Bathroom Remodel Before Our Nursery Makeover

We know many of you have been eagerly waiting for our nursery makeover to begin. It will happen—just not immediately. The reason is that the third bedroom, which is destined to become the nursery, has become ground zero for our last major pre-nursery project: a full bathroom remodel.

At the moment the room looks embarrassingly messy. We suspect many readers will find comfort in knowing that we, too, live in occasional chaos. But the clutter has a purpose: we’re in the middle of demoing the adjoining bathroom, a gut job down to the studs that even required renting a small jackhammer. It’s messy, noisy, and oddly satisfying.

From a distance the original black-and-white tile and classic basketweave floor look charming and very much in keeping with our 1950s ranch. But a closer inspection revealed problems we couldn’t ignore: cracked wall tiles, stained and uneven flooring, and a chipped sink. We tried to preserve and patch where we could—there was a major cleaning and recaulk effort a few years back that helped for a while—but the bathroom has served faithfully for more than fifty years and it’s time for a proper update.

Before we dive into the details, here’s our general plan: strip the room to the studs, replace or rebuild the walls, install a new tub/shower surround, put down new flooring, and construct a DIY vanity. We’ll build most of it ourselves, with some help from my dad. Sherry has an important commitment on the side, so his assistance will be invaluable.

We’re committed to retaining the home’s original character, so expect classic materials and a timeless palette rather than anything too modern or out of place for a mid-century ranch. We’ve already chosen many of the key materials—floor tile, wall tile and a chunky nightstand that we’ll retrofit into a sink-and-vanity piece. We’ve also acquired or borrowed the tools we’ll need, which helps explain the room’s current “construction zone” look.

In keeping with our values, we’ll donate usable old fixtures—like the vanity and faucet hardware—to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore so they can get a second life. The entire remodel is aimed to be practical, budget-conscious, and sympathetic to the home’s original style. If all goes to plan, we hope to have the project finished before Christmas.

Since this is our only full bathroom, we’ve already worked out how we’ll handle showers during construction: I’ll use the gym shower in the mornings before work, and Sherry will use my sister’s bathroom in the evenings since she lives very close. It’s not ideal, but it’s a temporary solution that keeps life running while we renovate.

We’ll be sharing design details soon. Sherry will post about materials, layout choices and a working mood board so you can see the look we intend to achieve. We know many readers appreciate the planning phase—deciding where to start, selecting tiles and fixtures, and seeing mood boards—so expect plenty of those pre-planning details to help inspire your own projects.

While we’re waiting to start the nursery, we wanted to ask: do you have a bathroom that’s “a Monet” too—pretty from afar but flawed up close? Are you planning a bathroom remodel, or have you recently completed one? Anyone else brave enough to gut their bathroom to the studs and hope to finish before the holidays? We’d love to hear about your projects, lessons learned, and the clever tricks you used while living without a full bathroom.

Stay tuned for progress updates, design posts, and photos as we move through demo, rebuild, and finishing touches. We’re excited to get this bathroom in shape so we can finally turn our full attention to the nursery.