Home Stretch

After almost 18 mos. the Guest Bathroom is 98% done. No, not 100%. I changed out the shower curtain and now I need new artwork. I know what I want, but I haven't gotten it yet. I didn't think my kids would appreciate if I dipped into the Christmas budget to pay for artwork and new towel bars...'

Here's a shot of the entire bathroom:

The Builder mostly finished the vanity this fall when his work schedule went back to 'normal'. The bottom shelf is missing. Which is important as I bought a basket to hold toilet paper. So he plans to finish that up this week while he's off.

The drawers aren't really drawers. The panel pulls out and is the place we store the laundry hamper! Which is full at the moment. Which is why I didn't take a photo. Kids and laundry, a never ending battle.

I also need to buy a new towel bar since the old one broke when we took it down. It was probably the cheapest one that the prior owner could find. No loss. Also, since The Builder I took down the cabinet above the toilet, I need shelves their for additional storage. So a few minor things still to complete. 

Taking out the cabinet and building our own vanity were important in this bathroom to make it feel larger. Four kids share this bathroom. The chunky, builder grade cabinets that were in here before made the whole bathroom feel cramped, We didn't gain any space by replacing things, but it feels larger. I'm good with that.

Take a look at the vanity:

We bought the top with the under mount sink at Habitat for Humanity. $75 for a granite top. It had a much larger counter top, but The Builder cut it to size. I would have loved double sinks in here, but that would have required a 60" vanity and 58 would touch the toilet. I looked at some small sinks at Ikea, but that would mean no counter space. I just didn't feel that was practical in a family bathroom, so this was a good solution. And being able to tuck the laundry hamper away is a bonus to me. When we had a cabinet, the kids would just stash things in it. It was gross. Once the shelf is installed on the bottom, I have two baskets to store practical things like extra toilet paper and towels. I have some more ideas for extra storage, but I'm not 100% sure which way I'm going with that yet.

We cut down the original HUGE mirror that was in here and The Builder made a new frame. We used the same molding he framed the faux drawers with on the laundry pull out. He mitered the corners. I love how it matches, although it's hard to see in this photo.

I am not thrilled that the brushed nickel cover for the electrical outlets is rusting at the screws. Originally this was only a single outlet. It wasn't practical so it was an easy choice to upgrade. We took out the ugly medicine cabinet and this blank wall is where I have plans to add more practical storage - once I figure out exactly what I want!

The tile back splash pulls the wall color and the granite top together. The counter top didn't come with the back splash piece and really, I'm not sure I would have wanted it. I really love this tile.

This bathroom makes me smile every time I walk by, It was totally worth the gut job all the way to the studs and the time we invested in completely redoing it!