Hi!
1) I’m so fascinated by the step up to the toilet that I can’t skip this over when I see no one has commented yet!
2) it’s hard from these pictures to get a good idea of the layout of the bathroom. But I think you could definitely make the space feel much more spacious if you got rid of the steps and stage around the soaker tub and replaced it with a freestanding one (even if you don’t really use it it could be a pretty design feature) other than that I feel your Reno is just cosmetic to bring this space out of 1994! Lose the gold and green, new tile, new fixtures, new vanity!
3) if you posted wider pictures, trying to capture full walls, corner to corner and maybe included a layout you might get more feed back!
4) good luck!!

Thank you for your input. It is very overwhelming so all advice is welcome. We just purchased the home so this bath was not our taste. The project fluctuates from decorating around what is there to remodeling it especially for resale in 5 years from now.

Afraid of that. Just hoped fixing one thing would do it but I do hate to waste money if that would make no difference. Any suggestions on design elements. We are so open to all input.

Is it possible just to just take out the green and white tile border and replace? Might be just enough change and inexpensive enough to do while you’re saving money for a bigger redo.

This is such a huge bathroom you could design it as a Hers on one side and a His on the other. I'd get rid of the bay window and put the shower where the tub currently is.

The problem as you say is it's not well laid out. Moving plumbing can get expensive. I'd start by getting quotes from local remodelling companies and see if you can get ideas from that. Once you have an idea of costs, a local realtor could tell you if you're likely to recoup most of that money when you sell in 5 years. The other consideration is if you remodel now to your taste, you'll enjoy a more functional bathroom the whole time you're living there. Cosmetically, the diamond tiles can be painted, window treatments, rugs and light fixtures changed, faucets replaced, (shower brass toned down?)...but you still have a toilet with a step up.

If you are thinking or selling in 5yrs I would keep it cosmetic.

I would remove as much green as possible, starting with the wall paint.

Here is some palettes

I would also:

- change the countertop to a solid white as not to copy the floor.

-Change the cabinet hardware or add

-Add lots of White flower arrangements or baskets with towels and accesories or the like in the area where there is a lot of green to cover it and to freshen up the space and lighten it up.

-I would also remove the shades and add new window coverings just to cover the bottom half of the window for privacy and still have lots of natural light coming in.

-New ceiling fixture and vanity fixture

-If you have the $2000+ to splurge on the shower door maybe that is an option to get rid of the gold.

-New faucets

- De-clutter, and use white or the like bath accessories, no green.

-Lastly I would remove as much of the diamond tile as possible, on the toilet area and the sink, would not touch the one on the tub steps. See if you can remove the one at the ledge of the tub by the window.

Hopefully this helps.

Because a gut job and new everything is a lot to spend for a house you are only keeping for 5yrs in my opinion. Think about it, if you bought it the way it is, then others will with the small improvements you have made too.

I would think there is a functional reason why they built that toilet on a step up. Perhaps they had to for some reason due to plumbing. Be wary of what might be under there. I would repaint the walls white as you already have enough green going on. I don't know if it's possible but maybe the green tile could be repainted professionally. I'm not a fan of the brass shower either so perhaps you could look into getting a new glass surround.

I'm afraid that in this case putting lipstick on a pig will not give you even close to the results you are looking for. The overall layout and placement of shower etc. is poor at best. What is going to happen is if you try to Mickey Mouse this with small projects to "help" it is going to cost you much more because you will be opening one can of worms after the other. Save save Save and invest in a remodel. In the long run it will be a wise investment towards the overall value of your home.

Somehow I missed the "selling in 5 years" comment. Scratch what I said. Not sure where you live, but in my neck of the woods, a total gut/remodel of a master bath this size will cost you upwards of $100K. So, unless you live in a hot real estate market like the SF Bay Area or NYC, I agree with the above posters. If this is not your forever home, I wouldn't touch anything, except possibly replacing the shower door enclosure to get rid of the shiny brass frames. Ditto for the faucets.

Punkydoodle007 brings up a very good point about a possible functional reason for the toilet step up. Sometimes, "what lies beneath" can be pretty scary remodelling-wise.

Here's an April 2018 article about trending green marble in the home. You'll even spot one bathroom with that diamond tile. Might give you ideas for colour palettes or accessorizing. (Fwiw, I don't find all that green ugly at all.) And another one on luxury bathrooms with green marble.

ETA: Tiles don't have to be professionally painted to look good. A few forum members have painted their own with fantastic results. Do a search in the forum. Also Pinterest. Good luck with your decision.

I would paint the walls a white color that goes with the floor. The floor is so large, that a large rug would look nice ( the two bathmats look odd), and use one of those towel rugs when getting out of the shower. Hang some art in the toilet area. And a new light fixture for the center of the room

I will have to research professionally painting the tiles. That sounds like a commonly noted eyesore. Also eliminating all the polished brass shower enclosed and vanity hardware is noted. No one has spoken to our tub faucet. The only way to change that is to remove the tub platform due to plumbing all framed in under jacuzzi. Does this change the discussion points now? I think the step up to the toilet remains unless toilet is moved closer to the tub. We believe it is raised for plumbing issues ie slope for sewer line draining . MB is on 2nd floor and tub is in a 2 story bay addition from some 20 yrs ago. The bathroom that keeps on giving! Seriously though all of your suggestions are highly valued. Thank you. Keep the ideas coming

I hadn't noticed your tub faucet. Surely that can be changed without affecting the plumbing underneath?!

Haha, that is an interesting faucet!!

brass and green are back so embrace that. Paint the diamonds on the tub and remove them from behind the sink. New vanity, marble counter to match the floor, frameless shower enclosure. New wall paint. And new lighting - lose that awful track and replace w a brass chandelier.

Would you stay with a white cabinets? What color do you paint the diamond tile? Would you paint all the diamond tiles at the tub and shower area? Again everyone’s thoughts are so appreciated. I may be able to cut back on my wine amount that is consumed when my husband and I discuss the MB :)

Seriously, @mba121599, DON'T paint anything but the walls. It will make a bad situation worse, IMO. Whoever will buy this home when you put it on the market will know this is a gut and re-do. As for the tub faucet, well, I would leave it because there's nothing else to be done.

I’m so fascinated by the step up to the toilet that I can’t skip this over when I see no one has commented yet!

Me too! I stared at the picture a while, and -- to be perfectly honest -- I wouldn't know it was a step up if you didn't tell me. I cannot fathom any reason why the house's original builder said, "This is a good idea".

But I think you could definitely make the space feel much more spacious if you got rid of the steps and stage around the soaker tub and replaced it with a freestanding one

Yes, the original builder definitely had an "on stage" complex. You say you don't use a tub, but you have the space, and SOMETHING has to go in this spot ... it makes sense to put in another tub. Freestanding vs. in a deck, I don't know. If I had a better sense of the overall floorplan, I might have an opinion.

Lose the gold and green, new tile, new fixtures, new vanity!

Yes, and -- as other have already said -- this isn't a small reno.

I find it funny that with all the 1990s over-the-top, your vanity (which is quite nice, and I think you should save it) has no hardware.

If you are thinking or selling in 5yrs I would keep it cosmetic.

I'm thinking the same thing. Five years passes in a flash, so I guess you could say I'm advocating for a bandaid:

- You're not going to stay here long, and the new buyers may /may not want a tub -- if you didn't have a tub, I'd say, "Don't put one in", but -- for your circumstances -- I wouldn't yank it out. If you can paint the tiles to rid yourself of the green (green? black?) I'd do it. I'd lean towards a pale blue or sage green -- not white. Paint will never match the floor, so go for a contrast.

- The floor. Well, you just have too much of it, but -- again, you're not staying long. I vote for a round rug, which would then coordinate with small bath rugs in front of the vanity.

- I wouldn't do a thing to the vanity -- except add hardware.

- If you're going to change anything, it should probably be the brass shower enclosure. I can't see that heavy, clunky thing being attractive to anyone -- now or five years from now. But paint the tiles to match the tub tile.

- I'd also change out the over-the-top tub filler and the sink faucets. Change to simple chrome models. Oh, faucets in the shower too.

- I wouldn't do a thing about the step-up toilet. It's weird, but it matches the shape of the toilet-closet, and I don't see it as a make-or-break.

- I'd change the light fixture to something more "today".

- Finally, I'd add some curtains (in a color to match whatever you've painted the tub tile) to bring in some softness and completeness to the room.

Wall paint color? White or grey tone?

Match the white of your cabinets for the wall paint.

Seriously, paint the tile. Don't listen to those people who say painting tile doesn't work. You don't go there (the tub area) and it's going to get zero wear. If you felt fancy and you like this look, you can even stencil it in some encaustic look. Paint all the diamonds on the risers. Leave the green tub surround. Getting rid of the diamonds will make a big difference. Paint them white or cream, similar to the white tiles that you have.

You could do a white vanity but you could also do a sort of light colored rustic wood vanity. You are going for a natural, organic type of look if that makes any sense. Not this style but this color:

Stay with brass fixtures and you may be able to salvage the shower fixtures if they are good quality and in good condition.

I would't move any of the plumbing especially the toilet but would replace finishes. The floor looks like Carrera so I would keep it and work with it. Replace the tub with a stand alone tub with a coordinating tile 'rug' under it. The new tile can follow the outline of the existing tub surround. The tub does't have to be expensive but one that will give you a great look for resale. Coordinate and replace the shower tile and go with a frameless shower surround. New vanity and counter top. Look for a remnant to save money. A few tile ideas below that would help you work with the existing floor.

Sabrina Alfin is right. This is a total gut job waiting for a pile of cash. You will need to rip it all out and will have to adjust the plumbing for placing the toilet and tub at floor level. A tub that high needs handrails for ascent and descent if anyone would even use it. Dangerous for damp feet and damp tile.
Because the bathroom seems large, you probably will add a freestanding tub just to fill some excess space and using the current water and waste lines makes sense, but at floor level. The toilet room is not necessary if you don’t want to keep it. A good-sized double-sink vanity with doors and drawers for each occupant would be the best use of space.
Please post a measured drawing of the room, showing the locations of tub, sinks, toilet, windows and doors, and any existing closets. We have ideas.
You can have a beautiful bathroom in the future. All you need is money and a good contractor. Depending upon your tastes in materials, I am guesstimating $25-30,000 for nice mid-level everything. You can carefully spend less or easily spend more. Make a budget.

Will post a drawing in a bit. Welcome all ideas.

You're selling in 5 years. You basically have 3 choices.

- do the bare minimum (rug, white mats, paint, declutter, white towels, maybe the blinds and faucets and doorknobs, paint the plumbing access door to blend in). Only costs a little, but makes it calmer so you can enjoy it. Doesn't add to resale value, but that doesn't matter. Clean and de-clutter before you list.

- completely remodel it and keep it as one big bathroom. Average remodel recoup is about 60%. In my area that remodel would cost about $70,000 using medium/average materials, not moving plumbing, not replacing windows and hiring a GC. To recoup the 60% your house value would have to go up an average of 8K per year. Whether or not this makes financial sense, you'd need to hire an appraiser or talk to a realtor who is an expert in your area.

- completely remodel it and make it into 2 bathrooms (his and hers). It'll cost you alot, but then you have an additional full bathroom on your listing so you can sell it for more. It's tricky to know if you should do this though. You can pay an appraiser to advise you how much value that would add, or you can ask a realtor who is an expert in your area. It may add just a little value (so you don't want to do it), just the right amount to make it worthwhile to you (so you do it), or add too much value because you have now over-built for your area (so you don't want to do it).

We went through a similar situation in our old house, and we picked option #1. I'm glad we did because when we sold the house, the new owners were just fine with the bathroom that I hated. They didn't care that that the finishes were dated. They were just happy to have an extra bathrooom.

It's impossible to know what buyers are going to care about. My parents completely repaired and refinished their beautiful hardwood floors before selling, and the first thing those people did was rip them out and put in ugly tiles.

My new neighbor just bought the lovely, tastefully outfitted house next door to me and is very busy remodeling it with hard surfaces (like tile, mouldings, banisters, cabinets, etc) of mostly purple, gold and green, like Mardi Gras.

About painting tile: there are two recent threads I recall from posters painting their backsplash. One is [Tastie's kitchen backsplash[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/painting-kitchen-tile-and-grout-dsvw-vd~5538366) and the other is Butternut's Tuscan backsplash. Butternut commented on this thread encouraging you to paint the tiles with good reason. It makes a massive visual difference. There is still a lot you can do cosmetically to make this bathroom look better. Five years fly by and if you don't have the budget for a full-fledged remodel, concentrate your efforts on low-cost DIY solutions that pack a visual punch. Look through the picture links I shared - you'll see Butternut's suggestion of a wood cabinet is on point.

I feel like I recently saw a similar faucet set for sale on a vintage website selling for a couple grand.

I personally think you could embrace this look and turn it into a modern glam. there was a recent thread on here where someone worked with a black toilet and sink and made it amazing.

But I know that’s not everyone’s style. I didn’t read all the comments yet but wanted to comment about the faucet.

For all you know the next buyer may think this is a gorgeous luxurious bathroom. Do some painting as suggested above and don't sink money in to this that you will never recover. After all, you bought the house and someone else will too, and they won't pay you the money you put into renovating this bathroom.

Gives a whole new meaning to " on the thrown".

I would just paint the sections with the diamond laid tiles - a white to coordinate with the floor and cabinets. There is lots of info on the internet about how to DYI. Paint the walls a lighter, neutral color and if you hate the brass, paint that, too. Again, there are lots of youtube videos and sites on the internet telling you how to prep properly.

I don't mind the green - if you do, that's a bigger problem probably not solved with paint.

Painting tile

Bob Vila info on painting bathroom tile:

good lord. you bought the house, do what you want with it. Why do people always say, "I have to think about when I sell in 5 (10, 20 years) from now". ? you're living in it now. what if something changed in 4 years that required you to stay there for another 5 years? My point is, make the bathroom how you want to live with it now. If you want to live in 1990, then leave it alone and suffer through it until it's time to move. When you sell the home, the price will reflect the grossly outdated bathroom.

call some designers and get estimates and ideas.

if you don't have to move any plumbing, then you could scrape by w/a 20-30K redo. just depends what you want.

If you guys demoed out that entire thing yourself, you'd prob save a few thousand.

30 years is long enough for the vanity, the gold shower, the hideous tile.

Paint the tile?? seriously? no. It looks horrible as is, but painting it will take it over the edge.

Is that a real marble floor? if so, it's about the only thing in there worth saving. But once you take out that monstrosity of a tub, you'll have exposed flooring that will need to be matched. Put in a nice free standing tub. Or, move the shower over there. the shower you have now is not that big.

That's why I mentioned calling in a bathroom designer. best money you could spend on this project.

"good lord. you bought the house, do what you want with it. Why do people always say, "I have to think about when I sell in 5 (10, 20 years) from now". ?"

Because they know they won't recoup the money they spent on renovating in five years, Beth. For most people, renovating a bathroom is a big financial decision.

IMO, start with lowering the toilet to proper floor level.

Having fresh eyes looking at our MB Is invaluable. We have been overwhelmed and so tired of looking at the bath that eventually you get used to it. We are not glitter and shine people so we will have to balance things with wood tones worked in somewhere. Maybe shelf on wall.

Tartan,,,How do you know they won't recoup? I missed the part where she said what city she lived in. I also missed the part of how much this home sold for. The only way she won't recoup is if the home is only worth 100K and she spends 40K to redo just his bathroom. If she paid over 500K for the home, I'm going to say a 30K redo will bring in a nice profit in 5 years. She definitely won't lose money. (unless the housing market tanks)

Kitchens and baths sell homes. I'm sure she got a better price on this house because of that bathroom. And, if it's in an area where I live (LosAngeles county) the prices go up exponentially when the kitchens/baths are redone.

People who buy homes and are afraid to do anything with the decor because they're "selling in 5-10 years" is sad. why buy a home and live in it to please the next buyer? that's just silly.

That's why I made that statement. "Decorate your home the way you like because it will sell with or without your design element". the only variable is for 'how much'.

Regardless, she's the one living in it now. She's the one asking what should be done. Why do you think I advised her to get some estimates and ideas from at least 2 bathroom designers?

Of course renovation is big decision. I didn't say she had to dump 100K on it tmrw. She could save up for the next year and do something. Or maybe when they bought the home they put aside a renovation budget. Or did I miss that part too?

I have no clue if they will or won't recoup, Beth. All I know is she initially said "Our hope would be for a small remodel to make space more tasteful." which led me to believe they didn't have 50K to sink into it. Otherwise, they probably would have moved forward with contractor estimates without pausing for advice on here.

"Kitchens and baths sell homes" when everything else comparable is equal. Who knows the market in five years? It's not a gamble everyone is prepared to take.

Embrace the green and gold. I would paint the walls white the same as the cabinets, white pots for the plants, white towels and rugs, and some white sheeer drapes to soften the windows. It will be bright and stunning.

Here is the drawing of our bathroom. We continue to think through cosmetic changes versus modest remodel. Our purchase was made because of a fabulous view and a large lot knowing updates would be needed. Our home is in neighborhood of similar value to 1 million dollar homes. The housing market in Portland Oregon area has been robust but again dependent on the economy. We value everyone’s efforts in responding to our plea for help. Of course we must consider the limit of investing into our property along with making our home something that matches our taste and lifestyle. Thank you all

In an neighborhood of $1 million dollar homes there is a level of finishes a buyer expects to have . If your home doesn’t have them your selling price will reflect what your home is lacking. If it is in your budget to do a renovation , doing so in a neighborhood witb the property values of yours would be smart.

can you explain what door ways lead to what on that floor plan?

The door at the bottom enters the master bedroom. Doorway to the right enters the master closet which walks through into the master bedroom also. Small linen closet also in bath on the right.

then a modest redo would be painting the walls white (actually the current color isn't bad), getting new window coverings and bringing in a new vanity with a white quartz countertop. (a new vanity that includes a sink can be had for about 1K for a double. Is that too much?) At least w/a new vanity and top, you will eliminate a portion of the green tile which would help to lighten it up a bit.

Something like this with new fixtures and new mirrors would give you a modest update.

a lot of these vanities come w/sinks and the top.

If you find just a vanity (try looking on Craigslist too. you can find great deals) look for a remnant piece for the countertop. a fabricators workshop can be a good deal. a lot of times they trash these smaller pieces of quartz or marble. If you have a 6' vanity, you'll want a 22"x72" finished piece.

Remove the track light and do a semi or flush mount

simple window blinds. Blinds.com has some inexpensive options

Everything I've mentioned would cost between 1800-3K. all depends where you shop, what your buy, and if you're willing to do some of the demo and install.

Is that a price you could handle?

We have the green tile (which is from the 60s) surrounding our fireplace. I really want to remove it but it is father down our to-do list. When we moved in, all of the walls were an old gold, which made it look worse. We paints the walls a very pale cream, almost white. I still don't like it but it looks far better with the creamy walls.

What bothers you more, safety (if it does), or aesthetics? Or both?

I can see ways working with current aesthetics (most of them already mentioned in the thread) and have fun while at that too.

(IF it more or less works with the rest of the house.

If it's a sore thumb-it gets to be more irritating. Is it? )

As for safety, I, personally, wouldn't be able to use this bathroom safely-and I can't see the ways making it safer place without full remodel.

So these would be my main considerations.

Obviously, as we all differ in our needs and tastes-yours will be dictated by all sorts of factors unique to you.

The bathroom is an irritation to me because of the aesthetics. Safety is also a consideration with the step up to the toilet and climbing up to the tub though we will never use the tub.

The green and brass IS becoming more popular. The diamonds tank it though. So spend the 80K to do this right. 8% of the home value for a master is darn reasonable. People have expectations at that level. That won't fulfil those expectations.