almost* refers to still having to install the overhead fan and put in the floor transition (both on handy hubby’s to do list!).
In case you’ve missed the progress, here is what we’ve done to the space:
-the “before”
-the demo
-tiling the shower
-grouting
-installing marble floors
-building a floating vanity
-installing the vanity
-patching walls
-adding trim and paint
-caulking
-accessorizing
-painting the ceiling and installing a pendant light
And before we get to all of those after shots, let’s just take a little stroll down memory lane and remember what this space used to look like, shall we?! Pretty non-descript, totally storage-deprived and a danky old tub.
Goodbye boring beige bathroom. Hello classic, bright, and fresh. She’s a whole new woman.
Let’s throw in a little side-by-side comparison for good measure. She’s come a long way, huh? Showering in that new bathtub is like a total dream.
And as always, here is the budget breakdown. You know we’re all about affordable around here. We had originally saved up $5000. We knew we wanted to come in under 5K, but were a bit worried about coming across some really bad plumbing or other major issues that would require us to hire a contractor. Luckily, other than having a bit of help from a plumber-friend, we were able to do everything on our own.
Budget breakdown:
-tile (marble, subway tile, accent glass tile): $601.23 (originally $900, but we returned some unused tile)
-bathtub and fan: $364.45
-accessories (shower rod, towel bar, shower curtain, toilet paper holder, etc): $155.46
-drywall: $115.98
-mirror: $30
-vanity (wood, track system, legs, handles): $176.50
-vanity sink: $100
-paint: $64.85
-supplies (tiling supplies, plumbing, trim, tools, etc): $900.26
-gift card purchased for friend who helped out with plumbing: $100
Grand total: $2608.73
But the best part? We had saved up some Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, and IKEA gift cards from our wedding (thank you friends and family!), which totaled $1081.06 on gift cards. So actual moula out of our pockets was only $1527.67. Not bad for a complete bathroom renovation.
So there you have it. A top to bottom rehaul. I think the bathroom may now be my favourite room in the house!
What about you guys? Done any major renovations lately? Or fixed up a bathroom? Even just a coat of paint can do wonders!
Tags: bathroom renovation, carrera marble bathroom, gray and white bathroom, subway tile, turquoise glass accent tile, white and aqua bathroom
It looks amazing Gemma! Way to go. Love your blog, its so fun to read!
Thanks Morgan!
xo,
gemma
How impossible is it to photograph these small bathrooms, right? It is SO hard to photograph the small rooms at my place.
You did a great job! The ceiling is perfect with the accent tile. And you have so much more storage now! I love this bathroom renovation.
I know, right? I almost wanted to take the door off so I could get a full-room shot.
Thanks for the kind words!!
xo,
gemma
Beautiful job, Gemma!! Isn’t it amazing when it’s finally done, and you can walk by it four hundred times a day and think “Yeah, I did that. That’s mine. It lives with me now, and forever.”?
Stellar transformation, dude, really stellar. Congrats!
Ha ha – that’s EXACTLY how I feel April! I can’t help but peer in every time I walk by.
Thanks for all the encouragement! :)
xo,
gemma
What a great job! It looks a like it’s in a different house. Love the shower curtain!
Thanks Kelly! Yeah, I’m totally smitten with the shower curtain.
xo,
gemma
Love the tile work. Classic and a touch modern. While it wasn’t a major ‘reno,’ when we first moved into our rental there were unframed mirrors GLUED to the wall. Who does that? We spray painted the janky old light fixture glossy white, painted, levelled the hoop ring around the clawfoot tub and hung shelving. Blisssssss.
Thanks Alyssa! Isn’t it amazing how just a few small changes can totally transfer a space?
xo,
gemma
It looks great Gemma! I love your tile choices – trendy but still classic!
Thanks Brittany! That’s exactly what I was going for :)
xo,
gemma
Congratulations, Gemma – it looks wonderful!
The turquoise tiles are my absolute favourite. The look is something that will have broad appeal and yet they’re so very *you*. :-)
Thanks so much, Nadine!! The turquoise tiles are a definite favourite of mine, too (but who is surprised?!!).
xo,
gemma
Love your makeover! Where did you get your sink and vanity?
Thanks
Thanks! The sink is from IKEA (Lillangen) and the vanity we custom built ourselves!
xo,
gemma
I found your blog through Houzz! Your bathroom is lovely, it is very similar to what I was envisioning for our bathroom reno, thanks for the inspiration!
Amazing! We’re loving it.. so I would totally recommend all of the products/styles we went with! Thanks for popping by, Leslie :)
xo,
gemma
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I’ve been looking all over for a cabinet like the one you have over your toilet. Where is that from?? :)
It’s just from Canadian Tire (a Canadian hardware store). I have seen them from time to time at various hardware stores, so just keep your eyes peeled!
Good luck!
xo,
gemma
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Love that you took the time to actually tile the bathtub/shower area!
Where’s the sink from…? (And what material is it – painted cast iron?)
The sink is from IKEA and is made out of ceramic. You can find it here: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S09894062/
xo,
gemma
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Hi – I came over from YoungHouseLove – GREAT BATHROOM!!!! Love it!! I do have a question – when we remodeled our bathrooms 7 years ago, my husband ran out and bought the tub and shower surrounds for the 2 bathrooms and slapped them in before I was able to veto his choices. I want to put in both a new tub (with tile) and a new shower stall in another bathroom.
What is your tub made of and how did you choose it? What expert recommendations can you make about type of material for tubs/showers? The ones we bought are just AWFUL – hard to clean, never shiny, doesn’t matter WHAT I use on them. Help!
Haha – those darn hubby’s!!
In terms of bathtubs, we went with an acrylic one from Home Depot (called the Mirolin – http://www.homedepot.ca/product/sydney-acrylic-skirted-tub-60-inch-x-30-inch/917776). We were recommended acrylic as it’s supposed to be hard-wearing, wouldn’t crack/chip easily, and is pretty light weight. I’m really not the expert on tub materials. I can say that ours seems to be holding up well, although it can show marks on the bottom from dirty feet (especially in the summer time when we have black feet from our sandals). This comes off easily with a bleach cleaner (I use cream Vim), but it’s still annoying. I have actually put an anti-slip bath mat on the bottom of the tub just to avoid the marks.
I would recommend going into your local hardware or kitchen/bath store that sells a variety of bathtub types and ask them for their opinion. Sorry I can’t be of more help! Good luck!
xo,
gemma
GORGEOUS!!! I love it. (Just hopped over from YHL). My favorite part is the marble floor, but I also love that light fixture and the shower curtain. Okay, I love the whole thing! Great update.
Sarah
Thanks so much, Sarah!! I am still gushing about the marble floor.. so in love. And the shower curtain was such a sweet find from Bed, Bath, and Beyond! Thanks for popping by :)
xo,
gemma
Its looks great! Where did you get the shower curtain? I love it and my bathroom is similar colors…..
Hi Jennifer! The shower curtain is from Bed, Bath, and Beyond (bought it about 6 months ago). You can read more about it here: http://thesweetestdigs.com/2012/04/27/project-bathroom-the-details-darling/
Hope that helps!
xo,
gemma
Hi Gemma! I’m here from YHL and I love your bathroom. I can’t believe they didn’t show a picture of your bathtub tile. It is gorgeous.
P.S. Love your name! It’s always been on my baby name list!
Haha thanks Crystal!! Oh the baby name list.. I’ve got one of those too! Thanks for popping by!
xo,
gemma
LOVE this! Such a pretty transition. I’ve only looked at the final. Can’t wait to see how you did it.
Thanks Alexa!! Have a look through the early posts, it came a LONG way!
xo,
gemma
Wow! Great job!!!!
Love the shower curtain- where did you get it?
Thanks Ali! The shower curtain is the Sardinia from Bed, Bath and Beyond. You can read about it here: http://thesweetestdigs.com/2012/04/27/project-bathroom-the-details-darling/
xo,
gemma
Hi Gemma!
I came across your blog on Young House Love. I’m out here on the west coast in Vancouver. I’m loving your blog and just started one up myself not too long ago…www.paintedloveblog.com…it’s still a work in progress but it’ll get there! Really loving your bathroom makeover…i’ll be checking back :)
Amazing! Will go check it out now.. thanks for popping by, Kimberly!
xo,
gemma
Hi Gemma,
Just wanted to pop in to say congrats on your feature over at YHL today! It’s great to see a fellow Ottawan get a coveted feature on a big blog like that one :) (And your bathroom really does look great!) I’m a long time reader of John & Sherry’s blog and a recent one of yours – so great when worlds collide! Anyway, congrats! I’ll be reading and won’t be so shy about stopping in to comment more in the future :) Cheers!
Thanks Danielle! Great to hear from a fellow Ottawan :) Love your blog – that dog of yours is a cutie pie! Definitely don’t be shy to comment.. I love getting them! :) Thanks for popping by!
xo,
gemma
This is gorgeous! I want to marry that vanity and sink. *fluttering sigh* You guys did an amazing job! Can’t wait until I can try something like this myself :)
Haha – that definitely just made me giggle! If you marry the vanity/sink, then I get to marry the floor :)
xo,
gemma
Hi!
We have been trying to plan our narrow bath remodel for quite a long time. Did you happen to use any specific plans for your vanity, other than the top from IKEA? We’ve done some building but have never tackled drawers! thanks in advance!
Hi April! We actually didn’t use any plans.. just sort of winged it. Luckily my Dad gave my hubby a helping hand, and he is super experienced with wood-working and building furniture. I know Ana White’s website has a bunch of plans (http://ana-white.com/) and otherwise I would just google around. We bought all of the hardware, including drawer sliders, from Lee Valley Tools here in Canada.
Sorry if that isn’t super helpful! Good luck with your project.
xo,
gemma
Saw this on YHL’s blog and really like it! My random question is where do you keep your toothbrushes? I only see cabinet storage…
Haha – in the top drawer of the vanity! :) Thanks for popping by, Laura!
xo,
gemma
Saw your bathroom redo on YHL. It is very similar to the size and layout of one of our bathrooms that we are hoping to facelift soon. In fact, we plan on using that same IKEA sink! We didn’t really like the options for the vanity that IKEA has, but we LOVE the one you made! Saw your post on how you built it. What did you use for the legs on the vanity??
So glad you liked what we did, Mindy! We definitely struggled to find something that would work with our small space, too. The legs actually came from IKEA (as did the sink). They are for some their Godmordon vanity and the style and height worked out perfectly. Here is the link: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/10177767/
Good luck with your bathroom!
xo,
gemma
GORGEOUS, you just convinced me to go marble on my bathroom floor!
Hahah, awesome Trish! It really is gorgeous.
xo,
gemma
I love it!!! Just saw the feature of your bathroom on YHL and had to come over and check out your bathroom! (and blog!) it’s soo beautiful, and it’s amazing how much airier and spacious the room looks now! Great job you two!!
Thanks Brooke! It definitely feels at least double the size than it did before.. and SO much more storage space!
xo,
gemma
I am impressed! We just renovated a bathroom, turning our enormous walk-in shower into a tub, and are now putting finishing touches on. I am jealous that you hired out the tub installation! ;)
I keep seeing this cabinet with towel bar above the toilet, and I don’t see any mention of where you bought it … can you share? I love it!
Thanks – love your blog!
Wow- sounds like you’ve been tackling a big project, too!
The cabinet came from Canadian Tire (hardware store here in Canada), and was purchased several years ago when we first moved into the house. Unfortunately I don’t think they carry it anymore. Sorry I can’t be of more help!! Maybe check out Home Depot, Lowe’s, or other speciality bathroom shops? Good luck!
xo,
gemma
Love this remodel, so pretty! Can you share the name of the paint brand/color?
Thanks!
Thanks Jen! The paint on the vanity and ceiling is sterling by Benjamin Moore (I had it colour matched to a CIL paint in semi-gloss).
Hope that helps!
xo,
gemma
Where dud you find your shower curtain?
Bed, Bath and BEyond – it’s called the Sardinia.
xo,
gemma
Hi Gemma! I’m a big YHL fan, and saw you on their site! AWESOME job on the bathroom. Our layout is almost exactly the same, and you have totally inspired me! Great work!
Lori
Aww thanks, Lori! Isn’t it so good to see other spaces that you can relate to? I was always pumped to see a small bathroom in a similar layout. Good luck with yours and thanks for stopping by!! :)
xo,
gemma
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the little aqua glass tiles! Where did you get them and what brand, color are they? I caught you from over on YHL. Beautiful remodel!!
Thanks Tracee! The aqua glass tiles are from Home Depot. I can’t actually remember the brand, but Home Depot still carries them (they come in mosaic sheets)! Hope that helps!
xo,
gemma
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Just discovered your blog from Rambling Renovators. What a fantastic makeover!! Love how refreshing your bathroom look!
Thanks Tim! I have been a big fan of yours for a while.. love what you continue to do to your condo! great to connect, and thanks for stopping by!
xo,
gem
Hi Gemma,
Your bathroom renovation looks awesome! I’d love to pin this to The Home Depot tile pinboard if you wouldn’t mind.
Caroline
Senior Editor, The Home Depot
Wow – I would be flatted, Caroline – please go ahead! Thank you!!
xo,
gem
I love this bathroom. We are going to gut ours in the next few weeks. I am trying to find tiles, but I always have my heart set on marble. Is it Carrara marble? Where did you find yours? Would you mind sharing how much per square foot?
Yes – Carrara marble 12×12 tiles from Home Depot! We love them :) I believe the cost is in the budget breakdown somewhere in the post — can’t remember off the top of my head. Good luck with your reno!!! :)
xo,
gem