Headway was made this week on remodeling the master bathroom. As well as changes in plans.
Action Leads to Progress
Remodeling the master bathroom is turning into quite the undertaking. I’m a guest participant for the One Room Challenge and every week counts! The weeks are going by quickly (we’re now on week 3!) and time management is key. If this is your first time on my website, welcome!
Before:
Currently:
The master bathroom remodel is overflowing into the bedroom as well, about as quickly the ensuite shower leak that lead to this whole remodel. It was bound to happen since the master suite is an open concept. So there’s a lot happening in the room. Let me catch you up to date!
But first I want to say thanks to the One Room Challenge and its media partner Better Homes and Gardens for hosting this inspiring design challenge! There are so many amazing minds working on their own projects (check them out here) and this set deadline gives me a kick in the butt to keep at it. And I will be the first to admit that I need a hard deadline so the remodel doesn’t drag on. Unlike my last bathroom remodel where we finished 2 days before my son was born. Yikes!
PREP– WEEK 1– WEEK 2– WEEK 3-WEEK 4– WEEK 5– WEEK 6
Remodel Away!
Having done a diy bathroom reno before, we knew we wanted a contractor for remodeling the master bathroom. In this instance, there’s a lot of framing, wiring, and plumbing involved which are all things we don’t want to mess up. Especially since there’s tile going up. The value of hiring the shower out is our peace of mind, and it saves us time. Someone who does renovations for a living is more efficient than my diy after-hour efforts. DIY is a love of mine, next to saving money, but some things are a worthwhile investment.
With that being said, our contractor got started this week. The closet was taken apart, and a shower was built in its place. The old doorway was filled in with studs and the new doorway was opened up. The plumber was over to assess the job and advise on what needed to be opened up for him to do the rough-ins. The electrician has secured the wiring and switches in their new locations. I even got the natural stones for the flooring sealed and ready for install. If you’re on instagram check out my account @inspireddecorator for my video on why I’m sealing these stones. And give it a follow.
I will say that it’s a good thing I had sketched out a drawing of the shower (it’s on Week 2’s post) and a floor plan. It’s caught a few miscommunications between us and the crew. I also took the initiative to write out a point-form list of key components. Things like the light in the toilet area will be a wall mount instead of a ceiling fixture, the shower wall is double thick, and the mixing valve is on the same wall as the doorway.
But there were some details I missed that could have been a big issue.
The Mishaps and Near Misses
The issues that came up were mostly miscommunications. Miscommunication in the sense that there were things that I missed discussing with the contractor beforehand. Or it was mentioned early in the project discussions but not noted in my file or on my list of key points.
The simplest was what to do with the heat register in the closet. It’s being capped and sealing since there are enough registers in the area. This was the simplest solution and will actually help the airflow better into the family room below.
A big disaster averted involved the shower fixtures. The current showerhead and mixing valve was replaced earlier this year (read about the reason for this reno here) so we planned to reuse them- and I didn’t tell the contractor that. Thankfully, the parts were not thrown out during the demo phase. But I could have easily been forced to shop for new shower fixtures last minute with no extra budget to spare if the crew wasn’t so cautious.
The rafter locations wouldn’t allow for the ventilation fan to be centered on the shower opening. So it’s set into the shower a little deeper than planned. Not a big issue. Sometimes the best-laid plans need adjusting. There are some things that you can’t alter, like rafters, and you need to bend for these issues. Don’t make them bigger than they need to be. It’s a bump in the road, not a mountain.
The Great Ikea Game
Another big project during the bathroom remodel is creating closet space. Since, you know, we took out our walk-in closet for the amazing walk-in shower. Ikea’s PAX wardrobes were our solution- a whole wall of them! So while the crew was working upstairs, My husband and I have been putting together all our Ikea puzzles that will somehow turn into our new closets. Every single drawer needs to be assembled. And I gotta say, I loved the click and collect service at Ikea! The closest store is 4 hrs away so it was nice to have every part (54 pieces) ready to pick up and go.
So most of the projects for this week were crossed off the list. The wallboards for the shower will be going on tomorrow. The new list includes:
- Drywall, mud, and taping
- Tiling the shower
- Complete electrical and plumbing finishes
- Build wardrobes
- Spray paint metal finishes
What step of the remodel are you most looking forward to seeing? Any areas you want me to go into more detail on? Check back again for more updates. Or better yet, sign up for my email list to get the links for new posts every week.
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