My daughter’s house is a Cape Cod style home with two bedrooms on the 2nd floor and a guest room and family room on the main floor. The bath/ powder room was in need of modernizing.
Existing Condition: The bathroom has a shower, vanity lavatory and water closet. The shower is too small, the vanity was out-dated and the w.c. was not efficient. The shower backs up to a large wardrobe closet in the guest bedroom.
The Project: The only part of the toilet that would remain was the plumbing. The room was stripped down to the studs. The walls are plaster finish and all areas to be repaired with drywall. We first surrounded the toilet area with plastic sheets to keep the dust and dirt confined to the area. Next the shower was enlarged using wood studs.
While this work was being done, my daughter was picking out tile, flooring, fixtures, etc.
I was surprised the original construction was so well done. The subfloor was in good condition as were all the areas to be tiled. After enlarging the shower area, a new “pan” was installed. The pan is a safety measure to prevent water damage if a leak develops. Next the drywall was installed in the wet area using a moisture resistant board. Then came the shower tile. She selected a basic white tile commonly called a subway tile. She added a band of colored glass tiles for an accent which was used in other areas such as below the wainscot cap piece.
Next the new vanity was installed along with the fixtures. The new water closet uses, less than 2 gallons of water per flush and has a quiet refill valve.
She chose a framed oval mirror with a valence fixture on each side. The floor tile has a stone or pebble pattern, and picks up a color in the glass trim tiles.
