Tag Archives: bathroom renovation

At Last

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I think it is about 3 years since we first contacted our builder with a view to having our downstairs bathroom renovated as well as some additional cabinets and cupboards in the garage and adjacent workshop.

He was busy (as usual) and we were not in a mad rush but somewhere in between Covid19 threw an additional spanner in the works. The work was finally begun about 3 months ago and the finishing touches completed the job today.

Here is the result.

A very small bathroom off the garage with shower, hand basin and toilet.

A large floor-to-ceiling storage cupboard in an unused alcove next to the bathroom.

A utility bench with sink and cupboards in the workshop. This will primarily be for GMan to use when setting up his home brew but will also be useful when entertaining downstairs.

We are delighted to have this work finished. I have been hanging out to move various items to the new cupboards which will allow better organisation in several other existing cupboards.

There will be several future posts as we do some re-organising.

Something Small

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The work on the downstairs bathroom renovation is progressing. The only thing left is the small mirrored cabinet to go above the handbasin. It is essentially a functional bathroom now so today I took some towels to the downstairs storage for use in that bathroom.

However, I noticed that the handtowel is simply hung on a hook rather than through a ring as we have in the main bathroom.

So I decided to add a loop for hanging the handtowels. I used a small piece of salvaged cotton tape to create a loop.

Here is the towel hanging on its new hook.

There will be a full reveal of the bathroom when it is completely finished.

Finished

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3 weeks after the builders started the bathroom renovation, it is complete apart from a couple of minor things.  We need to do the final coat of paint on the window and door frames and once that is done the builder will do the final bead of silicone around those edges and the mirror surround.

Here is the finished product.

Shower

It is difficult to get decent photos in a small room so here is another bit.  This time the door is open.

Shower - door open

And finally, here is the mirror.

Mirror

I am really happy with how it has turned out – exactly as I anticipated.  The dream and the reality matched up!

 

Bathroom Progress

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Two and a half weeks later the end is in sight.  The plumbing, door knobs, mirror and showerscreen are yet to be done.  There are 2 double towel rails plus a towel ring

2012-03-06 01Here is the wall showing the finished recess.

2012-03-06 02The floor of the shower showing the grate with tiled insert.  Also, you can see the spare toilet roll holder and the holder for the toilet brush.  I love them being on the wall which means they don’t need to be moved to mop the floor.

2012-03-06 03I will post some final photos when it is all finished – probably next week as we have to wait for the shower screen and mirror to be made to order.

We are very happy with the way the renovation has turned out.

Making Progress

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The bathroom renovation is underway.  After the demolition on Monday we were left with nothing more than bare studs.  All of the ceiling, wall sheeting and floor was ripped out.  We wanted to make absolutely certain that there was no underlying water damage before we went to the expense of new tiles and fittings.

2012-02-23 01The new wall sheeting and ceiling are installed so we are now going forwards with the project.

2012-02-23 02This shows the recess in the wall of the shower which will hold bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel.  I first saw the idea in B & B accommodation.  It makes so much sense to me.  Any shelf or soap holder built into the tiles is a hazard that you can bump yourself on and the hanging shower caddies gather soap scum or rust.  The tiled recess will simply be cleaned with the rest of the tiles and I love the simple, streamlined look of it.

Finally, I would like to thank all of you who took up the challenge of introducing yourselves.  I will respond to each of your comments and look forward to lots of discussion in the future.

Keeping Things Contained

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One aspect of organisation that constantly eludes me is pending paperwork.  We do not have much as most of our bills are direct debits or paid online as soon as we get them.  I am quite efficient at filing things once they are dealt with but where do you keep things such as concert tickets, flight itineraries?

I have seen all sorts of systems that different people have but none really seemed to suit this household.  That is the important thing – make sure your system suits your needs.  Do not expect that just because it works for others that it will work for you.

Yesterday I decided to use a binder with plastic sleeves in it and label each sleeve starting with 1st through to 31st for each day of the month.  There is also a sleeve at the back labelled next month and some spares if I need them.

2012-02-15 01

Here is the folder and so far I have put the tickets for a dinner we are attending on Friday night in the relevant sleeve.  There will be other things as they turn up.  This is not a permanent filing system but a dynamic container for paperwork that we will need to access in the coming days and weeks.

I am hopeful that this will eliminate the various bits of paper lying around on the desk and kitchen bench.

The other thing we have contained is all of the fittings for the bathroom renovation.  They are all tucked away in an alcove ready for the work to start.  The plan is for it to commence next week.  How fortuitous that I am away for 3 nights for work!  It will not be too much of an inconvenience as we have a second toilet near the laundry as well as a fairly basic bathroom downstairs.

2012-02-15 02

I am really looking forward to having it all done.  I will post more photos once the action begins.

Preparation & Planning

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No matter what the task, preparation and planning are vital to ensure a successful outcome.

Our bathroom renovation is no different.  We have spent time discussing various options with the builder and also choosing tiles and fittings.

These are the tiles we plan to have.  The darker ones on the floor and lighter ones for the wall.  We were lucky that the salesperson at Amber Tiles was also an interior designer so was very helpful with colour choices.

2012-02-01 01We have also chosen the style of shower screen, toilet and vanity basin as well as the towel rails and taps.  These brochures contain our selections.  Even though we have chosen the items in the showroom, it is nice to have a pictorial record of our choices.

2012-02-01 02Our vanity unit will be made by the cabinetmaker so we still have to choose the laminate finishes that we want on the doors and bench.  I don’t have anything particular in mind so we may just go and peruse the samples and look for inspiration.

It is exciting to know that the new bathroom is soon to be a reality.  I can visualise it already, and I am looking forward to sharing the ‘after’ photos with you.