Hello everyone! The One Room Challenge (also known as ORC) by Linda of Calling it Home is kicking off this week, and today I’m going to share with you the design and our basement half bathroom plans. I talked a bit more about this space last week when I cleaned it out, so make sure to check out that post if you want some true “before” pictures and details.
Check out all the linking participants from the One Room Challenge Week 1 here!
Now, I came up with (what I thought) was the most awesome half bathroom ever… but then the Husband chimed in and said he hated everything about the space I had envisioned. Ummm… not cool… so just know that I am sharing with you my original idea today, and you’ll just have to follow along each week to see how I have deviated from this original / awesome plan.
First up, the layout of the space. This is pretty much how it will be, because we are working with limited space, and a weird ceiling angle (we’re partially under the staircase).
In fact, I had designed this layout MONTHS/YEARS ago using Lowes 3D Virtual Room Designer; so other than changes to the design elements, this is and will be how our bathroom will look! Real simple, 24″ vanity on the left with a toilet on the right. I’ve since vetoed the medicine cabinet (we were going to re-use the one we took out from our main upstairs bathroom) because clearly the ceiling height doesn’t allow for it (where would the faucet go?).
Okay, just in case you were too lazy to read the post last week where I cleaned out the space, here is a picture of what we are starting with:
Photo Originally Appeared in: Cleaning the Basement and Prepping for ORC
We don’t have any rough-ins for plumbing, half of the electrical we need is there (although controlled by another switch) and we need to build out 3 walls to enclose the room from the unfinished laundry room. Because I had known that I was participating in the ORC since last fall, I knew there were a few things I would need to plan in advance before the challenge started (namely, finalizing the design and getting building permits!).
Ideal ORC Timeline:
Week 1: Sharing Design Plans (that’s today!)
Week 2: Doing all the plumbing, electrical + framing
Week 3: Installing drywall, patching, priming and painting
Week 4: Tiling (floors and walls)
Week 5: Grouting / installing trim + furniture (ie: vanity + toilet)
Week 6: Bringing in accessories for the final reveal!
Now, “behind the blog” I will be trying to accomplish these things a week early so that I have everything ready for pictures and posting purposes. (As of now we have started the plumbing and framing). But I should be completing this space in the allotted 6 weeks. (Note that when I say “I”, I really mean the Husband AND me, plus any random friends/family we can force convince to help haha!).
Bathroom Budget:
I kept all my Christmas money (and some of the Husbands, shhh don’t tell) and saved a total of 1500$ specifically for this bathroom. I then divided it up as follows:
- 500$ for construction materials + building permits
- 500$ for tiles, lighting + hardware
- 500$ for toilet, vanity and small accessories
Now, I’ve ordered/purchased maybe 90% of the things we should need and have everything waiting in a big heap in the basement living room.
Unfortunately… we are already over budget :(
I told the Husband how I was upset that I spent more than I had budgeted and this was the conversation that ensued:
Husband: Wait, we have a budget for our bathroom?
Me: Of course we have a budget, what do you think it is?
Husband: I don’t know… 4730$
Me: OH MY GOODNESS I should have went with your budget! What a random number you chose… we’re at like half of that amount!
Moral of the story, even though I am over what I had saved for the bathroom, I will be way under the amount the Husband thinks we are spending on this room :)
(Now, assuming we don’t get in over our heads and have to bring in a professional contractor… I imagine that will take a big chunk of our money!).
Bathroom Design Plans
Enough chit-chat and show me the bathroom plans you say! Okay, okay, here we are:
If you’re a regular reader here at Madness and Method, you may remember that I had hinted at using purple in our bathroom design way back in December. Don’t remember that? I still love you anyways :)
The colours for our bathroom will be black, white, purple and antique brass! I always liked a black/white and copper bathroom, but I decided to use antique brass because it’s the metal element in the French door that I painted/frosted (that we will be using for this bathroom).
Now, you might be accurately wondering: this is the most awesome bathroom design I’ve ever seen, what could the Husband possibly dislike from this?
Well, apparently penny tiles (the shape + size) shouldn’t exist and/or belong in our house AND white subway tiles are the ugliest/cheapest thing ever. Now, I had a box of leftover white subway tiles I was planning on using (and WILL be using) for our bathroom, but I’ve had to completely re-envision the flooring choices to something less “wild and crazy”.
For the next 6 weeks I will be sharing our bathroom renovation progress with you, along with the different design elements and accessories that I contemplated bringing into the room. I’d love for you to follow along with me (it’s easy to do by subscribing to RSS, liking on Facebook or following on Instagram)!
To all my blogging friends participating in the One Room Challenge, good luck :)
Oh, and I should mention that as of last Friday I am officially 30 weeks pregnant… so we really need to get this bathroom finished in 6 weeks so I can actually start organizing and prepping the nursery!
48 Comments
Louise aka Mommy
April 5, 2016 at 9:14 pmput the medicine chest over the toilet
P.S. I’m with Kenn on the penny tiles for the floor … can you say having to clean with a toothbrush?
Nicole
April 6, 2016 at 11:17 amWe’ll be putting a shelf above the toilet instead – it should look less cluttered that way! Also, I’m hoping our floors wouldn’t get that dirty… although I have cleaned floors with a toothbrush before, and that’s the sacrifice you make for style :p
Lindi
April 7, 2016 at 10:31 amWow! You are building an entire room – framing and all!! Glad you’re up for the challenge! Your plans look great. Love the purple tile floor! Can’t wait to follow along :)
Nicole
April 7, 2016 at 12:28 pmI love the purple tile floor too – but who knew it would be such a tough sell to the Husband :( Love to see how your space comes along too :)
Roxanne
April 7, 2016 at 5:38 pmWow, your plan is an ambitious one! Good luck with the husband, that will be the biggest challenge of all, lol! Luckily, my husband has the same design taste as I do. Now if I could only get him to love DIY as much as I do we’d be all set!
Nicole
April 8, 2016 at 9:29 amThe Husband loves the demolition part of DIY, so he’s up for anything that involves smashing things! I always thought we had the same style, but this is the first time he’s ever questioned something I’ve done. Good luck with your kitchen :)
Katy {ashadeofteal}
April 7, 2016 at 9:48 pmWow! You have a big todo list! I love your inspiration and can’t wait to see the final reveal.
Nicole
April 8, 2016 at 9:27 amYa, sometimes the big list scares me – I have it all broken down (in easy to follow steps) on a piece of paper, so hopefully getting the smaller tasks done will make it seem easier :) I’m hoping the final reveal turns out great too!
Kim
April 7, 2016 at 11:13 pmLOVE the purple tile! I’ve learned – and learned it again in the past few days – to just put the space together and not discuss it with the hubs. He always loves the outcome but for some reason has to balk at every decision I make along the way! So, finally, I’ve thrown my hands up and said – ” we will discuss this NO more until the six weeks is up.” Best of luck to you! Can’t wait to see how it all comes out!
Nicole
April 8, 2016 at 9:26 amI feel you – it seems like a lot of my decisions get questioned, and I know if there wasn’t this deadline it would turn into the forever-week challenge because we wouldn’t get anywhere haha!
Carrie at Kenarry: Ideas for the Home
April 7, 2016 at 11:13 pmNicole, you’re off to a great start. Love the purple and looking forward to seeing how your half bathroom shapes up in the next six week.
Nicole
April 8, 2016 at 9:23 amWell, even though I can’t use purple in the floors, I’ll be bringing some in for sure! Thanks for visiting :)
Sharon
April 7, 2016 at 11:55 pmI would’ve loved to see the purple tile. Are you sure he can’t be swayed? Now I’ll wait to see what your new choices are. Antique brass is my favorite finish and one that doesn’t get used in bathrooms very often, so I’m happy to see that.
Nicole
April 8, 2016 at 9:23 amIt would of course be easier if all antique brass finishes were the same – not only is it tricky to find, but each retailer has a bit of a different finish to their AB. Thanks for supporting the purple too :)
Sarah
April 8, 2016 at 3:03 pmIs this ever an ambitious plan! I really hope it turns out well – I think your inspiration is great!
Nicole
April 9, 2016 at 9:44 amThanks Sarah, I’m hoping everything comes together and looks as good in person as it does in my head haha :)
Heather | The Deans List
April 8, 2016 at 3:39 pmYour plans look so dreamy! This kind of bathroom is right up my alley. I’m not participating in the ORC this time around, but I’m looking forward to following your adventure! Cheers!
Nicole
April 9, 2016 at 9:45 amThe ORC is definitely a good kick in the butt to get a room done quickly, not sure if I’ll do it again – but I’ll see how this one goes first :)
jessica
April 9, 2016 at 12:12 amvery much ambitious. I love the purple floors, that is a BOLD move.
Nicole
April 9, 2016 at 9:47 amI wish I could have actually went with the purple floors – but since this isn’t our forever house, I guess I have to keep other people’s tastes in mind too…
maria
April 9, 2016 at 3:33 pmI love the mood boards, I think it makes a big difference when designing a room! I love all the colors you have chosen, purple is one of my favorite colors. I am doing my first one room challenge and it sure is very exciting.
Nicole
April 9, 2016 at 8:39 pmGood luck in the one room challenge as well! I think the purple should make a big impact :)
Amanda @ Old House to New Home
April 9, 2016 at 5:24 pmI love that you are adding purple!! it is my favorite color but am having a hard time working it into our decor without my husband noticing!
Nicole
April 9, 2016 at 8:40 pmHaha, well sometimes I feel like the Husband hardly notices some of the colours in this house until I point them out (he thought our bedroom was purple… it was gray and red!).
Sarah @ Little Red Brick House
April 9, 2016 at 11:10 pmWhat!? Who could hate penny tiles? Haha. I love your design board and am excited to see the progress you’re making each week.
Nicole
April 10, 2016 at 10:21 amI think penny tiles are so interesting too! Maybe one day I’ll be able to use them…
Iris Nacole
April 10, 2016 at 9:20 amLOL! I love the budget conversation between you and your husband! I wish mine were that easy to deal with! We are about to tackle our powder room soon, so I’m going to be watching you as inspiration. :)
Nicole
April 10, 2016 at 10:22 amHa thanks, I don’t know why he thought we would be spending that much… but at the same time we are over my original estimation, so maybe don’t follow that too closely :p
Kelly
April 10, 2016 at 2:05 pmLove the ambition (we’re taking on building a bathroom from scratch – I should take notes since you have such a well thought-out plan), and I think the penny tile is awesome! Best of luck, I look forward to following along!
Nicole
April 11, 2016 at 9:33 amWe always knew we would be putting in a bathroom, and I figured the One Room Challenge was a great opportunity to get it accomplished – thanks for visiting :)
April R - Uncookie Cutter
April 10, 2016 at 6:31 pmThis is too funny. My husband’s idea of decor is black leather couches, glass tables and doberman gold wall paper. Okay, maybe not the wallpaper but his style is reminiscent of an 80s bachelor pad for sure. Cant’ wait to see where you go with this, I’ll be following along!
Nicole
April 11, 2016 at 9:35 amI guess in bathroom design specifically, the Husband likes things more traditional (think cream coloured marble floors) and I am more modern. I don’t know what he thinks of black leather couches though – that’s too funny!
BonBon @ farmhouse 40
April 10, 2016 at 9:34 pmI love your idea for our bath….I will be looking forward to seeing how it comes along.
Nicole
April 11, 2016 at 9:35 amThanks, I’m hoping everything comes together – but at least I’ll like it because of all the work that’s going into it haha!
Emily
April 10, 2016 at 10:41 pmFirst off, I LOVE the purple floor tile, but my hubs would totally say the same thing… we have differing opinions on what is totally awesome when it comes to home decor ;) Good luck with your makeover – starting from the studs would totally intimidate me!
Nicole
April 11, 2016 at 9:36 amI’m not even sure if he didn’t like the purple as much as he didn’t like the shape + size of the penny tiles. There will be purple coming in the room for sure!
Merryjo Agnel
April 11, 2016 at 12:29 amYour plans look great! Love your inspiration and can’t wait to see the final reveal.
Nicole
April 11, 2016 at 9:37 amThanks for visiting – I know the reveal will be different than what I’ve shown here, but it should be pretty similar
Kathy
April 11, 2016 at 3:31 amI love the design boards. I think the penny tiles are awesome and would totally make the room!! Can’t wait to see how you progress each week, building a room from a scratch. Wow!
Nicole
April 11, 2016 at 9:38 amIt’s almost a bit easier to build the room from scratch since we can plan things how we want, if only the penny tiles made it in :(
Amy @ My Life From Home
April 11, 2016 at 9:21 amYou’re going to be busy! I love the plan. Can’t wait to see it all come together. :)
Nicole
April 12, 2016 at 11:02 amThanks, sometimes I think we’ve bitten off more than we can chew (with the deadline, not the work) but I figured it would actually get done this way haha :)
Samantha
April 11, 2016 at 10:09 amSo excited to follow along! I love that you are starting from scratch! You design board is awesome, love the tile!
Nicole
April 12, 2016 at 11:03 amThanks Samantha – building a room from scratch has a lot of advantages! Hopefully we can finish in time :)
Tara @ Lehman lane
April 11, 2016 at 11:48 amCan’t wait to follow along Nicole! You guys definitely have your work cut out for you but I am sure it will be amazing!!!
Nicole
April 12, 2016 at 11:04 amAs long as we stick to my very detailed schedule… it should be fine :) (Here’s hoping we can!)
Erin @ Lemons, Lavender, & Laundry
April 12, 2016 at 12:54 pmYour husband’s budget sounds awesome! It made me laugh. Looks like you have some wonderful ideas (even if it can’t be EVERYTHING you envisioned due to your husband’s input :) ) Good luck!!!
Nicole
April 13, 2016 at 9:22 amWell, I figured that if he has some input, he might like the bathroom better (at one point, he said he wanted no involvement at all). As long as everything comes together in the end, we should be good :)