My home renovation - bathroom ideas
Wed, 22 Jun 2011I am just DYING to have the work on my house started, but we've had to redo the plans to try and save a small fortune so my husband can get an extra 16" of height for his basement "man cave". While our plans are being finalized once again, we've started the quest for interior and exterior finishes and we frankly don't really know where to begin. It's a pretty daunting task for 2 people who have never really done any renovations before (except my kitchen a few years ago). We're going to need pretty much everything - a staircase, windows, exterior finishes, fireplace, bathroom fixtures, hardwood, tile and on and on... You guys help out our readers when they have design dilemmas so I thought maybe this time you could help me out. I am hoping you can give me suggestions on where to shop, design ideas etc. Since I am located in Ottawa some of the products should probably be relatively accessible locally (ie. staircase).
We also have another dilemma. This renovation is going to cost us WAY more than we initially thought, which means we're not sure we can complete the finishes in all the rooms (and I'm not even talking about furnishing them - there's talk about leaving the floors with only the sub-floor, completing only one bathroom...). This brings me to my next call for help. If anyone out there would like to help us with some of the finishes by offering great bargains for materials, even freebies (!!!) I'd LOVE to chat (email me at desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com). There would of course be blog mentions/publicity in return.
So today's post is about bathrooms. We will have a master bedroom ensuite, another full bathroom upstairs, and a powder room next to the front entrance. (For a peek at the plans see this post, keeping in mind the layout of the bathrooms is totally up for grabs). I'd love to have some fun with the powder room and do something really industrial and I have a thing for black and white bathrooms so I hope one of the other bathrooms can be done in those colours. I went through my stash of bathroom photos and found some of my favourites. Any ideas/sources etc. that you can suggest, let me know in the comments or via email! Thanks!
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| Annette English | Martha Stewart |
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| Pappas Miron | Design*Sponge |
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| Adela Cabré | Hus & Hem |
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| Design*Sponge | Design*Sponge |
Dwell
David Mikhail
Living Etc.
Bruce Bolander
Decor Demon
The Selby
Kate Hume
Bolig Magasinet
Liz Artindale
Charles de Lisle
Met Home
Living Etc.
Lorissa Kimm
Micasa Revista
Nuevo Estilo
Oak Management
Style At Home
Country Home
envelopeA+D
Scott Weston
Reader Comments (47)
If I were creating a bathroom I’d consider
- Will this look be dated in 10 years?
- Natural light
- ensure privacy (maybe a skylight)
- Do the windows open? (currently in my bath they do not – must change this)
- Do you need a tub? A shower w/ bench might be better
- Include shelves for shampoos etc
- A mirror in the shower is nice for shaving
- Counter space for toiletries, hairbrush, etc.
- I love the his/her sinks in Country Home
If you were in Toronto area, I would help you out with renovation and finding great deals... good luck..
JOIN DIRECT BUY OTTAWA.
We remodeled our Edwardian Duplex in SF between 11/09 and 10/10. It was a gut remodel,all new electrical, plumbing, heating, 25 new windows, new baths, one new kitchen, all new surfaces....2800 sq ft of living space, 3500 including garage and infrastructure.
Direct Buy is expensive to join but we got the membership price back on our window purchase savings. Then we saved 30-60% on all of our plumbing fixtures, marble and quartz counters, tiles, tankless water heaters, 10-20% off on appliances, 30% on blinds, 40% on carpeting. I can't name brands but you'd be pleasantly surprised if the branch has the same brands as here in California.
I don't shill for Direct Buy and likely wouldn't join to buy furniture (my furniture tends to be vintage, found, or contemporary craft and the membership fee is steep)....but for a major remodel or new construction you can't beat the savings which will add up.
I found other bargains on Craigslist ( a teak credenza became a bathroom vanity as did a 1920's school lab table) and Ebay (Jielde and 1950's lighting and a steel industrial cart is becoming a Kitchen island) - but couldn't source anything new for less then Direct Buy, and I know how to shop.
One year later we re-appraised. We increased the value of our home almost $2 for every dollar spent, in a down housing market. I think our membership investment had a lot to do with it.
We also remodeled our Montreal triplex a floor at a time between 2001 and 2009. We went with customized IKEA cabinetry in kitchens and baths (stacking floor cabinets to the ceiling, adding or cutting cabinet depths for vanities and storage), barn door hardware from Ontario hardware source, and Ceragres tile in Montreal (which has really beautiful tiles at great prices for the quality and some nice custom lighting in their showroom by a Montreal artisan).
Hi Kim! As you know, we just finished our bathroom (and have to leave it in two months!). Locally, I'd recommend Cerapolis for tile, talk to Gabrielle there. They negotiate; if you tell them about your whole project, maybe they'd be willing to work out a deal on stone for you. They're on Michael Street (off Belfast). The tile for our bathroom is all carerra bianca marble and none of it cost me more than $9 per square foot. I've priced Cerapolis at 1/3 the price of most other suppliers--and believe me, between our kitchen and bathroom renos we've been everywhere from Kanata to Gatineau. And I haven't bought any ceramic, just natural stone, so that's a good deal.
I chose to put my money into the quality of the finishes (tile, hardware) and save on things that I wanted to "disappear" in the space, like the vanity and cabinetry (IKEA). I did this in the kitchen too by buying IKEA cabinetry and high-end hardware, faucet, etc. I love the IKEA vanity because it has drawers instead of doors--much better use of space.
We bought the floor model of the sink for the IKEA vanity--they'll do that for discontinued items. (I'm sure you know that when our new IKEA is finished in December it will be the largest one in Canada, so you'll have lots of options...)
Regarding tile, it's not strictly true that you should restrict yourself to big tiles to save installation costs, since you usually buy small tiles on 12X12 sheets, amounting to basically the same labour as installing large-format tiles. I do agree that this labour-intensive work is one place where you can really cut your costs by doing it yourself. Note though that the 2X4 marble subway tiles we put on our bathroom walls were the only affordable subway tiles in that size that I could find on 12X12 sheets (Cerapolis!). Something about subway tiles...hard to find them on sheets.
DON'T do your own plumbing or electrical or have an uncertified family member/friend do it. If you do and you spring a leak, you have to fix and pay for everything yourself. If a certified plumber/electrician screws up, HE/SHE has to fix it at their own expense. I think it's worth the slightly higher cost for that 'insurance.'
Play plumbing and lighting stores against each other. I know that sounds ruthless, but really why would the exact same faucet or fixture cost hundreds more at one store than at another? If you really do your homework, you might be able to get one store to give you big discounts if you buy most of your stuff from them, especially if it includes a bigger-ticket item like a tub or shower. That's what we did for the bathroom (Electrical and Plumbing store).
Don't go crazy with potlights--such a huge expense for the installation--like three times the cost of the actual lights (!). Although it is nice to have a dimmer in the bathroom...
I highly recommend an in-floor heating pad in the centre of the bathroom!
One place we discovered for a nice extra horizontal surface in a minimalist bathroom is a 'shelf' built into your lower window trim (see our bathroom photos)...the look would also fit nicely with the era of your house.
Hope that helps! Looking forward to seeing your progress!!
SR
Thanks again for all the tips everyone!
SR, I adore your bathroom so I will for sure be checking out the resources you suggested and following your advice. THANK YOU! (Jeff and I are both off today and are supposed to go start looking for house supplies so I'd love to stop by Cerapolis).
Neko, your bathroom is freaking GORGEOUS!!
Thanks - glad you liked it.
I got my photo / links mixed up though - just want to add one more shot that better shows the tile.
It is Oceanside recycled glass mosaic - not cheap, but the sparkle that it brings to the shower feature wall and backsplash is magical.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk65/prodham/IMG_6966.jpg
The black walnut vanity and three shelving units were a simple, practical design that I had a local cabinetmaker do for around $2500 - far cheaper than anything you could find in a store. I was going to build them myself (as I did in our other bathroom), but the finishing details would not have been of the required standard.
wrong image again - photobucket is making this rather embarrassing.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk65/prodham/IMG_6967.jpg
It was worth the wait neko. LOL. What gorgeous tile! And I see what you mean by sparkle.
(I thought I was over mosaic glass tile - I think you just changed my mind)
Plans are ALWAYS the first place you should start - getting these right first before any works are carried out is, in my experience, the only way to carry out any renovation. This will provide you with a clear design direction and allow contractor and suppliers to quote "accurately" for works, products and materials. this save you time and money!
I have to say that the end result is fantastic! A room to enjoy for years to come I am sure!!
You should totally go with Kate Humes design if you like the industrial look. The design is very posh and modern but still gives an inviting feel to the room.
Wow looks lovely! I am looking to renovate my bathroom and looking all over the internet for new bathroom products! Has anyone ever bought from watermill bathrooms? Found them and they look v. cheap!
Thank you! Fabulous resource
I definitely know the feeling you are having. You know it needs to be done, but starting your renovations is challenging to say the least. One thing I have done is handling smaller renovations myself while hiring a professional to handle some of the major pieces of the renovations to help cut on time. I might have to spend a little more but I can usually create a successful budget and try to remain inside my budget range.
Thanks for sharing of this Design Ideas, a very organized approach you have!
Great!! I love it! Thanks
I think good colors choice has a lot to reflect about your personality and using neutral colors can be quite trendy. A friendly bathroom, cozy bedroom, fresh yard and having a door that welcomes; do we really need anything else? Well, I couldn't agree more, thanks for sharing this awesome bathroom ideas.
(PS: I just loved this one; Annette English... so good)
These are really creative. Thank you for all this ideas.
Amazing bathrooms! Enjoyed that
Those ideas are really helpful because I also thing to renovate my bathroom. Thanks for share
Nice post. Thanks for sharing this informative tips. This would be really helpful for me for planning to add a new bathroom to my place. Thank you so much.
Oh my god…. this is going to be incredible! Love all of your selections and ideas and know that the finished bathroom will fit well with the age of your home and your style.
Having more ideas than money is common in the world of bathroom renovations. Unfortunately, good bathroom designs do take a lot of money, but it is for a good cause: it is one of the most visited rooms and one that is most likely to be liked by a potential buy in the case of resale.