Sometimes, I talk about shop and machine updates, and sometimes, I cover the renovation of the hoarder house portion of the desert homestead.
This one is all about one tiny toilet-only room in the house.
It’s a little weird–it’s a tiny room nested within the laundry room that has nothing but a toilet in it. There’s a utility sink in the laundry room, so I guess that’s how the hand-washing piece is supposed to go down.
I didn’t get any super good “before” pix of what it looked like before the deep clean, but I did find this one that the house inspector provided pre-closing.
According to Jim (previous owner, aged 87), this was his favorite room in the house.
I took a few shots after the room was painted and deep cleaned, but hadn’t really planned on it being a ‘Before and After’ worthy story at the time.
Then, once you start pulling things out and putting ‘em back together again, you realize how easy it is to forget all the steps you take in the journey toward making a home a place of your own. Even in the little spaces that don’t seem all that notable.
Important Update:
The floors inside the house are finally done! Shoutout to Flat Rock Flooring, who KILLED IT and whom I cannot recommend enough. Future posts will include more photos of the rest of the house and their awesome work.
The floors are a huge milestone.
For the first time in almost a year since we closed on the place (Aug 08, 2023), the house is officially move-in ready.
A couple of background notes:
The previous owners leased back for 60 days after closing, so we didn’t really get to start on anything until mid/late October.
We get one day (two if we’re extra lucky) per week to work out here. It’s about a 1.25 hr drive from our current home, Ken and I both have other gigs, and this place needs LOTS of work. Many of our one-day visits have been focused on clearing/sorting “stuff” from the house/garage/screened-in porch/yard/shop/etc.
We’ll still be slow-rolling it for a while longer, but no complaints at all. Needing to go slowly is a really good challenge to have!
So then, the tiny restroom.
I’ve got some progression shots below.
Top left: With the original beige tile after two deep cleans, a fresh coat of white paint, and a custom shelf built by neighbor Fred. (I had a vision in my mind of displaying some of the glassware that was left behind to add a little color. Fred built a shelf to accommodate this vision.)
Top center: “Grind and Seal” in progress.
Ken and I pulled up all of the carpeting in the house, and the floor guys pulled out the tile and did a terrific job of grinding and sealing the concrete foundation.
Top right: I bought this wallpaper almost two years ago with another project in mind but never had the chance to use it as I’d planned. We saw a video on TikTok where someone used wallpaper on the floor and then put a clear epoxy resin over the top. A perfect idea for a space like this!
The rest of the pics show various stages as I worked on adding the striped wallpaper to the ceiling and the wall above the door (which you can’t see here but get a great view from the toilet seat) and adding a selection of glassware that had been left behind by the previous owners.
I might play with it a little further, but for now, I’m super happy with how it turned out.
Here’s a little video to give you another look inside (I think Ernie approves):
I’m working on mindfully capturing better before and after shots (I’m new at this kind of thing, but having a blast!) and will have a few photos to share of other parts of the house in upcoming posts.
Do you have a favorite renovation project to share? Tell me about it!
🎨☕️ Jaimee
…
Co-founder, Picture This Clothing
Helper, Sam Barsky’s T-shirt Store
Partner to Ken Finney in business and in life
Mom to two amazing daughters and a smattering of rescue pets
Maker of doodles over dried coffee spills on TikTok & Instagram
This renovation looks wonderful. I love the ceiling to floor colors and those shelves add the perfect touch! You all did a great remodel on that tiny space! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
omg i love it!!!