I guess this title is a little misleading as before I was married (a lifetime ago) I did lots of DIY projects that included tearing out carpet and refinishing floors, changing electrical fixtures, painting, and a few other minor things that I could handle without using a saw. However once I got married my hubby was so handy that my part in things has been pretty much watching, holding, help carrying, and being the inspiration behind the design. We have been renovating and redoing homes for the last 19 years and I don’t think that there is anything that he can’t do.

So as some of you know we relocated to Florida slowly over the last 2 years. As of right now this is a temporary move for our jobs but after a year of paying rent we found a great deal on a house and felt that it made more sense to buy especially since it would double as a headquarters for our business. We had initially put an offer on a different house but when it fell through and I was in Ohio the hubs had to find something himself as we were running out of time on our rental. I found the house on Zillow and he went and looked at it. He wasn’t sure if I would like it but I had seen the photos and the price was right so I told him to go for it. Not to mention this was the first house we looked at in Florida that he mentioned being ok with some renovations so that sweetened the deal.

Fortunately we were able to come to an agreement and by the time I was ready to make the move (I had to stay in Ohio to plan and execute the daughter’s grad party) our daughter was so nervous when she picked me up from the airport, she thought for sure I would hate the house. Well to everyone’s surprise I loved it and I mean LOVED it! The layout is perfect, other than I would like a bigger master closet. Plus it was so reasonably priced and is on the water!!

Over the last year we have painted and changed out light fixtures and just brought the house into this century and the results are night and day! We just purchased all new windows and doors but thanks to Covid delays they won’t be installed until January. However there are so many “little” projects I want to do but the hubs is working so much that he is just exhausted when he gets home and has not been feeling it.  So there are a few things I REALLY want to do that he has just not been feeling so I decided while he is in New Orleans for work I would try to accomplish a few of them.

The first is this half bath. Below is the picture from the listing. Nothing terrible just boring to look at.

I had big plans for this and initially bought a new faucet, light fixture, mirror, and towel holder right after we bought the house. I wanted a swanky, coastal feel with gold fixtures (I am dying to try gold somewhere). But we still have not got around to it and everything is still in boxes in the garage. Below is where we are at now….I hung a picture, put a small cabinet (plastic) in the corner and a rug. I pretty much dislike all of it. I dislike the pedestal sink, the drawers on the mirror are useless, the light is not my style and the faucet leaks, continuously! Not to mention the floors in this house are AWFUL!

So here comes my ideas…..

I would have loved to do a wallpaper accent wall but there is too much moisture in Florida and that turned out bad for us on another project, I thought about shiplap but that would be a HUGE project to do by myself, so I decided to paint an accent wall. The pedestal sink HAS to go along with everything around it and if I can figure out how to execute it then I’m planning on doing something with the floor. So this post will be written day by day so that I can share this experience as accurate as possible.

Day 1

So I started actually over the weekend and found some things I like and picked a paint color…here is the inspiration board.

Today after work I went to Lowe’s and picked up a paint sample (this is the perfect amount of paint if you are doing a smallish accent wall). Once I got home I painted a small area to make sure I liked it and I loved it. So now to figure out how to get the sink out…. A quick internet search and I found a YouTube video and it was surprisingly easy, with the help of my oldest daughter that is. And other than tripping over a case of water in the garage we looked like pros! Don’t worry I have been stripping all the beds to do laundry so I had a nice soft landing. Then I removed the light and started painting. I love it so much I wanted to go back to Lowe’s to get the vanity and a box of flooring but that would be dumb because I still have to get rid of the ugly peach color in the rest of the room. I am not going to lie I am so excited that I made it this far and am dying to send a picture to the hubs but it will be way more fun to see how long it takes him to notice and to see his face in person. He is a pretty observant, like in I got extensions once and he asked me within a few minutes if I got a haircut, so he will definitely notice pretty quickly. And I am praying his response is positive.

Day 2

So my first break of the day (I work from home) I ran back to Lowe’s for some supplies…

• A roller (to paint the 3 remaining walls)
• Joint compound (to repair the holes in the wall from the old toilet paper holder)
• 2 boxes of flooring
• A jigsaw (to cut flooring)…I barely used this.
• A contour gauge
• Caulk

The trip took a little longer than expected so when I got home I had to work for a few hours before I could go back to my project but I did pull the joint compound out and repair the holes real quick. The cool thing about living in Florida is all the walls are textured so repairs are super easy!

 

During my second break of the day I put a coat of white paint on the other three walls and touched up the blue wall where needed and then back to work.

When I was finished working for the day the logical thing would have been to put a second coat of white paint on the walls but I was so excited to get the floor going that I started that. I watched a YouTube video on how to install the specific brand and between that and all the times I watched my husband I was surprised how easy it was. I did mess up my first cut around the toilet but it was such a small cut I decided to redo it and save the mistake piece for somewhere else. I got about halfway through and realized I really needed a rubber mallet so I took a break and ran back to the store. I also found that it was way easier to score the floor cuts with a razor knife and then use pliers to break the unneeded parts off and the contour gauge is literally the greatest thing ever invented! I also opted not to remove the trim. Our trim is caulked very well and I am pretty sure if removed it would make a HUGE mess so I got the floor as close as I could and then will most likely run a bead of caulk around the edge or wait for the hubby to add corner round.

Upon returning from the store I took the door off and finished most of the floor…here is what it looks like right now! And I do have to say I did pretty good around the toilet! If the hubby decides to pull the toilet then it will just be 3 pieces that need replaced but I do not really see a need to do that.

So now I am going to do my billing and then if I am not exhausted put a the last coat on the walls and maybe put in the last three pieces of flooring. If not I will do those in the morning prior to going to get the new vanity!

Day 3

Well last night I did end up putting a second coat of paint on the walls so today should have been a pretty easy day. I took the door and propped it on some stools and gave it a couple coats of fresh paint. Fridays are usually a day I only answer calls for work and try to clean and get everything done so that the weekend can be free HOWEVER today my phone did not stop ringing! I worked all morning and only accomplished painting the door.

I took my “lunch break” around 1 and planned to head back to Lowe’s. When I was pulling down my street I decided to take a quick detour to go to Homegoods to grab hopefully a cabinet or shelf for the corner and some accent decor pieces. Well I succeeded with all plus found new end tables for the living room so by the time I made it to Lowe’s I was pretty full and actually had to take all my purchases out of the car to get the vanity in and then rearrange everything…I wish I could say that this did not happen all the time when I am shopping!

When I got home I decided to get this done so I got the vanity out of the box (this was actually the hardest part of this entire project) and went to work. Within an hour I had the vanity installed with the faucet. I watched a YouTube video on how to hook up the faucet, which I did, but in the end decided not to turn the water back on and wait for the hubby (plumber by trade the first 15 years of our marriage) to double check everything. Unfortunately the mirror for the vanity came broken but I just opted to put it on Marketplace because I really did not like it anyway. So I decided to go shopping!

Well I decided to work a few more hours and then this evening I went shopping AGAIN! I started at Hobby Lobby where I got a mirror and a canvas to hang over the toilet, then went to Lowe’s and grabbed a light because at this point I could not wait for the one I ordered to be delivered on Sunday, made a quick stop at Target, grabbed a bite to eat to take home, and then headed home. Hanging everything and installing the light took no time at all but I did not like the shades I bought so a quick trip back to Lowe’s and I swapped them out. Finally I hung the door and installed a new handle! AND we are done!!!

The Finished Project!

The Reveal

Well we (my daughter and I) were so excited that we could not wait to show the hubby so we Facetimed him and to my surprise he liked it!! In my head I was so worried he would be mad but I think he was very relieved that it was one project he did not have to do! It has been a week and everything is still holding up (slight fear I had) and the hubby had made it home and even liked it in person!

I hope what you take away from this is that you can do anything you want! I did have lots of experience watching the hubby over the years but the YouTube videos explained everything so well I truly think that anyone can do it!

The Tools

So I am not an every day DIYer however I like when I need a tool I have it (specifically a battery powered screw driver) so a few months ago when I was hanging some pictures I took a trip to Lowe’s because some how all the house tools ended up in the hubby’s work truck and stocked myself up pretty good. I decided to by a jigsaw for this project however I barely used it but I am in love with it so it was a win. Here is what I used…

• Cordless Screwdriver
• Putty Knife
• Rubber Mallet
• Hammer
• Razor Knife
• Pliers
• Channel Locks
• Pencil
• Level
• Stud Funder
• Contour Gauge
• Joint Compound
• Mini Prybar

The Cost!

I swear this has to be a record for a bathroom renovation!

• Flooring (Lowe’s) $39.02
• Paint (Lowe’s) $3.58
• Paint Supplies (Lowe’s) $7.18
• Vanity (Lowe’s) $269.10
• Vanity Light (Lowe’s) $35.95
• Vanity Globes (Lowe’s) $40.20
• Mirror (Hobby Lobby) $29.99
• Under the Pier Canvas (Hobby  Lobby) $16.49
• Seashell Hook (Hobby Lobby)
• Faucet (Amazon) $48.99
• Toilet Paper Holder (Amazon) $11.20
• Door Knob (Amazon) $15.64
• Corner Cabinet (Homegoods) $89.99
• Misc Decor (Homegoods) $20.97

Grand Total = $631.29