Reading this forum proved to be enormously helpful, as I was overwhelmed by having to make decisions!

I see that aproned Toto.

I see those acres of travertine...

I can only imagine what you would do with a 'large' budget!

Seriously, it's beautiful. Very nice to bring the travertine up the wall, esp. since it's such an interesting pattern. Good work!

I had a contractor who gave me a set price for the job--no matter what I wanted to do--the labor would remain that set price. He completely gutted everything, raised the ceiling, moved the heating vent, rearranged a closet(and installed an interior light!), fixed the hallway floor leading in to the bathroom, installed a pocket door, and did all the plumbing and electrical. He had little experience with bath remodels(he owns a drywall business), but I gave him a shot to see what he could do.
This was my first time working with a contractor(we usually DIY), and he was great. He didn't look at me like I was crazy when I gave him my ideas, and tried his best to do everything I wanted.

The tile is the cheap stuff from Home Depot; .22 ea. subway tile, and the wall/floor tile was 1.69 for 12x12, .99 for the 6x6.
I had him set the tile in that pattern because I hate grout lines and I wanted them to be less noticeable.
I had him take the tile up the wall because the room is so small, and I thought it would look more spacious that way. Also, I am so tired of mildewy baseboards and sheetrock, I thought going with tile up the wall would make for easier cleaning.
The contractor used outdoor vinyl trim to create the arch over the shower, and to frame the shower itself.
Everything else was purchased online. It was a little scary buying online, but in the end, everything came together just fine. I was going for an 'unmatched' look, with different finishes on lighting, faucets, etc. I was tearing my hair out trying to make everything match, so I decided to go with unmatched, yet coordinated, fixtures.

The Toto toilet I bought online after much research, it was the cheapest fully skirted Toto(329.00 shipped). Same price as the completely useless 4 year old American Standard Champion it replaced. What a waste of money the Champion was!I got sucked in by those ads were they flushed all those golf balls. Funny---you don't see that ad anymore.

The two things I did not waver on in this remodel were the T&G fir ceiling, and a fully skirted toilet. I am tired of trying to clean toilet bases with all those nooks and crannies!

Now I have to make the rest of my house match my bathroom!

The mirror is from Pier 1 Imports.
I did not want a medicine cabinet(I keep all my meds in the kitchen); I prefer the impact of a beautiful mirror as a focal point.
I gave up some storage for aesethics, and I do not regret that decision.
I only have a single drawer for staorage in the vanity, but I do have access to a closet now from inside the bathroom where I will keep most of my 'junk'.

The tub is a 60" Kohler Bancroft soaking tub. I had toyed with the idea of getting an airjet tub, but decided against it as I heard too many people say they are noisy and get cold faster, plus I would have had to change more electrical stuff. And the price---way out of budget!
I believe the tub was 375.00 devlivered from HD; they did not give the option of picking it up in-store.
I was worried about the aestehtics of the tub with the curvy front apron; wasn't sure if it would 'go' with everything else; but once installed, I loved it. The curvy front adds a little interest to the bathroom.

The HD tile is porecelian, and honestly, I didn't like the way HD's travertine tile looked. You could tell it was cheap. This porcelian tile has blown me away with the way it looks on the wall and floor. It is NOT the tile I originally wanted(budget, once again), and in the end I said to the GC---"Just get the HD tile, I'll suffer with it!"
I am pleasantly surprised. It is very forgiving in hiding imperfections.

I loved my GC. The only issue I had is that I had specified stark white subway tile, I wanted the subway tile and the tub to be one color. My GC thinks he installed white, but actually he got bone. I know this because one of my stark white sample HD tiles got mixed in with the field tile and stood out starkly against the bone. He did replace this, and still thinks he installed white. I am not going to fuss too much about it---it still looks good.

UGH about that AS Champion...we got the AS Cadet 3s and I have to say they've been completely wonderful, no problems at all, 2 years and going. The skirt on the Toto is mighty attractive, though :)

You are also incredibly lucky with that contractor. Sounds like times might be a bit tough for him--if you have an Angieslist in your town, maybe he might want a recommendation? (if he's licensed) I've done that for the guy we brought in to do our drywall, and will do for the plumber who roughed in our tub/shower/sink and fixed the bad toilet piping too. Great jobs deserve positive reinforcement :)

Wonderful job by the way! Love the tile!

tontam--the vanity was from overstock, it included the vanity top, and I'm not sure what the top is made out of! Maybe a cultured stone?? I believe the vanity measures 26" wide, and 18" deep.

dedtired---Thank you! The chandelier was purchased online from Walmart, 50.00.

Thanks boysrus2! I am so flattered you are bookmarking my bathroom!

boysrus2--that tile is pretty standard at HD, it should still be available. It comes in 3 finishes, beige like I got, then there is a gray toned one, the third is brown, I believe and a little darker in tone than the beige and the gray.

I notice that the top three panels on the french door has no film on them. Are they low enough that a tall person could see in?

Not to make any of you gals jealous, buuuut....I'm the only one who uses this bathroom, hubby has his own on the first floor. I really love having my own bath!

You did a wonderful job - it is a beautiful space. You GC sounds like a gem.

Nothing modest about that bath! Nice work -
Enjoy your new bath & new skirt;)

I swear it is men who design these toilets with all the gear in the back! A woman would never design something with all that crap! Must have been a woman who designed the "skirted" toilet!!!! I LOVE IT!!

Enjoy!

I did not expect such interest in my remodel, so I didn't keep good track of what things were and where I got them. I will put links in to the items, and sorry, but I don't know how to shorten the links(doh!).
The vanity was from Overstock, and I paid too much(in my opinion) for it, 600.00. It included the 'marble' top. The only sources at the time for a vanity with this look were Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware---both stores were way out of budget.
I believe Lowes makes a similar vanity now at a much better price.

The best price on the Bancroft soaking tub was 375.00 shipped at HD. The price is now up to 467.00, yet last week it was 415.00 at HD. Prices online really seem to fluctuate. This tub is only available online, and must be shipped to your home, and not the store.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5/R-100410702/h_d2/ProductDis play?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

The toilet is a Toto Vespin. The best price I found is here:
http://www.homeperfect.com/Two-Piece-Toilets/Toto-cst764sg-Vespin-Two- Piece-Toilet-16-GPF-Sanagloss/invt/totcst764sg

I think that price(316.00) is slightly less than what I paid.

The sink faucet is Dazzle by American Standard:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Standard-6028-240-002-Two-Handle-Minisp read/dp/B000QU39WU

The price on the faucet has gone up considerably since my purchase.

The chandelier is from Walmart, and only available online. It is the perfect size for a small room, and has the option of being a plug-in.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5142751

Now for the tile(boysrus2)!!
I really think that this is the tile that I used, but I think the price is less in-store.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5/R-100645913/h_d2/ProductDis play?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053#BVRRWidgetID

Boysrus2---I will pop in to HD next time I am in the area, and see if they still have the tile; if so I will make note of the product number for you.

lyban---Thank you!
I love my pocket door. It slides very easily, and has a lock. Most people wouldn't use a glass door as a pocket door, but I really wanted to let some light into a dark hallway through the bathroom.
I think a lot of contractors might find a pocket door a bit of a pain to install, but since my guy was going by a set price for the job, I don't know what would another contractor would charge for the install.
The door itself was unfinished pine, 100.00. I finished it with white paint, and cut window film, 26.00, to fit the panes. The sliding door hardware was approx. 100.00.
Putting it in requires removing the sheetrock and changing the studs. There can be no wiring or heat vents in the wall the door slides into. My pocket door slides into a wall where I had a closet door. The door was reoriented to be accessed from inside the bathroom.
Privacy could be a concern if it was a heavily used bathroom on the first floor. Mine is on the second floor, and not often used, except by me.
I have a lock, but it is a bit sticky(got locked in one morning!), so I tend not to lock it at all.
I have no regrets on the pocket door, and I want all my interior doors to be pockets now!

Everything is working great, no problems so far with any of it!

For my next bath (new or remodel) I'm going to steal your idea of mixing the sizes to break up the grout lines. It would also conceal a not-quite square framing too.

For the curious(straitlover!), I will disclose my budget.
It was around 6,000.00 including all labor and supplies.
My GC set the price at 3,000.00 for the work, no matter what I asked him to do, there wouldn't be any extra charge.

Silly me---I thought I could get ALL my supplies for 1,000.00 when I first decided to go ahead with the project.
Maybe I could have, but I did want to upgrade somewhat.

Some breakdowns:
~Pocket door & hardware 200.00
~Toto toilet & soft close seat 350.00
~T&G fir for ceiling 200.00
~Kohler soaking depth tub 425.00
~American standard faucet 158.00
~Vanity from Overstock 600.00
~Tile, Home Depot 500.00
~Chandelier 50.00
~Sconces 76.00

Everything but the tile and the pocket door was bought online.

If hubby and I had done the work ourselves we could have saved SO much money, but I wanted the project done in this century!

Thanks for answering my probing question and satifying my curiosity! I think you got a quality job at a terrific price. I would hire your guy in a minute! It's nice to hear about people getting a fair bid and a happy ending to their remodel story! Enjoy your new bathroom--it looks great!

Linwood 2009, I can't say enough about my GC, he was reasonable, thoughtful, meticulous. I hope to use him to add on a garage and expand our kitchen in the future.
That is, if he doesn't get 'discovered' before then, and his rates go up! LOL

We are at the end stages of bathroom remodel project. Cabinets and other finish work is all that is left. This includes getting all the fixtures installed. The tub/ shower set up is exactly like yours. Bought a Symmons valve meant for tub shower only. Also bought a seperate slidebar (we liked the functionity of the Kohler best) and a seperate hand held shower head (Grohe Rustic). We need to use a diverter that mounts on the shower head as what I have is only two ways. (We do not need to run both a once as this is the kids bath and I think they will use the handheld more than the other head.
Questions-
1) What brand did you use for the diverter valve. We picked up a Danco one at Home Depot. It was pretty cheap- under $20. Curious if we should have gone with something higher end or if they are basically all the same?

2) Are you happy with the location you mounted the slide bar? The GC is going to ask exactly where I want it and I am not sure to be honest. Looking for opinions. I have seen many off the side like yours and a few closer to being underneath the mounted shower head.

All opinions welcome!

How is your tub working out? Can I ask, does it have a non-slip texture on the bottom? If so, is that something you notice when you're soaking?

The tub is great! I thought I might end up tripping over the sides because it is a soaking depth tub, but that hasn't happened once.
There is no texture on the bottom, but I do not notice it when soaking. I do notice it when showering, but it's definately not a deal breaker.
I highly recommend a soaking depth tub, it's only a tad more expensive than a regular tub.

I think the door is great with the chandelier view from the hall.

I prefer the bone subway tile to pure white myself.

Your before isn't even close to as bad as mine was though. ;) I failed to take a picture before DH gutted it but it was much worse.

Nel5on----I was certain that the Cortina would be too dark, but like you, I was down to the wire and budget dictated that I get my tile at HD. I just gave in and told my GC to get it and get it over with, and I would just deal with it if I didn't like it.
I think tile was my toughest decision. I had champagne taste on a beer budget. I agonized for literally months over tile; pining over the beautiful tiles I knew I could never get.
I really wanted so badly to get something other than HD tile--but there was no way my budget would allow it.
It turned out just fine anyway!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Nel5on---I had wanted a beige granite vanity top originally. The vanity I ordered came with a beige cultured marble countertop. I had planned to remove this and replace it with granite, but the cultured marble was firmly glued on, so it had to stay.
It was a good thing though, because the granite I badly wanted would have been too busy with with the Cortina.

Can you find beige in a marble? I agree that stark white would be too bright.

Bobbie

I love all of your selections. Even the mistaken bone tile is really beautiful. Currently, I have a tub with the plastic surround built into it & would love a tub & tile surround like yours. Your idea about the simple toilet shape is a great one I never thought about. Is the toilet a water-saving model? I suppose all new ones are.

Thanks for posting your pics & info!

Thank you, Stinky Gardener(LOL, love that name!). I LOVE my toilet so much. If it's possible to actually 'love' a toilet!
I highly recommend the Toto toilet that I got. Easy to clean, and not a bit of trouble with the flushing mechanism(unlike the previous two toilets I owned).

You say that you use this bathroom solo and there's not much foot traffic. We are in a similar situation (2nd floor hall bath with two bedrooms plus master bed/bath right next to it) but we do have guests, inlaws, etc that will use the bath, and resale to consider... and I am a little worried about the privacy/noise risk. I am wondering if your reference to privacy being a concern if there was more traffic is with regard to the pocket door... or the "french" pocket door with windows because the latter may not insulate sound as well?
Any thoughts on that?
Thanks again for sharing your wonderful bath.

P.S.--I'm happy to answer any more questions you may have!

Things that I love:
*Fully skirted toilet, so easy to clean---I will never go back to nooks and crannies. The Toto toilet is great, none of the clogging problems that I have had with my last two toilets in that bathroom.
*No baseboards! I ran the floor tile straight up the wall. Again--super easy to clean!
*Reorientating the hall linen closet to open inside the bathroom.
*Pocket door with glass panes--no regrets!
*Deciding on a shower niche in addition to a corner shower shelf. Shampoos go on the niche, bar soap and razors on the shelf
*A light inside the shower. How did I live without it?
*A mildew resistant heavy cotton shower curtain instead of glass doors or plastic shower curtains. There have been no problems with shower water coming through the cotton. easily washed and dried with bleach to keep clean. No glass doors to keep clean, and no icky plastic to wrestle with. This was a budget decision. Initially I wanted glass and I just couldn't afford it.
*Going with a handheld showerhead in addition to my fixed showerhead. Makes cleaning the shower a breeze! When I get to renovating my second bathroom it will have the same setup.
*The tongue and groove fir ceiling; I think it's the best thing in the room.
*Kohler Bancroft soaking depth tub! Could never go back to a shallower depth after having this! No problems with it.
*I did not install a medicine cabinet over my sink even though storage is limited in my small bathroom. I still do not regret that decision; I love the decorative mirror.
*I still love the mixed finishes that I chose--some chrome, some verdigris, some nickel, and some oil rubbed bronze. It still looks great to me.
*The Azek trim used to frame the tub area is holding up great.

Things I might have done differently:
*Chosen a better quality fan for inside the shower. GC knew I was on a budget, so he chose the most economical one. It is too loud for my taste. Also it is wired to turn on and off with the shower light, I would have preferred it to be separate.
*My vanity. I love the look, but the quality isn't great, and I bought it online from Overstock. It was supposed to have a marble top, but honestly I am not sure what kind of stone it is. It is cream colored and shows water spots like crazy. The storage drawer is a little sticky as well; there are no drawer glides. At the time of my reno, it was the only vanity in this style I could find that was in my budget. Now I see similar styles at HD and Lowes for much less! Go figure!

Other decisions:
We did not put in a wall hung toilet paper holder. I use a chrome toilet paper stand and that is just fine.
I did not hang any permanent towel bars or hooks. I couldn't decide where to put them, so instead I just hung a Command hook(chrome colored) to hang my towel on. This has held up just fine and I see no need to actually install bars or hooks permanently.

Teresa

This is not a major criticism... you did a WONDERFUL job. It just jumped out at me, though.

While I see what you're saying, I can't say it bothers me at all. I don't think I would have liked it better the other way, especially around on the sink wall.

Writersblock--thank you, I am very flattered!

Birdgardner---thank you!

Lizzie nh---the decision to run the tile up to the sill was made by the GC. He went over it with me and after much deliberation he decided it would be better aesthetically to have the tile higher rather than lower on the wall to accomodate a wider window trim. I trusted him because he seems to have a good idea of what is pleasing to the eye. It doesn't bother me at all. Perhaps it just enhances the 'eclectic-ness' of the bathroom?
Standing in the room, I have pictured it both ways--a lower tile with enough width for the trim above; and also the wider trim set into the top run of tile---and I have no problem with the existing design. :)

Writersblock--thank you, I am very flattered!

Birdgardner---thank you!

Lizzie nh---the decision to run the tile up to the sill was made by the GC. He went over it with me and after much deliberation he decided it would be better aesthetically to have the tile higher rather than lower on the wall to accomodate a wider window trim. I trusted him because he seems to have a good idea of what is pleasing to the eye. It doesn't bother me at all. Perhaps it just enhances the 'eclectic-ness' of the bathroom?
Standing in the room, I have pictured it both ways--a lower tile with enough width for the trim above; and also the wider trim set into the top run of tile---and I have no problem with the existing design. :)

While I love seeing the over-the-top, big budget bathrooms, I have to say that this is my favorite bathroom of all. It just proves that good taste and design does not mean you have to spend a fortune.

Congratulations and thank you for inspiring so many of us with your beautiful bathroom.

Thank you, rufinorex---the color on my walls is called Restoration Ivory by Sherwin Williams. The HD tile is holding up great, I'm sure you will be happy with it.

http://wp.me/p1MmG7-6C

Girlcat - great to hear as tile was. a last minute decision. Its amazing to see so many responses on our post. Great job!

Emmi- We just completed our bath on a budget of $3000. It took 5 days to complete! This was a DIY ... Day 1 - demo Day 2 - walls flooring and plumbing Day 3 - Day 4 shower and floor tile. Day 4 toilet and vanity install. Day 5 completion of electrical outlets.

We are at a stand still right now because I hated our paint color. I found another color hope its what I like.

Expect 2-3 days without a shower if all goes well. Unless your not changing plumbing than all your waiting on is tile install and grout.

good luck!

Emmi--Thank you! We had another full bath in the house, so showering wasn't a problem, thank Goodness.
The entire bathroom was gutted in March down to the studs, then the ceiling was bumped up and a closet door reorientated. Then it was sheetrocked and tiled(walls and shower). After that, the fixtures were put in. The bathroom wasn't ready for complete use until October. It took a while, but it was mostly my fault because I took my time researching and making decisions on products since I was on a tight budget.
I thought I would go insane trying to choose the tile!

Teresa