BedStuy Reno
« People Get Ready: Painting Party Top Floor Bath - Shower Body Edition »
February 11, 2008
Top Floor Bath - New Beginning
With the parlor floor bathroom hooked up we were able to finally get at the top floor bathroom. We needed to basically re-rough in everything - the impetus for the work was a crack in the lead bend from the toilet. Our plumber who had done the earlier rough-in work for the rest of the house had wrapped the cracked bend in fiberglass as a stopgap measure, but we wanted to replace the bend, and while we were at it, clean up the supply piping coming into the bathroom. Since the sink drained also to the bend that meant it would also need a new rough in. Voila, practically new plumbing for the whole room. And since we would have to remove the fixtures to do the plumbing work, we would be crazy not to take that opportunity to replace them . . . and while the floor was totally bare of said fixtures, wouldn't it be a good idea to re-tile the floor?
G totally resisted the idea of the new tile work for about 5 minutes - this will be the rental floor after all, why all the time and effort? Let's just crank it out! But after some persistence, a transformed bathroom will be more attractive, if we ever get to the stage where we're looking for renters, they will appreciate the difference. So, good. She said, ok, well, if we're going to re-tile the floor, I have to do the pattern.
My thoughts exactly!
Here you can see the abdication of our old fixtures, some opening of the walls for stack-work, and G's prepping of the tile pattern for the floor.
Comments
Its a slippery slope to do minor renovations. But you're so right to update this bath while your doing the plumbing repairs.
Can't wait to see how this one turns out.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 11, 2008 9:43 AM
Thanks Mrs. Limestone. This one will be the little baby sibling to the parlor floor bathroom. We still had a ton of white hex tiles left over, and some black hex tiles, so G made it happen with what was left. The dotted-line border was a function of the limited number of black hex tiles we had to work with, and I think it's awesome.
- Peter
Posted by: guest at February 11, 2008 10:32 AM
Are you doing all this tile work yourself or did you hire a contractor? I seem to recall earlier posts from your downstairs bathroom which was really impressive. I'm curious how you went about selecting these interesting tile patterns.
Posted by: guest at February 11, 2008 11:21 AM
we make them! or, more specifically, G makes them. She keeps all these patterns in her head. She takes a sheet of white hext tiles, a sheet of black hex tiles, cuts out some white, puts in some black according to what's in her head and soon we have it.
What you see in the image is our mock-up. She takes the dimensions of the room and lays out the tile on the floor next to the room. When we're ready to set the tile, we transfer it patch by patch to the bathroom floor.
Posted by: guest at February 11, 2008 11:35 AM
The hard work will pay off and you will have something you can be proud of. Keep on keeping on and before you know it you will have accomplished so much. I really admire your grit and expertise!
Posted by: guest at February 11, 2008 8:20 PM
Wow! You're doing it again! You really are a master at this. I think that's great. Imagine the thrill for your renter! Anyway, I've worked with lots of hex floor tile for clients and find it hard to get perfect. You make it look so easy!
Posted by: Rick at February 12, 2008 6:49 AM
I'm sure there are naysayers out there who say "why go to so much trouble for a rental?" Your extra level of detail will likely attract really nice tenants. It looks great!
Posted by: tinarina at February 12, 2008 10:37 AM
This is a great move for the rental apartment--its the dazzle that will get you the top of the market rents. People will always pay more for something truly special.
Posted by: HomeSweetstuy at February 12, 2008 6:19 PM
I hope your planning on changing the wall tiles and bathtub, or at least rent to color blind tenants only. looks like a fun project
Posted by: MrHancock at February 13, 2008 6:39 PM
As a landlord, I think making things "pretty" for the tenants is silly and really, a waste of time and effort. What do tenants want? A dishwasher in the kitchen, a washer/dryer in the apt, lots of closet space. Not intricate tiling in the bathroom. You certainly won't get "nicer" tenants for your efforts. That's just naive.
Posted by: guest at February 13, 2008 9:31 PM
As a landlord, I think an attempt to make things "pretty" for tenants is silly, and your efforts are just a waste of time and effort. What tenants want: a dishwasher in the kitchen, a washer/dryer in the apartment or building, lots of closet space. Pretty tiling is nowhere near the top of the list. And it certainly won't get you "nicer" tenants, whatever that means.
Posted by: guest at February 13, 2008 9:44 PM
i am so impressed with your tiling skills!
we are in the process of remodeling our powder room in an old house built in 1894. we'll end up using a tile guy i'm sure. would you mind sharing the source for your tiles?
Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 2:15 PM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.