On the their way home from my grandpa’s 81st birthday party, my parents and sister were able to stop by for a few hours and help with the bathroom situation. As I have said, we have been very humbled by the recent realization that the bathroom we are adding to the farmhouse is something we can’t handle on our own. My family has been so wonderful in helping us every chance they can to try to get the bathroom done before winter comes.
Installing the beadboard ceiling was both an aesthetic choice and a practical one. This beautiful farmhouse detail will serve as a moisture barrier against the steam from hot showers on the original plaster ceiling. However, when Michael tried to install it alone with a hammer and nails gravity fought back. It wasn’t until my Dad brought his nail gun and his extra pair of hands that we really started to see some progress. Even then they were only able to get halfway done before it was time for my family to leave.
If you have been following our blog you know that when we purchased this 1893 farmhouse it only had one bathroom off the kitchen. When we began gutting that kitchen we blocked the bathroom and kitchen off from the rest of the house. This kept all the dust and insulation from flowing into the rest of the house, but it also forced us to go out the front door and around to the kitchen door anytime we had to use the restroom. At night and especially when it rained this made using the bathroom quite an adventure. Since the reality that we probably are not going to have the new upstairs bathroom done before winter has set in, the girls decided to go to Plan B.
While the men were working on the upstairs bathroom my mom, my sister Charissa, and I set into motion a way to buy the men some time. My mom had brought several plastic painter’s tarps which we stapled over the bare walls and ceiling. Then we took down the plywood and plastic that had separated the dining room from the kitchen. Now I can walk into the bathroom without leaving the house. We are back in the 21st century! After we made a clean access to the bathroom we realized that if we were going to have to continue using the gross original downstairs bathroom for a while longer we might as well fix it up a bit.
Before
After
This bathroom sprucing cost $0 because we simply used left over paint from the laundry room and lots of bleach. What a difference! We are still planning on gutting this bathroom and remodeling it to reflect our Vintage Farmhouse Style, but in the meantime a fresh coat of paint has given this space quite a transformation.
Cami Grace still takes her baths in a bucket, since all the bleach in the world could not make the old tub turn white or look sanitary enough for her mommy. But I finally feel like I can see that the upstairs bathroom is coming along and that she will be able to take her bubble baths in “princess style” soon.
