Thanks for replying. The lugano tiles look like they have grey and beige and another beige color that looks a little peachy. The cortina looks a lot darker with no peach tones and lots of brown. I went back to your earlier posts and the number you gave when you ordered your tile matched the numbers for the middle tile Cortina. It just looks so dark.
I have boxes of both colors at home. It may just look dark because I am looking at both tiles. I could tell by the store display that the Belluno was way too dark.

I love what you did with your bath. The tile is gorgeous.

I think the door is great with the chandelier view from the hall.

I prefer the bone subway tile to pure white myself.

Your before isn't even close to as bad as mine was though. ;) I failed to take a picture before DH gutted it but it was much worse.

Thank you, buyorsell888!

Nel5on----I was certain that the Cortina would be too dark, but like you, I was down to the wire and budget dictated that I get my tile at HD. I just gave in and told my GC to get it and get it over with, and I would just deal with it if I didn't like it.
I think tile was my toughest decision. I had champagne taste on a beer budget. I agonized for literally months over tile; pining over the beautiful tiles I knew I could never get.
I really wanted so badly to get something other than HD tile--but there was no way my budget would allow it.
It turned out just fine anyway!

The bath remodel has started. The room has been gutted and the green tub is gone. I stuck with the Cortina tiles.
They started on the floor today and I must say it really does look good. I was afraid it was going to be too dark but its not. I am very pleased so far. I went to Home Depot and Lowes looking for vanities. I think I might go with a black one I saw at Lowes. I have a 60 inch vanity and my selection is limited. Worst yet are the vanity tops. So many only come in 49 and I need a 61. Not a lot to pick from on a budget. Still not sure what I am going to do for a vanity top.

Fabulous...love your colors and the style, the light tones make the room look large and that mirror is awesome.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Love your subway tile no matter what color it is. What a great idea on leaving the top glass on your door clear to see the chandelier!

The tile is going down and I really like the color. I think I might go with a a black vanity from Lowes.
It's between a dark brown and the black. I just think
the style of the dark brown was a little too formal for
the room. The black is more of a shaker style and seems to be more modern to me.
I have a 60 inch vanity so I am running into problems
with a countertop. Not a lot to pick from in the ready
mades in that size. I have looked at granites but I just
think they look too busy with the tile on the wall. The vanity will go in one corner of the room. So it butts up to the tiled wall. So I am at a stand still with the top. I did find a travertine top I could use but I am not sure about the upkeep of travertne.
If I run out of time I can always use a stock white cultured marble top. I just think the bright white would just be too much. I really wanted a nicer top without paying so much. Budget always comes into play.
Any suggestions?

Thank you, vampiressrn, and debrak 2008!

Nel5on---I had wanted a beige granite vanity top originally. The vanity I ordered came with a beige cultured marble countertop. I had planned to remove this and replace it with granite, but the cultured marble was firmly glued on, so it had to stay.
It was a good thing though, because the granite I badly wanted would have been too busy with with the Cortina.

Can you find beige in a marble? I agree that stark white would be too bright.

Tub is in and tile is going down. Dust everywhere and I mean everywhere. I guess next project will be major cleaning. Bumps in the road.
I can't count how many times I have gone to HD and Lowes.
Buying and returning I should have a stamp.
I started out with the idea of using white subway tile behind the tub like you. My tub is in a alcove and I
just couldn't make up my mind on how I wanted the white subway and the cortina tile to end at the corner. I just didn't want a white line from the ceiling to the floor
with nothing on the other side. I took back the subway and
now I am doing the whole room with the Cortine. I hope it
will not turn out to look like a cave. I found a piece of leftover travertine at one of the granite shops for the vanity top. So much cheaper then the box stores.
So now I have to pick a faucet, mirror and paint color.
I am not afraid of color but I think I will need to use
something much lighter than I would normaly pick to lighten up the room.

Your bath is lovely! I have redone 6 houses in 40 years and appreciate your success. The bone in the shower actually softens the look and goes with your other tile. You have 3 bright white things: sink, tub, & toilet. Looks planned. Also, you are kind to the man who was kind to you. Good for you!

Bobbie

Hi Girlcat, I'm another fan of your bath remodel! I'm trying to learn, learn, learn right now, before I move ahead with mine. Your bath is such an inspiration. I want one like that!

I love all of your selections. Even the mistaken bone tile is really beautiful. Currently, I have a tub with the plastic surround built into it & would love a tub & tile surround like yours. Your idea about the simple toilet shape is a great one I never thought about. Is the toilet a water-saving model? I suppose all new ones are.

Thanks for posting your pics & info!

Bobby46---thank you so much; with you being so experienced in bath remodels, I really value that compliment!
I really love ny carpenter--he just finished doing a deck with a beautiful pergola for me, and is currently working on a friends bath.

Thank you, Stinky Gardener(LOL, love that name!). I LOVE my toilet so much. If it's possible to actually 'love' a toilet!
I highly recommend the Toto toilet that I got. Easy to clean, and not a bit of trouble with the flushing mechanism(unlike the previous two toilets I owned).

Hey there Girlcat 36,
I have eyed your remodel so many times. You did a great job and you must be a bit overwhelmed with the response and all the requests for info...
sorry to pile on.
I am channeling a very similar setup as yours with eliminating a closet in the hall and putting in a pocket door. (DH is adamantly against the pocket door so I must, must, must get it right.)
I want to ask a few more things...if you would be so kind to endure some more queries.
How wide and deep is you closet that is now accessed from inside the bathroom instead of the hall? (I am guessing its at least 42 in wide... looks like you have about 2 feet more to work with than I do as my bath room is only 6.5" x 7') Looks like it has two doors that open out to access it is that correct?

You say that you use this bathroom solo and there's not much foot traffic. We are in a similar situation (2nd floor hall bath with two bedrooms plus master bed/bath right next to it) but we do have guests, inlaws, etc that will use the bath, and resale to consider... and I am a little worried about the privacy/noise risk. I am wondering if your reference to privacy being a concern if there was more traffic is with regard to the pocket door... or the "french" pocket door with windows because the latter may not insulate sound as well?
Any thoughts on that?
Thanks again for sharing your wonderful bath.

Hi Southerngalinnyc!
I'm so pleased you have found inspiration in my bath remodel!
My closet is 29" deep, and 27" wide. When it opened from the hallway, it was the opposite measurement, of course.
My GC added a flourescent fixture and three shelves. the shelves are approximately 18" deep. The lowest shelf is about 28" up from the floor, leaving room for a hamper, and vaccuum storage.
The door is actually a bifold.
One year later, I LOVE my glass pocket door!! It lets a lot of light into a formerly very dark hallway. I never took noise into consideration, but I'm thinking if noise is a problem, maybe a solid door would be better.
There are a lot of different window films available out there, and I don't think that I got the one with the most privacy, so you should take a look at what is available, some are even more opaque than mine, yet still let in some light.
I believe my GC used Johnson hardware for the pocket door track. This is available on-line, but I was surprised to find my GC had gotten my Johnson track at Home Depot.
It opens and closes smoothly, no problems there.
The only 'guests' I have had use my bath are my adult children, and no one has a problem with the glass door!
Good luck!

P.S.--I'm happy to answer any more questions you may have!

Thanks Girlcat36,
Simply put....you rock.
I am off to the races on this pocket door thing. Thanks again for the inspiration. I will need to figure out how to handle the "lost space" in the back of the closet since I think accessing from the bathroom will make it too deep now.
If your shelves are 18" deep, sounds like you gave up a little room (11" or so) in the "back" of the new closet. Space is a valuable commodity in NYC, so I was trying to figure out if I could access that other 12" or so from the hallway still, but that seems tough to do.
I will definitely check out the film situation. I truly would not have thought of that as an option before seeing yours! genius.
Here's my situation...

Oh my, southerngal! Your bathroom does need help! It will be a nice feeling to have that taken care of! And I love your inspiration bathrooms.
I did not sacrifice any of my closet space; my shelves do not come all the way to the front of the closet. I wanted it that way so I would have room for a broom and small vaccuum to hang on hooks, and I will probably be putting some very narrow shelves on the free wall space for small bottles of shampoo, lotion, whatever.
So if you install a pocket door it will most likely prohibit any real access from the hallway to the closet.
I would still use the full depth of the closet accessing from the bathroom, understanding that it would be deeper than normal.
I would use 22" shelves, and maybe a few narrow ones on the free side walls. I would also put hooks on the free wall space for hanging whatever.
Kind of like a mini-walk-in.
Good luck!

Dear GirlCat36, What a beautiful bathroom! Can you tell me where you (or your GC) got the bifold door for your closet? Our bathroom closet opening is short and narrow (28x72), and I'm having trouble finding a source for a bifold door with those dimensions. Thanks in advance for your help --

Thank you, Hamden mom!
My bifold is 23.5" wide, and was purchased at Home Depot.

@girlcat36: Beautiful bathroom! Just curious...how has your Toto toilet held up? Do you recommend it?

Beautiful job, I love the ceiling treatment and chandelier.Really great job.

Plain gorgeous!!!

I'd love to know how the bancroft is holding up. Any problems?

Thank you, skeetie, and danielitav!
Since this thread has been resurrected, I will take the opportunity to update on my bathroom, two years after completion.

Things that I love:
*Fully skirted toilet, so easy to clean---I will never go back to nooks and crannies. The Toto toilet is great, none of the clogging problems that I have had with my last two toilets in that bathroom.
*No baseboards! I ran the floor tile straight up the wall. Again--super easy to clean!
*Reorientating the hall linen closet to open inside the bathroom.
*Pocket door with glass panes--no regrets!
*Deciding on a shower niche in addition to a corner shower shelf. Shampoos go on the niche, bar soap and razors on the shelf
*A light inside the shower. How did I live without it?
*A mildew resistant heavy cotton shower curtain instead of glass doors or plastic shower curtains. There have been no problems with shower water coming through the cotton. easily washed and dried with bleach to keep clean. No glass doors to keep clean, and no icky plastic to wrestle with. This was a budget decision. Initially I wanted glass and I just couldn't afford it.
*Going with a handheld showerhead in addition to my fixed showerhead. Makes cleaning the shower a breeze! When I get to renovating my second bathroom it will have the same setup.
*The tongue and groove fir ceiling; I think it's the best thing in the room.
*Kohler Bancroft soaking depth tub! Could never go back to a shallower depth after having this! No problems with it.
*I did not install a medicine cabinet over my sink even though storage is limited in my small bathroom. I still do not regret that decision; I love the decorative mirror.
*I still love the mixed finishes that I chose--some chrome, some verdigris, some nickel, and some oil rubbed bronze. It still looks great to me.
*The Azek trim used to frame the tub area is holding up great.

Things I might have done differently:
*Chosen a better quality fan for inside the shower. GC knew I was on a budget, so he chose the most economical one. It is too loud for my taste. Also it is wired to turn on and off with the shower light, I would have preferred it to be separate.
*My vanity. I love the look, but the quality isn't great, and I bought it online from Overstock. It was supposed to have a marble top, but honestly I am not sure what kind of stone it is. It is cream colored and shows water spots like crazy. The storage drawer is a little sticky as well; there are no drawer glides. At the time of my reno, it was the only vanity in this style I could find that was in my budget. Now I see similar styles at HD and Lowes for much less! Go figure!

Other decisions:
We did not put in a wall hung toilet paper holder. I use a chrome toilet paper stand and that is just fine.
I did not hang any permanent towel bars or hooks. I couldn't decide where to put them, so instead I just hung a Command hook(chrome colored) to hang my towel on. This has held up just fine and I see no need to actually install bars or hooks permanently.

Teresa

Teresa, Thanks for responding and for your update! I'm considering getting a Toto toilet with the full skirt after seeing and reading about your bathroom!

Thanks for the update. This is still one of my favorite bath redos here.

I love your bathroom remodel. I am in the process of remodeling the master and hall bath (both 7x5). Thanks to you I didn't know there is skirted toilet. I am going to replace our TOTO Ultramax with the Vespin II. I hate getting on my hands and knees to clean the nooks and back of the TOTO.

That's really nice. I especially like the way your tiling comes all the way up to the window and the arch over the tub. And a very very good price for it being a complete redo and not a DIY. Congratualations.

Beautiful!!! The first thing I wondered about, though, was the decision to bring the tile all the way up over where the bottom trim of the window was. That's a minor detail, but I think the window looks unbalanced now, without the bottom trim matching the top trim. I would think a more standard way to do it would be to bring the tile up either just to the bottom of the trim, or slightly below. Was there a functional/structural reason for doing it, or just personal preference?

This is not a major criticism... you did a WONDERFUL job. It just jumped out at me, though.

the decision to bring the tile all the way up over where the bottom trim of the window was. That's a minor detail, but I think the window looks unbalanced now, without the bottom trim matching the top trim.

While I see what you're saying, I can't say it bothers me at all. I don't think I would have liked it better the other way, especially around on the sink wall.

Janealexa and JulieS19---you will love the full skirt!!!!

Writersblock--thank you, I am very flattered!

Birdgardner---thank you!

Lizzie nh---the decision to run the tile up to the sill was made by the GC. He went over it with me and after much deliberation he decided it would be better aesthetically to have the tile higher rather than lower on the wall to accomodate a wider window trim. I trusted him because he seems to have a good idea of what is pleasing to the eye. It doesn't bother me at all. Perhaps it just enhances the 'eclectic-ness' of the bathroom?
Standing in the room, I have pictured it both ways--a lower tile with enough width for the trim above; and also the wider trim set into the top run of tile---and I have no problem with the existing design. :)

Janealexa and JulieS19---you will love the full skirt!!!!

Writersblock--thank you, I am very flattered!

Birdgardner---thank you!

Lizzie nh---the decision to run the tile up to the sill was made by the GC. He went over it with me and after much deliberation he decided it would be better aesthetically to have the tile higher rather than lower on the wall to accomodate a wider window trim. I trusted him because he seems to have a good idea of what is pleasing to the eye. It doesn't bother me at all. Perhaps it just enhances the 'eclectic-ness' of the bathroom?
Standing in the room, I have pictured it both ways--a lower tile with enough width for the trim above; and also the wider trim set into the top run of tile---and I have no problem with the existing design. :)

girlcat36- Hi again, I just read a thread about skirted and non-skirted toilets. Someone talked about how skirted toilets are open in the back and that you can't clean back there...is that true??

Here is a link that might be useful: skirted vs non skirted toilets on gardenweb

It is open in the back. I am able to reach my hand back there and dust, but not actually into the opening itself. I don't have a problem with that; when I do dust behind there is very little dust, so it doesnt concern me.

I rarely post on this site but I appreciate all of the wisdom and generosity of spirit on here. I am just beginning (finally) to embark on a long overdo bathroom remodel.

While I love seeing the over-the-top, big budget bathrooms, I have to say that this is my favorite bathroom of all. It just proves that good taste and design does not mean you have to spend a fortune.

Congratulations and thank you for inspiring so many of us with your beautiful bathroom.

Just beautiful! I bought very similar tile at HD and did our bath on a budget as well. We are in the very last phase and was wondering what color was used on your walls??

ppcd---thank you so much for that lovely compliment! I am both surprised and pleased to have inspired so many with my remodel on such a small budget.

Thank you, rufinorex---the color on my walls is called Restoration Ivory by Sherwin Williams. The HD tile is holding up great, I'm sure you will be happy with it.

Wow! When I looked at the photos, I thought THAT'S what I want!! I'm getting ready to remodel a bathroom that is pretty much identical to yours. I'm saving this page to show my contractor. Good for you!!
P.S. How long did you have to go without being able to shower? I have only ONE full bath in the house, which is the one I'll be remodeling. I am wondering where did the remodeling begin? With the vanity/toilet/tub installations, or is it better to start with the tiles?
Again, thanks for sharing so much useful information.

Wow! That is AMAZING!!!!! We are doing a bathroom remodel on 1500$ And I know your pain! Hope mine looks that awesome when done!!! We are mid way into ours now, and I think we have the same style tile!

http://wp.me/p1MmG7-6C

Girlcat - great to hear as tile was. a last minute decision. Its amazing to see so many responses on our post. Great job!

Emmi- We just completed our bath on a budget of $3000. It took 5 days to complete! This was a DIY ... Day 1 - demo Day 2 - walls flooring and plumbing Day 3 - Day 4 shower and floor tile. Day 4 toilet and vanity install. Day 5 completion of electrical outlets.

We are at a stand still right now because I hated our paint color. I found another color hope its what I like.

Expect 2-3 days without a shower if all goes well. Unless your not changing plumbing than all your waiting on is tile install and grout.

good luck!

Thank you, IRhuel and rufinorox!

Emmi--Thank you! We had another full bath in the house, so showering wasn't a problem, thank Goodness.
The entire bathroom was gutted in March down to the studs, then the ceiling was bumped up and a closet door reorientated. Then it was sheetrocked and tiled(walls and shower). After that, the fixtures were put in. The bathroom wasn't ready for complete use until October. It took a while, but it was mostly my fault because I took my time researching and making decisions on products since I was on a tight budget.
I thought I would go insane trying to choose the tile!

I absolutely love your remodel! I keep going back to look at it for inspiration. Can you tell me what you used for your shower niche and soap shelf. What is the back of the shower niche? I love the clean look. Were you able to get the trim tile to match your subways at home depot also?

Aw, thanks, redoagain! The shower niche was created out of Azek, and the trim tile and soap dish were also from Home Depot.
Azek was also used for the trim around the shower itself, including the curved part at the top.

I love the remodel especially the new tiles!

Three years later...your bathroom looks great! I have a question about your shower niche. I too am using Home Depot subway tile for my shower with a niche. What type of tile did you use to trim the niche? I don't see any grout lines around the trim of your niche, but the only trim pieces I see at Home Depot are 2"x6" bullnose. I am trying to avoid grout lines in the middle of the trim of my 12x12 niche. Thanks!

Thank you, Meaves! Three years later, I still LOVE it!
The shower niche was constructed with Azek trim.
good luck with your remodel!

Teresa

Love your bathroom remodel! I like the bone colored subway tile as it ties in with your floor/wall tile. To me, that is more important than matching the white of the tub.
Didn't know there was such a thing as skirted toilets - wish I had those in my bathrooms!

Thank you, Igb47! Skirted toilets are the only way to go! :)

girlcat36, I, too, found my way here from a search. Is there a prize on THS for "most resurrected thread"? I will put you in the running! ;-) In any case, so many people link here for pics of your gorgeous bathroom, I wonder if you could repost the pics, or link to pics, since the old photobucket links are all broken. Like many of your commenters, I'm looking at many of the same decisions you made and would love to see the final result – especially pics of the Bancroft tub in situ. Thanks!

girlcat36, it has been 9 years. Do you still love your Kohler Bancroft tub? Your bathroom is so worth resurrecting this thread!