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laurensmom2010

help - bathroom redo decisions 2 parts

laurensmom2010
9 years ago

Help! I have a very small bathroom which had a severe water leak requiring us to replace the vanity, which warped, and a flooring redo.

It has a fiberglass tub surround, almond color, and a 30 inch vanity with a cultured marble almond shell shaped top. Fairly standard for the houses on this street, which are all 80's build.

Originally, we were simply going to put vinyl flooring and a similar vanity and top. A repair, and nothing more. Our house is small and we are nearing retirement age, though not planning on moving..

But flooring guy says tile would be better for resale purposes. Our bathroom is so small, I would like a neutral tile so the space doesn't get overwhelmed. But also not too boring!

BUT - while looking at tile and bathroom ideas for it online I came across some beautiful small bathrooms and now I'm wondering if I should step it up and bring the house out of the 80's and invest in something that would add value.

So need some common sense responses. Is it a good idea for a small bathroom? Worth it?

Part 2- suggestions- for a vanity top. Is cultured marble still ok? Or absolutely not?

The vanity is 30" and I would love to have drawers but since it's so small is that practical? Will whoever installs it even be able to access underneath plumbing if the vanity has drawers in the way?

Suggestions for neutral tile. I was going to only tile the floor but tile guy mentioned partway up the walls and I like the way that looks.

Then I saw a great makeover today and now, WOW, do I want to do something like it!
I'm posting the makeover so you can see how it went. I don't want the black accents though, maybe a cream or brown? I'm not sure if the room is the same size as mine.

Ill post a photo of my second bathroom, which has the same layout. It shows the same fiberglass surround and vanity setup.

So, words of wisdom? Advice? Suggestions?

Thank you!

This post was edited by laurensmom2010 on Wed, Nov 5, 14 at 14:41

Comments (14)

  • laurensmom2010
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    That photo is the makeover that caught my attention.

    This post was edited by laurensmom2010 on Wed, Nov 5, 14 at 14:42

  • laurensmom2010
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Some tiles I was looking at for the floor. Not sure if they would work for walls. The color of the left tile looks much more yellow. And the tub is almond even though it may not look like it in the photo.

    This post was edited by laurensmom2010 on Wed, Nov 5, 14 at 14:47

  • jerzeegirl
    9 years ago

    You can go into the post under edit (look on the right hand side of your post and you will see the edit button) and you can delete the photo yourself.

  • laurensmom2010
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you.

    This is the layout. (It's a different room, same layout.)

  • weedyacres
    9 years ago

    If you're not planning on moving anytime soon, then you should do whatever makes you happy to live there and is within your budget. It sounds to me like a complete remodel like the photo you posted would bring you a lot of happiness everytime you used the bathroom. If so, and you've got the funds, then I say go for it!

    You won't likely get your money back. Because if you're going to live there another 10 (or 20) years, whatever you do now will eventually become dated. So I wouldn't do it with an eye to resale, just with an eye towards what makes you happy.

    The more tile you have, the more expensive it will be. So figure out what you can budget, or what the simple, moderate, and whole-hog remodel costs will be, and choose what you're most comfortable with.

    I'd go with a wood vanity with granite or marble countertop, especially if you're going to tile the shower. There are lots of prefab granite tops available for

  • badgergal
    9 years ago

    My son is just finishing up a bathroom redo. He had water leaking into the kitchen below the bathroom. To correct the leak he had to remove the tub, tile surround and floor tile so that meant the vanity and toilet had to go too.

    One of his friends told him to file a claim with his insurance company. He was pleasantly surprised when they gave him a check{{gwi:807}} that amounted to about half of the total renovation cost. So if you haven't done so already file a claim with your insurance company.

    His bathroom is a simliar set up to yours except his vanity is 66 inches long. His toilet is also between the vanity and tub like yours. He has another bathroom with a tub so he decided to do a shower only in this bathroom. He opted for the Kohler cast iron shower pan that is meant to replace a 30x60 tub. His vanity will be natural maple. He found a remnant at a fabricator's and will be using black pearl granite for the countertop.
    Just for some ideas for you here is his before
    {{gwi:1497246}}

    And here is a during:

    He used Dal Tiles Ayers Rock Majestic Mound porcelain tile with 13x20 tiles on the wall and 20x20 on the floor. He is waiting on shower doors and his counter top so I can't post finished pics yet but we think it already looks great.

    My daughter did a small bath remodel this past spring she used Dal Tiles Florentine porcelain tile. She kept her tub and used 12x24 around it with 24x24 on the floors. Since she had no linen closet in her house she opted to sacrifice sink/countertop space for tall storage. Her sink base is 24 inches and the tall cabinet is 18 inches. She used a remnant of quartz for her countertop.
    Here are a couple shots of her bathroom.

    Good luck on your remodel

    This post was edited by badgergal on Wed, Nov 5, 14 at 16:30

  • likewhatyoudo
    9 years ago

    Are you wanting to remove your fiberglass tub and surround or just tile the floor and get new vanity and counter top?

    Home depot has some nice looking and budget friendly vanities with counter top and sink included.

    http://www.homedepot.com/p/St-Paul-Ashland-36-in-Vanity-in-Chocolate-with-Stone-Effects-Vanity-Top-in-Baja-Travertine-and-Wall-Mirror-AL36P3COM-CH/204366750?N=5yc1vZbzar

  • laurensmom2010
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    weedy - good advice

    badgergirl - We didn't do anything about insurance because we didn't think it was going to be a big deal... and it's been a few months already. I would pick what your daughter picked if I could but the carpet in the adjoining room is dark beige, so not sure how I'd make it transition.

  • likewhatyoudo
    9 years ago

    I forgot to say that I like the middle tile of the 3 you posted.

  • laurensmom2010
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    rtwilliams - that's the dilemma. What to do? Which way to go? I need guidance on that and ideas. The vanity will be against the wall because there's no choice about that. I haven't talked to floor guy about removing the surround, because I just thought about that possibility.

    I'm looking online at examples today. (Then talk to floor guy about pricing, if he can even do that)

    I've never changed a bathroom before, so I need to know what to expect also.

    But ideas and photos would be great!

  • Errant_gw
    9 years ago

    I have three very similar small baths in my house. I was thinking of using Ikea floating vanity/sink combos in hopes of making them feel less crowded.

    Something like this:

  • laurensmom2010
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I really, really like the drawer vanity instead of doors.

  • Errant_gw
    9 years ago

    Yes, the drawers make for much more accessible storage!

  • badgergal
    9 years ago

    Even if it has been a few months, you should still file a claim. My son's leak had been going on for a while before he made a claim. He filed the claim but it remained open until after the contractor was able to start tearing things apart and determine the cause of the leak. It was an open claim for a couple months until my son got all the invoices for the work and replacement items. After he finally turned in copies of everything, he was issued a check within about 2 weeks.

    It doesn't cost anything to make a claim. You have probably been paying premiums for years now, you might as well try to get some benefit from that.

    In the past we have made claims on our home owners insurance and our rates did not increase because we made made and collected on the claims.