Or what to do with the bathroom? This is the imminent problem. I’ve been researching 1920s bathrooms and from what I can see, our house is fairly “unique”. Most 1920s home designs place the bathroom in the center of the home. Ours is at the end of the hallway and backs up to the kitchen. I know the rationale: save money on plumbing.
It also slightly narrower than average coming in at 5’4″ wide. This is making finding a vintage bathtub slightly difficult. I had a lead on a cast iron clawfoot tub for under $250 and it was 3″ too long. Back to the drawing board, I guess.
From my research, I know that colored bathrooms were also a thing in the 1920s, so I’m confident my color scheme of turquoise, white, and gold will be appropriate in the space. Adding elements of grey and bamboo for a more modern feel will keep it from feeling dated.
As you can see mint green tile was installed sometime after the house was built. The only way I know this is by looking at where the wood framing in the shower enclosure meets the tile. It is definitely not original to the house. We painted roughly 20 years ago and it did not hold up well. This is easily the worst room in the house due to moisture build-up and lack of an exhaust fan. This will be rectified when we redo the bathroom as we’re seeing evidence of mold in the bathroom cupboard.
Some time in the late 1950s/early 1960s, the previous owners’ children had flooded the bathroom necessitating the floor being rebuilt. As the story goes, they repeatedly overflowed the bathtub and eventually the floor rotted away. The repair that was done included a steel beam being installed under the house (that must have been a BAD flood) and new flooring being laid. Right now, the linoleum flooring is starting to lift around the edges due to the whatever-it-is underneath starting to swell. It looks like some kind of fiberboard that was laid down and then sheet lino put on top. As you can guess, the bathroom reno just rocketed to the top of our list of priorities.
We are budgeting about $10,000 for this renovation and I think that’s a conservative estimate. We have the following items that need attention:
Rip out the entire bathroom to the studs on the shower wall and replace the lathe/plaster with waterproof hardiboard.
And much like giving a mouse a cookie that means that next would be replacing ALL the tile in the bathroom.
When that tile comes down off the back wall of the shower enclosure, I KNOW that there will be damage inside the walls there, too. Yay for more hardiboard. And the window glass needs replacing due to damage from hard water.
Beyond that, the tub has to be replaced. It’s been reglazed once and that didn’t last more than 5 or so years before chipping off again. That also means new fixtures to replace the broken ones from the mid-century.
And then a new sink because the pedestal we have, while serviceable, half covers the lone air vent. If I have to replace the sink I want a vintage style sink with chrome legs to support it because small bathroom can’t have a cabinet style and it can’t just hang off the wall. I know THAT is going to cost me, too.
Since we’re ripping things out, why not replace the toilet with a Toto washlet? We’re basically starting over, so we might as well.
Washlets need power, and the sole outlet in the bathroom is at floor level. In the bathroom. Where water gets splashed around. So THAT means new electric. And since I already know what’s inside the walls, I know that is going to cost me, too. So electric will need to be brought up to code.
While we’re doing electrics, might as well add a light with exhaust fan so we don’t continue to have a mold/mildew problem.
Speaking of mold/mildew, the “linen cupboard” will have to be ripped out as well because it’s pretty useless and has a mildew issue on the bottom. You see what I mean about giving a mouse a cookie? It never ends.
Essentially the entire bathroom needs to be rebuilt. And while I love a good bargain, there are two things I don’t DIY: plumbing and electrical. And since this is our only bathroom, I can’t afford for it to be down for multiple days or weeks while being renovated. Allons-y!