The project for May in the AggieMike household it to 100% redo (floor to ceiling, wall to wall) our master bathroom and closet. This bathroom is about 10 X 12 with a corner shower, jacuzzi tub (standard for late 80s/early 90s construction) with a small toilet closet and the stupid seashell chalk/limestone counter top with a plain wall mirror and cheap lighting. The previous owners (in the 70s) also have this hideous wallpaper (and, as a betting man, I bet it's glued directly to the sheetrock with no other preparation). Oh yeah, and as a bonus, there's white CARPET throughout.

I'll get some pics up soon, but here is a list of things we want done:
1. Remove cabinet/vanity/countertop and replace with new, more modern style cabinet and vanity.
2. Remove plain rectangular mirror and replace with something more stylish.
3. Remove light fixture and install something more current, maybe some can lighting?
4. Remove wallpaper, finish/tape/float/texture wall and paint.
5. Remove white/builders 6" tile around tub and shower. Install new tile around tub (only item staying) and 100% redo the shower (preferably expanding its size and providing for a corner "seat".
6. Yank carpet, install tile.
7. New blinds on window.
8. New toilet.
9. New closet organization system.
10. New fixtures and hardware throughout.

My initial question: what is the order that things need to happen? Some of this we will do ourselves (painting, floor tile, etc.) and some we will hire out (sheetrock/texture, plumbing, etc.). I also plan to do the demo/haul-off myself. So, assuming I get the demo done, what's next...the floor, walls/sheetrock, walls/tile?

Sounds like a similar job as my master bath overhaul. I didn't do anything myself, hired it all out. They did demo first obviously. Then rebuilt the shower (pony wall and such), retiled everything, toilet, new counters/sinks, drop-in tub, new closet door/wall, new window, shower glass, then wallpaper removal/paint, replaced lighting/bath hardware and new mirrors hung. Some stuff was going on simultaneously. Do the blinds last...especially if you get the fancy cloth type as it's dirty as hell until the job is done.

Anyway, the process was a nightmare even though I didn't do any of the work. Worth it though.

I'd do it like this.

1.) Demo whatever is coming out.
2.) Remove any sheetrock necessary for plumbing & electrical changes.
3.) Fix Sheetrock
4.) Measure for new shower pan if going custom.
5.) Measure for cabinets if going custom.
6.) Install new closet system if you're not going the wire shelf route.
7.) Install new shower pan.
8.) Texture and paint walls.
9.) Install cabinets and have the vanities measured.
10.) Install tile on floors and walls.
11.) Install vanity tops.
12.) Install new fixtures( plumbing, electric, hardware)
13.) Paint touch ups
14.) Install any carpet( closet?)

Sounds like fun. Be sure and post the before and after pics.


***Forgot about the blinds. If your doing the custom blind job be sure to measure for those after you fix the sheetrock or the measurements might be off. Install the new blinds after all of the paint touch ups are done.***

[This message has been edited by spider96 (edited 5/2/2011 3:51p).]

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maybe some can lighting?

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Perhaps a can light over the shower / tub, but definitely NOT over the vanity. Look on Amazon at "vanity lighting", you will see thousands of choices.

Plus we definitely need "before" pics. That way MOM of many can start bugging you!

Pics are coming tomorrow night. We've lived here for 10 years and it's time to tackle the master bath. Been on the back burner for way too long. I will likely begin the demo this weekend. Pics will be CONSTANTLY coming when the project is underway!

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The project for May

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Will you have time off in May to oversee contractors? We may have to lay odds on this finishing in 4 weeks. :-)

I teach accounting at UH. I like my odds since I'm off all month. Of course, I may be eating these words come Memorial Day.

And I know you have little kids; that lowers your odds of finishing on deadline. We are ready to follow your project!

It's the second of May ALREADY...how do you think you will get this finished in 29 days if you don't have your plan ready?

GET WITH IT! There Mr Dubi should be happy that I can gripe at someone else now!

A few before pics:

The vanity:


The closet door:


The shower:


The hideous wallpaper:

OH GOOD GRIEF, that screams wallpaper directly glued to drywall! Hope we are wrong and that it cleans up easily.

No, you would be correct. I'm 99.9% certain that the wallpaper is glued directly to the sheetrock. After all, that's exactly how they did it in another (smaller) bathroom. Based on my rough estimates, $800 to have someone come in, strip the wallpaper, repair the sheetrock, tape, mud, float and texture the walls. No way I'm doing this.

Holy hell that's ugly.

That was pretty much what my bath was like. The 80s and early 90s sure had some awful tastes.

I'm pretty sure T Garden Cafe in Bryan had a wallpaper like that in one room.

That was definitely formal dining room paper back 20-25 years ago so kind of odd that it is used in a bathroom.

Don't get me wrong, if I was buying your home today, that wallpaper would be doable. I am old, I can deal with SOME oddities that you kids can't...I drew my line when my husband brought kitchen wallpaper with wheat stalks and mushrooms though and put up with it for 14 years but told him never again did he have choosing power!

We're thinking this for the new vanity:

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The Ava Contemporary Double Vanity with Glass Inlay Doors offers both modern, clean-lined sophistication and classic warmth. Vanity is made from solid oak wood, Tempered glass inserts add character and beauty to his and her cabinet doors, SOFT CLOSING hardware so you will never have to hear a door slam again. and a rich espresso finish adds dimension. Ideal for any transitional or modern bathrooms. Ava Contemporary Vanity comes complete with matching mirror, chrome faucet with pop-up drain.

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The original vanity (note the pic above) from left to right is 79 inches. This new vanity is 71 inches wide so we'd have about 4 inches of space on either side. Is this going to be odd?

Also, any thoughts on the Virtu USA brand of vanities?

Also, Mr. & Mrs. Dubi (and others), we are thinking about walling in the right half of the closet door (the part behind the tub) and putting in a different closet door that is only 4 feet wide instead of 8 feet wide. What kinda pain are we looking at to accomplish this?

I like the vanity.

Is that a sliding closet door behind the tub?

I'd re-frame that as a fixed wall behind the tub and put in bi-fold doors into closet (see our bedroom closet below)



[This message has been edited by dubi (edited 5/4/2011 10:37a).]

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so we'd have about 4 inches of space on either side. Is this going to be odd?

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Yes, I think it would look odd. You could re-frame wall to fit vanity.

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Also, Mr. & Mrs. Dubi (and others), we are thinking about walling in the right half of the closet door (the part behind the tub) and putting in a different closet door that is only 4 feet wide instead of 8 feet wide. What kinda pain are we looking at to accomplish this?

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We did this as well. Ripped out a 10-12 ft mirrored sliding door and we put in a pocket door the size of a normal interior door (drywalled the rest of the space). Looks infinitely better. Pros did it but it seemed pretty easy.

I recently did a down to studs redo of my bathroom myself. Couple of points/thoughts
Make sure u put shower in before tiling floor
You may want to tile the whole floor when cabinets are out. I did and it looks better. No seams against cabinets
Make sure u pull baseboards and replace after tiling. The tile job will look much better
Pulling wall paper is a pain In The butt. But Ur labor is cheap
I textured and painted as the very last thing

Pig driver

I'm with dubi about the closet door! I think though the vanity will be just fine if it isn't flush-flush with the wall on both ends. Because it is finished on both ends and shaped it is more vanity than cabinet and will look like a piece of furniture instead of a built in.

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I think though the vanity will be just fine if it isn't flush-flush with the wall on both ends.

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Mom has convinced me that it will look ok on a longer wall. I went back and looked at the finish detail on the pic.

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we put in a pocket door the size of a normal interior door

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+1

since dad to many wrecked his knee and needed two surgeries in one summer...I am all about pocket doors in and into bathrooms! Less space and more clearance!

Where are the demolition pics?

Demo is occurring this Saturday and Sunday. This is going to be a summer project, not a May project, yall were right!

On the closet: frame in the right side, and I would put in a 3-0 double door on the left side. This will yield you usable wall space on the right side of the closet. If the closet is deep enough, I would also make the double doors swing in, so it would not interfere with floor space in the bathroom.

Mr D...would it work to wall in the right side by the tub and then add a pocket door to slide that direction or will a pocket door not give enough width for the closet?

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will a pocket door not give enough width for the closet?

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I think a 36" pocket would work just fine; that is a 8' wall that totally needs to be reframed. Just frame in the door so it opens from flush left.

I'm liking these suggestions. A pocket door is something we haven't even considered. So, I'm glad you've brought them up. Technically, those are 9 foot ceilings, but the door looks to be 7 feet. I hate those mirrored doors (look so cheap and they're always falling off track). The closet is included in this project and it's the width of the bathroom (basically the width of the sliding mirrored doors) and about the same depth (8 feet??? haven't measured exactly). It's the standard builders rod/wood shelf around the closet with a small linen cabinet to the right behind the mirror.

my in laws built in 1992 and have several pocket doors throughout the house...her reasoning was it saves space because you don't need the clearance to "swing" it open

How deep is the closet behind the sliding doors?