Recently, I shared how we built a modern industrial bathroom vanity, and today I wanted to share the rest of this small bathroom renovation with you. This bathroom is located at my in-laws’ house in Saint Louis, Missouri, and we were lucky enough to be part of the process of this remodel. The old bathroom was original to their 1960s house and included some very retro blue tile. My in-laws were already contemplating a bathroom reno when one day last fall there was an unfortunate event that ended in a broken toilet tank. This was the catalyst for this project (luckily they have two other fully-functioning bathrooms!).
This bathroom serves as the master bath at my in-laws’ house – the only en suite bathroom. And although its on the smaller side, it had a lot of potential. Several years ago, my mother-in-law installed a penny tile floor – made of real pennies! She glued them down one by one, then added a clear coat to the top. This was the only thing in the bathroom that would stay.
We actually debated this topic – if the pennies should stay or go. Andrew and I were actually leaning towards replacing it. But my mother-in-law ultimately decided to keep it and boy am I sure glad she did. It cleaned up great and looks phenomenal with the other finishes in the room.
BEFORE
On the list of changes for this small bathroom renovation was a new solid surface shower surround (1″ square tiles have A LOT of grout lines to clean), remove the bulkhead from the shower area to provide more head room, a custom vanity with more storage, new toilet, and a wall treatment to tie everything together. There was a lot of work to be done – which is where we came in.
After removing the decorative objects, shelving, and window treatments, my in-laws brought in the big guns.
DURING
The big guns being Andrew and our son. I mean, if you don’t do demo day in your Christmas dinosaur pjs, are you really doing demo?
With a team of 4 of us, we were able to demo this bathroom in a day – I suppose thats the perk of having a small bathroom. amiright? The tile in this bathroom was a beast and clearly the installer wanted it to stand the test of time because it was not easy to get off. And as you can see, it covered the majority of the room. But Andrew is not one to back down from a challenge, so with a little perseverance, it all managed to make its way into the trash.
As you can see, we demo’ed the bathroom down to the studs, keeping the penny tile floor, so the contractor could start his work with a fresh slate. Demo is usually one of the easiest parts of a project and is definitely something most people are capable of DIYing. By doing the demo themselves (taking it off the contractor’s list), Andrew’s parents saved about $1200 – not bad for a day’s work.
Just by removing the bulkhead above the shower, the bathroom felt so much bigger! It’s amazing what the difference 1 foot in ceiling height can make.
This is where we passed the baton to the contractor to put this bathroom back together. During this small bathroom renovation, the contractor installed a new shower pan and shower surround, new shower fixtures, faux shiplap, a new toilet, a new bathroom fan/light combo, and our modern industrial vanity with vessel sink and black faucet. In the theme of 2021, this took way longer than expected due to shipping delays and the volume of work contractors are doing these days. But, I think my in-laws would agree, it was well worth the wait.
AFTER
It’s so much lighter and brighter in here, just from removing all the blue tile and adding a light colored wall treatment. And that penny tile looks a-maz-ing with the wood tones and black accents.
The foot print of the bathroom stayed the same but it feels so much bigger.
Not to toot our own horn or anything, but doesn’t that custom vanity really pull the space together? It adds a ton of interest and provides some much needed storage.
And to save you the hassle of scrolling back and forth, heres the before and afters together:
And here’s another:
Have you been dreaming up any renovation plans lately? I’d love to hear about them. Comment below or connect with me on instagram @elleandjaydesign. And you can also find me on Pinterest!
