Remodel a bathroom

When it comes to selling a home they say kitchens and bathrooms are not only the big sellers, but the places where you get the most for your investment. The house I bought had a rather large (5' x 10') and very bland half bathroom on the first floor. I decided to not only remodel it, but add a half bathroom in the process. I did everything myself, with the exception of the plumbing. I did however find a plumber who was willing to take the time to show me how everything was done. The remodel included:

+Recessed lighting
+Vanity lighting
+Exhaust vent
+Shower plumbing
+Tiled shower walls
+Tiled floors
+Wainscoting
+Bifold door
+Painting

**Update**  If you enjoy this instructable, checkout how to remodel another bathroom where I take on my upstairs bathroom.

Step 1: Planning the layout

I was originally unsure about how I wanted to setup the bathroom. I knew I wanted to add a shower and that a corner shower was probably the best route to go. I originally considered moving the sink near the door and putting the shower in it's place.

The problem was that (a) the shower drain would involving cutting through a supporting joist (doable but more complex) and the a quote for the plumbing was about $800 since it involved moving two fixtures. Moving the toilet meant the shower plumbing would have to be installed on an exterior wall. Not only does this increase the risk of pipes freezing and bursting, but any repairs to problems with the plumbing would involve going through either the shower walls that I planned on tiling or the exterior walls of the house. It's best to install showers where the plumbing can be accessed though interior drywall (an interior access panel is even better). The project sat on hold until I could come up with a reasonable solution.

A few months later I had the revelation that if I changed the style of the door to either a bifold or pocket door, I would have enough room in the adjacent corner (the window extended into the shower space but I'll get to that later). Although the wall wasn't a load bearing wall, I was not super excited to tear it open enough to install a pocket door. I settled on a bifold door as a reasonable compromise. I drew up a mockup and was ready to get started.

Comments

[e-tek]

Great instructible, thanks for taking the time to post it. Just wondering if that window is going to impede the curtains ability to keep the water in? Did you do anything special around the window, like silicone caulk or waterproof paint? The chair rail moulding really breaks up the wall nicely too!

[louis_stoltz]

Very helpful - Thank you!

[WILL62]

Nice job,and really cool tile crafting, looks like it will stay forever.

[kathynv]

Another terrific remodeling job and an equally terrific instructable! I do have a quibble with you over the bathroom lock, especially since this is a bathroom that will be used by guests. Your lock is at the top of the door frame, and is an ingenious way of keeping the door closed when the powder room is in use. However, if you have a guest who cannot possibly reach the top of the door frame, say someone who tops out at five feet even, that guest would have to whistle the entire time they were in the powder room, just to let others know it was in use. I'm not that good a whistler, so if I can suggest another lock, it would be the kind where a metal "blade" drops into a U shaped base. Mount it on the door, at the center opening at, say 4'. It will keep the door from folding, providing privacy for the short person inside the powder room. Thanks again for the terrific instructable!

[MrBippers]

I was a little torn about the lock. I was worried something in the middle might prevent the door from folding completely. If I'm getting the right idea about what you're describing, that probably would work as well. I'm 6'8" and guess I have a tendency to forget the other perspectives sometimes.

[porcupinemamma]

how do you get powder coated chains?

[MrBippers]

At one point I found a bunch at a garage sale and figured it was something I could find a use for eventually. Most of the home improvement stores will sell chain by the foot so you may be able to find something similar there.

[canida]

Looks awesome, and I love the shower chain solution! Thanks for the walk-through on your decision making process. It was incredibly informative. A suggestion on color - putting the darker color below the chair rail (on the wainscoting) and the lighter color above generally makes the room look bigger, due to the amount of light at eye-level. I personally use the bottom color on the paint chip below the chair rail throughout our house, then use the same cream color above. (The trim is a consistent color throughout the house, too. Makes things easy.)

[jeff-o]

I think the dark colour on top makes it look classy!

[MrBippers]

That's a good point on the color for anyone considering this. The room the bathroom connects to was already a similar tan so I figured the brown on top would help visually separate it.

Many paint vendors have websites that let you play with color layouts on sample rooms, which is what I did before deciding on my final colors. A few examples are can be from Valspar, Sherwin-Williams, and Behr.

[DIYDragon]

Awesome job. I really like the color scheme, and the chain idea on the shower. : D Might be cool to make some matching things (like a towel holder perhaps) out of the chains too. : )