Upstairs Bath: Proof That Miracles Happen

To be fair, I’m not sure that getting a project 90% of the way done in this house is a “miracle” by any stretch, but this bathroom in particular has been sucking the life out of me one rotten layer of subfloor at a time for the last three years.

So the fact that it looks like this?

Untitled

When it used to look like this…

DSC_1166
And this…

image

Yeah. Kind of feels like a miracle.

It’s been a little while since I last checked in on this because back when it was still snowing (that was literally just a month ago, because Michigan) I took a small (3 day) break from life to climb some very big hills, camp on a beach, and then I started a new job for the first time in a decade. So April was kind of a month for me.

Not a bad month, just intense.

Untitled

(You can’t tell, but there are 35MPH winds trying to take down my tent in this picture, which is pretty much a metaphor for my life over the last few months.)

And just as soon as I got back from the beach and got settled in to my new work routine, spring finally happened on the farm. Which means we went from snow to foot-high grass in about 3 weeks. Weeds. A garden that needed to be planted. All the fun stuff.

Which is why the bathroom made it to about 90% finished but, you know, still doesn’t have an actual door.

Here’s what it does have though.

1.) A new tile floor.

Untitled

2.) A working shower.

Untitled

(Shower curtain from Target. I have this thing where I mostly hate shower curtains, but I really like that one.)

3.) A working toilet, that is not leaking into the subfloor.

Untitled

4.) This amazing barnwood hutch (that I did not make, I got it on Etsy here) where there once was a closet.

Untitled

5.) A nice, smooth ceiling! (I realize this is not exciting to anyone who didn’t spend actual years of their life patching holes in this damn thing. But since I did, it’s damn well exciting to me.)

Untitled

There’s still a fair amount of “finishing touches” that need to happen though, including:

  • Figuring out why I’m not getting power to that fixture that’s currently hanging out of the ceiling and fixing it. Also putting in a new light.
  • Finishing baseboard and shoe molding.
  • Building barnwood floating shelves for behind the toilet
  • Getting mirrors (the ones I want are only available at Home Depot Canada… and not online. Luckily I don’t live too far from Canada, but I’m waiting for my Mom to get her passport renewed so we can make a road trip out of it.)
  • Oh, also, should probably put the door back on this room eventually

But even as-is my mom was right…

Untitled

Having a functioning bathroom upstairs really was a game-changer as far as quality-of-life goes around here!

13 Responses

  1. I’m so happy to see you’ve gotten *THIS* close to done. Both for your sake and mine. I’ve been waiting and waiting – and that doesn’t even count!

    Excellent vanity doors, the floor looks great and I can’t wait to see the floating shelves and mirrors. The Amish cabinet fits in there just perfectly. I hope having the end in sight keeps you rolling on down the hill.

    Good luck with the new job. Closer? Cheerio!

  2. Hey Kit,
    The bathroom looks great. Sleeping on the beach looks great too. Congrats on the new job.

    Glad to hear from you!
    Tracey

  3. Looking good!! Funny to hear about something that’s only available at Home Depot Canada. I am almost perpetually in a state of the reverse, where nothing I want is Home Depot Canada, but always in the American stores!! Like the tile I want for my laundry room *sigh*

    I know the excitement of a 90% finished bathroom though. Took me 2 1/2 years before I had a functioning toilet in mine, and when I finally did I took a video of it and popped a tiny bottle of champagne and definitely put it on Facebook…

  4. I really hope your new job is much much much closer to your home than your previous job! 🙂

    1. Oh, I wish! Same distance, different direction. Just can’t win with that commute!

  5. Oh, I am so happy to read this. Your bathroom is beautiful even its almost finished state. And I am so happy you are doing well. We know you always have a lot going on. Good luck on your new job. I hope it’s a great move for you.

  6. It is amazing how much you alone can do in your apartment. I have browsed through your previous entries and I am under an amazing impression. Just a handyman. The bathroom now looks very nice but the fact is, time finally to mount the door. Besides, everything looks very nice. The idea with the mirror is very original.

Comments are closed.

I'm not interested in a mediocre life. I'm here to kick ass or die.

(formerly DIYdiva.net)