I am way behind in posting about the bathroom remodel, and so much has happened! It's really looking good and functioning well for us. So, I will try to roll out a few updates over the next week or two. First off, we have a new hall closet!

Here it is in process with drywall installed and the doorway cut out. This closet was previously a shower opening into the bathroom (obviously). As I have mentioned before, we decided it was silly to have a separate bath and shower in a very small house with minimal closet space. Plus, the shower stall had old tile and very poor ventilation, which meant that it was always disgusting and mildewy, no matter how hard I scrubbed it.

Dakota demolished the interior of the shower, disposed of all the gross tile and cleared out a space for the closet. Then, he very carefully cut a new doorway into the hall. This was all very dirty and sweaty work. I contributed by getting our son out of the house for several weekends. He is completely enthralled by Dakota using power tools, and it would have been impossible to do anything with him at home laughing, grabbing and getting covered in plaster dust.

Here is the shower door with one side covered in drywall. The other side was closed in shortly after, and we inset a little box-shelf for displaying artwork and knick-knacks. (I'll share an image of that soon.)

Dakota redid the plumbing in the bathtub, and installed a shower head so that we now have a nice bath/shower combo. This is much better for our needs, and the new white tile around the bathtub is much easier to keep clean.

We had some oak flooring left over from the kitchen remodel, so we were able to continue the wood floor into the closet.

As of today, the closet is still under construction. It has a door, but both the closet and door need paint and we're still deciding on the best shelving configuration. Still, I am already so delighted to have a place to store vacuum cleaners, strollers, extra paper towels and all the other bulky items one would like to have close at hand. Pretty soon, we'll even have a bar up so we can hang up our jackets instead of draping them across the nearest chair.

It's the little things...

Dakota has been working on the bathroom floor for the last several weeks, and it's almost done. Pouring a cement floor is not an easy process, and there were some ups and downs, but I think it's going to end up looking great.

Here's the radiant floor heating that was laid down on top of the subfloor and covered with the first layer of cement. It has a thermostat with a timer attached, so, once it's all hooked up, we'll be able to set the timer for just before bath time or when we wake up in the morning, and then walk into an already-toasty room. This will be a nice change from our old, drafty, freezing one.

Dakota made the first cement layer fairly thick and added some pea gravel to make each bag of cement go a little farther (cement is expensive). Because he was mixing using a drill and a special mixing attachment, it was a bit difficult to get the consistency just right.

For a moment there, he thought he'd added too much water and that the first layer would never dry--especially since it was also cold and rainy outside. If cement doesn't set properly, the only solution is to break it up and start again. This was a scary thought considering we had a fairly expensive heating element hiding underneath that cement. Happily, it eventually dried.

Notice the toilet in the bathtub in the photo above. That was a little tricky since we only have one bathroom. Happily, we have some friends who live close by and, well, I don't mind peeing in the bushes in a pinch.

Next came two more thin layers. For the last layer, Dakota rented a better, stronger drill to mix the cement. This helped the consistency immensely, and I know if he did it again he'd have gotten the right mixing tools from the start.

Here's the last layer going down.

Now, the floor is dry and cured, and Dakota will do a little patching and add a seal and then it's done. There are already a few cracks and water spots on the floor, but we like it that way. It adds a nice patina to the surface. Perfect is boring.

This weekend, Dakota will hang the rest of the drywall and then start work on the cabinets. The floor was the most difficult part of the remodel--well, besides tile, which we're hiring professionals to do--so hopefully the rest of the work will go fairly quickly. I can't wait for the cabinets. Right now, all our bath products and cleaners are in boxes in the bedroom. It's a bit cramped.

The bathroom remodel continues to progress, although I don't think it will be done by Christmas. I'm guessing the finish date will be sometime in late January. Still, much work has been done.

Dakota finished demolishing the floor and added several layers of subfloor, plus insulation. We have an open crawl space/basement below the bathroom, so quite a bit of cold air seeps in from below.

Then, he ripped down all the bathroom walls and added denim insulation in between the studs on the exterior wall. Unlike the last time we insulated the walls, I did not have to drive down to Los Alamitos to get a roll of eco-friendly UltraTouch denim insulation. These days, you can pick some up at your local Home Depot.

And, he removed the ugly metal window and installed the attractive wood one with a little transom at the top. Made by Dakota, of course.

As with everything, there are a lot of steps and small details that will make everything take more time than we'd like. Plus, all the work has to be done on weekends. But, overall, the remodel is progressing nicely. Next up, cement floor!

It's official. The bathroom remodel has begun!

For a little back story, let me just say that I really hate our current bathroom. It's a decent size, but there are many problems. My main issue is that it's got a separate shower and bathtub. Our house is very small (945 ft2), and we have barely any closet space, so to waste even a little space on a shower stall seems silly. Plus, the stall is badly vented so it gets mildewy and gross very easily. Then there's the cracked tile floor, shoddy cabinets and grubby, poorly caulked sink. Oh, and we haven't had knobs on the bathtub for about a year, which means we use vice grips instead. Classy! When you add it all up, it means that our bathroom never really looks clean, even after a good scrubbing.

We've been wanting to redo the whole thing for ages, and now that the deck is complete, Dakota is tackling the bathroom in earnest. Here's a "before"-ish picture. He's already removed the sink fixtures, drawers and cabinet doors, trim and part of the wall.


The wall has actually been out for months after Dakota pulled a chunk down to see what he was up against. Here's the accursed shower stall.

And the area around the toilet.

The plan is...

• New cabinets and cement counter top/sink
• Remove the shower and make it into a hall closet
• Tile around tub and make into shower/tub combo
• Add radiant floor heating
• Put in cement floors
• New light and quiet vent fan
• New window
• New dual-flush toilet

We're keeping the tub and using inexpensive white hexagonal tile from Home Depot, so it shouldn't be too expensive when all is said and done (I hope).

Dakota took out the cabinets and floor yesterday. I guess the masonry underneath the tile was pretty weak and crumbly, so he took it all the way down to the subfloor.



The hope is to have it all completed in a little over a month. Since we only have the one bathroom, we need to have access to at least the bathtub and toilet most of the time. Hopefully that remains possible. At least one of us is in diapers and can be bathed in the sink in a pinch.

I am really excited about the prospect of a clean, well-organized bathroom and a hall closet. If it's done by Christmas, I won't need to ask Santa for a single thing.