Tiny Bathroom Remodel: Before
Tiny Bathroom Remodel: After
Wave your hands in the air, if you have a tiny bathroom and you just don’t care! Anyone? ANYONE?! Ok hopefully it’s not just me on this one and there’s someone else out there who knows what it’s like to live with the tiniest of tiny master baths and can sympathize!
So yes, I have a teeny, tiny master bathroom in my 1950’s ranch style house and when I got the house, I really didn’t mind it all that much. It was functional enough, and I knew that at some point the tiny, slightly ugly master bath would need to be re-done, but it felt like a “down the road” kind of project a year and a half ago when I moved in. Then, about six months after I moved in and about a month after I met Chris, a nasty, rust-colored water started to come up through the bedroom carpet that sat just outside of the bathroom threshold… and I knew I had a major problem on my hands.
So what does a girl do when rust-colored water starts coming up through the carpet? Well first I screamed for Chris. Then I panicked for a few days and went down a lot of worst-case-scenario mental black holes. And then I called in the big guns… my mom. Anna Miller spends about 90% of her time remodeling one house or another and keeping the wheels on at the Miller household with a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and the other 10% critiquing every decision the hosts make on HGTV. In short, mom knows what’s up.
After I told my mom what I was seeing, I had a plumber come out and check out the scene, and he left a little perplexed about what my problem was. Basically, he couldn’t know the cause without ripping the bathroom up and getting a look behind the scenes, which created the perfect opening – time to give this bathroom a major facelift while fixing my scary little rust-water problem! And with my mom shepherding the project and helping advise me every step of the way, IT. WAS. ON.
After a long process of finding the tile, securing a contractor and figuring out how to make the most of the space in this teeny tiny bathroom, demo began and as you can see to the left, some seriously weird s%*t was going on behind the walls (that crumpled up old newspaper? Not cool.) and under the floors. The remodel in its entirety took about 2 months, and was definitely worth the wait! I absolutely love the way it turned out and am currently happily showering and primping in my gorgeous teeny, tiny master bath, sans creepy rust-water coming up through the bedroom carpet.
Of course remodeling old, tiny bathrooms can be a rocky road and get a little crazy along the way, so I thought I’d share some honest tips and anecdotes from my own tiny bathroom remodel experience in hopes to help anyone else ready to take the big (tiny?!) bathroom remodel leap! So here’s how it all went down…
Tip #1
Hit Pinterest for some inspiration and get a clear idea of the aesthetic you want, a.k.a. figure out what you want your tiny bathroom to look like and grab some ideas about how people out there have maximized the space in their tiny bathrooms. Even if you’re not a serious Pinterest user, do some searches for tiny bathrooms, color schemes and tile types and see what’s happening out there in tiny bathroom land!
What I Did
I absolutely loved the look and feel of retro, white subway tile with a few black elements scattered throughout – I like the idea of taking design inspiration from the era the house was built in and bringing it to life in updated ways! I was also stuck on on some kind of dove grey grout instead of a standard white grout. So I did a lot of Pinterest searches that involved white subway tile with grey grout, and got tons of inspo from seeing the ways other people maximized space in their tiny bathrooms! I also had to check out what other people with tiny bathrooms were doing with their shower door situation. More on that in Tip #5.
Tip #2
Hit the tile store. Several. Tile stores have tons of displays that offer inspiration, much like Pinterest. I found that a lot of the vignettes they display in the stores are a little conventional for my taste and don’t exactly cater to super tiny bathrooms, but you may see some cool elements that inspire you! What’s more, tile stores have tile, so walk the aisles, see the options, feel the tiles, and take some pics of tile you like so you remember what you saw and can reference it.
What I Did
I ended up hitting tile store with my extremely experienced mom in several different states over the course of planning this tiny bathroom remodel, and seeing the variety of tile that’s out there really helped shape my plan. I’m a bathroom remodel and tile novice so I quickly learned that not all subway tile is created equal. Who knew?!
Tip #3
While you’re at the tile place, grab one of the experts working there. Tell them about your project, that you have a very tiny space to work with, what needs to be done (Plumbing? Just tile work? Both?), and some of the design elements you’re hoping to incorporate. Also be honest and tell them what kind of budget you’re working’ with – luckily, a tiny bathroom usually means you really don’t need a gigantic budget! Be confident in your design vision when you talk to them – there may be a logistical (structural) hangup or two, but for the most part anything is possible if you just ask or insist, even in a teeny, tiny old bathroom like mine. Shoot for the moon and adjust from there.
What I Did
Right around the time I needed to start making some serious decisions about this bathroom remodel and get this project started, I went to The Tile Shop in Scottsdale with my mom and my sister and decided that they basically had all of the tile elements I needed, which you can see in the finished product pics in the gallery. While we were there, the most helpful, knowledgable manager at the store walked up and asked me all about my project and what my design ideas were. He was immediately on board with my retro subway tile plan and pieced it all together on a table for me using the tile elements I was liking to give me a visual. And what’s more, this amazing manager recommended an independent contractor that he knew that he thought could tackle a small project like mine, and told me that he was the best of the best and would work within my equally teeny, tiny budget. SCORE!
Tip #4
That leads me to my next tip. Finding people to do the work… that is, if you’re not DIYing they entire project, which is entirely possible to do in a tiny bathroom! I highly recommend taking the route of heading to the tile place where you’re going to purchase your tile from and asking them for recommendations. And not only would I ask them for recommendations, I’d really insist on someone that’s budget-friendly and just plain old friendly. If they only recommend a list of larger contracting outfits, just go down the list of names they give you, get estimates and go with the one that makes you feel GREAT about your project and backs your design vision. The nice thing about getting recommendations through the tile store you’re buying from is that they’ll coordinate with your contractor to get them the tile they need and reinforce your design vision.
What I Did
As I said, I went with the tile guy the manager at The Tile Shop recommended, and it was the best thing I could have done. His name is Scott Woodward and I’d call him an artist. He worked within the budget, could fix my major plumbing problems, was totally on board with the design I wanted, extremely meticulous, checked in with me every step of the way on the project to make sure what he was doing was exactly what I wanted and is just a down right nice guy, which is pretty important to me. These projects can take a while, and having someone ethical and friendly in your corner is one of the most amazing feelings!
Tip #5
And now, for the other contractors. For a tiny bathroom on a budget, or any bathroom remodel for that matter, hiring different contractors and contracting outfits to do the different jobs you need is totally doable. Scott took care of my plumbing problems and the tiling, but I needed a new shower door too. I knew that Scott had done a ton of bathrooms over the course of his career, so I asked him for a shower door installer recommendation and he gave me a great one.
What I Did
The shower door was a little bit of a pain in the butt for me. I really wanted a hinged shower door instead of a sliding shower door, but a lot of people told me that because of my serious space restrictions, it couldn’t be done. But I said, “TO HELL WITH THAT!” I didn’t want to go through the work of remodeling this bathroom into something so beautiful and get stuck with another sliding door eye sore. Luckily, when I met with the shower door guy he told me that a hinged door was a must, and it’s absolutely perfect! So the moral there – stick to your guns. I saw a ton of pictures of tiny bathrooms that had hinged doors, so I knew that there had to be a way and luckily, I found just the guy to do it.
Tip #6
Be patient. We should all know by now that remodels are never about speed, even if you have a tiny space. Just go into it with the expectation that you’re going to be slightly uncomfortable in your living space for the foreseeable future, but that the outcome will be worth the wait. In short, it’s gonna suck, so adjust and know that the juice is worth the squeeze.
What I Did
Well luckily, I only had about 1.5 meltdowns about not being able to use my master bath throughout the course of this remodel. Even luckier, I have an amazing mother who could plan and execute a bathroom remodel in her sleep that helped guide this project, so with a little patience and some consolation from my mom (and Chris of course) along the way, I made it out alive.
Tip #7
Order as many of the furnishings and hardware as you can on your own! The best part about hiring independent, specific contractors for each specific job is is that it allows you the freedom to purchase a lot of the things you need on your own and really find the best prices to fit your budget, with total oversight and approval.
What I Did
Everything I bought and used in the bathroom is listed below! I’m particularly in love with that vanity – it’s perfect for the space and such a steal! You could also easily paint it if grey isn’t in your color scheme.
Tip #8
DIY where and when you can. The most challenging thing about a teeny tiny bathroom is storage. Everyone needs ample storage in their bathroom (girls, I know you feel me on this one!), so you have to find room anywhere you can and DIYing things to fit your needs will be such a huge help.
What I Did
My genius mom actually bought (from Lowes) that shallow, tall cabinet you see on the wall above the toilet to get me some extra shelf space and spray-painted it white for me when I moved into the house, so it was the perfect carry-over piece. My mom (and dad) also came up with another genius space hack – see that outlet inside the vanity in the pictures to the left? That’s where I plug my hair dryer and curling iron in, which both sit nicely inside the middle drawer of the vanity. Yep, that’s right. They’re plugged in and ready to rock and never come entirely out of the vanity and have their chords dragging on the counter, knocking stuff over. I also really wanted a pink barn light in the bathroom after seeing a couple in small bathrooms on Pinterest, and after only finding super expensive options to buy online, just went ahead and spray painted a cheap one from Lowes. Click the link below for the step-by-step how to on that project!
Sources:
VANITY : Martha Stewart from Home Depot
MEDICINE CABINET: Kohler from Faucet Direct
PINK BARN LIGHT: DIY – Read my post that details how to do this project!
BATH MAT/RUG: Dash & Albert (2×3)
HAND TOWEL RING: Gatco from Amazon
TOILET PAPER HOLDER: Gatco from Amazon
TRASH CAN: Simple Human
LARGE SHOWER BASKET: Restoration Hardware
SHOWER SOAP BASKET: Restoration Hardware
SOAP DISPENSER: Old, Etsy (similar options)
WALL PAINT COLOR: Glidden “Silver Screen”
Whoa!! I LOVE this makeover, you guys!!! Amazing job!!! I love love love the use of pink…nothing to overpowering, but just enough with that gorgeous lamp pendant and rug! Love the tiles and the barnyard shutters and sink storage! Basically, I love the whole thing!!
Thank you SO much for the amazing compliment, Jessica! That’s extremely high praise coming from someone as talented as you! This was definitely a labor of love 🙂 We read Coco and Mingo every day and are so inspired by your designs – we just adore everything you do!! Visual perfection!!
First saw this on Hometalk so came to see the "before". Wow, you really did a major revision as far as tearing up walls! My master bath is not as small; the tub/shower is on the far wall with the toilet next to it and then the vanity and then the doorway (which opens in). I notice your door opens "out". I bought a new door with a glass insert hoping to make a more "master bath" feeling. I have this idea of turning it into a barn door opening where it slides on the outside and frees up more space in the bathroom. I like the idea where I have seen where some make a cornice to hide the hangers. Anyway, you’ve given me inspiration on the tile for sure and I just love that pink light. Your previous lights were pretty too, but maybe the shades in a bathroom are hard to keep clean? Beautiful master bath!!!
Hi, Kathleen! SO glad you stopped by and that you got here from Hometalk – we LOVE Hometalk! Your idea about the barn door opening is AMAZING – seriously such a cool idea and a great way to save space, even if you don’t really need the space! Genius! Our shower door actually opens both "in" and "out", so you can open it either way! Although when getting out of the shower, it’s so much easier to open it "out". And thank you so much for the kind words about the pink barn light – that was one of the most fun DIY projects I’ve ever done. And so easy! If you do the barn door in your bathroom you’ll have to post pictures on Hometalk so I can see it! Thanks for stopping by :
So i’m in search of tiny bathroom ideas for my client who needs to remodel his tiny house. And, i’ve just come across these images that look amazing! I like the remodeled bathroom and how everything is laid out and planned well. I like the idea of the shower screen, which makes the bath area stand out in the bathroom. Those tiles in the bath area look fantastic as well. giving it a different but just right feel and look. I am a shower screen installer at Seaton Glass in Adelaide, Australia, whose always seeking out for new ideas about how to install shower screens for clients with tiny houses. This has certainly helped. Thanks!
Oh, here’s a link to my work by the way: http://seatonglass.com.au/shower-screen/
Hi, Brad! Thank you SO much for your comment and for stopping by the blog and checking out the tiny bathroom remodel! I’m so glad that it inspired you – we definitely had to get really creative with this space and find a way to get everything we wanted and make it feel like a luxury space on a small budget and with minimal space. We’re so glad you like the shower door style we chose and it’s so funny that you mention that. So many contractors that we got estimates from for the bathroom remodel tried to convince us that we had to have a sliding shower door. But we just weren’t willing to sacrifice style in that way and we’re SO glad we went the shower door that we did. We think it really elevates the space! Thanks again for stopping by and we LOVE your work!
Hi! Looks awesome. We’re using this vanity for my sons’ bathroom … and I’m looking for faucet ideas. It seems to be the ONLY thing you didn’t link to in the sources. Do you remember what they are? Also – how’s the vanity holding up?
Hi, Susan! OK so I don’t know what faucet we used because my parents actually bought it for us (randomly) and they can’t remember where they found it. I’m so sorry – I’ll keep digging and trying to find it! But I am going to be completely honest on how the vanity is holding up – since our bathroom is tiny and collects a lot of moisture as a result (even with a huge vent fan always running when we take showers), the vanity hasn’t held up that well, honestly. The paint is chipping in a ton of places, including the legs and elsewhere, and since Martha Stewart discontinued the paint we have no way to sand and do touchups in those spots. Also, the countertop has dulled on the surface in some spots, most likely as a result of some cleaning substance we used that roughed it up, but we don’t know what that is and are having trouble finding a polishing solution that works for that material. BUT, the price is pretty incredible, so we’ll probably keep it for a long time and just try taking it out, repainting and re-installing or simply replacing before we sell our house years down the line. I hope that helps! We’ve talked a lot about it lately, so your questions was really timely!
Hi,
Thanks for sharing such a nice information..
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