Home Maid Simple

Tag: remodeling

  • Master Bathroom Reveal

    Master Bathroom Reveal

    I am finally ready to reveal our bathroom makeover. When we purchased our home we didn’t have a single good bathroom. They were both usable, which is all that really mattered, but they needed work. So we decided to start with the Master Bath. Little did we know that we wouldn’t get a chance to use our new bathroom. The following photos were the last thing I got to see in the process, before we moved out and our renters moved in. I assume it is now finished per our renters willingness to install the remaining faucets and trim.

    To keep easy access for any guests on the main level we left a door from the hallway into the bathroom. But for ease of use for ourselves as well (and to avoid being caught unawares from wandering midnight children) we also installed a new door into the new Master Bedroom.

    As you enter at a slight angle from the hallway we are greeted with this gorgeously deep and perfectly slanted bathtub, surrounded by Jeffrey Court Rocky Canyon Glass Mosaic Tile.  We found the tile on a marvelous sale at our local Home Depot store one day. We thought we had enough, but after remeasuring decided we needed more. Since it was no longer stocked in store (we bought all they had previously), we found it again online. 
    Later we hired a contractor to finish everything up and found we again didn’t have quite enough, and had to make another online search and purchase. Thankfully we did find enough to finish it up.
    To the left of the tub will sit the toilet and vanity, and to the right is the walk in shower. One of our last days in our home I sat on the edge of the tub and cried a little. Our vision has come so completely together, it was such a beautiful thing to see. 
    The simplicity of this sink and vanity really brought the room together for me. I wanted the perfect mirror, so we spent a good week or two going to different home decor stores and searching online. Then one day Mark came home and told me he had a mirror he saw at a yard sale. It was black with a few chips, but he knew I would have fun touching it up to fit the rest of the room. I sure did!  A little Elmer’s wood putty and sand paper fixed the chips, and then some blue spray paint brought in the right color to match the tile around the tub. 
    The shower is I think our pride and joy. This used to be a closet in the bedroom, but through a lot of demolition, and rebuilding of walls, we were able to turn it into a shower. And a beautiful shower at that. The Pfister shower head was provided to us by Pfister, and was so easy to install, that if I was a little taller could have done by myself. I was afraid to put a ladder or stool on the new pebble floor, so left it to someone taller. In the corner you can’t see we had installed a handheld shower head as well, giving ample space for everyone to get clean. It was going to work great for washing our dog as well. 
    I hope you enjoyed this reveal!  We miss our home immensely, but as a family we are in a much better spot now. Close to work, relative and old friends. We are making this new apartment our home one empty box and decoration at a time.

  • Big Tiles in Small Bathrooms #GuestPost

    Big Tile Designs for Small Bathrooms
    It’s fairly common for houses to have smaller bathroom as many homeowners allot more space to other parts of the house such as the living area, kitchens and bedrooms as these are what guests usually see. Decorating these areas is also much easier as compared to the bathroom which usually requires simple tiling and some DIY tools.
    However, the bathroom should also be treated as essential parts of the house as this is one of the places in the home where we spend time the most. If you’re frustrated over the relatively small size of your bathroom don’t worry! There are redecorating tricks you can use to give the illusion of a bigger space.  
    One of the easiest ways of making bathrooms look more spacious is using neutral, bright and light colors. Using straight line designs and put up mirrors to make the rook appear larger. It would also be helpful to install ample light fixtures and add an extra window to allow more light to come in. Having a large mirror is also an effective way to create the illusion of a larger bathroom.  But aside from these basic techniques, you can also use tile designs to make your bathroom appear bigger.
    Tile Designs for Bigger-Looking Bathrooms
    Generally, about 75% of a bathroom’s surface is covered with tiles. That is why it is important to choose the right type of tiles and design that works for your bathroom style and size. This way you can maximize both the functional and aesthetic elements of your bathroom tile design.
    Laying square tiles on the bathroom floor in a diagonal pattern can certainly make the room seem larger. You should also consider going with lighter tile colors which easily reflect light. White is commonly used for bathrooms as it provides a clean and pristine effect especially if the tiles are well-maintained. 
    However, white tiles can also make a bathroom look dull or even clinical-looking. That is why it would be better to stick to shades of gray or beige to at least give a bit more texture to the area. You may stick to white tiles but it would be best to mix in another set of tiles with a different color. Popular tile colors for bathrooms include palettes of blue, green, orange, and red. You may use these colored tiles for borders or as accents to make the design look more interesting.
    As always, make sure the tiles you install in your bathroom are water-resistant to minimize slippage risks and dirt buildup which can damage the tiles. The most commonly chosen material used for bathrooms are glazed ceramic tiles but you may also go for metal tiles for a more contemporary look. If you do decide to use metal tiles, be careful not to overdo it as the room may resemble a metal chamber instead of a stylish bathroom. Add a couple of potted plants and floral designs to add a punch of color to the general space of the bathroom.
    Another material you can use is glass tiles. They come in a wide array of sizes, colors, and shapes so you can find one which will best match the décor of your bathroom. When it comes to ceramic tiles, you can apply this to any part of the bathroom. However, when it comes to glass and metal tiles, most interior designers only use them for backsplashes.
    As for the countertops, ceramic or glass tiles work best. They are easier to clean which means they require minimum maintenance. You can go for a unique look by using custom shaped tiles.  By following these tips, you can make your small bathroom look bigger and give it a beautiful design at the same time.
    Roberta Madison hopes to have her own family someday. For now, she is happy to be the marketing manager of GlasTileStore which offers stone tiles, subway tiles, metal tiles and exotic tiles.  Follow Roberta Madison on G+.
  • Peek Into Our Master Suite Remodel

    Peek Into Our Master Suite Remodel

    *This is not a sponsored post. However it does contain some affiliate links. When clicking on some of these links and purchasing through the site, you are supporting Home Maid Simple. Thank you*

    If you’ve been following along for awhile now, you are probably aware of the Master Suite remodel we have undertaken. It began as a simple bathroom remodel, but as with most remodels, it escalated into the whole Master Suite. Today I thought I would take you on a little tour, and share some of the really classy designs we’ve got going on.

    To celebrate my birthday on Tuesday, I took charge of knocking out the wall between our bedroom and the extra room to create the large master suite, and allow us access to a closet again.  Our original closet has become the shower…I’ll show you that down a bit further.

    So down came the wall.  One thing we were not expecting was sheets of plywood between the two sides of the wall. Since this is a manufactured home though, it does make sense.  While I did this, Mark spent his time in the attic rewiring the lights. We now have one light switch controlling the 2 sides of the room. Coupled with the 2 large windows, I am really in love with the light in this space.

    Let’s take a look around now, at just how awesome this space is going to be.

    It’s a little hard to see in this photo but the bathroom entry is not the doorway you see, but rather just on the other side of it, where the piece of sheet rock is leaning up against (have to keep the kids off the shower floor until the mud sets).  It will not be your average sized doorway at 24″, but when working in older homes, you do what you have to. We actually debated leaving the entry in the hallway, and making the other side linen storage, but decided a Jack and Jill entry was our preferred style.
    The door into our bedroom will be walled up, and we’ll keep entry into the Master Suite on the extra rooms side.
    Can you picture a nice little sitting area under that window? I sure can!

    Let’s move onto the bathroom shall we?

    This photo is from between the 2 entryways into the bathroom. You get kind of angled feel first walking in, but there is so much space once inside, it will really be beautiful. Of course the toilet and vanity are still waiting on the floor to be added, but you can see the general idea. The vanity will be on the wall facing the bath, affording a more room like design instead of everything in a row. 
    We’ll be putting the original toilet back in, but the vanity was too outdated, and falling apart. So we of course visited our favorite home design store, IKEA, and purchased this vanity
    LILLÅNGEN/TÄLLEVIKEN Sink cabinet with 2 doors IKEA Can be used as a shelf for a soap dish and toothbrush mug, thanks to the shape of the edge.
    image courtesy of IKEA
    For better lighting and ventilation, we decided to upgrade those as well with this fancy (and seriously I swoon every time I think about getting this light installed!) hanging light and vent combination from Home Depot
    Hunter Montesino Decorative Brushed Nickel 70 CFM Exhaust Bath Fan with Light
    image courtesy of Home Depot
    It’s a lot of white, I admit, but I think bathroom fixtures should mostly be white, and then add the color in the walls, and accessories. For example, I went out and purchased us some new blue and yellow Martha Stewart bath towels from Macey’s (I may have jumped the gun a little), and some beautiful soap from Layla and Grace
    Let’s head back for one last look at our current DIY project, the walk in shower. 
    This area you are looking at, use to be the closet for our bedroom. It is obviously now turning into a walk in shower. A plus for any home!  Mark can take his showers, and I can relax in my bathtub. A win for all involved. It has been exciting learning how to put a shower together, but I am really mostly excited for the shower fixtures to go in!  As a Friends of Pfister Blogger, I received this Kenzo Raincan Shower Head and handheld shower to put into our new shower. I am just itching to get them installed, but there’s still the floor and walls to get finished up first. 
    image courtesy of Pfister

    Have you ever Remodeled a bathroom? 

    What do you think of our design?

    *This post contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Home Maid Simple

  • Remodeling with Pfister Faucets {Giveaway}

    I’ve mentioned a little on here, and some on my Facebook page that we are remodeling our bathroom. It started out as a small idea –

    Get rid of the Walk-In Tub
     
    Upon buying our new house, our realtor asked if we would sell the walk-in to her. She would take care of the removal and purchasing our new tub. That was the easy part. Mark and I like to dream with our homes. We truly love making a house into a home, and that includes making the layout fit (a reason buying new wouldn’t be such a bad idea).  Ideas began to flow, plans were made, and walls started to come down.  Remodeling is very exciting, but I’m also learning I’m not as handy as I wish were. In our current stage, I can’t do anything – it’s electrical work. Mark does that.
     
    What I  have been doing though, is design planning! I’ve already bought new towels for just Mark and I (the other ones are 7 years old, gasp!), and started looking at fixtures. The one thing that we took the longest to decide on, but are the most happy with, are our new faucets. Since we gutted the whole bathroom, we’ve been able to completely customize the fixtures to our style.
     
    Before I show you the faucets we’re installing, let me show you a little of the reno plans. 
     
    OK, this isn’t quite accurate. We’ve made some more changes since this plan was drawn. But just take a look at the master bath. It use to be the only upstairs bathroom, and only have a tub. We are adding the walk-in shower, and turning the doorway to open straight into the master bedroom. I am so stoked about this little retreat we are creating!
     
    We of course wanted to make sure we got quality faucets, and when I think faucets, I think Pfister. Top of the line quality!  We are installing the Kenzo line into our shower.  Isn’t it sleek?
     
     
    Pfister has been an absolute pleasure to work with and has sent us all the components needed to make sure it is installed correctly, along with extras like the towel bar and tissue holder. I really can’t say enough good about the experience I’ve had working with Pfister.
     
    So let me just share the experience with one of you!  One lucky reader will be receiving their choice of Pfister faucet (up to a $400 value)! 
     
    

  • Conserving Water In the Bathroom

    Earth day is fast approaching – next Monday to be exact – so let’s talk Water Conservation.

    Why Water Conservation?

    Water is a necessary part of survival for all living things. We need water, animals need water, and plants need water. Without it, we would all shrivel up and die.  Gosh, that’s a little extreme isn’t it? Don’t we have a lot of water on this earth?

    Well, sure we do. Take a look at this fun comparison of the size of the earth to the amount of water though. I was actually quite surprised

    Picture of Earth showing if all, liquid fresh, and the water in rivers and lakes were put into spheres..
     
    Crazy right?  I mean I thought there was a whole lot more water than that. The large blue circle is showing all of earths water, with a diameter of 860 Miles. To learn more just click on the Source link under the picture.
     
    One of the first things I remember my mom teaching me about food storage, is water storage. We were always storing 2 liter soda bottles full of water in our basement. I remember thinking we were pretty crazy when we had close to 100 bottles. I tell you what though, those came in handy when we lost power, and had no water to flush our toilets – because we still did! We just had to manually add it from the 2-liters. 
     
    Living in the desert, with what seems like a constant drought here, our cities are very particular about how much, and how often we can water our gardens. Turns out water isn’t such a ready source, that will always be around. Who knows when we’ll see the opposite of Noah’s time, and find ourselves drying out.  Fact is, if we don’t take charge, we could be doing this to ourselves.
     
     

    What can we do?

    

    I would say in terms of wasting water, our bathrooms, mixed with 3 kids, is the biggest culprit.  I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gone to check on the girls only to find them all in the bathroom filling buckets and toys full of water to go dump somewhere else in the house. It’s gotten so bad, that at one point we completely shut off the water to their sink. Since it is also our only bathroom while we remodel our master, it meant a bit of inconvenience for everyone to wash hands and brush teeth in the kitchen. But it worked to keep the water use to a minimum, and our carpets dry.

    Alright, so maybe you don’t have the same problem with your kids and water.
     
    Perhaps you do suffer the problem of kids (or maybe even yourself!), leaving the water running while you brush your teeth, do your hair, husband shave their face, or whatever else you may use the water for. Perhaps you’re one of those people that need ultra privacy while using the toilet, that you run the sink water to mask any sounds (can’t say I’ve never done this…).
     
    Did you know that turning the water off while you brush your teeth can save 3 gallons EACH DAY!  That’s a lot of water per day. You can also save up to 700 gallons per month by shortening your showers by one minute! Imagine the savings if you shortened them by more.
     
    Another way we can conserve water is by purchasing faucets designed specifically to save water, and be eco-friendly.  Pfister is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency to “meet and exceed the highest standards of efficiency”. 
     
    We’ve been remodeling our guest bath into our master bath, we completely gutted it, and are replacing every fixture in the room. There’s no better time than now for us to replace our old water guzzling fixtures (I kid you not, these sprayed everywhere with the water pressure, and lack of quality design). We have been looking at faucets for months it seems.  I absolutely love the look of Jaida and Ashfield bath faucets from Pfister. The design matches the flow of our tub faucet, and the plus side is these are both part of Pfister’s WaterSense certified line.
     
    Which would you choose?
    

    Pfister wants to Help you Conserve Water!

    In celebration of Earth Day, Pfister is giving away 20 Faucets this week. 2 faucets each day to some very lucky people.
     
    You don’t have to be remodeling your bathroom or kitchen to replace faucets – although that’s a good time to do it. Replacing the faucet is a simple change to the whole style of your room, and for those on a tight budget, can be the one change made that makes your house feel more like a home.
     
     
     
    *I am a Friends of Pfister blogger. All thoughts and opinions are my own here. I was not compensated for this post, although I will use it as an entry to win my own Pfister Faucet.
     
  • Choosing Bathroom Tile

    Choosing Bathroom Tile

    It’s official – I don’t like picking tile. There are too many options that I love.  We decided to go with a gray/yellow (very light not in your face yellow) for our bathroom colors. I had seen some inspiration for it on pinterest (can’t for the life of me find it now!).  Mark was pretty easy to convince, but now that we’re looking at tile, all I can think, is maybe I should have chosen the colors after the tile.

    Monday we had the plumbers in adding the line to the shower, and adjusting our vanity.  Unfortunately, they had to turn the water off to the whole house for the majority of the day. When you’ve got 4 small children, 2 potty trained, and have a small bladder yourself – it’s just not great to shut off the water. So I took the kids, and we went window shopping all over town.  Of course I just had to take them to Home Depot and check out tile.

    I think Mark got pretty sick of me calling every few minutes with a new tile he should look at online, or a price to see if it was good, and hey should I just go ahead and buy some while I’m here?  So I eventually stopped calling, and instead texted him my 4 top choices of tile.

    That was Monday. It’s now Wednesday, and I still don’t know which one I like best. The plan is to tile the shower walls the same as the bathroom floor, and then do a contrasting tile for the shower floor. I think the Crema Marfil and Desert Sunset would go absolutely gorgeous together, but it’s a little too much yellow…since we planned on painting the walls yellow as well. Am I right? Just a little too much. So maybe we’ll go with the Artisan Ghiberti, and find something else for the shower floor to contract a bit. 

    Thoughts? Opinions? Maybe share with me some of your favorite bathroom inspirations?
     
    *FYI, this post DOES NOT contain any affiliate links or paid links. I just thought you might like to know where I shop tile, and check them out online 🙂  Have a nice day.

  • The Best of 2012

    Yesterday I shared with you a review of our life in 2012. Today I’d like to share some of the favorite blog posts. I’ll start with the reader favorites. These are the posts that were visited most frequently in 2012 (minus any giveaway posts).

    1. After (sort of) Kitchen We started our year with a kitchen remodel. 257 of you came by to check out the almost finished result.
    2. Should Kids Share a Room? In a new meme we started this year, Think About It Thursday, I told 151 readers my thoughts on whether kids should share a room.
    3. Why I Wear A Dress to Church  This has been my personal favorite post all year.  In an attempt to share some deep personal feelings on my religion, and a stand against a movement that I disagree with. 151 readers stopped by to hear my thoughts. 
    4. Halloween Costumes  In October 148 readers came by to read my ramblings on Halloween Costumes. 
    5. Upcycled Receiving Blankets  In one of my few and far between sewing tutorials, I shared how I turned our old receiving blankets into a quilt.  142 readers have read, and hopefully found inspiration for making their own quilt.
    6. Cleaning Microfiber Couches  Periodically I’ll throw out some tips on Tuesdays. I pulled 136 of you in to learn how I clean my microfiber couch.
    7. You Never Lose Review  135 people were interested in my review of the new auction site You Never Lose, where you truly can never lose.
    8. DIY Drum Light  As part of our Kitchen/Dining Remodel, I made our own Drum Light. 114 readers came to see how I made it.
    9. Making a House a Home: All About the Attitude  In March 90 of you came by and read my epiphany over something my then 5 year old said.  
    10. Over the Sink Light  Finally 81 readers stopped by to see the light we added above our sink during the kitchen remodel.

    Number 3 and 9 on this list were my absolute favorite posts to write this last year. I felt strongly about them both, and really let my feelings show.

    There were a few other memorable moments this past year.

    We enjoyed a new Link Party co-hosted with Diane from Simple Living and Eating – Foodie Friday! We plan on continuing this party through 2013 as we share more recipes, and enjoy all the food you’ve shared with us.
    I attempted another party – Think About It Thursday – that didn’t really take off. For now, we’re going to put this one on hold.
    Finally, my most memorable moment of 2012, was purchasing my own domain. Mark surprised me on Black Friday with www.homemaidsimple.com  Our new online home.  Within the coming weeks, we’ll be switching out of blogger and finding a new server and blog platform.

    Happy New Year
    Thank you all for making 2012 a great year! 

  • 2012 A Year IN Review

    2012 A Year IN Review

    2012 was quite the year around here. Looking back I wonder how we made it through intact, but here we are. It’s 2013. As part of our New Years Eve Celebration, I asked the family what some of their favorite moments were from the year. 

    From Princess V “Watching TV”. This amazing event is probably due to the fact we didn’t have television service for 1/2 the year. I somewhat miss those days.
    From Princess C “I love everyone”.  Well gosh Princess C we love you too. 
    Princess R and Prince L didn’t have much to say on the topic.  
    For me the highlights of the year were
    Selling our home and Buying a new one
    Yes, we finally closed on this house, and have moved in. It’s been crazy, but worth the wait. I also see another kitchen remodel in our future….
  • Choosing the Right Lighting

    Choosing the Right Lighting

    The end is near!  We finally closed on our house just before Christmas. It has made moving a bit of a nightmare, but the house is ours, and it is time to turn it into a home.

    Today I want to talk a little about lighting. Finding the right lights, creating the right mood with lights, and not over lighting or under lighting any area of your home. See I have a problem. Our new Front Room is very much under lighted. I’ve been browsing some of the Kartell lighting over at LBC Modern.

    Under Lighting

    Here is a snapshot of our front room (ignore Christmas…)

    It’s a fairly small room, and the only lighting is that old antique light hanging from the corner – which by the way, doesn’t work. So now our only light in this room is the big picture window facing north. I mention that because the north side of the home gets the cold, and not as much sun. Leaving our lighting pretty dim here.
    I want this room to be welcoming, which means it needs the right lights.  I’m thinking a bourgie table lamp next to a small couch would look pretty nice.

    Kartell "Bourgie" Table Lamp
     
    Above the shelf I would like to add some recessed can lighting as well, to spotlight any decorating I do or pictures we may hang there.
    These small lighting additions would bring this room up to the perfect lighting atmosphere to be welcoming, but not overly lit or gaudy.

    Over Lighting

    Our new kitchen has had the opposite effect with over lighting. The kitchen is a small little space in this home (yes another remodel is on the horizon!). My current issue, however, is the overabundance of lights, and the separate switch for each one. I think I counted 3 or 4 different switches in the kitchen, and each one only turned on one single light. It’s enough to spin me in circles trying to get the right light on. There is a dining area light, an above the sink light, and a laundry light. With the way it is set up right now, the laundry light is needed. It could easily be changed, though, to have one longer light in the kitchen that would give light into the laundry side of the room and extend to the dining area. This would especially work as the dining side could use the light from the south facing window it sits next to. Again, south side of the house, you’ll be getting more sun, and therefore, don’t need as much lighting.
     

    Use Lights to Set the Mood

    Lighting truly affects our moods. The more light, especially natural light from the sun, the happier we are. I strive for joy and happiness in our home, something I think we all probably do. So I love tossing open the curtains and blinds and letting in the sun. There are some areas of a home though, that don’t get the natural lighting. Areas such as a basement. They tend to be dark. By finding the right lights, you can create a joyful area in the basement, despite its lack of sun. I would go with bright lights and soft shades for a table lamp. If the ceilings are tall enough in your basement, hanging overhead lights can give off more light than those closer to the ceiling.
     
    If you’re creating a space for kids, though, you may want to try different colored lights. They can spark creativity and a joyful mood for your children. I personally love these Pablo Tube Lights I found. Not only would my kids love the colors, but they are also dimmable lights, so I can adjust them to just the right amount of light we need.
    Pablo Designs Tube Top 14
     
    Well, I’m off to pack some more boxes, and daydream of the future remodels in our new home. I can’t wait to show you pictures of what we do!
     
     
    *This sponsored post was made possible by SheHeard. I have been compensated for my time and work on this campaign, however, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
     
  • Kitchen {Wordless Wednesday}

    Kitchen {Wordless Wednesday}

    Remember how we remodeled our kitchen just before we moved?

    Yeah I miss it. Here’s my current kitchen.
     What you see is the only counterspace there is.
    We may be able to fit a rable in here for the 6 of us.
     
    Come by next thursday (sept 6th) to see what I love and hate about this kitchen, on Think About it Thursday.