Let’s talk about our master bathroom, shall we? What to say about this space. Well, it’s dated. The 70’s called, it wants our bathroom back. Orangey oak cabinets aren’t the worst offenders, but they’re not doing anything to help, either. And because of the sink placement, only one top drawer opens.
But the cabinets aren’t the real problem. Oh no, the tile is. Not only in the looks department, but the shape they’re in. At the base of the shower, the tiles are separating from the wall.
Which means…water leakage. We all know that’s a bad situation. Of course we could fix just the problem areas, but where’s the fun in that? I mean, the whole bathroom needs an update. Super hot weather means we’re better off working indoors. So, tackling the master bathroom has been bumped up our to do list. Shower, get ready for a makeover.
Walls, prepare for a facelift.
And vanity mirror, you’ve gotta go. And finally we’ll get some paint around the light fixture.
Most exciting to me is adding the old clawfoot tub from the main bathroom below the window.
To accommodate the tub, we’ll shorten the vanity to one sink (two is unnecessary for us). And convert the swinging door to a pocket door.
We’re still in the early planning stages, but we’re discussing changing the layout of the shower. In my ideal world, we’d make this a full glass wall:
But it’s not realistic; where would we put our switches? And I’ve heard full glass showers are a pain in the arse to clean. Not to mention, spendy. We’re excitedly discussing plans and looking for materials.
What prompts you to start a remodel? Damage that needs fixing? Just sick of using/looking at a space? If you could choose one feature for your bathroom, what would it be? I’m most excited for a separate tub and shower. Especially because that tub is a clawfoot.
And to all US residents, Happy Independence Day! Hope you enjoy your long weekend!
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Even though you are probably planning on making this your forever home, I would urge you to rethink removing the double sinks. There are other options that would allow you to keep both sinks (e.g., vessel sinks). In most master baths, two sinks are preferred, and so only having one sink might keep buyers from purchasing. Just consider it.
I hear what you are saying, but the last three homes we’ve lived in have only had one sink in the bathroom. So far, we’ve managed. 🙂
Hi Caedwin!
I know what you mean, and maybe we’ll have room for two sinks. We still have to make final measurements, so it’s possible. But, our first house had only one master sink and we didn’t mind it at all. I feel having the tub in there is worth the sacrifice. 🙂
I would rather have the seperate tub and shower and sacrific a second sink–but that is just me. I doubt someone would walk into an extremely gorgeous, well done, bathroom (and whole house for that matter) like yours will turn out to be and say, “Nope…we cant buy this house because the master bathroom doesnt have 2 sinks.”
If you’re anything like me, you probably started the demo right after taking these photos. Full on commitment, baby! I can’t wait to see how this turns out!
Hey Hevel House!
Ha, I’d love to demo it, but we’ve still got to figure out things before we’re willing to tear into it. 🙂 Can’t wait to share everything though!
Thanks!
Amanda
I redid my bathroom because it was awful and I couldn’t stand looking it anymore–and because I HATED my clawfoot tub. That’s because it was all I had (one bathroom apartment) so I had to shower there too, with awful wraparound shower curtains always attacking. Ugh! I replaced it with a glass shower which I absolutely love. Can’t wait to see what you do!
Oh, here’s my bathroom: http://homemade-handmade.net/2013/01/17/a-better-bathroom/
Hi Mary!
I hear you on the clawfoot tub/shower situation. That’s exactly the reason we took the tub out of the main bathroom.
Your bathroom is beautiful. Love all the marble and the shower is divine. Excellent work!
Thanks!
Amanda
I can’t wait to see how it turns out! We are in the middle of a master bathroom remodel and did it out of necessity. The shower door broke so we had to replace it and we decided to have the shower painted since it was an ugly off-white color and needed an update but was in perfect condition.
Hey Sarah!
Oooh, that’s exciting! Not the broken shower part, but the changes. 🙂 Happy renovating! Feel free to share a link when you’re ready.
Thanks!
Amanda
Looking forward to the redo. I’m a fan of something with a nice shower curtain…only because everyone I know who has the glass showers hates them. Me, I like to throw the curtain in the wash!
Hey Pine Tree Home!
Ben’s really pulling for a shower curtain, and I think it does make a lot of sense. It just doesn’t look as luxe. But a curtain works just as well and it’s easy to clean and change if necessary. 🙂
Thanks!
Amanda
Looking forward to seeing how the bathroom progresses. I’ve been pondering some of the same questions—what prompts people to redo or reno a space? All our spaces are quite livable but when do you make the decision to start over? I don’t think any of us have that much extra cash lying around to burn 😛 For me, I think when we’re in a home we think we’ll be in for at least a good while, I’ll be more comfortable with putting some money into it.
I’ve been catching up on your blog. I love that your blogging from a unique location. I’m always amazed by your outdoor scenery!! My husband and I renovated our master bath a few years ago and he made a last minute decision to add a floor to ceiling glass wall with door (the door is the same height as the wall so it’s essentially seamless). Originally, we had a half wall that we were going to keep. This prevented use of a shower curtain (which I liked) but still added privacy. He decided the glass wall/door would make the room more open. He was 100% right. It was also 10,000,000,000 billion times harder to clean and never, ever looked clean again. Even AFTER cleaning. But.. I loved it because it was so pretty! It’s like high heeled shoes: impractical but amazing for the legs! Anyways, my sister gave me some advice that helped. 1) don’t use bar soap. Something in the soap creates the soap scum. Use liquid soap instead. 2) don’t have glass showers if you have hard water- hard water stains are hard to clean and impossible to prevent 3) use a squeegee- after.every.shower. We ended moving before we could implement these ideas but she runs a house cleaning business and said that her clients who do all of the above, have pretty well kept glass doors. Those who don’t, well- good thing they get paid by the hour! 🙂 Happy renovating, super excited to see the claw foot tub in the space. They are beautiful!
Hi Sydney!
Your shower sounds awesome, but a pain to clean. That’s exactly what Ben and I are worried about. So, we’re discussing a half wall to keep the water spot areas to a minimum. We’ll see though. But, your tips do make a lot of sense. I’ll have to remember those if/when we have glass in our shower. 🙂
Thanks so much!
Amanda