Bathroom Makeover by The Shabby Creek Cottage

The Shabby Creek Cottage Bathroom Makeover

After months and months of slowing working on the bathroom, it's finally done! It's amazing how much work goes into getting such a tiny interior space designed. This bathroom is just under 25 sq. ft. and was completely gutted, including the sub-floors and walls. It's taken a long time to get it all back together, but that's always to be expected when you remodel without credit and do everything yourselves. So, without further ado, let's see all that we accomplished with a $600 budget. 

See the rest of the Bathroom Makeover Reveal and all the highlights & photo's click here: The Shabby Creek Cottage

This is Gina... She is the Author of The Shabby Creek Cottage Website We began our journey of remodeling my childhood home in early 2009. We lived here for nearly 5 years before we finally got down to ripping out walls and installing floors. It's been quite a journey, but it's long from over!

Using Stone in Your Bathroom

If you are anything like me, you love a classy, well thought out bathroom, where function is as important as style. If you are anything like me, you have poured over magazines, internet sites and idea homes looking for the perfect materials for your bathroom renovation before getting so utterly frustrated at the endless combinations and options that you flounce into the bathroom and say, "I give up! We are just going to have to leave the (pea green/mustard yellow/dusty rose/insert gross color here) tile in this bathroom for another 25 years!" 

If that sounds even a little bit like you, (minus the flouncing) then may I recommend a material that is going to make your day/week/month, by being your "go to" element in your new bathroom project. 

Drum roll please.....STONE. 

Now, I know what you might be thinking. That stuff that people put in their yards? Yup. That stuff that people line their fireplace with? Yup. As it turns out, the natural beauty of stone shines through no matter what room you put it in. In recent years, what was once a total luxury product is now much more affordable and as a result has become more and more popular in building and renovation projects. 

Vanity 
A stone sink or vanity can be made to look a variety of different ways. For the natural look, it can literally be a piece of stone that looks like it was just plucked from the ground with a large hole in it or it can be on the other end of the spectrum and be a super chiseled modern sink that looks like it came from the future. A natural stone sink can also withstand the wear and tear of everyday use much better than a porcelain or ceramic sink can, so while it may be more expensive up front, due to the durability of stone, it will last for many years. 

Shower 
Modern showers have perfected the art of bringing the outside in for the ultimate in relaxation. Using stone in your shower is an excellent addition to creating a bathroom retreat that can be beautiful and also practical. 

Flooring and Walls
One of the easiest ways to introduce stone into your bathroom is through the flooring and walls. There are many stone tiles to choose from, all with different colors, shapes, sizes and prices. Stone flooring should be sealed with an anti-slip sealant that prevents people from slipping when it is wet, but putting down a bathmat is always a good idea when getting out of the shower. 

This guest post was written by The Rock Yard Inc., suppliers of stone in Atlanta GA. We offer a variety of natural and manufactured stone in Atlanta, GA for your everyday stone needs. With two convenient locations in Gainesville and Duluth, we supply stone for contractors and residents in the North Georgia area with our huge selection and low prices.

Ideas for Renovating & Remodeling Your Home

When it comes to renovating or remodeling any place in your home, there are a million different things you can do. Of course, what you can actually do depends entirely on your budget and your imagination- not to mention your skills and the amount of free time you have to dedicate to renovating and remodeling the home. Sometimes, all you need is a good idea and some dedication, and your home will be remodeled and renovated in ways that may have never been imaginable before. In case you have a brain drain when it comes to renovation and remodeling ideas, here are some different things you can do in all the major rooms of the house:

Renovating and remodeling the living room
The living room is a great place for a renovation or remodel because it is the primary room that people see when visiting the house, and it is the prime spot when hosting any guests of any kind. Also, the living room tends to be the biggest room in the house, and thus has the most possibilities for renovation and remodeling per square foot. The living room also tends to have the most furniture in it, when compared to other rooms in the house, which adds just that many more renovation and remodeling possibilities.

1. Change the carpet- this can be costly, but can do wonders in the room.
2. Rearrange the furniture- a simple switch-around can do a lot to change the feel of a room.
3. Rugs- a new rug can really liven up a room, you may be surprised by the result.

Renovating and remodeling the bathroom
The bathroom may be one of the smallest rooms, but it is also one in which you may have a lot of guests- and is therefore a great place to renovate and remodel. The space may be limited, but the possibilities are not nearly as limited as you may think- there are all kinds of things that can be done to make a bathroom sparkle.

1. Cabinets- changing up the cabinets can make a bathroom look brand new.
2. Toilets and tubs- getting a new toilet or tub can change the whole feel of a bathroom, and will really make it sparkle like new.

Renovating and remodeling the bedroom
The bedroom is the most private area of the home, and the goal of a bedroom design should be to make you feel comfortable and at ease as much as possible.

1. Cleaning up the closet- The closet tends to be the most cluttered part of the room, and maybe even the most cluttered part of the house.
2. New dressers- a shiny, new dresser can really liven up a room and breath fresh air into it.
3. The walls- Putting up a nice piece of artwork or something on the walls can add a whole different level of peacefulness to a bedroom.

Alexis is an interior design maven. She writes for a variety of sites and loves looking at preferred builder floor plans.

HOW TO AFFORDABLY REMODEL YOUR BATHROOM

Have you ever considered remodeling your bathroom? Well you must have thought of that a thousand times but there’s just not enough money to have it done, right? Remodeling your bathroom is not that easy, but take note that there are lots of ways you can do to make it done.

So how can you affordably remodel your bathroom? Here’s how:

1.       Assess the type of remodelling you need to do. The first step to affordably remodel your bathroom is to evaluate what type of remodelling is necessary. Some people just tend to get their bathrooms remodelled without any clear cut plan so they end up spending more for what is really necessary. Take note that the type of remodelling your will do for your bathroom will need a specific budget. Try to assess whether you really need to get everything remodelled or simply just portions of the bathroom such as the floor material. Usually, having everything remodelled would cost more than getting only parts of the bathroom done.

2.       Stick to your budget. Once you have carefully identified the type of remodelling you need for your bathroom, the next step is to think of your budget and make sure that you stick to it. Materials and labor cost are the major financial issues you need to address. In order to save money, you can simply opt for cheaper materials but make sure that they are of good quality. You also have to consider the material, it is easy to set up labor cost would also be less.

3.       Save up. In order to meet your budget, you also have to save your money for the remodelling cost. Why not save at least 15 percent of your salary every month? You can also avoid spending money on “luxuries” or things which you really do not need at home. It will help a lot if you set aside a portion of your money because you can never really tell in case there are things that need to be repaired when you have your bathroom remodelled.

4.       Check costs on your location. Usually, cost of living would determine the cost of hiring contractors to remodel your bathroom. For example, in high end cities like New York, a contractor may charge as high as $75 an hour. In other states, it could be as low as $25 an hour. These are the factors you also need to consider when setting your budget. If you live in a state with higher cost of living, you can opt to remodel your bathroom yourself or seek the help of friends who know how to remodel. This can help you save on labor costs.

Remodeling your bathroom can be done even with the looming economic recession. Just try to follow these tips and you will definitely get things done.

This is a guest post written by HowtoGetFinanced.com. Here, you will find all sorts of advice when it comes to your finances.