This post is way overdue…I mean YEARS way over due! That seems to be a theme on my blog posts these days… 🤪Between baby, selling the Heights House ourselves, buying and completely remodeling the Park House, all while working full time, it has left very little time for the blog… which I’m hoping will change for 2022. I have so much remodeling/home decor content from the new house (and old house!) that I just need to take the time to put them all down on paper in blog posts.
Our primary bath (and closet) remodel in the Heights House was a BIG job and took about 8 weeks to complete from demo to punch out. The style and design of the original space didn’t match the rest of the house (see below photos 😳), and we knew that we were going to have to completely remodel it when we bought the house. We gutted the entire thing (walls, floors, vanity, etc) and reconfigured the space, adding an additional closet.
We started planning for this project in January of 2020, but didn’t end up starting the project until late August.. 3 months before Grayson’s due date! Thankfully we had a great contractor who was able to get everything done just in time for Grayson to be born. We finished up the project on October 27th, and Grayson was born the 31st!
BEFORE
You can see the before photos below. The walls were all tiled in stone, there was an open shower with no glass or walls, and absolutely no storage. Oh! And the tub filled from the ceiling…..
THE PROCESS
Design Board/Inspiration
I started first with some ideas in mind and scoured Pinterest/Houzz for some photos. We wanted the bathroom to seamlessly blend with the rest of the house while feeling updated and fresh. I used these photos to show my contractor exact details that I wanted to replicate (and other details I didn’t), and it helped me get a good idea for the finishes for the space. Here are the inspiration photos I used:
**Give your contractor as much information as possible (preferably written with photos!) during the planning process. The more details and the more specific the better! This is where the “Design Boards” I create are extremely helpful. I ended up taping these photos at the job site as a reminder to the contractor/subs of the look/style that I was wanting.**
Another idea for planning your space: Imagine a day when you are going to use the space. Think of every detail that you will need and want for the space. Where will you put on your makeup? Where will your laundry go? How will you store your towels/linens? What works and doesn’t work about your current space that you would like to keep or change for your new space?
3D Rendering
What we wanted for this space:
- Double vanities
- Large enclosed shower
- Lots of counter space
- Makeup vanity
- Storage space
- Even out the doors/walls
- Add a new closet
As you can see from the before photos, it is an unusually shaped space so there were lots of creative options to achieve what we wanted. I already knew the floorplan that I wanted to create, but it can be overwhelming to think of starting from scratch not knowing how everything will scale once it is added to the space.
Since we were moving walls, adding electrical and water, and creating entirely new cabinetry and closet, we had a 3D designer come to the house and create the 3D plan for the new space. He took measurements and was able to create the floorplan in real-time that we could further customize as we went. I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you are doing a large or structural remodel! It was around $500 and worth every penny.
On the left below, you can see how we reconfigured the space. The doors to the bathroom and closet were on weird angles (top picture) so we straightened them out and took in part of the bedroom to make an additional closet (bottom picture). I figured that we would much rather have more closet space than unused dead space in our room. My husband was happy to finally have a closet of his own! Hah!
On the right, you can see the original 3D rendering of the space. We ended up making tweaks to this original design, but wow was it helpful to visual the layout/spacing before having to make any decisions.
Selections
Once we had a plan in place, I started working on my selections. I knew I wanted a bright, white, transitional style space that wasn’t too high maintenance, very livable, but had high-end details and some warmth. It also needed to match the rest of the home.
The only things we ended up keeping from the original space were the tub and Kohler faucets – at $600 each I liked them enough to keep them in the design and thought they were a good transitional shape. And funny enough, they were super similar to the ones in my inspiration photos!
- Plumbing Fixtures – we went with the chrome Kohler fixtures all from the same collection.
- Tile
- Shower Walls – This white shower tile was nice and simple but has little bit of movement in the shape that gives it some texture
- Shower Floor – I had to have some marble somewhere in this bathroom! I loved the variation in color to add some warmth to the space, and it hasn’t been high maintenance at all!
- Floor – This polished porcelain tile has been great and looks beautiful in person! It can be slippery if there is water, but if you have a few rugs it’s no big deal.
- *A little selections tip – put all of your tiles together and see if you like them in a group. Even if you like them individually, they might not all blend well together.
- Countertops – This countertop is an 2cm slab of MSI Calacatta Verona quartz. It has been very durable and looks pretty with the tiles. We went with a 2in mitered edge (to match the rest of the house) and rectangular porcelain undermount sinks. We also used the countertop as the edge of the shower.
- Lighting – I added the brass lighting fixtures to add some warmth back into the space. It also pulled in some brass to match the rest of my home’s lighting.
- Chandelier – This glass chandelier was super affordable and the perfect size for the space. I loved that it was made of glass and not plastic/acrylic
- Sconces – Another affordable find! I recently used these in our son’s bathroom at the new house.
- Hardware – We went with these gold pulls on all of the cabinets/drawers. I liked the modern look of using them on all of the cabinetry. What else is great about this hardware is that the pulls come in ~20 different sizes so you can mix and match for different sized cabinetry.
*Tip on mixing metals – choose the metal that you think is the most “classic” for the plumbing fixtures, and the most “trendy” for your accessories and lighting! If you sell your home, it is much easier to switch out accessories than plumbing fixtures if the buyer wants something different.
Construction
The entire project took about 8 weeks once they demoed the bathroom. The planning time took a week or two more than that as they had to get quotes and pull permits.
A few notes that didn’t fit anywhere else 🤣
- Cabinetry – All of the cabinetry was custom made for this space. Since I wanted a very specific design to maximize the space, it wasn’t possible to buy anything ready-made.
- Shower Glass – This was something new to me! There are lots of options when it comes to the shower glass that you will choose. The most important thing that I learned about was low iron glass. Most glass has a green tint to it unless you get “low iron” or “ultra clear” glass (see photo below comparing the two). It was worth it to me to upgrade to the low iron glass since my space was so white and open. It was not cheap and cost about $800 extra. I recommend this blog post with lots of details on shower glass!
- Additional Costs – Like most construction projects, we ran into additional costs along the way. We ended up having to move the plumbing for the tub, upgrading the cabinetry in the closet, and choosing the low iron glass for the shower. Overall, it wasn’t too bad for the scope of the project.
Low Iron Shower Glass vs Standard Shower Glass 
Low Iron Shower Glass Installed
AFTER
And now the after! I was thrilled with how it turned out. I think it blended perfectly with the rest of our home. My husband and I were both so excited to have our own closets, our own vanities, and finally some storage space in the bathroom. And it was done just in time for Grayson to be born…and take over the bathroom with all of his bottles, sanitizer, and baby bath 🤣 .
We took these photos in January 2021 and ended up selling this house in May 2021, so I was MORE than sad to leave this beautiful space with all of the work we put into it. Ultimately though I believe that this bathroom and the new closet were one of the main reasons we were able to sell this home so quickly. So in the end it was all worth it!
Before & After
Wow that was a long post! Cheers if you’re still here!
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions on something that I didn’t cover!
Thanks for stopping by! xo, Kinsey
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If you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site, I may make a small commission from it. KinseyWalsh.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases. All listed prices are as of the published date and are subject to change. All images are property of KinseyWalsh.com unless otherwise noted. All opinions are my own 🙂
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