We know many of you are eagerly waiting for our nursery makeover to begin. It will happen—just not immediately. Right now the third bedroom (the future nursery), which normally looks like this…
…actually looks like this:
Yes, it’s embarrassingly messy. You might be surprised how many readers find comfort in knowing we live in occasional chaos. The reason for the mess is simple: the room is serving as ground zero for our last big pre-nursery project—a complete bathroom remodel. This is a true gut job down to the studs; we even rented a mini jackhammer. Needless to say, we’re excited to get started.
Some of you who follow our weekend sneak peeks on social media have already seen a bit of the demo in progress. But before we jump ahead, here’s why we decided to do a full bathroom overhaul. From a distance the original black-and-white tile and basketweave floor suit our 1950s ranch perfectly and have a lot of charm.
Up close, though, the bathroom shows its age. There are shattered wall tiles—probably from settling—uneven and stained flooring, and a chipped sink, among other flaws.
The original bathroom has served this house for more than half a century, and we appreciate that. We’re generally fans of preserving what we can, but after a major cleaning and recaulking effort a few years ago that only delayed the inevitable, it’s time to update the space for good. Inspired in part by my parents’ DIY bathroom makeovers, Sherry and I have decided to bite the bullet and get it done—soon. We’ll still use classic tile and timeless materials so the finished room won’t stick out in our 50-year-old ranch.
The plan is straightforward: we’ve started tearing things down to the studs and will rebuild with our own hands, with help from my dad. Sherry is currently juggling an important job, so extra hands are welcome. The remodel will include new walls, a new tub/shower surround, new flooring, and a DIY vanity project. We’ll donate usable fixtures like the old vanity and faucets to Habitat for Humanity ReStore so they can get a second life. If everything goes as planned, the whole redo should be finished before Christmas.
In case you’re wondering where we’ll shower during the remodel—the house only has one full bathroom—we’ve got a plan. I’ll use the gym shower in the mornings on the way to work, and Sherry will use my sister’s bathroom in the evenings. We’re fortunate to have family nearby.
Sherry will post soon with design details and a working mood board so you can see our vision. We know readers like the pre-planning details, so we’ll share our material choices, tile selections, and the nightstand we plan to retrofit into a sink vanity. We’ve already picked many materials and gathered tools, which is why the nursery currently looks unsafe for a newborn—tools everywhere—but it’s all part of the process.
So, does anyone else have a “Monet” bathroom—pretty from afar but problematic up close? Are any of you planning bathroom remodels, or have you recently finished one? Anyone else brave enough to gut a bathroom to the studs in hopes of wrapping it up before the holidays? We’d love to hear about your projects and tips.