For your first DIY, you want to tackle something manageable so you’ve opted to remodel your half bath! Congratulations!
What comes next is everything, after all, it’s on your first floor and everyone can see it!
You’ll want to make it an impressive half bath remodel DIY!
Today’s post is sponsored by Kohler. Affiliate links to Amazon within post.
Don’t worry, after you read about our half bath remodel DIY you’ll find out that it’s not that hard! Naturally, your DIY can be partially done by you and partially done by a pro contractor! There are a lot of forms of DIY! Choose what works for you!
Why We Did A Half Bath Remodel DIY
It seems like yesterday that we moved on into our home and honestly it’s not that long ago, but things need to change.
As you might know, a first floor, main living area, a half bathroom is a very popular spot with a family of five!
Overall this room has been the ‘ugly duckling of the house. The fact that it’s right off the kitchen and lacks anything special is the starting point. But that’s not why we took the plunge because after all, you can close the door.
Malfunctioning Fixtures & the Need for a Half Bath Remodel DIY.
The cheap contractor installed toilet clogs frequently, and we’ve replaced the flushing hinge enough to have already purchased a new toilet! Should we discuss the toilet seat that just won’t stay tightened?
But wait, there’s more…the hot water faucet handle leaks so it had to be turned off. No hot water? With all of these things going wrong, it was time to do a half bath remodel DIY.
Our Half Bath Remodel DIY Starting Point: Use of Space + Planning.
When you renovate an existing bathroom, it is about making it more functional and using the space better.
Our issues to change with the remodel: 7 Impactful Changes
- no storage (we’ll get some!)
- broken toilet (the new one flushes!)
- Broken toilet seat (this one won’t slide around nor slam)
- inadequate lighting (self-explanatory)
- Fresh Paint _ always finish a room project with some freshly painted walls
- Disliked the flooring (Digging out a toilet means a trashed floor! replace it)
- No notable fixtures (fixtures makes bold statements)
Half Bath Remodel DIY: The Old Bathroom Fixtures
I do not even need to go into this too much other than the toilet was less than appropriate for an adult backside, and there was NO storage in the bathroom.
A pedestal sink may look pretty but it does not function well for a family of five or guests when you need to store cleaning products and fresh hand towels.
It’s out with the old and in with the new.
The Toilet
There really is just no comparison. The structure and its sleek look to its ability to actually flush make it superior to our old contractor-grade toilet.
We installed a KOHLER Memoirs Toilet and it really defines the space with its rectangular tank top, and a lovely rectangular and line inset base.
Notice too, the OVAL space for sitting is generously appointed and please look at the trip LEVER which is oil-rubbed bronze and STURDY. The tank itself is the strength to the look as it uses its lines to define the space. The color is dune.
What Else I love about this toilet in our half bath remodel DIY?
The Memoir toilet is a one-piece toilet that has both the bowl and tank. Really, the solidness of the toilet is about the comfort of which you sit upon. Plus, our gallons per flush are 1.28.
Toilet seat is Glenbury Quiet-Close seat with Quick-Release. The deal here is simple, no more slamming toilet seats when the kids use the bathroom, it is not going straight down (LOVE This)!
As a matter of fact, that alone is a reason to do your own half bath remodel DIY!
An Effective Flush: Another reason for a half bath remodel DIY. Get that #S#$T out of Here!
Let’s talk flushing and because I am real with things.
However, this convo may be a tad graphic, but the power of a flush is a beautiful thing.
So, the single-flush gravity on this totally siphons during flushing so when you get one of those less than illustrious moments where you ‘gotta go’ and it’s not solid, you will totally appreciate the power of the single flush!
It’s all in the “AquaPiston canister allows water to flow into the bowl from all sides (360 degrees), increasing the power and effectiveness of the flush.”
Sink & Storage Amen!
The old and the new, is there really even a comparison? Meet the Tresham Vanity and what I tend to refer to as my all-in-one storage unit. I love the solid look of the vanity.
Our corner space posed a true challenge because I could not go as LARGE as I wanted to. Luckily we were able to this from corner to corner with no room to spare.
Faucet Fixtures allow for a POP of color to accentuate the boldness!
The Artifacts column lavatory spout and Artifacts swing handles are what finish the bold look, leaving it timeless and sleek. Part of the idea when renovating is to change things. Blah to Ah! Well for our half bath remodel DIY, I used the Artifacts collection to provide that accent!
The door is double-paneled and has plenty of storage for not only the plumbing which is housed in there (keep that in mind) but also towels, wipes, and extra toilet paper. This piece took the renovation from good to Great.
Lighting & Mirrors count in a half bath remodel DIY because…
It’s not just about the bathroom fixtures, but the bathroom accessories. In fact, a well-defined space defines its space.
As you can tell I went from oval and small, to bolder with sleek defining lines of rectangular descent. I did this to FILL the space and define it. The room is small, but it appears larger with the right color combination as well as fixtures.
A small oval sink replaced with a rectangular, deeper bowl and awesome handles that provide strength to the lines.
The lighting plays a key role in the appearance as does the mirror. Let the photo speak for itself, but let me provide you the names of the accessories so you can ‘get the look’
- Marabou Mirror
- Artifacts TP Carriage (yes we know we hung it differently),
- Devonshire double sconce
- Artifacts towel ring
PAINT & FLOOR
We also changed the floor to ceramic of a neutral tone, as well as the paint.
I darkened the paint to a more rich taupe in order to embellish the oil-rubbed bronze fixture pieces.
We purchased light plate switches to coordinate the look and you can see them in the mirror versus the old white ones. This brought the look together.