It’s time to share the final photos of our Ashburn “Emergency” Bathroom Remodel on a Budget. We weren’t prepared for this remodel, hence the emergency part and we had to tap into our savings in order to do it. If you read my post about Mold and Mushrooms then you have the background.  Basically, six months into our new home our hall bath revealed a silent problem.  (If you haven’t read the entire post you can access it here:).

Now for the logistics; we were blessed to have enough savings but this was going to be a very tight budget for a full gut remodel. many new homeowners go into the first year cash poor and this project is a great example of a very tight budget for a full gut remodel. My decision to gut the bathroom was made easier as I know from my training that the only real fix is to have waterproofing installed.  Plus, I’m a health and wellness specialist and getting it done, the right way, once was important to us.

First step; top of the line Schluter Systems Kerdi waterproofing. This is something we do for all of our bathrooms at Murphy’s Design. The mold problem was caused from the builder not water proofing, then previous owners not maintaining the grout and caulk.  After experiencing the mushroom sprout it was even more obvious the importance of taking this step.  Proper waterproofing adds to the cost of materials and to the labor but it protects your investment forever.  Tip: Dont forego the Waterproofing….ever.

Because of the added expense in fixing the mold and doing the waterproofing we needed selections that were affordable, very affordable.  We purchased all of tile off the shelf from our local Floor & Decor and our vanity came off the shelf from Ikea. Our Tub, toilet, and other plumbing fixtures came from build.com. For the paint in this bathroom it’s Benjamin Moore’s AURA Bath and Spa Primer and Paint.  This is a special formula specifically developed to handle moisture.  We probably could have gotten away with using regular primer and the Aura paint but we wanted to be extra cautious. 

Something I Love,

One thing I love about this finished space is the shower tile. I am obsessed with organic nature of it and at the same time the modern geometric straight stack pattern we had it laid in. The naturaI imperfect edges mixed with the high gloss white and straight stack just gives it a nice transitional feel, blending both my natural organic preference and my partners clean modern aesthetic perfectly.  

Really, photos just don’t do this space justice, the vertical straight stack pattern that this tile is laid in makes the room feel so tall and bright!  When you’re in the shower it has an open and airy feel to it that I’m just so happy with. 

Something else I’m really happy with is the use of a marble threshold as the base of the niche. When we use these marble pieces it makes for a nice clean surface without any grout lines when your product drips. And let’s not overlook the bronze Schluter edging.  I love how it frames the niche and matches the fixtures. This is a fun way to incorporate some classy marble and a natural material while also creating a surface that is much easier to keep clean. I love how this niche takes an otherwise simple white shower and gives it a little art. 

Something I’d Change,

I have to be honest and say that because we had such a tight budget for this space I didn’t do as much research on the actual bathtub as I should have. If I could go back and select a soaker tub, I would. Even though it would’ve tapped into our savings a little more, in the end, it would have been worth it. This tub will work great for small children, and it also works great as a tub for adults who don’t take  a bath and primarily will use the shower. It’s easy to step over and it’s easy to bend over. What it’s not is a tub for adults to soak in.  It will work fine for us and it won’t affect resale value but if I could go back I probably would’ve spent more money and gotten the bigger tub. on the positive side, by not getting the bigger tub however we saved money because we didn’t have to move the plumbing fixtures up and the less fancy tub obviously costs less. It’s definitely something I’ll think harder about from now on though. 

Something That Surprised Me, 

I can confidently say that I would buy another Ikea Hemnes Vanity. If you have the patience to wait for the vanity because of COVID it’s a great update.  I replaced the hardware for some more high end pulls instead of their knobs and it really pulled everything together. The vanity is solid, it comes with the top, nice size drawers and has tons of storage. I may even put the white version of this same vanity in our master bathroom just for consistency.   

We are thrilled with how this bathroom turned out, I learned a lot working for myself on making sure the pieces we choose works for the long haul. Hopefully, for our next space, we’ll have just a little more time to plan.