Bathroom Remodel DIY – Planning is Key

I thought I’d share a big project that we are planning – a bathroom remodel DIY.   Every room remodel that we’ve done in our home has involved lots of planning, but when you do a bathroom remodel, planning is key!  

So, today, I thought I’d share our bathroom remodel DIY plans with you.  We are probably going to do this project in two stages.  Stage one will be done this fall.  Stage two will be done in the new year after the holidays.  That’s our plan, but as with any DIY project, that could change!  Stage one of the project will address:  the ceiling, the vanity, toilet, and floor.  Stage two of the project will address:  the tub, tub and shower wall tile, and turning our linen closet into a walk in shower.  

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Bathroom Remodel Phase 1

We are currently getting ready for this phase of the project!  We’ll be removing the current builder grade sink vanity and replacing it with a vintage dresser that I’ve had in storage for this purpose for almost a year!  It’s a pretty classic vintage dresser with pretty brass ring pulls and key holes!  We are removing the wood top and having a piece of white quartz with light grey veining fabricated to the same size.  Then, we are mounting a white vessel sink on top of the quartz with a brass sink faucet. 

For the wood dresser, we’ll have to make some adjustments to the drawers for the plumbing.  But, the drawers will still function.  I am going to paint the dresser black, because the wood isn’t really in great condition.  I could refinish it, but you know I love classic black and white.  It never goes out of style!  I’ll clean up the original brass pulls because they are lovely and should polish up nicely.  The dresser in the photo above is just an example and not the actual dresser we’ll be using.

I chose a simple black framed mirror to hang above the dresser.  And, I chose a vintage look vanity light  in brass to hang above the mirror.   The brass light fixture and sink faucet will complement the brass drawer pulls.  But, the black mirror will break up the brass look.  If I had chosen a brass mirror, it would probably be too much brass in one area.

We currently have quite a bit of storage under or sink vanity and we’ll definitely be losing some of that storage by going this route.  And, as I shared in the opening, we are also going to use the space that is currently our linen closet as a walk in shower.  So, I’m sure you’re wondering where all of my linens are going!  Well, I currently have this piece in my hallway that I use for some linen storage.  But, I’m going to be looking for a taller vintage piece with glass doors that I can use to store towels and other linens, etc.  I’ll be searching local auctions, facebook marketplace, etc. to find just the right piece.  

For the floors, we are pretty sure that we are using this vintage look glazed porcelain tile with a star pattern.  And, we will use a charcoal grout, because I don’t like the look of dirty grout!!  It is so hard to keep white grout on floors white!  Before I saw this particular tile, I had wanted a classic basket weave tile pattern.  But, when I saw this tile pattern, it was love at first sight!!  

Bathroom Remodel Phase 2

We broke this project into phases for a really practical reason – the cost!   So, we are hoping to work on phase two after Christmas.  Phase two will focus on the shower and bath.  Currently, we have a shower/bath surround that I’ve hated for years!  So, we are removing that and putting in a stand alone soaker tub that is a little bit smaller than what we currently have.  This will free up more space for a walk in shower.  It will still be small (small home, small bath).  But, it will be so much nicer and more versatile.  Frankly, we thought about removing the bathtub altogether since we no longer have small children.  But, for home resale purposes, we should have a bath option.   We are going with a classic white subway tile with charcoal grout for the tub surround and shower walls.   

For the actual bathtub, I thought about refinishing a vintage bathtub, and if I would find one that is slightly smaller than standard, I would still do it!  But, otherwise, we’ll purchase a new one with black feet as shown.  

Lastly, I thought I’d share if we are going to do all the work ourselves or hire out.  At this point, we are hoping to do all the work ourselves.   The plumbing is the only thing that may be a concern, but we have some friends who are plumbers if we have questions!  And, there’s always youtube!  If people can build homes without any prior building knowledge by following youtube videos, I think we can manage some simple plumbing!  Fingers crossed!!!  Mark works in the flooring industry, so the tiling is not a problem.  We do plan to share how we are doing this project step by step, so it can help others who are thinking about doing a bathroom remodel DIY.  

The first project you’ll be seeing for this bathroom remodel will be the dresser/vanity.  I’ll share the dresser alterations, painting process, and how to bring back the brass glow on the pulls.  Once, the dresser is ready to install, we’ll be ready to begin Phase 1.  I’m pretty excited to get this project going!  And, if I’m really brave, I’ll even share a before photo of our existing bathroom!   I hope you have a great week!