Before and After: Jess and Jon’s Bathroom Renovation

Much like their kitchen, Jess and Jon’s bathroom renovation was going to require a lot of work on a small budget. I had to find ways for them to save money without compromising on the final look.  When I first saw the bathroom, the first thing I noticed were the garish mint green walls which had no relation to the faux travertine shower and the dated granite vanity. Not to mention the fact that there was mold everywhere. We would later find water damage underneath the tiling which led to a full gut of the bathroom.  The old vanity had scratches and broken drawers, the mirror was discolored and rusting, all the hardware and fixtures were old and dated.

The new bathroom is not only brighter and visually cohesive, we also resolved the water damage and wood rot.  No more cover ups.  We continued the white walls from the rest of the house to keep things bright. Carrera marble hex tiles on the floor reflect light and add a luxurious feel to the space.

The Tub/Shower

Instead of replacing the tub, the contractor refinished it.  I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this if you can afford a new tub. Tub refinishing varies in durability depending on a number of factors.  The contractor only refinished the sides of the tub, but left the bottom the original finish.  He did this with the intention of prolonging the new coating. We also got rid of the scummy glass shower door and replaced it with a beautiful shower curtain by Kate Spade. Black shower fixtures complete the monochrome look. To save money, we used a marble-like ceramic tile which I was very unsure about until I saw it in person.  It could definitely pass as the real deal.

The Vanity

Keeping the vanity and repainting it gray was a huge money saver.  We added new quartz counters, nickel hardware, and black faucets to upgrade the look.  The contractor managed to fix the broken drawers and patch up the scratches. We were able to snag a black vanity light for $68 from Home Depot.  If I could change one thing, I would have wanted the contractor to do a better job with the mirror framing.  Originally we intended to use frameless mirrors, but when Jon installed them, he ended up cracking one of the corners.  To remedy the situation, Jon and Jess asked the contractor to frame them. To this day I have no idea why the contractor painted the frames after mounting them onto the mirrors. The uneven paint job on the mirror frames kind of dragged down the whole look.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t there to supervise this portion of the project so it is what it is.

To add some warmth to the monochrome design, we added a Jute rug instead of a traditional bath rug.  Maple boards  leftover from the kitchen were used to create some shelves above the new toilet. A wooden bath mat adds some natural texture on the white marble floor.

Overall I’m really proud of how this bathroom turned out especially when considering how it started out and the limits of our budget. More rooms to come!

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