Whoa. $160 cartridge?!
Note to self: when picking a showerhead or faucet, check cartridge prices. AS was like $20 top. Grohe was $40…
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Where I lean toward DIY is the lack of trust in “experts.” Several years ago, I complained that the shower was not hot enough. So H had a plumber come in. The plumber turned up the temp on the water heater, which one day exploded - ok, leaked off the top someplace - causing water issues in the basement because, of course, the floor angle was not correctly made to go to the drain that’s right there. Then years later, I did my own searching and found that all I had to do was pop off the front of the shower handle to adjust some plastic parts and viola, now the shower gets hot to my liking.
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You absolutely can keep the cabinets. We have done countertops replacement in both kitchens (old and new to us houses) and in one master bath. Obviously, that was hired out, not DIY. You can also reface the cabinets if you don’t like the door style or finish. We’ve successfully refaced an entire kitchen, 60 plus cabinet doors.
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I want to Reno my bathrooms, but I can’t seem to get my husband on board. So…I’m going to paint the vanity and all the wood trim…then he will replace the towel and TP holders, and the faucets, and put new handles on anything that has handles.
I’m going to start with the hall bath…and hope he decides that the master can be done by someone else!
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I was under the impression - and maybe this is wrong - that what we may need to replace is the plastic cartridge assembly (under $100). I didn’t even see the metal part until now. We have hard water, so part of me wonders if I can just clean up the metal one with CLR or vinegar. Though, i see that the part is cheaper at Home Depot, so I’d probably just buy new.
Nevermind me, y’all, I’m just thinking out loud.
Is your mirror the kind that just pops off the wall? I found you get a lot of bang for the buck with new cabinet/drawer handles and a new mirror. I saw one on a crafts site (made in Nepal I think… not that expensive but looks very high end) and although it’s the only bright thing in a very neutral bathroom, it was a quick fix to a very dreary room. Brushed stainless handles and an artsy mirror…
Love you plans! The vanity layout is pretty much what we are planning too, with the tower to one side. I am only doing one sink though, to maximize counter space in a tight spot.
My bathroom mirrors are the full length of the vanities and are glued to the wall. I should have had them removed when we had the bathroom painted. It’s a big mess to remove them, likely the Sheetrock would need to be repaired, and wall painted…needing to match the rest of the room.
Not an easy fix!
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Forget what I said. Sounds like a huge, messy, expensive fix!
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Just did a complete bathroom renovation this summer and the 4" is what I did for shower entry for the exact reason you mentioned. I think it works well:)
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If you want to keep the current mirror, there are ways to frame it to give it a new look. I’ve seen frame kits advertised or you can totally DIY. It appears the frames are just adhered to the perimeter of the mirror with construction adhesive.
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Thanks for all of the suggestions and support.
I’ve looked at a lot of shower tiles and bathroom inspiration pictures. The tiler sent a file of showers that she’s done.
I like the plain showers best. A very clean sparse look. I’ll add decorative mirrors over the sinks, use paint, towel racks and such to jazz up the design. I do love the wainscoting, I have very little wall space so will see how much I have and if it will work for the space I have.
I’m going with 12x24 tiles on the wall of the shower, a basketweave for the shower floor. 18x18 floor tiles. Minimal grout. The countertop I had picked out is too brown for the current tile I like but that’s easy to change when the time comes. The designer has suggested remnants for the countertop, we went to her preferred place, they had plenty to choose from. Will go back once every thing is completed.
The best thing I did was hire someone to help. In the end, I knew what I wanted, they didn’t help as much as guide us to the correct people and direction. It was definitely worth the small amount of money that it cost in the end.
The person who designed the bathroom also designed the kitchen at the same time. We hope to do that next. I love the design. At the same time we will install hardwood on the first floor, which adds quite a bit of cost to the project. Everyone suggested doing all the flooring at the same time because flooring gets discontinued and we want it all to match.
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Flooring is also a major PIA… so better to bite the bullet and just replace the floors (or sand and refinish if you can) rather than live through it a few years later. I thought I could handle doing the kitchen and then the rest of the downstairs when “maybe it would cost less” – but I was wrong. Do it all at once and rip off that bandaid. Gonna look gorgeous!!!
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Love that wallpaper!
I can’t frame it. The mirror goes wall to wall above the vanity. It either needs to be removed and replaced…or left alone. (Both bathrooms). Eventually…it will be removed. But it’s really a chore to do so.
You can temporarily jazz it up as suggested by using something like this:
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There is no place between the corners and the mirror for any kind of trim…at all. The mirror takes up the entire wall above the sinks.
I don’t want to jazz it up anyway. I want to remove it…I’ll get there someday!
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These are the floors I am pretty sure we will choose
Made in Michigan, we have a friend who has these and they have held up really well.
I was quoted about $15 a square foot. Installed.
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That’s beautiful. What type of kitchen flooring do you have now?
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