Sunday, January 31, 2010

My Green Bathroom

If I am going to keep the green fixtures, I need to find a new tank cover for the toilet and a green (or black) toilet seat that matches the color of the toilet. The tank cover is cracked, and I don't like the way the current white toilet seat looks. (I wouldn't keep the old seat, but it allows me to see what a white seat looks like against the green.) On a related note, I think I've said/written the word "toilet" more in the past several days than I have in my life. Toilet. It's a funny word.

Last night I found a great site - retro renovation -
that is dedicated to providing information about how to renovate your home while staying true to its retro origin. The site is full of great tips and resources and is truly inspiring. After spending some time clicking around on the site, I didn't feel so crazy for liking my green bathroom. (By the way, did I tell you that when the plumber came to give me a quote on installing a shower he said "You're gutting this, right?", as if it was a foregone conclusion?)

The best part is that through retro renovation, I found two other sites - one which sells toilet seats in every color of the rainbow, and one that specializes in vintage toilet parts. The downside is that, depending on the exact shade of green of my fixtures (Mint? Ming?) the cover I need can cost between $300 and $900. I can buy a brand new toilet for that!

I'll leave you with another look at my toilet:


You can see the white toilet seat in this shot. It's also interesting to note the color of the bowl. The previous owners claimed to have the place cleaned on a regular basis. I think they need to ask for their money back from the maid service.


Saturday, January 30, 2010

Our Minty (Not So) Fresh 1940's Green Bathroom

There are two full baths on the second floor of our house. You will have to trust me when I tell you that the one I am about to show you is the lesser of two evils.

Here is our green bathroom in all it's glory:


The crumbs behind the toilet are from me trying to sneak a peek at the floor beneath the linoleum tile.

The light above the mirror is actually hardwired into the medicine cabinet electricity. Big no-no, apparently.

The lovely green wallpaper covers the ceiling, too, as you can tell by looking at the corner above the bathtub.

Now, I don't know which is more sad, the state of this bathroom, or the fact that I actually wanted to salvage it. Honestly, I did. For several weeks after we bought the house, my plan was to keep the green fixtures and work around them. I found the green charming, and I like to preserve vintage details when possible. This house was built right after WWII, and I thought of the woman who chose these, so excited to have these fresh, fun, fixtures after years of worry about the war. Sappy, I know.

Anyway - back to reality. You may have already noticed, but this bathroom is missing a shower. No big deal, I thought. We'll "just" put a shower in. (You will find that I like the phrases we'll "just" do something, and "how much could it cost?" - phrases that generally get me into trouble.) Of course, I did no research on what needed to be done to put in a shower until after we had already bought the house. I figured it would cost about $1,000 and take a day of work.

Enter the plumber. Sure, he could put a shower in, but he would also need to tile the surrounding walls. (Mental head slap). And, oh, by the way, the surrounding walls are old plaster and can't hold the weight of all that tile. We would need to take all the walls and rebuild them with cement board. And, on further inspection, there are no risers behind the tub, so we need to install risers, too.

In my head, I hear the ringing of a cash register. But I am also thinking about that green tub. Because by now I have noticed that the green fixtures are not all the same shade of green. The tub is darker than the toilet and sink. I have decided I should replace the sink and toilet and refinish the tub. But with all the walls around the tub needing to come down, this would be the time to replace the tub if I ever plan to do so. But I have not budgeted for a total bathroom remodel, and there are oh so many more things that need to be done in this house.

I need to sleep on it...


Welcome

Hi!

Welcome to my blog. I am a mother of three, wife, and one-time attorney. My family and I recently moved to a new house that needs A LOT of tender loving care. I have started this blog as a way for us to keep track of the progress we have made toward making this rundown house our home. Don't be surprised if you find recipes, book recommendations, and ramblings about my life as a stay-at-home mother mixed in with my renovation tales.

Susan