When we moved in to our new one-bathroom abode, we thought we'd have to live with that bathroom-- filthy, hideous, and nonfunctional as it was-- for a while. After all, we know nothing about plumbing.
And it looked like this:
Left side from hallway.
Right side, ick.
Just give yourself a moment to appreciate this.
Obvious issues: tiny sink detaching itself from wall (perhaps trying to escape), comically small medicine cabinet mounted so high that at 5'9" I could only see the top of my head in the wee little mirror, oddly placed wooden fixtures from the 70's, weird vinyl trim where baseboards should have been, ill-fitting saggy cheap blinds completely covering the window, moldy shower door, blue faux-marble monstrosity, unloved original tub in desperate need of a refinish, slightly pink Marmoleum floors, tragic light fixtures.
I mean, that is a LOT of work for a room measuring four feet by eight.
But there are some positives too. The original tub is big and deep and has that appealingly chunky forties look. When the bathroom door is closed, a built-in floor-to-ceiling cabinet is revealed behind the shower-- three big shelves behind doors on top, three huge deep drawers underneath. The toilet is newish, and the big window lets in lots of light.
And we thought we could just settle for a hella-thorough cleaning. On our first day in the house, we changed the blinds and ripped out the foul shower door, and I used a chisel (nope, not kidding) to pry the pile of God-knows-what (see previous post) off of the emergency drain. The shower door didn't go down without a fight, but after several hours of scraping moldy caulk off my tub I was glad I'd done it. Then I put on vinyl gloves and the real work began: I scrubbed every surface until my arms ached. I vacuumed out the cabinet and wiped down the shelves and drawers, scraped peeling paint off the ceiling over the tub, washed the pink floor on my hands and knees, polished the exposed chrome plumbing under the sink, cleaned the mirror, etc etc etc. And when at long last I stood back to admire my work, there was nothing to admire, because it still looked like crap. Sigh.
And it still looked like crap when my parents arrived two days later to help me get a jump on some projects while Ray was out of town. And if you know my father, you know where this is going.
In case you haven't met him, you should know that my dad can literally do anything. Not exaggerating. "Prove it," you say. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, may I present Exhibits A and B:
Exhibit A.
Yup, told you so. And please pardon the fuzzy iPad photos.
That is my bathroom after a few days with Dad. Here's a breakdown of what you're looking at: new sink, new vanity, new faucet, new baseboard molding, fresh paint, new glass shelf and mirror, new blinds. Here's what you can't see: Dad had to repair the walls to attach the baseboard, install new plumbing under the sink, and patch the drywall and replicate its orange-peel texture where the old medicine cabinet used to be. And we also painted our built-in cabinet inside and out and gave the vanity (a $99 Home Depot find that was originally a weird orangey wood tone) a fresh coat of Behr Ultra two-in-one. Total spent for this bathroom overhaul, including plumbing supplies and tools: about $250.
Still to come in the bathroom: changing the light fixtures, subway-tiling the shower walls, and DIY-refinishing the tub. But for now, if you're drinking, and obviously you are, raise a glass to my father!
To recap:
Before Dad.
After Dad!
Beautiful! Here's to Mr. Davis!
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