Basement bathroom rehab

After the first set of house plans escaped our budget, the second (and more modest) set of plans are nearing completion, and we are hoping to start the serious work in the next month or so.  In preparation for our evacuation to the basement level, we needed to turn the old ¼ bathroom (a lonely toilet)/mechanical room into a full bathroom.

 before

This room will also need to temporarily house the washing machine, as the rehab plans have the washer/dryer moving to the new second floor (which, at the moment, does not yet exist).

Step one was removal of the plywood walls and ceiling, shelves, and anything else in the new bathroom footprint.  Peter and the crowbar got this done, and a few good bonfires later we were ready to move on!

after demo

The work crew arrived and started with new drain lines and framing.

jackhammered drain lines and initial framing

New drywall followed, and then installation of the shower stall (Sterling Showers), Formica countertop (the least ugly of Lowe’s most affordable line), stainless steel multi-purpose sink (Franke),  Delta faucet and new toilet (American Standard).

Karen will stitch up a curtain to hang on a rod installed under the counter top, and we'll come up with some sort of repurposed storage under there. We had the counter top built  a few inches higher than normal, 'cause we are both tall people!

Three can lights were installed--one over the shower stall, one over the sink and one over the toilet.

A new closet door, under the stairs, adds to the new "rustic luxury" look.  We painted the new walls Benjamin Moore's "simply white" to help make the new (windowless) space look as bright as possible.

The washer is sort of in the middle of the space for now, but our carpenter Kevin built a clever rolling platform so we can move it around easily. Connected to the plumbing on laundry day, disconnected and rolled out of the way the rest of the time.

The semi-finished bathroom will suffice for now, as we will need to do more plumbing, electrical, and furnace work in that space.  Once that is done and the old oil tank moved out, we will finish the ceiling and put in new flooring.  A real door  will be installed to replace the curtain that hangs in the entrance right now!