Bathroom Remodel: Worth Every Penny

Our house was built in 1997 as some of the new construction following the 1991 Andover tornado.

There are many things we love about our house. However, we have always hated our bathroom. It's huge, but the space wasn't used in an effecient way and it was extremely dated.

Admittedly, the large bathtub was handy when the girls were little. I'd put Ruby in there (without any water and before she could walk) as a way to keep her contained while I took a shower. Now that they're bigger, the tub was hardly used and Aleks and I just got fed up with the tiny, oddly shaped shower.

So, we decided to finally bite the bullet and remodel the space into something we love. Aleks did all the work securing the loan and the contractor and I took the lead in designing and communciating with the workers.

Here's our bathroom before:

And here it is, one month and a week later. (Totally worth the wait.)

In place of the tub, I had a makeup counter installed, which takes advantage of the natural light coming in. Now, I just have to learn how to do my makeup!

The shower material is Onyx, a man made product. What I like about this product is that there are no grout lines to clean. I adore subway tile, but to use all tile would have put our house out of the price range for our neighborhood. While we did this remodel for ourselves and not necessarily resale value, I wanted to be somewhat responsible.

And a bench in a shower is just the best.

Our fixtures are all brushed nickel, but the light fixtures have some brass and when I saw these mirrors I thought the brass frame would help soften all the gray. I have no idea if I'm "allowed" to mix metals, but I like the way it turned out.

Aleks was really wonderful about trusting my taste and vision. He admittedly had some reservations about round mirrors and a few other things, but is thrilled with how it all turned out.

The makeup counter and vanity were both custom built, so I asked for a laundry basket drawer. It's one of my favorite things about the bathroom.

I didn't want a huge makeup counter, so there wasn't room left for drawers.

We ended up designing the vanity so that drawers pulled out from the side and are easily accesible while I'm sitting at the makeup counter.

The graphic back splash really warms up the room and adds interest.

Our contractor suggested a darker grout to match the tile. I insisted on a lighter shade and I'm really glad I did.

The stained wood shelves are another favorite of mine. They match the makeup counter top and light fixtures.

We are so glad we decided to do this. Our conractor was wonderful. He was a great communicator, worked clean, and tried to save us money whenever he could. Let me know if you'd like his contact info!