Bathroom Remodel

For years I have been wanting to remodel the main floor bathroom. The layout was really bad and there was a lot of wasted space. Dennis said the bathroom was still functional so why do we need to do it. I spent little bursts of time in 2012 thinking, pondering and sketching many alternatives. Due to the pain I was constantly in later that year, I spent many sleepless nights weighing pros and cons of different designs and trying to figure out what would make the most efficient use of space and cost.  In January 2013 I had my knee replaced and spent six weeks watching DIY channels and beginning to really get some solid ideas of what I wanted to do. I think by then Dennis was getting tired of all the "big ideas" I'd come up in the wee hours of the morning that he started to give in and said I could begin getting bids, etc. I talked about the bathroom remodel to just about everyone that I thought would listen or give me good feedback.

Original layout

Many years ago when we remodeled the kitchen, we used Cache Wood and Design for the cabinets. Lee Atwood was really helpful and good to work with then so when I began looking at the bathroom remodel I gave him a call. He came out in April and looked at what I had in mind. He gave us some pointers and things to consider and then worked up a bid. I kept talking to neighbors and friends and trying to make sure that what I was planning made the most sense and would work the best.

We didn't want to start any actual work until after Jessica and Chases open house here at the end of May and then Dennis and I were off to Europe and then Atlanta for Jessica's wedding. By the time we got back from all of that, I had two more floor plan options for the bathroom that I was liking even better than the one I had already shown Lee. At the Briscoe 4th of July picnic, I presented all three options to everyone and had them vote on their favorite one. It ended up being the last one I'd come up with and in some ways the most complicated.

New bathrooms

This new plan involved closing in the existing doorway from the bathroom to master bedroom and opening a new doorway in what had once been an exterior wall, meaning that it was think and filled with bricks. It was August when we really started getting going on the remodel. This was a good time to rework all the electrical, plumbing and HVAC so everything had to be moved out of the basement so that there was access to all of that. Samantha and Tyson Hull moved in with us and they provided many hours of labor, both in getting things moved and in the demolition of the existing bathroom.

We had thought that the old bathtub might could be repurposed into a pond but it was so glued to the floor that it had to be cut into pieces to get out. We only got out one of the mirror tiles without breaking them. It was a big messy job and took almost a month.

The new master bathroom -

 One of the best things about this remodel is the new walk in closet. It is pretty huge and I love it!

And the new guest half bath. This room is so cozy in the winter. I love, love, love how this turned out. I really dislike bathrooms with no daylight so we put in a leaded glass window to let in some light. It turned out so beautiful! I love the look of the subway tile. It adds such a touch of class.

This bathroom remodel was brought to you by:
Annette Briscoe - Design and General Contractor, Inspector
Dennis Briscoe - General Contractor, Electrician, Demolition supervisor, Master Funder
Tyson Hull- Demolition assistant, Electical Assistant, Assistant Project Manager
Samantha Hull - Design advisor, project assistant
Brent Fredrickson - Master Carpenter
Seth Israelsen - Assistant Carpenter
Dirk Henningson - Electrical Assistant
Tyler Ward - Master Plumber
Mike Christensen - Tile Layer
Lee Atwood - Cabinet builder, reality checker, advisor
Todd Giles - dryway and painter
Evolution Design Crew- countertop and shower designers