Beautiful, really opened it up and looks so much bigger! Cute pug too!

Thank you!

Cute puppy! Also, the bathroom looks great. :)

Magnificent finale. I appreciate that although it looks very modern, elegant and fresh, it calls back slightly to the classic Pre WW II fixtures.

Very pretty!

Hi! Beautifully done remodel. I need to redo.my kitchen and bath and I'm also in NYC. Wanted to do it earlier but had to make repairs on my mom's house first. Were you happy with your contractor? If so, would you mind sharing the name? So hard to find a good one. Also, was the bath under or over $20,000 to redo with everything included?

Rita - Haha, so true! Some are literally the size of my entire apartment! It will be a big change to get used to having an excess of space if I move out of the city.

Blondelle - He was recommended by my super and I was very happy with his work. Of course it took longer than he originally said but I think you’ll find that with anyone (my building is also very strict about working hours so that makes it take longer as well). I spent about $4,000 on materials, $13,000 on labor and $3,500 on plumbing and permits. I’d be happy to share his contact info. Is there a way I can message it to you privately on here? I don’t think he has a website.

What a beautiful bathroom - GREAT JOB!!

You made the most of that space, very pretty. Is that the original medicine cabinet? What are the brackets the little glass shelf is resting on, were they bought separately or did it come with those? I have one for my bathroom and have some brackets on the way, but it remains to be seen if they will fit it. Good job!

Beautiful new bathroom and such an adorable addition to your family!

Mercury girl - Thanks! The shelf is “KES Tempered Glass Shelf” and I bought it on Amazon. It came with the brackets and I’m happy with it, especially for the price.

Yes, it’s the same medicine cabinet. I bought it about two years ago to replace the old one, so it was still pretty new and I decided to keep it. It wasn’t recessed before though.

Thanks much! Don't see a way to message. Will be a while before I can do mine though. I want to change the bath to a shower too. Did you need an architect to draw up the plans for the permit? About how much was the permit alone?

It looks great!!! So does the puppy! :)

Wow looks great! The color Choices and details such as shower niches really maximizes your space! As a fellow New Yorker , I can relate to the vanity challenge. One of the bathrooms in the new home I purchased is a 5 x 7 and until a functional vanity was found that fit the space.... yes definitely the biggest challenge!

Pretty and functional - what else could you want? It looks like you did a good job! Funny about your adorable pug - we adopted a new dog as soon as our bathroom remodel was done, too.

We didn't change the layout at all - i.e. new toilet replaced old toilet, new sink replaced old sink, etc. so we didn't have to have an architect draw up the plan, but my building did require the plan to be reviewed by their architect, which was $500/hour. Annoying but necessary, although again it will just depend on how strict your building is I think. The cost of the permit was included in what I paid the plumber because he handled it, so I'm not sure what the actual cost was, sorry. One other thing to note was that we had to have a city inspection after the new plumbing was completed, and then wait for the inspection results before closing the walls, so between waiting for the scheduled inspection and then waiting for the approval, we ended up with about a week with a demolished bathroom and no work being done. That was pretty frustrating because I wasn't aware of it beforehand. Definitely all worth it in the end though!

You did really good job!

Thanks much. The bath to shower requires an LA permit but as mentioned the plumber took care of that. Hope they don't require architectural drawings in my building to make the same change. Looks great!

@blondelle - You should check with your Board in terms of what they require as well as obtaining any paperwork you need to sign.

I am in a condo in Los Angeles but it's a high rise so there are many issues that are the same as a NYC renovation. All homeowners have to sign a Construction Agreement which sets out the terms - i.e. hours that can be worked; sound requirements for hard flooring etc.; security deposit. The GC and electrician and plumber must be licensed and insured and a copy of their licenses and insurance policies submitted with the Construction Agreement and Security Deposit.

I was on the Architectural Committee - i.e. I reviewed applications with others and typically we don't require our engineer or architect to review plans unless there was significant changes to the plumbing and electrical systems - i.e. fixtures were moved etc. I am in the process of a gut remodel and changed my tub/shower combo to a larger walk in shower and an outside architect didn't have to approve plans. I was utilizing the same drains and it was assumed that the licensed plumber doing the work and the City Inspection would ensure that it was done properly. There would have been nothing in the plans per se that would trigger any engineering impact on the building's common area infrastructure if that makes sense.

Of course every building is different but you would be wise to find out exactly what is necessary before started. Both the GC and designer I am using were familiar with my building as they had worked in it before I hired them but I did provide them with a copy of the Construction Agreement so they were familiar with any restrictions.

Pretty, pretty !!!

I'm really curious--this is the first time I've ever seen a NYC reno with a flushometer toilet replaced by a tank toilet, no matter how glam the rest of the reno.

I had always assumed that was because you weren't allowed to do it. Is it usual for that to be permitted?

@writersblock - I don't think it has anything to do with the permit. My understanding is that it involves opening the wall and changing the plumbing, so it's not an easy switch. Maybe that's why you don't see it too often. In my building you are allowed to replace fixtures without going through the whole board approval and renovation process, so at first I considered just buying a new toilet and vanity and switching them out. But I found out from my super that if I wanted to go from flushometer to tank toilet, that by default means opening the walls and once the wall is opened, the building requires all plumbing lines to be replaced to the riser so you are automatically in gut renovation territory. I didn't see the point of doing any upgrades if I was still going to be stuck with the flushometer toilet, so that decision basically upped my whole project to a gut renovation.

Thanks! Wonder if there's a way the plumber could self certify the work, or is that right only given to an engineer or architect? I will be changing a flushometer toilet in Brooklyn to a tank toilet, but that will be an entire gut reno.

Thank you, msbnyc.

Very nice!

This looks great- do you still have the contractor’s contact info?

Yes! NY Renovations Solutions

333 West 262nd street, Bronx, NY 10471

Cell 917-443-3334

Thanks!

Awesome use of space, and very elegant