A Master Bath Redo -- Giving a Glam Look to a Generic Space

Have you ever walked into a space and wanted to tear it all out and start over? Assuming you've been in those shoes, you know that frustrating and even daunting feeling (especially when you begin to ring up, mentally speaking, the costs involved). Well, I know one couple who felt the urge to gut their master bath; however, they took a step back and considered what they did like about the space. In the end -- by keeping the space intact and focusing on resurfacing the countertops, bath surround and implementing a few other ideas -- they say their decisions saved them some big bucks. They do share some tips, if you're interested and can relate to their project.


First, here's a the look they wanted and got:

I don't have a photo of this . . . but in the mirror's reflection, you can perhaps tell there's a sitting area or shelf under the window. They replaced the wood surface there with stone.  

I hope I didn't enlarge this AFTER photo too much so that it looses detail.  You'll notice there are "two baths" in this one space. Each person can claim one or the other side; something they liked. And the shower offers two entries -- one from each person's side. Nice, huh? It's a rather interesting and useful configuration, don't you think? (You feel like you have your own space but yet you're sharing the basics.)

Imagine this space above as being all white and rather "lifeless," to use a word offered by the owners. It was all tile. "No personality," they said. Its shiny aluminum gold framed shower, the gold fixtures and small wall mirrors above the vanity certainly did nothing to elevate the look for them either. They wanted a warmer and more sophisticated feel.

They did like the bathroom's layout, the two entries into the shower, the hexagonal coffered ceiling. They also decided to keep the sinks, the Jacuzzi tub and cabinets. They did decide to do the following:

1. Replaced the sink fixtures. 

2. Swapped out cabinet pulls and lights for newer, updated selections.

3. Enlarged the frameless wall mirrors to cover most of the vanity walls.

4. Raised the shower glass -- as well as the shower head -- to higher elevations, which also helped, visually, to add height to the room.

5. Replaced shower lights with halogen pin lights to help illuminate the new onyx mosaic tiles (since the owners viewed the tiles as the focal point of the bath).

6. Installed recessed lighting and dimmers.

7. Sandblasted the newly added Cream of Marfil around the shower to convey a more "antique effect."

8. Painted the ceiling a shade lighter than the walls to help convey added height.

9. Removed the tile and placed Golden Beach granite on the countertops.

10. Added both the granite and tile to the tub to create to unify and upgrade the look.

A closer look at one of the two vanities. The owners elected to keep the original sinks and cabinets to save some money. The other vanity is on the other side of the room, separated by the bath and shower.

This couple spent $13,000 on this remodel, and they did employ a contractor who shared more cost saving tips for those who want to spend even less:

1. Rather than buy a large slab of granite, buy tiles. You still can get the marble or granite look -- in tiles -- and save money doing so.

2. To get a high-end look, buy three-piece hardware rather than the compact one-piece faucet/handle units.

3. Simply paint your cabinets and add molding for a more custom look.

4. Replace hardware and lights.

5. Use ceramic tiles on the floor instead of stone.

6. Rather than install seamless glass in your shower, look for ones with minimal metal.