Monday, August 11, 2014

World's Smallest Half Bath Reveal

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Adding a bathroom, no matter how small adds value to any house. Here at the Mountain Cottage, more than adding house value, the World's Smallest Halfbath added much needed storage space in a very small bathroom.

It's probably not actually the world's smallest halfbath, but
but it is pretty small at only 17 square feet with an angled wall to boot!

Even though we knew it was going to be small,  we still needed it to function like a big bathroom, as far as storage goes. Plus, planning a tiny half bath is difficult because EVERY inch, no every half inch, counted and affected every other detail in the room.
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com



Here's our inspiration photo:
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com
Source

I can't stress enough that Planning is Key

Here's how we planned out the bathroom. Our little half bath is 17 square feet if measured on the floor and the wall that the toilet is on was 39 1/2" high and angled up.
Mr. DIY had to build out the wall so that we would meet code for the 6 foot 8 inch ceiling height in front of the toilet. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

Here's our before photo of the space. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

We removed the wallpaper in the room and painted and then realized that we needed a bath upstairs so we didn't have to stumble down the stairs in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. After planning it all out, the first thing we did was rip out the drywall and framing. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


Here's the new framing. You can see why the toilet wall had to be built out. Mr. DIY reused a lot of the old 2 x 4's. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


Next came the roughed in plumbing. Mr. DIY had a plumber friend come and help out for a day to get things moving.
It's best to get help with electrical and plumbing  and then save money by diying the finishing of the projects.
And ALWAYS get a permit if your project requires you to do so.
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

The plumbing had to go somewhere to get out of the house, so we took up some space in the downstairs closet. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com



Since you won't see it, Mr. DIY covered up the plumbing with a drop ceiling, which provides  access should we need to fix something. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


Once the plumbing and electrical were finished, the sheetrock went up. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


This photo was taken from the outside looking  through the hole for the medicine cabinet into the bathroom towards where the toilet would eventually go. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


One thing Mr. DIY had to do was cut out one of the layers of the subfloor, since there were two and the tile would bring up the floor to match the existing vinyl. 
I can't tell you how excited we were to get to this point. Getting past the messy mudding of the drywall and sanding was such a big relief. 


After painting the walls and trim, Mr. DIY installed the floor. He used a 24" x 12" tile and cut it in half lengthwise because the bathroom was only 32" wide.


Once the tile was grouted, the toilet went in. 
Yay! 
Progress!
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


The Pottery Barn Inspired Medicine Cabinet was installed right before the Faux Plank Wall. The countertop at this point was dry fit, but still had to be taken out to be stained. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com



A small exhaust fan and light was installed on the only part of the ceiling that is 8 feet high. You can see on the left wall that the light and faux plank wall are finished. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


After staining, the countertop was installed with the sink, then the faucet and drains and the  front apron.
The bathroom is so small, I had to take this photo with my cell phone, with me facing the toilet and the camera turned around. 
It was the only way I could take a photo of the sink wall without having me show in the mirror!
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


I love how well the countertop turned out. You can see how we made it HERE. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


We chose a toilet paper holder that we could slip the roll of tp easily... If you have children, you  need to have this kind!
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


...and a coordinating robe hook to put a hand towel on. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com



A simple fabric skirt is attached  with velcro to the back side of the countertop apron. Making the apron for the countertop was an adventure in itself because it's curved -- we'll tell you about it another time. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

Adding a couple of big baskets underneath the counter adds storage to hold tp and other stuff.
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com



I will  be purchasing some hand towels from Ikea  that have a loop on the edge so that it will hang closer to the wall. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


Here's how the bathroom looks from the bedroom. So glad we chose a pocket door to save space. 
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com



You remember the before...
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


...and here's the after.
small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com



small bathroom, adding a small bathroom, storage in a small bathroom,  mountain cottage reno, half bath, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


 We are almost finished with the closet and the storage shelves on the left side of the bathroom. We are also finished with the Pottery Barn Storage bed. 
Can't wait to show all of it to you. 
Hope you enjoyed the tour!
UPDATE: see how we built the closet HERE.
see how we built the shelves HERE.
see the Pottery Barn Storage Bed HERE.

Leave me a comment to me know what you think or if we left anything out!

Pam


Here are the details of the bathroom:
Wall and Trim Paint: Benjamin Moore Decorator white in eggshell finish (walls) and semi-gloss(trim)
Faux Wall and Countertop Apron Paint- Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist (same as walls in bedroom)
Floor Tile: Style Selections Galvano Charcoal Glazed Porcelain from Lowe's
Toilet: AquaSource elongated dual flush 2 pc comfort height 
Faucet: Delta Nura Chrome 1 handle 
Sink: Kohler Caxton K-2209 in white
Toilet Paper Holder: Delta Cassidy Single Post TP Holder
Countertop: 1 1/2" maple butcher block from Lumber Liquidators
Stain for Countertop: MinWax Provincial with MinWax Wipe on Poly
Stain for Medicine Cabinet: Minwax Provincial under Rust-Oleum Driftwood...Wipe on Poly over that
Baskets and Soap Dish: HomeGoods
Light over sink and Exhaust Fan HERE




*Disclosure: we purchased the light over the sink and the exhaust fan from Amazon.
If you purchase from these links, Amazon will give me a small commission.



Here are the links to the other projects in this bathroom:





11 comments:

  1. that is just amazing! such a good use of space planning. I have enjoyed following this bath journey. so glad you are done and are happy.Who cares if it's small...it does what it's suppose to do.

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  2. I was so excited to see this title on my feed! You guys did everything right and so smart!! Love it all.. That countertop is my favorite. What a clever pair you two make!!

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  3. Hard to imagine that much work goes into such a small space. But...it's fantastic! Love that counter top! ;)

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  4. Awesome job- you guys made it perfect! I love each detail- the countertop turned out beautiful- I imagine it was a lot of work! Those floor tiles were an excellent choice! You must be so happy with the results!!

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  5. I absolutely love it. How fabulous. You two are amazing. I think this is the cutest bathroom, I love it.

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  6. This looks so good! You guys did a great job with planning this space! I am sure that it is quite an accomplishment!

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  7. What a wonderful, and convenient bathroom! You are a dynamic duo of design!

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  8. It may be small Pam but it's sooooooo pretty! I LOVE the sink...you guys are good!!

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  9. That is an AMAZING bathroom! I am impressed!

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  10. What is the measurement of how far the bathroom sticks out into the space? Like from behind the toilet to the end of the wall behind the vanity? Wondering how much depth is needed in the space to add a tiny bath like this.

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    Replies
    1. The measurement minimum requirement in your state may vary, so check it, but the width of our bathroom is 32" wall to wall + the width of the wall 4 1/2. The total is 36 1/2. The closet we took out was 24 +4 1/2", so we only took up 11 more inches of the bedroom.

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