In December, I tried to fix a running toilet in the master bathroom upstairs. My repair attempts did not work, so I decided to fully replace the old toilet with a new one. I watched several YouTube videos on how easy it is to remove an old toilet and install a new one. I tried to do it myself. I actually had it uninstalled, but went a step too far and did some serious damage, busting a pipe under the floorboards that required an expensive plumber to come out. They cut a hole in the kitchen ceiling to fix it and left it like that.

It was then that we knew we had to bite the bullet and do all the kitchen and bathroom renovations that we had been putting off for years. We had taken out a large amount of cash in a mortgage refinance in 2020 and let it sit there in a high-yield savings account—not a bad strategy. It was time to cash it in and do the upgrades. But, if I had successfully installed that toilet, we would almost certainly not have nice new kitchen and bathrooms at this time.

While neither Lauren or I view the house as a long-term thing, we had very different ideas about how to move on. For me, I would have listed it as-is a couple years ago even if it meant it sold for less. Lauren wanted to do all the repairs and renovations in hopes of getting a better selling price. I don’t know if we should expect to get back dollar for dollar what we put into it, but we’ve now sunk a lot into roof, siding, windows, garage doors, office shed, etc. the past eighteen months. I hope that proves true. Her next step was seeing through the kitchen and bathrooms.

A highly recommended local contractor Julio did our guest bath first in February, and then came back out to do the master bath in April. The kitchen contractor, Shipwash, started the kitchen job on the same day Julio started the master bath, by coincidence. Maybe we could have had Julio do both jobs, but we sought out specialists for each project. On April 22, we vacated the house for an Airbnb down the street while the heavy demolition started. We spent 17 days in that Airbnb which was riddled with faults, then upon departure were blamed for all of its faults and were told to pay $1,000 in damages that existed before we moved in. I successfully argued it all the way down to $57, and even now am appealing that! Well, that’s a story for another time.

For all three of these rooms, Lauren did 100% of the design work. She cared deeply about every facet, while I cared none. So if you like what you see, pat her on the back and just give me credit for going along with her ideas!

Kitchen

Here’s the before picture. You can see the old popcorn ceilings with dirty microwave stain. The literal hole in the ceiling. The missing cabinets under the sink from water damage that we never replaced. The countertops were made of MDF with some sort of lacquer over the top. The harsh fluorescent light in dropdown box which I would graze with my head was ugly. Yes, we installed hardwood flooring in 2015 and put in a backsplash in 2018, but it was still pretty rough.

The renovation would just be an update. There would be nothing moved or relocated or no new additions. If we were thinking of this as a long-term home, sure, there’s a lot we would have done different.

And, here’s the after shot. Cabinets where there are supposed to be cabinets. A flat ceiling with new lighting. Actual countertops. New pantry door and shelves. New sink, faucet, dishwasher, and a beverage center.

This project took about 5 weeks. It would have been a lot less but there was a huge gap between the cabinet install and the countertop install, two different crews.

Kids Bathroom

The kid/guest bathroom was severely outdated. The vanity had been badly damaged by water since its 1984 installation. The outdated brown shower tile and floor tile were gross. I attempted one minor refresh with a coat of vibrant paint last year, but it was meant to be a quick fix.

And the after… quite the night-and-day difference here. The room was gutted and literally everything is new. Sleek and functional!

Master Bathroom… or Primary Bathroom, as they tend to say these days

For good reason, there aren’t many “before” shots. Of all the rooms, it was in the best condition and still looked acceptable. The vanity always bugged me. I literally think it was installed for a child or someone 5’0″ or less. It was comically low to the ground for any normal sized adult, let alone me. The shower was very outdated and the popcorn ceiling had become filthy.

And now, it looks like this. The sliding closet doors are all that remain from the old bathroom, which again was fully gutted.

The shower upgrade is most exciting. We have since installed a glass wall on it, but I was too lazy to go take a new picture for the blog post.

I guess all that’s left from Lauren’s point of view is the downstairs half-bath/powder room. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it but she is quite critical of it. After that, a little landscaping and some touch-ups around the house are all that’s left to make it sellable. Certainly we could ask for more now than before the upgrades.

With mortgage rates still super high, nothing is imminent. Who knows where we’d even go next, though I have long lobbied for someplace cooler.

You will have to come and experience all the upgrades in-person.