do-it-yourself primitive wants to get ideas

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11581298

Oh my.

Myrina (7,207 posts)   Sun Oct 7, 2012, 04:05 PM

Where can I get ideas ...

... for a bathroom remodel? It's about 7x7, currently 1980's fixtures & color scheme with a walk-in shower.

I've watched the HGTV and DIY shows and they're a joke. I don't have $20k for this remodel.

More like $5-7k, max. I've spent hours wandering around Lowe's etc and am more confused than when I started.

I need a new shower stall, fixtures, lighting/fan, wall tile and flooring (tile or linoleum) & a new vanity/sink.

Maybe Wainscotting ? Light colors, clean/crisp design.

I don't even know where to start. Any websites or magazines out there for the MIDDLE CLASS remodeler?

Whoa.

A bathroom 7x7?  Seven feet by seven feet?

That sounds about the size of a bathroom, commode only, one would find in an old railway Pullman passenger car, or on the cbayer primitive's boat.

Geezuz.

Seven feet by seven feet?

Wash. state Desk Jet (1,794 posts)   Sun Oct 7, 2012, 10:32 PM

2. If you have more than one bathroom in your house

you can start by doing the demo- take everything out. A full size walk in shower stall with walls is the same length and width as a full size bathtub- 5 feet.

Don't know the configuration of your bathroom hard to give advice- but I can tell you tile goes easy without obstructions such as the toilet or the vanity.

The last bathroom I did tile tub wall to ceiling on the tub surround and tile half way up the wall the rest of the space.

Paint on the upper walls and ceiling.

12 by 12 inch floor tiles on the floor.

That bathroom is 5'by 7'.

New tub, toilet and vanity' new facet bathtub and sink ,new lights and towel racks .

Turned out very nice. Didn't cost all that much. $3,000 something like that - sale on tile 2 gals. of paint - $350.00 spent on vanity -$400.00 on tub -$100.00 new valve assembly -$70.00 sink facet. -you get the picture.

The plumbing was all good so little change to the pipes.

A do it yourself bathroom remodle book is about $15. 00 at lowes or home depot. Has plenty of color pictures.

If you are hiring out the work- if you can find a contractor to do it on time and materials -or time and you buy the materials , pick it all out and bring it home- you can save money that way.

On that one the client did half the work- I made my money ,it turned out great and they sold that house !

Wash. state Desk Jet (1,794 posts)   Mon Oct 8, 2012, 12:28 PM

5. Sometimes simple can bring about dramatic change

The 5'by 7' bathroom done in tile half way up the walls was done in plain old inexpensive white tiles.Nothing at all fancy.

The house is a one story rambler and it was put on the market.
The objective was simply to do something about the awful appearance of the bathroom which was an eye sore.

What turned out to be amazing is how much of a difference and how bright the plain old inexpensive white tile made the bathroom look. It actually seemed bigger .

Choosing tile can be a task in and of itself because there is so many different patterns and colors to choose from.

Is it all about showing your friends and neighbors your beautiful bathroom ?

The point being sometimes simple is better. Five days in a 5'by 7' space sucks even when it's gutted.

At the finish result that space actually did seem bigger. I don't think a fancy patterned tile effect will have made the same difference- surely it will have looked nice, but there is only so much you can do in a small space.

Myrina (7,207 posts)   Mon Oct 8, 2012, 02:17 PM

6. Thanks for the tips ...

... I was thinking about tiling 1/2 way up, or maybe wainscotting -- this bathroom hasn't been remodeled since the early 1980's - colors are mismatched (the old walk in shower stall is a grungy beige) and the tile grout is about shot - also beige so half of the bathroom looks like it was vomited on - water damage to the surrounding drywall and baseboards ... I'm sure there's a healthy stash of mold back there too ... so its not about 'showing off' to friends/family ... its about finally doing the remodel to suit ME rather than just tolerating the musty skanky bathroom that came with the house I bought 5 years ago & couldn't afford to renovate at the time.

I'm not at all good at DIY but I do have a handyman who quoted me a reasonable price & timeframe if I supply the majority of the materials (obviously he doesn't expect me to know pipe sizes etc) ... I just can't find any deco ideas that really grab me and say "THIS is MY bathroom". I really like the modern stuff but it wouldn't jive with the rest of the house, which is just ... basic ... hardwoods, clean lines, but not super hi-tech gizmos/gadgets etc ...

Make sense?

Hassin Bin Sober (7,166 posts)  Mon Oct 8, 2012, 05:39 PM

8. Are you doing a pedestal sink or vanity?

I'm not a big fan of vanity cabinets in a small bathroom. Too many places for dirt to hide between the tub and vanity... or toilet and vanity. I prefer a pedestal sink.

I really like the Kohler Archer series pedestal for a bit of a modern flare to a classic design. The Archer has an accompanying toilet. You can see it at Home Depot ( it seems to be a big seller for them) and, better yet, buy it on-line at faucet direct.com. Save a few bucks AND sales taxes. Most of their stuff is free shipping for orders over 99 bucks.

I'm in Chicago so I, and all my friends, have small bathrooms. I feel your pain when it comes to magazines and websites featuring huge opulent bathrooms. What about us little guys?

I guess my main advice would be to don't get too stressed out or overwhelmed. You ain't re-inventing the wheel in a small bathroom. The floor plan is pretty much fixed (unless you want to move plumbing).

Stay away from super cheap faucets. Stay away from some of those house brands like Pegasus and Glacier Bay - complete junk.

jeff47 (4,946 posts)   Wed Oct 10, 2012, 11:16 AM

15. Go ahead and look at the $20k remodels in magazines and TV shows

But try to figure out why something works instead of spending $20k.

Bathroom seem bigger? Well, that's because they used lighter color paint on the walls.

Really like the tile wainscoting with fancy imported Italian marble? Well, you can do pretty similar with basic white tiles.

And so on. Get the ideas from the expensive remodels, but take a bit to figure out why those expensive remodels work. That'll give you insight into how to do similar on a reasonable budget.

There's actually quite a few primitive comments, and some pictures, at this campfire--the link above--but I'm not into bathrooms, and have to order supper now.

[AllosaursRus]

Good grief! How'd you like to see one of these geniuses with tools in their hands?

[franksolich]

Good grief! How'd you like to see one of these geniuses with tools in their hands?

This is a long time ago now, but one time a primitive was wanting to fix something--I disremember what--and it had propane in it.

The primitive was thinking he'd weld the broken part, and was asking if that'd work.

[Undies]

7x7 is not an ungenerous space for a bathroom.  Standard bathtubs measure 5'.

[Chris_]

My last bathroom was roughly 5'x10'.

It made a good storm shelter.

[Undies]

My last bathroom was roughly 5'x10'.

It made a good storm shelter.

Frank probably lives in one of those old Nebraska farmhouses where one of the 15x17 bedrooms was made into a bathroom after the outhouse blew away.   

[AllosaursRus]

My last bathroom was roughly 5'x10'.

It made a good storm shelter.

Ya know, I think the master bath in my new house is 8x8, so it ain't like it's that small.

[franksolich]

Frank probably lives in one of those old Nebraska farmhouses where one of the 15x17 bedrooms was made into a bathroom after the outhouse blew away.   

Actually, it appears to be about 12x12, but remember, I've been taking grief for my lousy perception of space and distance--a characteristic of those raised in the Sandhills of Nebraska.

I say "12x12" because I'm 6'2.5" tall, and it appears to be twice my height, both ways.

The original four rooms of this place were built during the 1880s; the settlers (who came in 1875) quite reasonably took care of the pigs first, before their own ease and comfort.  They were living in a sod house while the pigs lived in a super-deluxe state-of-the-then-art barn and other outbuildings.  The pigs would enable them to survive and flourish, so best to take care of the pigs first.

The bathroom was added in 1891, indoor plumbing.  If one's looking at the floor-plan, it's a "tab" that sticks out on the west side.

The fixtures however were replaced during the 1960s with things more appropriate for an old woman who was determined to live out here until she died (which she nearly did).

[98ZJUSMC]

Quote from: Chris_ on Today at 05:47:36 pm
My last bathroom was roughly 5'x10'.

It made a good storm shelter.

Ya know, I think the master bath in my new house is 8x8, so it ain't like it's that small.

My master is 5 x 10.  I gutted it to the studs, reworked the plumbing (copper), added an American Standard Jet Tub, new toilet (AS) and vanity sink.  Recessed the vanity cabinet into the plumbing wall, added a small linen closet, tiled the shower area fully and half tiled the rest.  Added a Broan Fan/Light/Heater on a Pass Seymour timer and added another Broan Bulb Heater/Fan right next to the tub/shower area on a Pass Seymour timer.  I experimented with a laminate on the floor, but I don't like it and am going to take it up and floor tile.  All new drywall, new door, which I fabricated the jambs, stops and casing on site.  (Thank you Planer!!  My wall thickness is over standard)  New 20AMP circuit for the Tub heater and a 15 AMP circuit for the jet pump with GFCI shutoffs hidden in the linen closet.  Yeah, I did all the labor myself.

Total Cost $3,573.48

Where these people come up with 20G's for a 5 x 10-ish bathroom gut remodel is beyond me.

Hassin Bin Sober (7,166 posts)  Mon Oct 8, 2012, 05:39 PM

8. Are you doing a pedestal sink or vanity?

I'm not a big fan of vanity cabinets in a small bathroom. Too many places for dirt to hide between the tub and vanity... or toilet and vanity. I prefer a pedestal sink.

I really like the Kohler Archer series pedestal for a bit of a modern flare to a classic design. The Archer has an accompanying toilet. You can see it at Home Depot ( it seems to be a big seller for them) and, better yet, buy it on-line at faucet direct.com. Save a few bucks AND sales taxes. Most of their stuff is free shipping for orders over 99 bucks.

How unpatriotic! 

[JohnnyReb]

The $5 Bathroom Makeover for DUmmies: a gallon of gas and a box of matches.

[Undies]

Personal experience:  If you leave the same wallpaper up for 26 years it comes back into fashion again.   

[JohnnyReb]

Personal experience:  If you leave the same wallpaper up for 26 years it comes back into fashion again.   

Truly  lmao at Undies.....unfortunately I got him beat....26 years.