We LOVE our new bathroom!! It is so beautiful! It was so rewarding to see all our hard work come together so nicely.
The project overall took about a month and a half. If everything had gone as planned (which, of course, it didn't) it would have been done after only 2 to 3 weeks. We hit a slight and annoying snag with the delivery of our vanity. Its a long story, with much aggravation, but I will save you the details.
Anyway, below are some pictures from our bathroom adventure. I've also included some tips that might be helpful for your home project.
Before pictures of our bathroom. Notice the wall from our small linen closet bumping into the room, that is what we had removed in order to make our bathroom larger. Remember we had a new linen closet built last winter so we no longer needed this smaller one.
Here are some process pictures. We were very lucky that we didn't have to go a single day without a shower or the toilet:)
Our new tub is installed.
New sheet rock is up.
Our NEW bathroom revealed!!!
If you would like to see more pictures of the whole process, visit our Home Renovations Album. We still have to work on accessorizing the bathroom but that will come in time.
Here are just a few tips:
1. Come up with a budget. Very important! Figure out what you can reasonably afford and balance that with what you are looking for in your remodel. Obviously if your budget is low, you aren't going to be able to get granite counter tops installed (unless you are a really good bargain shopper and can find some at a great price...which is doable). Figure out what is important to you and maybe you can skimp on some of the less important components. It is also helpful to have a realistic idea going into a project how much, on an average, it would cost.
2. Get at least 3 quotes from various contractors.
We got prices from 3 contractors. The first quote we got was for $18,000...WAY over our budget for a bathroom! Yikes! We ended up going with the contractor who gave us the lowest quote. We are so glad we did!! He was awesome! Thanks to Matt for recommending him. If any of you need a good contractor (and you live in this area of course) call Bill Brown at 413.522.2035. He is reasonably priced and does a fabulous job.
3. Put together a list of all the components you will need for your project. Example: Light fixtures, vanity, counter top, flooring, etc. Start shopping around long before your project will begin. When you order, find out when they will be delivered. Start with your main components first and then work from there. We started with our vanity and counter top and then picked out the faucet, flooring, light fixtures and then towel bars and lastly the paint. With your project, you may not have to do all this leg work yourselves. Check with your contractor about what you will need to do. For us, this was a better way to go because we wanted to control where we ordered items.
4. Communicate and be honest and clear about what you want. When it comes to a home project, it is important to be up front and clear about what you want. Make sure you talk to the contractor at the beginning of the project about your overall vision for the space. Discuss even the smallest of details...where you would like the light switches and outlets, light fixtures, etc. Also check in with your contractor about your list. Check that you have everything he will need.
5. Coordinate with your contractor. Make sure you communicate with your contractor about when he will need to have the electrician or plumber come in. Our contractor had his own electrician and plumber so we didn't need to worry about that. Most contractors probably do as well. But we did have to coordinate when the flooring would be installed.
6. Be patient. This was a tough one for me but I made it through. A remodel takes time. For me, the toughest part was all the mess! In the end, its all worth it though.
Wow, Ruthie it looks AWESOME!!!! I can't even believe it's the same room. I can't wait to see it all decorated. You must be so happy! (Just wait until it gets taken over by rubber ducks & alligators! LOL)
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