GO AHEAD, TAP THAT CLASS
GO AHEAD, TAP THAT CLASS
In 2020, the Friday before the world shut down due to a Pandemic, I closed on purchasing a simple 2,600 sq ft townhome in a private gated community in Colorado Springs. The home isn’t BOUJEE, but its community is very BOUJEE, with two private golf courses, pools, restaurants, tennis courts, a spa, etc.
I know a townhome isn’t much to many, but when you are restarting your life after a 15-year marriage, you have to start somewhere, and this little townhome was my new start. While the home’s bones were fine, there was a desperate need for the bathrooms and basement wet bar to be remodeled, walls to be painted, light fixtures to be replaced, and other small details.
Before closing on the home, I worked with a contractor to discuss remodeling the hallway guest bathroom, the primary bathroom, and the basement wet bar. We discussed the project (which included removing everything and getting the spaces back to their stud walls), an estimate of costs, a timeline, etc.
At the time of our planning, I thought I would be working in the office at my place of employment and avoiding much of the remodeling headache that often comes with big projects; however, boy, was I wrong! The pandemic shifted most office-based employees to working remotely, and home offices were set up in different places in the home. That meant I would be living and breathing (literally) the daily happenings of a home remodeling project from any quiet space I could find on that specific day. Ugh.
I knew the first time I toured the home the primary bathroom needed a complete overhaul, as it reminded me of a dingy motel setup. The two sinks were located in the bedroom area, while the toilet and bathtub were in a small space right off the sink area. And while the toilet was separate from the bathtub, they were located so close to each other that it felt like you were sitting on the toilet in the bathtub. Yuck!
The contractor and I worked with a local architect to determine a new layout for the bathroom that incorporated a change to the overall floor plan of the main level of the home, impacting the entrance to the primary bedroom and elimination a hallway whose space would now be incorporated into the primary bathroom.
The hallway bathroom, which housed a stackable washer and dryer (It is a thing in older homes in Colorado for the washer and dryer to be in a hallway bathroom. Weird, I know), also needed a gut, which allowed the opportunity for the washer and dryer to be moved to the primary bathroom and the space that was being occupied by the washer and dryer to be transformed into an entryway closet, which the home was missing.
While working with an architect is excellent, you still need to be flexible throughout the construction process, as things can still change. For example, once the spaces were framed, the toilet area felt bigger. Therefore, we switched the shower and toilet room spaces from the original plans (and I am so glad we did!)
The primary bathroom, as mentioned previously, was a complete gut job, and the space was entirely redesigned. A door to the sink area was added, which made the sinks part of the bathroom and not the bedroom (duh). The old Oak double vanity was replaced with a beautiful semi-custom double vanity, which was ordered from the Home Decorators Collection on Home Depot online. Specifically, the cabinets are called the Tremont, and the color is Pearl Gray. I love these cabinets, and the fact that soft close doors and soft close extra deep dovetail drawers are included as free custom features is a bonus!
Tip: When you order cabinets, please pay attention to the depth of the cabinets. I made the mistake and ordered one cabinet deeper than the others, so I had to wait weeks for the project to be completed because we were waiting for the new cabinet to arrive.
After selecting the cabinets, I had to start thinking about cabinet hardware and good gravy that can be expensive! I know this townhome isn’t my forever home, so I didn’t want to spend much money on hardware, but I knew the look I wanted. I happened to stumble upon a set of 10 drawer pulls 4″ from Home Depot that aligned with my vision and was in my budget! Yahoo! The drawer pulls come in both satin brass and satin nickel but the satin brass was precisely what I was searching for this time.
Next up was picking out the faucets. I was still stuck on loving the black, gold, and gray design look and wanted to splurge a little on the faucets for the primary bathroom. I landed on Pfister faucets with two handles, known as a widespread faucet, which is another decision you have to make before ordering countertops.
What type of faucet are you planning to purchase and how many holes in the basin are needed? Single hole faucets are installed into a single hole and most often have a single handle, lever, or knob to control water flow and temperature. The benefit of a single-hole faucet is that it provide more precise volume and temperature control. They are also easier to install. Centerset faucets and widespread faucets require a 3-hole basin. With center-set faucets, the spout and handles are mounted together to create a single unit. Widespread faucets have individually installed handles not attached to the spout-mounting base. They consist of three separate pieces installed in a 3-hole basin. While I love the widespread faucets, I find cleaning between the pieces more challenging.
While I love the countertop, I can’t say much about it as it is a remnant from a stone company my contractor had a relationship with previously. If you have a small space to fill, I would recommend you consider a remnant as they are often less expensive, but be aware you are often more limited in your choices as they are remnants.
The floor tile was pretty easy for me to pick as I knew I wanted something darker as I have dark hair and hate seeing it on the floor and a simple look to it. I landed on a 12-in x 24-in glazed porcelain granite stone look tile and I love it. It is easy to clean and hides all the dirt when needed.
The tile for the walk-in shower was also pretty easy to pick out. Being the BOUJEE lover that I am, I love a relaxing spa feeling to a bathroom and the shower is where I could really showcase that feeling. I had never used natural pebble on a floor before and read mixed reviews about it. Some stated it was more challenging to maintain; others said they didn’t like the feel of it on their feet.
I decided to give it a try. I selected a black river rock for the shower floor that I still love today! It is a smooth rock, so I don’t find it uncomfortable on the bottom of my feet. It isn’t slippery, and it has held up excellent over time. One thing I learned the hard way is that the placement of the river rock between the pieces of tile is really important so it doesn’t look like a 12-in x 12-in piece of tile. The tile layer needs to break off pieces of rock from the 12-in x 12-in tile to mix and fill in the spaces between the tiles. My tile team did a decent job with it, but there are a few places where I can see the look of a 12-in x 12-in tile, which drives me crazy.
I knew I wanted white porcelain tile for the shower walls, but I took a risk by doing longer pieces of tile. Instead of having them installed in a traditional horizontal subway tile design, I had them installed vertically. Why? There’s no reason except that I sometimes hate being too formal. It has been a few years since it was established, and while I don’t hate it, I don’t think I would do it vertically again.
Storage space in the shower is critical as I love different-smelling soaps. Therefore, I added two built-in recessed shelves to the shower. In keeping with the black and white look for the shower, I selected white glossy penny tile with black grout. It is a simple look, but I love it. Over five years ago, I built a custom home in Minnesota and had penny tile for the shower floor and built-ins, and I loved the look then as well. It is a simple design that will be timeless in style.
The shower door is my favorite feature of the primary bathroom. I love the look of the black grid glass shower door, but they can be costly! I am BOUJEE at times, but I want to spend my money on fun stuff . . . not on adulting, which is how I feel about a bathroom remodeling project. Anyway, I was lucky to find the style of the door I was looking for on Wayfair.com. Unfortunately, the exact door no longer looks available; however, they have many other shower door options.
Other than the bidet in the toilet room of the primary bathroom, the last components of the primary bathroom are the stacked washer and dryer and vanity mirrors. The mirrors aren’t spectacular and were purely selected for their specific size. I wanted to fill the entire space above the vanity with one big mirror. However, my contractor talked me out of it as he said it was an outdated style. I don’t know if I agree with him, but I am happy with the mirrors I selected.
The other mirror I added was a hardwired make-up mirror made by SimpleHuman. I love it and can’t imagine having a bathroom without a hardwired mirror again. This make-up mirror comes in brass, brushed stainless steel, dark bronze, polished, and rose gold. I selected the brass to match the drawer handles and vanity mirrors. The great thing about the hardwired mirror is that it doesn’t need recharging, and there is an automatic sensor that lights up your face as you approach the mirror and turns off as you walk away. If hardwired isn’t an option for you, they do sell a rechargeable mirror, which is another excellent option. If a wall-mounted mirror isn’t an option for you, SimpleHuman has a tabletop mount mirror that I happen to have in the basement bathroom for guests to use, and I love it as well.
Now, on to the 1/2 bathroom remodel. The aesthetics of this home gave off a mid-century modern vibe, which I love. The half bathroom in the hallway would transition from an outdated oak vanity to a modern, slim pedestal sink. When adding a pedestal sink, it is important to consider storage (or lack thereof) in the space. I knew this space was only going to be used for guests visiting the home, not spending the night, so I knew I would need very little storage space. Please give me space to store some toilet paper; we will be ready!
While designing the floor plan, it is essential to consider where necessary items such as outlets, towel bars, lighting, and mirrors will be placed. As I stated previously, the bathrooms were being remodeled during the early start of the pandemic when toilet paper was scarce, so I immediately decided to add a bidet toilet seat to each bathroom. Adding a bidet requires an electrical outlet right next to the toilet, so it is essential to decide a bidet vs. no bidet early on in the planning stage.
When it came to selecting the materials, such as the pedestal sink, toilet, floor tile, and towel bars, there were not a lot of places open to place special orders. Therefore, I was forced to make a lot of selections that were sight unseen and order online or select from a big box retailer.
The toilet was probably the easiest to pick out as I am not picky about it. However, I wanted to ensure it was a comfortable height toilet. What is the difference between a comfortable height toilet and a standard toilet? A comfortable height toilet is 17 to 19 inches from the floor to the top of the seat, while standard toilets are less than 17 inches high. I suggest a comfort height toilet for anyone taller, older in age, or someone who experiences knee or back pain.
The bidet toilet seat, again, was easy to pick out as I read many reviews online. I knew I wanted the bidet in the guest bath to be a little simpler and the bidet in the primary bathroom to have more bells and whistles on it (but not literally). The bidet selected for the guest bathroom is in the Luxury class for the company bioBidet and it is the A7 Elongated Bidet in white with adjustable heated toilet seat.
Bidets come with various feature options; some you will use daily and others you may never use. The features of this specific bidet include a heated seat, warm air dryer, stainless steel nozzle, adjustable water pressure, adjustable nozzle position, night light, soft closing seat and lid, seat sensor, and a two-year warranty. I want to let you know that this model includes both front (feminine wash) and back (posterior) washing. This is a feature you want to consider when purchasing a bidet. The controls for this model are attached to the seat and located to the right. All of my guests have loved having a bidet (once they figure out how to use it), and between you and I, they often spend a little longer in the bathroom.
Since we are on bidets, let’s discuss the one I purchased for the primary bathroom. Again, this one, I wanted to have more bells and whistles, so I went one level up to the bioBidet A8.
What features are on the A8 that are not on the A7? The A8 has a wireless remote and water heating technology, so warm water is cleaning you (trust me, this is very important), a warm air dryer, a deodorizer, and a three-year warranty. The warm water and drying is a feature I couldn’t live without now and highly suggest.
The last few items I picked for the half bath were the pedestal sink, floor tile, towel bars, toilet paper holder, and a mirror. From the design lens, I wanted something modern and currently in style, so I selected a black towel bar toilet paper holder and a gold mirror. I love the look of black and gold together.
I selected the towel bar and toilet paper holder due to their simple, modern design. The toilet paper holder also has a shelf directly above the toilet paper holder, which is great for your cell phone, wet wipes, facial tissues, air freshener, little books, or whatever else you could imagine. As for myself, my cell phone is always sitting there when I use the bathroom because my cell phone rarely leaves my side. It’s perfect, and I didn’t even know it was a thing until I started looking for a toilet paper holder. Genius! BOUJEE! It is easy to install!
The pedestal sink and mirror are nothing special. I selected the Kohler Elliston pedestal sink because I liked its wide sides. One of my biggest pet peeves about a pedestal sink is that there is no space to set anything down. This sink addresses that issue. When purchasing a pedestal sink, did you happen to know that the sink part and the pedestal part are sold separately? I was today years old when I found out. So, here is the pedestal that matches the sink.
The sink has three holes for a faucet, which is good to know, as I purchased the wrong faucet the first time. The faucet was a situation that I literally had to buy what was in stock at the big box store as the plumbers were at the house installing everything. The gold mirror was selected because of its cost-effective price, simplicity, and slim profile, and wouldn’t stick out too far from the wall.
Now, on to floor tile. The half bathroom is a tiny space, and at the time, I was inspired by a black and white pattern floor tile. What was I thinking?!? I say at the time because if I were to redo the bathroom today, I definitely wouldn’t select a busy pattern. I would choose a tile that is one color or has variations of one color. Why? I am a person who grows tired of a pattern quickly (or so I have learned), but now I am stuck with it until I redo the bathroom again. Also, trends change, so floor tile could quickly date your home. Side note: I do like the black grout, though! It has held up great and doesn’t show dirt. Win! Win!
Are you considering a bathroom remodeling project? This may be your first time taking on a home renovation challenge. If so, you are in the right place for our BOUJEE remodeling tips and advice! We have gathered our favorite tips and advice to help you balance BOUJEE and functional design ideas perfectly. Let’s get started!
1. PLAN YOUR BATHROOM
Could you talk to everyone who will be using the space? Okay, you don’t need to interview all your friends who will be using your powder bathroom, but you get the idea. What are the areas that are most important to those using the bathroom?
Here are some questions to consider:
♥ How important are two sinks?
♥ If there are two sinks, are they in one vanity or two separate vanities?
♥ How much storage is needed for each of you if sharing the space with someone? Toy storage?
♥ Do you want the toilet in a private space with a door, or does it not matter?
♥ Tub? Shower only? Is the tub/shower combo or separate? If you shower, do you need a seat in it? Built-in shower niches?
♥ How long are you planning to live in the home? If your answer is until you die, you may want to consider accessibility accommodations to the bathroom. For example, space should be large enough for a wheelchair to make a turn, a door wide enough to enter, etc.
♥ BOUJEE considerations: Heated floors? Bidet? Separate make-up vanity area? Special lighting? Built-in speakers? We are building a new home soon and are considering his and her toilet rooms, meaning we each have our toilet!
2. BUDGET
One of the most important considerations is the dreaded B word….. BUDGET! Gosh, I HATE that word, but when remodeling or building something new construction, it is critical to have the budget conversation (if needed) and decision. Traditionally, the recommendation is to add 20% to your budget estimate to be prepared for all the unexpected things that come up during a project like this. However, since we are BOUJEE, we suggest adding 25%-30% to your budget to accommodate our luxury preferences.
Projects like this often require compromise if they involve more than one person. With that in mind, we suggest you identify each person’s non-negotiables for the project. For example, a bidet might be essential and slightly expensive, which means something else in the project may have to be given up to accommodate the bidet’s price tag. One way to identify priorities is to rank the aspects of the project in order of importance. If you are planning the bathroom with someone else, you might have to do some negotiating. Good luck!
3. WORTH THE INVESTMENT?
Before committing to the project, contacting a real estate agent may be best to see whether the investment is worth it. Or you can do some research and look at comps in your neighborhood. What are things selling for currently? What is the average price per square foot in your neighborhood? Could you do the math yourself and determine the financial commitment you have already put into your house? How much more money does it make sense to put into the house? Does it make sense to gut the entire bathroom, or do you save some money by keeping the cabinets and doing more cosmetic changes? Ultimately, the final question is: Will you get your money back by investing in remodeling the bathroom?
4. MATERIALS
I have designed bathrooms independently and with designers before, and I suggest whichever option you feel most comfortable with. Sometimes, the hourly fee of a designer is worth it if you are indecisive and need help with creating your vision. If a designer isn’t an option or you feel it is unnecessary, start saving pictures or pins of bathrooms you love and then identify what you love about the picture. It could be the tile floor or the countertop. Is it the brass fixtures? Take the aspects of each photo you love and start recreating it for your bathroom. Utilizing it doesn’t necessarily mean copying it 100%. For example, you may love the pattern of the floor tile in a photo, recreate the pattern within a small portion of the floor, or place the pattern on a shower wall instead of the floor. Take the time to figure out precisely what you like in the photo, if/how it could work some way in your bathroom, and then back to the B-word… is it within your budget?
5. PLAN. PLAN. PLAN.
Planning was our first suggestion, and it is so important that we want to mention it again.
Before and during the remodel, please always consider how the space will be utilized. In a bathroom, one of the critical areas that must be considered early and often are electrical outlets, as they are challenging to add once the project is complete. Where will outlets need to be placed? Here are some of our suggestions for outlet placement:
♥ An outlet in the back of a bathroom drawer conveniently hides the power needed for a hair dryer.
♥ Outlets don’t have to be on a wall – consider tucking outlets under the counter for easy access.
♥ Consider USB outlets if you want to charge your phone while in the bathroom without taking up an outlet.
♥ Medicine cabinet or appliance storage area is an excellent place for an outlet to recharge your toothbrush, shaver, or Waterpik out of sight.
♥ Place outlets inside any cabinet to keep your walls free of disruption and your space looking tidy.
♥ Night light covers are a great way to add more light to a bathroom when needed in the middle of the night, without additional wiring or switches.
♥ A recessed floor outlet is a great way to accommodate a stand-alone towel warmer.
♥ Planning to have a bidet? You will need an outlet next to the toilet for it.
♥ If built-in speakers aren’t an option, but you still want music in your space, consider adding an outlet on the wall closer to the ceiling and a built-in cubby to place a speaker.
What did you learn during a bathroom remodel project that you wished you would have known in advance? Help your fellow BOUJEE friends by sharing your learning in the comments below.
We look forward to hearing from you and learning from you!
LeAnn is a mentor and the ultimate BOUJEE glamour gal. When she left daily drudgery behind in favor of following her own personal path to joy, she made a promise to herself that she would help others do the same. All she’s ever wanted is to do is stay healthy, live her best life and give back to others by introducing them to their inner BOUJEE.
