Nikki and I have been working like mad trying to get the basement of our house finished. Recently we picked up new motivation; get it done before Rockford friends come out for the Virgin Fest rock concert.

For a while now we have been working on the basement to the exclusion of all other tasks, barring basic maintenance like mowing the yard. Well the upstairs bathroom finally got to Nikki. First let me start out with what was not so great about the bathroom:

1. Its small
2. Its laid out in a strange manner, that emphasises its smallness
3. Blue wallpaper (by itself not bad, but its not in our color palet)
4. Mildew, lots of it
5. Loose 70’s medicine cabinet
6. Gold sparkle sink, also very small
7. Crappy vanity
8. No airflow so mirors fog up like crazy and mildew runs rampent

When we first bought the house we had grand plans to completly reorganize the bathroom. The tub would be moved from all on wall as you walk in to the along the far wall under the window. Its dificult to describe without drawing a picture but I am sure if you look at a picture of our bathroom you will natrually arrive at the same layout we are describing.

Of course I am not up for that big of a probject right now, not while we still have a basement to finish and bathroom to do downstairs.

Nikki opted to do a quick update. In one weekend she tore down the wallpaper, scrubbed all the mildew away (not a small task), removed all items screwed into the wall, and patched all the plaster. That same weekend I took out the overhead light in the bathroom and replaced it with a light / vent combo. Luckily it was only about 130 degrees in the atic when I was installing the bathroom. I was literally swimming in my own sweat... but it was well worth it.

That next weekend Nikki painted the ceiling and walls with mildew resistent paint, painted the vanity, painted the medicine cabinet, installed new toilet paper hardware and misc hangers, and installed new matching shower curtain, rod, and rollers. The result is dramatic. The bathroom looks about 100 times better than before. The bathroom feels much larger and we no longer have any mildew issues. The miror stays fog free through a shower. The bathroom is not longer an embarasing part of our house.

Personally I think Nikki did a great job picking out colors. Sure someday we may still rearrange the bathroom. At a minimum we still need to refinish the woodwork, but until that year finally comes, this new and improved bathroom is a breath of fresh air.

Check out Nikki’s handy work and color choices. I will fight you if you think her colors are not the best ever:

Photos