This is the only bathroom on the lower level. It is generally dedicated to the occupant of the first floor bedroom, though guests will also use it for convenience over the upstairs. It accesses through our home office, and for years we have wanted to add another door- Jack and Jill style. It would enter and exit from the laundry room, and the office.
I found a door on the social marketplace. It was originally a $2800 four panel frosted glass custom door that had been refused by the customer, being offered for $20. That led us to Ocean Park, Wa and seven other new doors that we didn't need but were too beautiful to not buy.
We had just used most of the doors I had collected several years ago. One for the appliance closet, two for the new front porch closet doors, and two for the utility closet doors. I was incredibly excited to be using them after I had purchased them for $20 each from Brothers doors on a clearance rack four years ago. It cleared up so much space! For about three months. Now there were eight more doors.
To convince Dave that we would use them far sooner than the last, I convinced Greg to help me kill two birds with one stone, aka Jack and Jill door.
To convince Dave that we would use them far sooner than the last, I convinced Greg to help me kill two birds with one stone, aka Jack and Jill door.
We primed and prepped the new door before propping it in place for a few days while checking with the powers that be to see if it was even conceivable.
Then the destruction/improvement began.
Then the destruction/improvement began.
Then, as projects typically do, it grew. What was initially a simple access point addition, became something more.
Of course, after having installed a beautiful new custom sliding door, the bare wood 3/4 inch paneling in the laundry room seemed...rough. So we decided to sheetrock the laundry room. However we didn't want it to appear too modern and not in theme with the rest of the house, so we placed white wanescotting beneath standard gypsum.
I had asked for a nice laundry folding table but with the size of the machines and the width of the door, it wasn't going to work. The table would be far too shallow.
So we decided to shrink the door. It had been an odd extra sized half-light door that may have been the original back door, but we had no love for it.
Of course, after having installed a beautiful new custom sliding door, the bare wood 3/4 inch paneling in the laundry room seemed...rough. So we decided to sheetrock the laundry room. However we didn't want it to appear too modern and not in theme with the rest of the house, so we placed white wanescotting beneath standard gypsum.
I had asked for a nice laundry folding table but with the size of the machines and the width of the door, it wasn't going to work. The table would be far too shallow.
So we decided to shrink the door. It had been an odd extra sized half-light door that may have been the original back door, but we had no love for it.
Once I saw the beautiful glulam slab in place, I knew I wanted a utility sink as well, but we were out of room.
Time to regroup.
The small space outside the door, featured above, had served as a mini-kitchen for the back bedroom for several years. It was too small to do any real cooking but provided privacy and convenience for guests. However, now that the bedroom had direct access to the bathroom, we decided it was time to upgrade the little kitchenette into something more functional.
This meant moving the large washer and dryer set to a new (and very welcome) laundry room upstairs in the main house, and buying a small but efficient washer/dryer combo piece to serve the lower bedroom, kitchen and bath.
This also meant removing the closet we had just installed in March of the previous year.
Time to regroup.
The small space outside the door, featured above, had served as a mini-kitchen for the back bedroom for several years. It was too small to do any real cooking but provided privacy and convenience for guests. However, now that the bedroom had direct access to the bathroom, we decided it was time to upgrade the little kitchenette into something more functional.
This meant moving the large washer and dryer set to a new (and very welcome) laundry room upstairs in the main house, and buying a small but efficient washer/dryer combo piece to serve the lower bedroom, kitchen and bath.
This also meant removing the closet we had just installed in March of the previous year.
The design was decided and approved, and we continued planning what would become a completely separate but attached living space.
My favorite and by far the most expensive item was the backsplash. It's called Harlow Pickett. I loved the diverse colors and textures, but also it reminded me of the hexagon shaped accent the previous homeowner had crafted as accents around the room.
Handy tip for anyone using these decorative tiles- use painters tape over the top of any porous surfaced tiles, including the stainless tiles. This will keep the grout from changing its luster or filling in the crevices.
We decided to do the bathroom floor somewhat last minute. When we pulled the laundry room floor we could see some water damage at the corner of the tub. So we delayed tiling the bathroom until we had time to get the floor up and see what was going on. Thankfully, the damage was minimal and we were able to patch the small area that had been affected. In pulling the tile, we discovered that there are hardwood floors, which we believe to be fir, under the floors of the older part of the house.
But that's a project for another day, and way WAY low on the list.
All in all we are very pleased with the way this project worked out. What would we have done different? We should have made certain that we had adequate laundry services for the time we were down. The size difference in washing machine capacity was impressive.
All in all we are very pleased with the way this project worked out. What would we have done different? We should have made certain that we had adequate laundry services for the time we were down. The size difference in washing machine capacity was impressive.
Outside the exterior entry door, leads to the small enclosed English garden Dave built in 2018. Its a nice private space.
This unit also has selective access into the garage and can feature garaged parking.
See below for more finished pictures!
This unit also has selective access into the garage and can feature garaged parking.
See below for more finished pictures!