Before & After: Bathroom Remodel After 25+ Years

What do you do when your sister is getting married, staying with you for 2 weeks before the wedding, and there’s only 1 shower for 6 people? You bite the bullet and fix your broken shower!

Up until a few months ago, our bathtub wasn’t in working condition. When I was about 5 years old, a pipe burst and my parents never really got it fixed. For 25 years, we had one shower for five people (now six with my grandma living with us). This past summer, my youngest sister was getting married. She currently lives in Seattle, so she needed to stay with us for two weeks prior to the wedding. Six people sharing one shower seemed crazy to me. So, I made the decision (finally) to do a bathroom remodel after 25 years.

Most people might be hesitant to remodel, especially when you know you’re going to have to be paying for plumbing and not solely cosmetics. But for me, I grew up going with my dad to his contracting jobs. My sisters and I would help my dad paint, stain, caulk, etc. And because of my dad’s general contracting business, we always had work being done on our house. In fact, our house has been under construction for half my life. Unfortunately, my dad got sick and many of the projects he started never got finished. So as a present to my parents, I wanted to get our upstairs bathroom remodeled so we had two fully functional bathrooms while my sister was in town for her wedding.

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Let me tell you, my timeline did not go according to plan. I had to change contractors halfway through the remodel, which pushed back the completion of the project by a month or so. It also increased the budget of the project by $1,000+. In the end it was all worth it. The project, including some new plumbing, cost between $3,000 – $4,000. I also spent 10 hours cleaning the original bathtub which was hard work, but totally worth doing. Adding in a new tub would’ve cost another $500-$1,000 just for the tub and probably that much in labor costs. I saved about $2,000 by taking the time to clean it up.

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Instead of completely redoing the entire bathroom, my main goal was to match the new shower with a lot of the original design and leave room to complete the rest of the bathroom at a later date. The bathroom floors are not my favorite, but they were never damaged and didn’t need to be replaced. I absolutely loved the original brass and gold fixtures and the built-in shelf my dad made. The wallpaper needs to go but wasn’t a priority in fixing the shower. I could take down the wallpaper and repaint the walls later. The vanity will eventually have to be replaced but it was still in working order. Remember, you don’t have to tear an entire bathroom apart if only one element needs to be fixed.

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If you’re looking to do some bathroom renovations and need some tiling ideas, I recommend Floor & Decor. They specialize in flooring and tile so you’ll be able to find a wide variety of options at pretty good prices. A lot of contractors shop at Floor & Decor which also helps with the stock and price, but you don’t need to be a contractor to shop there. In addition to the tile, I was able to purchase the grout, cement board, waterproof membrane, tile spaces, etc. The staff was very helpful in making sure we got everything we needed for the project. I purchased all of my fixtures off of Amazon. I had a really specific vision for what I wanted to tie in the old design with the new and Amazon made it easy to find what I was looking for at a good price. You can shop my design below.

I still have to do all of the remaining updates but it’s mostly just time, paint, and stain. As far as my shower, it works and is a beautiful, relaxing space. Once I finish the rest of the bathroom, I’ll post an update. Until then, I’m going to enjoy my shower remodel.

Shop my design:

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Testimonials

Jackie Gibson - Vice President of Marketing, Brand, and Communications - The Cradle

Jackie Gibson

Vice President of Marketing, Brand, and Communications - The Cradle

Mollye is that marketing professional you’ve been hoping existed. The Cradle hired Mollye as a consultant with the idea of having someone who could keep the lights on with our marketing program while we hired a new team. Leadership quickly realized we had contracted someone who was capable well beyond our expectations.

Mollye’s productivity is unmatched—it really is amazing how much she accomplishes in one day, mistake-free and with a positive attitude. Not only did she take over multiple social media accounts and e-newsletters and a convoluted web CMS, she went so far as to craft messaging guides, market research, department request forms, and content calendars that propelled the department forward before a department lead (me) was even hired. Her drama-free approach made my onboarding easy. I’ve never had to worry if she had things handled—projects are always on time and she anticipates future issues.

If you need someone to put your whole company on point with best practices; if you need someone who can dig into really complex technical projects; if you need someone results-oriented who can think big, analyze data, and strategize revenue-generating opportunities, do not sleep on this one! She has won over our entire staff with her great ideas, follow-through, and wizard-like digital skills. She’s ready for the big stuff.

Idy Uyoe Testimonial

Idy Uyoe

Former Classmate & Colleague - Northwestern University | IdySports

I have had the privilege of working with Mollye on four different projects, and I can say unequivocally, she is a dedicated leader with the ability to achieve results. Additionally, Mollye is one of the smartest people I know, and her keen sense of marketing and finance would make her an asset to any organization. I highly recommend Mollye on the basis of her sound judgement, competence and ability to get things done, and on schedule.

Emily McGlawn

Emily McGlawn

Email Marketing Manager - National Association of REALTORS

I have worked closely with Mollye during her time at NAR. She has been an absolute delight to work with. She's sharp, she's forward-thinking, and she has brought our event marketing & analytics to this decade. She has helped save NAR a significant amount of money, and we have drastically improved our emails during our projects together. I hope that someday we can work together again!

Melinda Vajdic Testimonial

Melinda Vajdic

Writer, Former Co-Worker - interimCEO, Inc.

Mollye is whip-smart, collaborative, and creative. We worked together for 9 months, and I am convinced she has social media and marketing in her DNA.

Lauren Grisafi Testimonial

Lauren Catullo (Grisafi)

Former Co-Worker - Chicago Bulls & Chicago Blackhawks

I had the pleasure of getting to know Mollye when we were colleagues at the Chicago Bulls. Mollye constantly strives to go above and beyond personal and team goals that are set every evening. She is a great communicator and I believe this is the main reason she constantly beats the goals that are set. She works hard and has a strong sense of determination to go above and beyond what is required. On a personal level, she is always willing to lend assistance to fans and to her co-workers when called upon. Mollye would make a great addition to any organization and would thrive in any setting.

Fred Yaniga Testimonial

Fred Yaniga

Former Supervisor - Butler University Modern Language Center

Mollye worked in a leadership role for me spearheading several specific projects with great success. She completed difficult tasks on schedule, with great creativity and also with a very high rate of success. Measured with her predecessors, her peers and her successors, Mollye’s work was outstanding. She is innovative, knowledgeable, energetic, dependable and highly enjoyable to work with.

Pete Xander Testimonial

Pete Xander

Former Co-Worker - Butler University Athletics

Mollye did a great job of adjusting on the fly and always had a positive attitude. Mollye is very talented and has the confidence needed to utilize her skills to their fullest.

Gregory Osland Testimonial

Gregory Osland

Former Professor & Advisor - Butler University Lacy School of Business

Mollye is an energetic, responsible person, who demonstrated many positive qualities as a successful student at Butler University. She loves to learn, and is willing to take risks to accomplish her goals. I enjoyed having Mollye as an advisee and a student, and recommend her highly.

Bela Florenthal Testimonial

Bela Florenthal

Former Professor - Butler University Lacy School of Business

Mollye Peters was my student in two marketing courses at Butler University. She was a hard working student, very attentive, and always contributed to class discussions. I enjoyed having Mollye Peters in my classes. I know she will be successful at any job she takes.

Jenn Lisak Testimonial

Jenn Lisak

Former Classmate - Butler University Lacy School of Business

Throughout my time at Butler, I had multiple classes with Mollye, and as a result, also worked with her on team projects. She is a very motivated woman who is capable of finding a solution to a problem. She was very diligent, and I enjoyed working with her as a colleague. I have no doubt that she can overcome any challenges that a company throws at her.