Our Bathroom Reno
Our Bathroom Reno
We show you the entire process from demo to Hello New Bathroom!! (Scroll down for Before photo's - Reveal photo's are at the end)
There's alot of excitement when your planning a new bathroom, choosing all the fittings, the tiles, tapware and picking out those soft new towels 😉
But once it gets down to the nitty gritty & it's time to start the renovation it can all seem a bit daunting!
In this blog I'll be sharing everything to do with our bathroom reno - Why we wanted to renovate, how we planned the renovation, how we saved money, what products we chose and most importantly - the before and after photo's!
How It Started...
The house we live in was built in 2010, we bought & moved into the house in 2012 when our youngest child was 3 months old. So it's not an 'old' house but it is dated - The bathroom was your standard builders bathroom with lino on the floor, inset bath surrounded by the minimum required tiling and a horribly cheap vanity that over the years has turned yellow 😨😝 It's been a great functioning bathroom with a good layout & size for our family. But after 8 years of wear & tear it really needed some work (and our kids have really given it a workout over the years - bath crayons & many overflowing baths!🙈😯) Plus I've never loved that lino floor and yellowing vanity! Now that our girls are older and growing quicker everyday it's time to update our bathroom to match the rest of our home.
When planning & designing our new bathroom I took into consideration the follwing:
• Who would be using the bathroom - Our 2 girls aged 5 & 7 plus any house guests.
• How to create extra storage - They might be my cute little kiddies now, who only need a toothbrush, toothpaste & bottle of bubblebath, but before I know it they'll be teenage girls fighting over the bathroom mirror & who stole the hairdryer! 😅
• The layout - You save alot of money in bathroom renovations by keeping the same layout & using exsisting plumbing. As soon as you start moving baths and showers your budget can blow out before you've even started! Fortunately for us the original layout flows well and we didn't need to make any drastic changes.
• Budget - We all have one! Regardless of the size of your budget, trying to stick to it can be tricky. So taking the time to shop around, get multiple quotes and work out what we can do ourselves was a must. Hubby is my 'go to' handyman and not scared to give anything a go so when it came time for the bathroom demo he was straight into it. Paying someone to do your demo work can add hundreds onto your total bill. Plus it's great exercise clearing everything out so I was happy to join in and burn those calories 😉
We also decided to project manage the renovation ourselves which is daunting but at the same time exciting as we are both very hands on and like a challenge.
Also we weren't restricted to a set time frame so that allowed us to be stress free in case of any unexpected delays 🤣
Below are some 'Before' photos of our very basic and typical builders bathroom.
The yellowing vanity
The inset bath
The lino
Current situation...
The bathroom itself had done it's job perfectly for the last 8 years and essentially was a great functioning bathroom but it was outdated & didn't match the rest of our scandi inspired home. Although I already had a pretty clear image in my mind of how I wanted the bathroom to look. I used Pinterest & Instagram for design inspo which ended up helping me add ideas that I hadn't thought of to the design. I found by the end of the planning stage that the design I had started with in my mind had changed but it now included so many more features that I would have missed out on if I didn't take the time to really research bathrooms and compare designs. So don't rush this process! I loved spending my spare time searching through all the Insta hashtags #bathroominspo #bathroomdesign #bathroomstyling #scandibathroom I also used apps like Eraser & Photo Layers to create a moodboard to visulize my design, by doing this you can see if the items you've planned on using work well together.
Sticking to budget...
I love a bargain as much as the next person but when it comes to something as important as a home bathroom (one that is a highly used zone ) I didn't want to skimp on fittings. But if you're a savvy shopper you can still make a saving on quality items. We had time on our side as we have been planning our renovation for quite a while. So we were able to wait for sales/promotions to purchase goods plus stores are often happy to give a discount if multiple items are purchased - you just need to ask 😉 When you have a budget layed out, every time you make a saving on an item it's money in the bank - even small savings add up. (Keep a list off all the savings you make along the way, you'll be surprised at the end!)
For example, we had our eye on a cabinet mirror from Bunnings which was the only place locally that had the style and size we needed & at the right price. But one night I decided to jump on Ebay and found a bathroom store based in another state that were selling the exact same style mirror at half the price! Instantly saving us hundreds of dollars that could be put towards tiles or tapware! I admit I was a little hesitant purchasing a mirror off ebay and then shipping it to Tassie, but the seller ran a reputable bathroom store and had insurance for any breakages. So we bit the bullet ...... and the mirror was delivered quickly and in perfect condition... win win!
Once we had finished choosing all the items for our new bathroom including the bath, vanity and tiles it was time to start the demo!
Hubby smashed it out in 2 afternoons (excuse the pun 😅) Under the lino the floor was in great condition and only the plasterboard behind where the inset bath was positioned would need replacing.
My job was to remove all the old waterproofing from the floor, which came off surprisingly easier than I thought it would.
Removing the splashback tiles.
Removing the inset bath.
Clean out & take up the old lino
Plumbing work begins...
The next step was to have the plumbing for the bath waste and the mixer/outlet repositioned. The new freestanding bath has a centre waste so the drain had to be moved which was a relatively easy job as we are on the ground floor with access underneath the house and it's not a concrete slab.
New plumbing for the bath mixer & outlet.
Once the plumbing had all been roughed in it was time to replaster and waterproof! Before waterproofing all the wall joins had to be taped up & a special membrane tape was used for the floor joins.
Time to Tile!
The next step was tiling! Neither of us had tiled before but we were both very keen to give it a go. We decided on large 900 x 450mm Ales Light Grey tiles from Beaumont Tiles. The finish is lappato which make them easier to maintain and these particular tiles have a really nice semi polished finish and texture.
Hubby was Mr tiler for the day, he decided to pre cut and lay all the tiles out before glueing them to make sure they all fit and make the process easier. When it came time to glue the tiles it took him 4hours to lay the floor which was approx 7sqm.... (which I thought was fantasic, I'm sure an experienced tiler would have layed it much quicker but we really wanted to do it ourselves and make sure it was neat) My job was to hand him the spacers and clean up any excess glue on the tiles.
To help level the tiles we used special leveling clips from Beaumont Tiles. They are amazing! I totally recommend using these if you are planning to tile! See the photos below.
The leveling clips from Beaumont Tiles were Brilliant.
The next day hubby grouted all the tiles using Magellan Grey also from Beaumont Tiles. We are SO happy with our tile choice and I'm really impressed with hubby's tiling skills - they look fantastic!
To Tile or Not To Tile...
Wall time!! Rather than floor to ceiling tiles we chose to use one of the products in the EasyCraft range called EasyCLAD because: 1) Cheaper 2) Quicker 3) Look totally amazing!
We have used EasyCraft sheets before in our living room/entry so we wanted to continue the feature in the bathroom. Easyclad is high impact resistant 9.5mm thick board made from Australian hardwoods and is the recommended wall cladding for all internal wet areas (bathrooms & laundries) and semi-external undercover areas.
Mr DIY (AKA Hubby) cut and installed the EasyClad sheets. There was a window cut out, plumbing cut outs and light switch cut outs that needed to be made. The installation process is fairly simple once you have all the cuts made. An adhesive is placed on the wall and then the sheet is nailed into place. The second sheet is installed the same way and it slots into the groove of the previous sheet. Putty and sand the nail holes and then it's time to paint! We went with Dulux Vivid White
The first EasyClad sheet is installed.
Sliding the second sheet into the first, they clip together.
All the EasyClad sheets are installed.
Window Covering...
When it came to choosing window furnishing it was a no brainer.... Shutters! We used DIY Online Blinds to order our Shutter. The process is so easy - Measure your window frame, choose your colour, what style your window is (recess or face fit), which way you want the shutter to open, place your order and wait for it to be delivered to your door!
Installing the Shutter was really simple. The shutter door arrives assembled and the frame consists of 4 pieces that easily clip together. You place the frame into your window recess and screw into place, then use the hinge pins provided to attach the shutter door. They even provide screw cap stickers and silicone for a professional finish if there are any gaps around the frame! Amazing!
Cliping the frame together.
Screwing the frame to the window recess.
Unveiling the gorgeous DIY Online Blinds Shutter.
Dropping the pins into the hinges.
Tadaaa! All installed!
The end in sight...
At this point I'm getting pretty excited because the project is coming together really fast and I can see the vision I had coming to life.
The vanity and cabinet mirror were installed - Hubby did an incredible job wrapping the timber around them. We used our favourite timber Tasmanian Oak and I applied a Satin Finish sealer/varnish to the timber.
Tapware...
The freestanding bath was installed and then it was time to fit all the amazing Matte Black tapware from Sussex. The quality and finish on these is stunning. We went with the Scala Bath and Basin Mixer and Scala Straight Outlet. Watching them be installed and seeing how they tied the room together was such a great feeling, I absolutely love them and the way the whole bathroom has come together. The first time I used the tap I was stunned at what a difference quality tapware makes, as opposed to the cheap standard tap previously installed. The water flow and pressure was fantastic, lifting the handle was smooth and the weight of the Basin mixer gave it a solid quality finish with no movement at the base.
The gorgeous Matte Black Basin Mixer & Outlet from Sussex.
Basin Mixer: Scala Extended Basin Mixer 150mm Bath Outlet: Scala Wall Outlet Straight 200mm Bath Mixer: Scala Bath Shower Mixer 40mmm Pin
Style time baby...
Styling the bathroom! Yay! I chose a few pieces from Zaabre - an online homewares store focusing on bohemian luxe & coastal products. I used their Large Seagrass Pot as a laundry hamper, which ties in really well with my Scandi vibe for the bathroom. Plus their amazing Elm Stool & Shell Necklace.
I found the brand Nina Bailey on Instagram. They are an eco-luxury home fragrance and body care studio based in Perth, Western Australia. Their bath & body products contain pure, natural ingredients, no preservatives and no nasties. The Hand Wash & Lotion come in beautiful black glass bottles with black & gold label - pure luxe! I loved the brand so much that we now stock Nina Bailey on our website!
The Nina Bailey products I chose for the bathroom.
Orange & Geranium Hand wash. Rose Botanical Bath Soak.
We also used a few pieces from our website to style in the bathroom, including Large American Oak Slant Hooks by Scandi Luxe and Turkish Towels By Collective Sol.
This week only receive 10% Off Storewide using the code: RENO
Products
I'm so excited to share the completed bathroom with you, I hope you guy's love the design and what we've created. Head to our Instagram @interiormotivesaus and let us know what you think and feel free to ask any questions you have! Below are photos of the completed Bathroom and a list with links to the items/products used for the project.
Amanda xx
Shop the look
Tapware - Sussex
Tiles - Beaumont Tiles
Walls - EasyCraft
Oak Hooks - Interior Motives Aus
Window Furnish - DIY Online Blinds
Elm Stool - Zaabre
Bath & Body Products - Nina Bailey
Leather Plant Holder - Interior Motives Aus
Seagrass Pot - Zaabre
Vanity & Basin - Harpers Bathroom
Amanda Lee
Creator of Interior Motives Aus - an Online Homewares store based in Tasmania, Australia.