Last year we remodeled two bathrooms. Due to some issues with contractors and a very extended timeline, I lost focus on the rooms and have only added finishing touches in the last week or two. Here’s how one of the bathrooms turned out.

The Before
The bathroom was, at first glance, totally passable. We lived with it for 5 years. But there were definite issues that needed to be rectified.

Our starting point included:

  • Peel and stick tile
  • A textured ceiling that was looking very rough, no pun intended
  • Minimal insulation on the outside (as in facing the outside part of the house) wall
  • No ceiling fan, which when combined with a textured ceiling means a funky ceiling
  • A shower surround through which you could feel the crumbling walls beneath
  • A shower and bath that periodically leaked in such a way as to baffle all plumbers
  • Wall tile that was technically in okay shape but had seen better days
  • My favorite part: a desk lamp sitting on the medicine cabinet doing a very poor job of pretending to be a proper lighting fixture

Here are some Before photos. I don’t think the pictures do justice to how bad the room was.

The During
I’ve done my best to block out the time during the remodel but here are some shots of things midway.

The After
Our goal in improving the room was to create something clean and functional that maximized the small space. We had to gut the room in order to make some necessary improvements. This allowed us to properly insulate the room, recess the medicine cabinet and install a ceiling fan. Our improvements include:

  • We have a new vanity and modern sink and hardware
  • Adding some space to the room, we have a recessed medicine cabinet
  • One aspect of the old bathroom that I sincerely loved was the recessed tissue holder (It’s like being in a hotel!) so that made its way into the remodel
  • Our house was made in 1900 and there is a definite lacking of storage, so we put another cabinet above the toilet, but got one that maximized the space
  • We replaced the toilet with a dual flush one that sits high for tall folks
  • Our caulk-less bathtub and surround is hard and doesn’t leave bathers scared of what lies beneath and the shower / bathtub is free of all leaks
  • We tiled the walls in subway tile and went with an older style design for the floor
  • The biggest improvement is that above the medicine cabinet there is a proper light fixture – goodbye desk lamp!

Here are some pictures of the finished product. You’ll notice I really didn’t accessorize. I have some framed photos I’ve taken on the wall and that’s about it, but I think it’s enough for the small space.

This wasn’t a hugely dramatic remodel. As Wonder Boy says, one of our goals was simply to “not go totally insane during the process.” (Fail.) We didn’t change layout or do any crazy design. But for a room used daily, the improvements were dramatic for us.

This post originally appeared on Kate’s Point of View. © Kate. All rights reserved.