Huybers Retirement Adventure: Bathroom Reno

We love the house we bought in PEI, but like any home you buy, you always like to put your own stamp on it to really make it your own.

When we moved into the house, we really didn’t have to do anything to it. Usually when you move into a house there is usually some painting to be done or some repairs, but not here. Every room in this house was nicely painted and didn’t require any painting … unless you didn’t like the color. But even the colors, although a little bolder than what we are used to, were really nice.

After living in the house for about 4 months we decided that we needed to make a change in the bathroom. This was going to be our first “project”! The one thing we felt we could improve upon was the amount of counter space beside the sink … we had NONE! The vanity we had in the bathroom was very small and only contained a sink on top of the vanity base. There were no counters attached at all. I found it difficult to balance my hair dryer and brushes on the sink without them falling into it. Also I didn’t feel that it was a very safe place for the hair dryer … but there was no place else to put it.

So we decided to go out and buy a vanity that would also give us some counter space. Of course buying a larger vanity meant that we had to change the location of it to a different wall, which means the plumbing all has to be moved as well. Ron is toying with the idea of doing it himself, but I would like to get a couple of quotes from plumbers as to how much it would cost them to do it. We will see how that turns out.

Now that the vanity is going against a different wall, it means that the overhead lights needed to be changed to the other wall as well. Good thing Ron has got some experience in this, from when we renovated our kitchen in the last house. He carefully cut out a hole on one wall and then another on the other wall. Then he drilled through a couple of 2x4’s on each side, then fished the wire through and connected it to the new location. Then he put back the cut out pieces of gyp rock and we plastered it back in place. It turned out better than if we had hired an electrician!

After we plastered, then sanded, then plastered some more, then sanded again, it came time for the fun stuff. The paint! We decided to tone down the colors in the bathroom a bit. The original colors were orange ceiling, mustard colored walls, and black trim and baseboards. It was not what we were used to but in a strange way it worked and we didn’t mind it.

We managed to get the ceiling painted with two coats today. It’s a light shade of beige to help brighten up the bathroom. The walls will be done tomorrow and it will be colored … wait a minute … you will just have to stay tuned it to see what color it will be! J