Ready to tackle a full bathroom renovation? We did and this is our before and after!
This post is sponsored by KOHLER and RYOBI
Table of Contents
Why Did We Do A Full Bathroom Renovation For Our Kids Bathroom?
Being a parent means keeping up with the kids. As our children transition from U10 to teens, their needs in a bathroom have changed as well. The kid’s bathroom used to be functional with a few cabinets, for storage and towel racks. All of us in our neighborhood built at exactly the same time and most of us have kids of the same age. When you look curbside on trash day the common denominator from home to home are toilets, cabinetry, and sinks waiting for pickup!
Why? 10 years is about the lifespan of each and all were just basic builders grade. Rather than continue to replace parts, a complete renovation was in order. As they mature, their needs do too. This is our DIY Kids to Teens Full Bathroom renovation. To be fully transparent, this was not a small undertaking, but it’s all done you can hire someone to do this too!
DIY Full Bathroom Renovation from Kids To Teens
Once upon a time, my daughter just needed to store specially scented lotions and hair ties. Now, as she is older, her storage space needed to increase to keep up with her makeup, styling tools, facial cleaners, etc. As for the boys, their cabinetry had to change. My little friends used to store frogs and stones in their cabinets. Where did they get these? On a nature trail that winds around our home as we sit on property that is in the woods!
Our After The Full Bathroom Renovation So You Can Be Inspired
I’ve gone ahead and added in shopping links in case you LOVE any of this as we do. The entire bathroom needed to be updated, from wear and tear, and crappy fixtures and to keep things on trend!
Grab The Same Products For Your Bathroom HERE.
The shower space truly needed to be modified. It was just not working for the kids and the shower curtain was a licence to flood the floor.
Last, I’m not an advocate of shower curtains. It’s just not my thing. Changing the liner is a true pain. Shower liners mold and I don’t care if you spend a dollar or $20 they are all the same. Junk and I don’t like them.
The Floors Were Decrepid
First things first, the floor. I didn’t like the floor it was an impractical material for a bathroom with kids! So, we lifted the floor up, which was a great idea. We also replaced the baseboard as the old shower/tub was leaking causing mold issues in the bathroom.
Every step of the way we paid due diligence to all electrical and plumbing. Further, when it came time to deal with the electrical needs, we called in the Electrician. I’ll address this in just a bit.
Updated Bathroom Sinks
The more I cleaned the sinks and the sink hardware, the more it rotted. Mold, would not stop coming back. I used everything imaginable to kill the mold. Multiple attempts were made to repair the failing fixtures, and then, we just stopped. It was so time for new sinks and hardware.
No more debating if we should or should not. All those little in-between repairs were expensive too. Rather than band-aiding all the issues, we dug in deep!
A Full Bathroom Renovation With Elevated Hardware Fixtures
One of my favorite new pieces in the bathroom is the faucet.I love the necks and the sophisticated look of the Elliston lavatory faucets. Truly one of the best features of the room.
We worked this in gradual steps. Even though we have 3 other bathrooms, we still needed this one to be functional in some way. In fact, we left it as a working bathroom until we got to the sinks.
Starting with the vanity, we changed it from that brown to a KOHLER Poplin 60″ vanity with undermount sinks.I love undermount sinks for cleaning purposes. Then, I chose a Ceramic/Impressions top for 2 bowls. Last we added Poplin Handles as it gave the vanity more personality. Additionally, when I add in the towel rings and other accessories it contrasts in shape.
I do believe however, the drawers are the game-changers. Not only is there cabinet space but drawers, which we lacked before. Check this out!
Medicine Cabinets & What A Change: We Recycled Our Old Mirror
Before the renovation, we had a large mirror. It spanned 3/4 of the wall. Now, we did not toss it out. Rather, we recycled the mirror, added a frame and put it in our Living Room. Never toss items out that are in great shape and can be used again! For me, this might have been the most drastic move in the bathroom.
Going from a Full mirror to 2 Verdera cabinets with 24″ width cabinets, had I done the right thing? Oh yeah! The boys are total freaks about their AXE Products, and they now have storage. Our daughter uses the Verdera cabinet for storage of things like medicines, and facial cleansers, etc.
Additionally, there’s under-sink storage too. As a bonus, the Verdera Cabinet offers that lower tray which is perfect for their cups when brushing teeth. Last, did you see the sliding round mirror in the cabinet? Truly it is adjustable and magnifying and really great for contacts, and treating blemishes, or so I’ve been told!
Upgrading Lighting For a Dy Kids to Teens Bathroom Renovation
Choosing to light the bathroom a bit more was a big deal. We never have had enough light in there, yet how do you achieve this and not overdo it? The bathroom itself was disappointingly smaller than proposed when we built the house so I don’t want a fiasco on lighting.
Our choice is a Forte triple wall sconce set. One to illuminate over each Verdera Cabinet. It turned out perfect and I could not be happier with the lighting results. You can uplight or downlight. I opted for downlighting.
Le Toilet + The Full Bathroom Renovation
Through installing a San Souci touchless toilet, we no longer have to touch a level to FLUSH the toilet. Instead, we wave our hand over the tank sensor and it flushes. Perfect for those who don’t want to transfer germs from the wipe! Boo-Yah to a no-touch flushing experience because the San Souci Touchless Toilet delivers that!
The toilet is one piece, freestanding and offers an elongated bowl, which is perfect for Teens, who have grown beyond the typical toilet! Elongated offers nicer seating for the ‘go’. Honestly, it’s amusing and almost like a toy with the swipe effect!
One note: This toilet consumes mega batteries and should have a handle on it. It does get annoying when it runs out of batteries so frequently!
The Shower/Tub Combination On The Full Bathroom Renovation
To this day, I regret that this room did not become a shower only. I was coached by many, however, that it is a must for resell to include a bathtub. Why? Bathtubs are impractical to teens let me tell you. Teens shower and zip in and out of the house fast. There’s no time to bath and really, cleaning a tub is also not my favorite chore. I am tired of bathtubs in the house, finding them to be more of a hindrance. My want was to put a shower in, but that was met with resistance.
Instead of Shower Only, We Went ALL-In
Our choice of a tub was the Archer Whirlpool/bubble massage bathtub. This is a drop-in whirlpool tub. After struggling with this decision, we went with it! I figured, the boys in sports needed a soaking tub and my daughter likes to just enjoy spa time. Truly the tub delivers big! It’s not the tub I dislike, it’s the story of the installation that went bad! You can’t go wrong with this tub, just know you will upgrade your electric but for soaking, it is awesome.
Included in the tub, are controls and keypads. There are whirlpool jets and a built-in heater that allows water placed in the tub to maintain warmth. This means you don’t have to empty a hot water tank for one to take a bath! The teens love BubbleMassage. There are 120 air jets that literally push air through the water, it’s like a bubble bath without the bubble gel!
In The Shower Of The Full Bathroom Renovation, There Is Music
Just for kicks, the teens have a Bluetooth ready Moxie Speaker and Showerhead. Music please, that’s what they love!
To finish the look, we added a Revel Sliding Bath Door, Crystal Clear Glass with Anodized Brushed Nickel Frame. I love the clear, clean look and that there is no longer a shower curtain! Simply shower, and then wipe down the door! Fast. Easy. Beautiful.
Full Bathroom Renovation: The Tub and Shower Walls
Inside the shower, we have storage, yeah! Take a look at the Choreograph Barre of 40″ and the 2- 24″ shelves. Additionally, you can see there is a teakwood tray which is great for storing bars of soap on! I love that the shelves are sturdy and part of the wall. The storage looks organized and modern. The kids can see everything and there are even shaver parking spots on the shelves!
Overall The Full Bathroom Renovation Came Together
Our renovation took time since we both work and only have so many hours in a day. However, the results for us are outstanding. It’s like a wrecking ball came in and got turned bad into perfection. The unexpected did happen with the tub, we had to increase our electrical, so we called in the electrician.
Use our Amazon Shopping list to Shop The Look!
That is the only part we needed to have help with. Michael handled the rest from start to finish. What do you think of our Before and After? Tell me in Comments. ~Dana XO
Our personal thanks to KOHLER for providing all the products to get this project done. We love KOHLER Products as they withstand the test of time, and we have built 2 other bathrooms with KOHLER products. All images and choices were made by me.
