Master Bath Remodel - Before and After Pics

Nearly a year and a half ago, my husband and I purchased a home just outside of Orlando.  We knew we wanted a lot of space, somewhere that we could stay for years and years.  Therefore, we sacrificed a lot of modern upgrades to gain more square footage.  We planned to remodel the home one room at a time, and it has been a long, slow process (that's certainly not over yet!), but the master bath is finally blog-ready!

Let's start with some before pics, okay?  You really have to know where this bathroom has come from in order to appreciate its current state!  

These photos were taken before we even moved into the house.  

Yellow toilet, yellow sink, yellow shower.  Carpet on the floor.  Wallpaper peeling off the walls.  A light fixture that worked only on one side.

Prior to move-in day, we had tile laid on the floor, and the toilet replaced.  That maxed out our budget for the bathroom at the time.

Then, we got ambitious one day and started peeling wall paper.  It got worse before it got better....  a lot worse.

As you can imagine, much time, sweat and money has gone into this tiny bathroom.  The wallpaper ripped off much of the sheet rock, and removing the ceramic fixtures ripped holes down to the studs.  But, we were determined to update this space.

Earlier this month, we had some family from a northern state (when you live in Florida, every state is northern!) who wishes to remain anonymous.  :)  They graciously spent many hours putting the final touches on this room.  Are you ready to see the finished product?

I still smile every time I walk in this room!  Many thanks to all who made this bathroom gorgeous!

Here's the details for those of you are interested:
Sink and Countertop:  Lowe's
Faucet:  Lowe's
Mirror:  Craigslist
Shower Curtain:  Kmart
Rug:  Ikea
Cabinet hardware:  Modular Kitchen Cabinets

And, some personal reflection of the lessons learned during this home renovation project:

1.  Change what you can, when you can.  Realize that it won't be perfect over night.  Just like we opted to do the tile and toilet prior to move in and hold off on the rest, take it one step at a time.  Especially in a very functional room such as a bathroom, don't rip it down to the studs when you are low on remodeling funds.

2.  Learn to live with some things.  Our shower is still yellow.  It will be yellow for years.  One day, we'll find the money to re-tile it all, but for now, the red curtain conceals it and I'm fine with that.

3.  Shop around.  Buy used when you can, and when you can't, know your options.  I found the mirror on Craigslist and although I didn't love the color, I knew I could spray paint it.  I also shopped around for the cabinet hardware, and found Modular Kitchen Cabinets to be the best quality, price and customer service.  The countertop was standard size, so we were able to buy an in-stock granite top at Lowe's, which is much cheaper than custom made.

How about one more before and after?

Before.....

And after!