Are you tired of hearing about one of the smallest rooms in the Underdog yet? The kid/guest bathroom has been grabbing most of our attention lately. Mainly because we need at least one fully functioning bathroom when we move into the house this fall. Unlike a family room or bedroom, the bathroom’s fixtures {toilet, sink, tub/shower, exhaust fan, lighting, etc.} can’t be left unfinished because we’ll need to use them right away. In other rooms of the house we can get away with leaving some fixtures undone while we live there…lighting, ceiling fans, furniture, etc. So, yes, this bathroom is stealing the show right now.
We already found our clawfoot tub and had our first major renovation hiccup which, ironically, didn’t even involve the house.
Next up, was to hunt down fixtures for the tub. Since code regulations require us to have the tub’s faucet at least 2″ higher than the overflow drain and the vintage tub we bought didn’t meet that requirement {the original faucet is located just above the overflow…not even 1″ above}, we were looking high and low for a new faucet that would help our tub make it into this century legally.
We’d heard a lot of good things about Vintage Tub & Bath from magazines, TV shows and other sources, so when our plumber mentioned them as well we figured they were our best bet. {We did check out craigslist and Ebay too…to no avail…the selection/prices weren’t any better.}
Basically, we were looking for a gooseneck faucet that would rise up above the overflow drain and give us that 2″ clearance we needed. Something along the lines of this would have worked fine…{minus the sponged red wall and seashell soap}…
See how the faucet arches up over the overflow drain giving a good 6″ of clearance? Perfect. Just what we were looking for. Until we remembered that a faucet like that would only allow our kids the ability to bathe…not shower. While our two young boys still take baths as of right now, we know that won’t always be the case and we plan on living in this house for a long while so there’s a good chance they’ll graduate to showering while we still live in the house. Onto option #2…
I absolutely adored the look and function of this gooseneck faucet with attached telephone handshower. This way the kids could sit in the tub but still rinse themselves with the sprayer…sort of a shower in the bathtub position. But I quickly realized that two boys with a handheld sprayer would mean water all. over. the. bathroom. No big deal, I thought. I would just add a shower curtain around the tub to contain their spraying mayhem. That would require a clawfoot tub shower enclosure rod.
But with the cost of the telephone handshower faucet already over $450 {!!!} just adding this shower enclosure would cost us another $200. Also at this point, Handy Hubby had convinced me that we’d really benefit from having a true shower function in the bathroom for when the boys were older. Because, seriously, how many teenaged boys do you know of who sit in a bathtub {if they even fit} and spray themselves down with a handheld sprayer? Zilch. Good point, HH. That brought on option #3.
This gooseneck faucet/shower head/enclosure rod combo met all our requirements. It had the arched faucet we needed to gain inches above the overflow. It had the capacity to deliver a shower function should our boys ever learn to give themselves a shower in the next 10+ years. It included a shower enclosure from which a curtain could be hung to contain water play and stray sprays. At $415, it wasn’t cheap. But compared to the other setups we had looked at, it was priced well especially for all that it included. And we actually liked its aesthetic. The chrome faucet and showerhead were simple and classic…just what we were looking for. FYI – the fixture does NOT include the soap dish or bath tray shown above.
After some initial huffing and puffing and “are we really going to pay $400 for a faucet and showerhead?!” we realized that spending $615 {the cost of the craigslist tub + the fixtures} on a tub/shower combo with a ton of character that would suit our kids now and in the future was totally worth it. Yes, we still need to refinish the interior of the tub {which is actually in pretty good condition} and we haven’t decided whether that will be a DIY or professional undertaking…and that will add more $$ to the tub. Still, we feel it’s one of those splurges that will make the room and function well. Of course, we can’t afford to splurge on everything. We’ll pare some splurges throughout the house with more economical, thrifty, DIY pieces…which makes for an interesting space anyhow.
Now that I’ve shared a splurge, let’s talk budget-friendly in the bathroom.
I originally happened upon this sink and vanity combo during a browsing trip to Home Depot a few months ago. I snapped a picture of it and its shelf tag on my iPhone for future reference. Turns out it’s the perfect petite size for our kids’ small bathroom. I’ve been eyeing vanities with open frames and I really like the way they have a much lighter visual effect – especially in small spaces. So the fact that this $199 version was open below the sink sold me. I got a little nervous though when I finally got around to including it in this mood board last week. I had some trouble locating it online, so I was sure it was on its way to being discontinued.
Sure enough, when HH went to Home Depot this past weekend to purchase the vanity he couldn’t find it on display in-store. He asked customer service about it and they hunted down THE LAST ONE in the back. HH quickly bought it up and all is well in kiddie bathroom land. We’re very lucky we were able to purchase the last one in stock. I think it was meant to be. The vanity does not include a faucet, so we’ll be searching for one that complements the tub/shower fixtures to keep things cohesive.
Sorry, that’s a lot of words about a lot of money spent on a bathroom with not a lot of space. A modern tub/shower from a big box store probably would have saved us some headaches {and maybe some $$} but it just wouldn’t have given us the feel we’re going for. We’re trying to add character by using some vintage pieces in this house.
Have you brought a vintage splurge into your home that added a ton of character? Was it a deviation from the easy, expected modern solutions out there? Maybe you have an antique armoire to house electronics or a reupholstered mid-century modern sofa? Tell me what vintage piece you’ve given a second life in your home. I’ll bet, in return, it’s given your home a whole new personality that was lacking.
images: 1 &2) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking 3-7) Vintage Tub & Bath 8) Home Depot
budget decor, DIY, kid-friendly