When 1 becomes 1 1/2 - Bathrooms that is!

This house had an extraordinarily large bathroom when we started the project.  It just didn't seem like a good use of space!  So my goal was to figure out how to improve it!  Big jetted soaking tubs aren't popular anymore, particularly when they leak into the kitchen.  This one had to go!

Here was my goal - I wanted to create a full bath in the hallway, a half bath for the primary suite and a laundry space.  Ha!!  That might bave been a bridge too far!

I tried lots and lots of options, but ultimately, the laundry was too much of a stretch.  However, I was able to make the full and the half bath happen.

First step was to take 2/3 of the space to make the hall bath.  The tall ceiling created a bit of drama - a huge improvement over the former low ceilings. 

One of my favorite features is the antique style mirror over the vanity.  I've used this same mirror a couple of times - including in my own house!

Tall ceiling for the win!

And because storage space is always highly prized in a bathroom, we added this cabinet of drawers under the sloped ceiling.  Great use of space! 

And what did we do with the rest of the space from the original bathroom?  We were able to create this half bath for the Primary Suite.  It's not big, but it's got wonderful functionality with built in storage, a medicine chest and vanity space.  It's going to be so great for the new owners! 

Bedrooms at the Craftsman Cottage

The dramatic Before & After photos continue on the second floor, thanks to changing the ceiling height from a very low 6' 6" to 9' high.

Opening up this space gave us opportunity to move walls around

But it wasn't easy.  We had to open up the ceilings and install a new structural ridge beam across the peak of the roof.  This required lots of new structural supports below it, to transfer all the load down to the foundation.  But in doing so, we got light and airiness that just didn't exist when we started.

We also removed the chimney, which gave us lots of options for moving walls around and making the bedrooms larger.

With all the structural work done, we turned our attention to creating 3 comfortable bedrooms in roughly the same spot we started with.    

This floor plan helps illustrate all the changes we made. 

The primary bedroom saw huge changes - it got taller.  It got wider.  And a skylight brought in some light and fresh air. 

How did we make the room so much bigger?  There was a bathroom closet and shower behind this wall.  We stole that space for the bedroom.

And we were able to add a large closet on this wall, when we moved the doorway from the hall.  A large closet in a 101 year old home is pretty unusual! 

Like the primary bedroom, the second bedroom is now larger and more spacious, because we moved the chimney that was in the hallway. 

Taller, wider and so much brighter!!!

This room didn't have a closet, so we added a custom built storage unit into the corner of the room.  The baskets function as drawers and there is hanging space behind the custom doors.  Oh and the triangular cubby?  Well that's just fun! 

Can you believe it's the same room?  Of course it has new walls, window, beadboard on the kneewall, and a skylight that floods the room with light. 

And last, but not least, is the third bedroom.  This bedroom was small to start with.  But it shared the same dark color scheme with low ceilings that made it feel even smaller. 

While we couldn't make it any bigger, the increased ceiling height provides a sense of spaciousness.  And a built in closet provides some much needed storage.  

Look at the change with new ceiling height!

This is now the perfect room for a child or a home office!

Finally, it's noteworthy to see the changes we made in the hallway.  It was abnormally large, given the size of the bedrooms.  But by removing the chimney and making the hall smaller, the bedrooms gained useful space.  

Note how low the ceiling was! 

The door to the Primary Suite is where the chimney used to be. That added 3' to both bedrooms

Everyone loved all the changes we made when they visited the Open House.  And the new owners love it too!  Changing these rooms was a massive project, but so worth it!