Tuesday, February 13, 2018

The New Hall Bath - or How I Learned Everything I Need to Know in Kindergarten

While this house managed just fine with one bathroom over the last 80 years, I really wanted to add an additional bathroom as part of our renovations.  And thanks to my friend Annie, who lives in a house by the same builder, I knew it could be done!!  Her house has the bathroom at the top of the staircase and she was kind enough to let me come see the layout of her house as we got the project going.

But it wasn't easy to make it happen.  We had to squeeze it into this small space.

It helped that demo removed a lot of the walls and you could start to see it take shape.
That's when I got my kindergarten skills going.  I created paper dolls of key fixtures - toilet, tub and sink.  And then I started moving them around, until  it started to make sense (I did it in advance on my CAD system, but nothing beats doing it in the actual space to get a real appreciation for the challenges!)

And there were some challenges.  It's a tight space, so I didn't want a door that swung into the room or the hallway.  So we went with a pocket door (which made my electricians crazy when they had to install light switches and ground fault outlets!!).

I was willing to steal a couple of feet from the adjoining bedroom, but we still needed to make space for a bedroom closet. (that's the finished floor next to the Sink in the photo above).

Oh yeah, and did I mention that cat pee is my nemesis???  Evidently the linen closet doubled as a litter box (although with what we discovered, I think maybe there wasn't a box!!), because the smell was AWFUL and there were urine crystal stalactites hanging down on the boards below.  Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.  Solution - chop out all those boards and replace them!!!

And there were some other challenges.  The final design left the window in the shower stall - never a good option!!  So we needed to move the window, which is a pretty big job.  I'm not sure I realized it at the time, but it had such a big impact on the exterior siding, now we have to redo the siding across the back of the whole house.

That's a lot of radiators!!!
And the steam radiator was in the wrong spot as well.  They're tricky to move, but we realized we could embed it in the wall that's shared with the closet - an elegant solution!  However, the old one didn't fit, so it required a trip to Boston to have it reworked into a smaller size.  (sooo, can you hear the budget cha ching cha ching sounds????  It feels like we are spiraling out of control on this room!).

But even though it's a small bathroom, I wanted it to be lovely.  So we will have beautiful finishes for all the bath elements.  And even though it's brand new, I'd like it to have a bit of a classic look and feel.  So that means a traditional carrera marble floor, classic reproduction sink, fixtures and medicine chest.  But I will add a bit of pizazz with a bit of mini glass subway tile on the shower wall.  I'm such a sucker for spa blue glass!!
That's the plan and it's starting to take shape.  Can't wait to see it it 3 dimensions - and not just paper dolls on the floor!!  But those kindergarten skills really came in handy!!  

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6 comments:

  1. Why oh why do you have to be in Maine? LOVE everything you touch! Only problem is we aren't going any further north than Boston. Can't wait to see this beauty come to life.

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    1. Oh, thanks so much Denise!! And sorry I can't come to Boston..... but my commute is limited to a couple of miles :-) I'm getting pretty excited about this one, can't wait to see it come together!

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  2. I am with Laurel! I love everything you do! And I am right there with you on the cat pee. 🙀 How disgusting! It is nice to know the new owners will have it all taken care of. I love the touches you are going to put in this bathroom. It is going to be beautiful.

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    1. Thanks so much Linda!!! And I can't wait until this bathroom starts to come together. It will be a big change!

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  3. I have the retrospect sink in my 1938 tudor. It is a great piece - updated, yet classic. The shelf makes it practical or can hold pretty decorative items.

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    1. That's exactly what I thought - classic lines, but the shelf and towels bars make it extremely practical!

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