...And After

So it's not totally finished - the electrician still needs to come and do some electrician stuff - but it's mostly done. You know, kind of like how Cary Elwes was mostly dead in The Princess Bride. But it's functional and we're approximately 187% happier with this room than we were with it's drabby former incarnatinon. It's weird how you get so used to something that you don't realize how really, really bad it truly is. Such was the case with the "before" version of this room.

Unlike the previous bathroom renovation, we hired people to do most of the work. Again, I'm fine with paying someone to cut and install the tile. They're quick, competent and nice to work with. For this job the only work that was done ourselves was the demolition, vanity and counter installation, faucet installation and...that might be it.

Anyway, this project will likely put renovations on a bit of a hiatus. The baby is due in less than a month (and I'll say this again: we're always late so this kid will probably be, too). We have this house in a state where it's comfortable, functional and livable. And that's not really even giving it enough credit.

Anyway, on to the after pics:

Those wires are supposed to be there!

Slightly nicer counters...

I installed the curtain myself!

Probably could have used another shelf.

Before

We're pretty hesitant to post these pictures as our master bathroom was such an embarrassment. We should have called this blog "Look How Shitty Our House Was!" It's amazing what you don't realize when you look at a house and decide to buy it. While doing a walkthrough of this place we were told (by someone very wise and sagelike), "You know, you're going to have to paint all this wood trim." We though it was no big deal...100 hours later, we realized the implications of this fragment of the project. Anyway...away from that digression and back to the crappy bathroom.

It was a lovely shade of blue that brought to mind a beautiful sky or a rolling ocean. I imagine it was supposed to be tranquil and/or peaceful. I don't even think they sell this color at Benjamin Moore anymore. Check it out; this is why we debated just showing the "after" pictures.
I am more certain that they don't manufacture a toilet in a matching color. The original interior designer of this room found a shower stall that was closely matched, but not quite. I had to do some work on this shower awhile ago and pulled out a hair clog that was older than me. I named it Carl (no pics, though).
The sink was supposed to look like a single slab of marble that had been carved out to create a sink. It was a joy to break apart with a sledgehammer, though. We tried to casually put the marblesque remnants for the garbagemen to pick up but they politely declined. The toilet is still in our garage, awaiting its final destination of the Madison-Guilford waste transfer station. Call me quick and you can have it for your throwback blue bathroom.The water faucet thing is because someone told the previous owner that she had bad water. We had it tested and it was great. I tossed out the filtration system - didn't want to bother with selling it on CraigsList.

Everything came out really easily: vanity, mirror, sinkcounter, floor. The total cost of this room when it was built in 1972 was definitely around $1k. Hopefully our take on this room will come out a little better, and last a little longer. More to come...