Bean’s Time in NY is UP!

It’s time. This Blissfully Single girl is selling my house, making my money and getting the hell out of Dodge, a.k.a New York.

If you’ve read my previous post about my work travel to Texas, then you know that I’m looking to relocate.

I’m moving and switching lifestyles.

I intend to trade in the fast paced, expensive & cold weather of New York for the welcoming arms of a warmer and slower paced lifestyle of the South.

I also find myself in a position where it’s time to change careers. After close to 20 years in Corporate America, I’m at a point where I just can’t take it anymore. I hate every moment of it.

My ultimate dream? Building my own business and working for myself.

This of course means that I’m going to put my house on the market.

Yes! I’m selling! So, of course, if I want to get my asking price, I’ll need to make upgrades to my house to make it “move-in ready.”

You’ll get top dollar from buyers because they want a home they don’t need to renovate.

“Bathrooms Sell Homes”

My right hand man says to me: “Beans, bathrooms and kitchens sell homes.”

Based on his golden feedback, I knew I had to start my renovations with either a bathroom or kitchen remodel.

Since the kitchen is very costly, and my bathroom was virtually disintegrating before my very eyes; I decide to start with a bathroom remodel.

My old bathroom. A mess. Turquoise and black tiles. Wall paper. Then notice the toilet paper holder that is so far from the toilet. My bathroom hasn’t been renovated since the 70’s. It was certainly time for a bathroom update.

Planning for a Bathroom Remodel

Create a Budget – A bathroom remodel can be costly. Creating a budget is essential. The budget should include cost of labor, materials and discretionary expenses. I know that I usually have a windfall of money during tax time. I decide to use my tax money for the next two years to fund the farmhouse bathroom of my dreams. My bathroom remodel budget was $5800. While I’ll tell you now – I went over budget, it’s helpful to know that my cost was for a small bathroom remodel in NY.
Develop a team – My team consisted of my contractor, electrician and designer. Angie’s List is a good resource to find the team you need to get the job done.
Know What you Want – I knew from the start that a farmhouse style bathroom is what I wanted. But from traditional, modern, rustic & functional, there are so many styles to choose from. Pinterest is a great resource for bathroom remodel ideas.
Develop a timeline – Establish when you’d like the job completed. Make it clear to your team and confirm if they are able to meet your timing expectations. HINT: delays always happen – add two weeks from the date your team is supposed to have the job done.

The Rotting Tub

When I purchased my home, the bathroom hadn’t been updated since the 1970’s. Not only did the turquoise color make my head spin, but there were serious structural issues that had to be dealt with.

The bathtub was one of these issues, it had to be replaced because it was was actually rotting away from the wall and causing a leak into my basement.

Peeling Bathroom Floor Tile

My sad bathroom floor tile… I barely had a floor. It was holding on for dear life. Over the years, the porcelain tile had enough and began to chip away.

The red arrow in the photo below points to where I had no floor tile left.

I knew I I wanted to be able to look and choose from a wide variety of tile, so my same right hand man recommends Floor and Decor.

Now, ceramic, porcelain, marble…there are so many kinds of floor tile.

It took me a solid hour to look through all the gorgeous tile, but I finally decide on the Adessi Rhodes Ivory Blend Porcelain Tile.

Ugly Bathroom Walls

Of all the elements that I did not like in my bathroom, the ugly bathroom walls made me sick. On the upper part, there’s wall paper. The lower end was the turquoise and black tile.

I ultimately go the Joanna Gaines route of updating the walls to create a country feel. Now, if you’re an HGTV junkie like me, you know Mrs. Gaines is all about the ship lap!

I, of course, decide on ship lap to give my bathroom the farmhouse look. The ship lap will go on the wall where the vanity will be placed – this would become my accent wall.

I purchase my ship lap from Home Depot.

Since the ship lap is weathered wood, I had my contractor paint it to prevent moisture issues.

Ultimately, trading-in the turquoise porcelain tiles for the white ship lap makes the bathroom look so much larger.

The new ship lap walls also have the peaceful country look I adore.

New Bathroom Vanity

My bathroom vanity was so worn, the bottom had all but completely rotted out. Vanity had to be replaced.

My old vanity was 36 inches.

I didn’t replace my vanity with another one that was the same size. Instead, I opted for a 30 inch vanity which gave the bathroom more room and made it look larger.

I went on Lowe’s online and immediately find a farmhouse style vanity with a sink.

The Style Selections Morriston 30-in Distressed Java Single Sink Bathroom Vanity with White Engineered Stone Top gives the farmhouse feel.

What I like most is the sliding barn door. Nothing says country like a barn door.

Lighting Fixtures

One thing that annoys me about my house is lighting. There just isn’t enough light. Creating my farmhouse bathroom gives me the opportunity to add additional lighting.

My designer, Stephanie, from Maison Aesthetic picks out a farmhouse light that goes over my vanity. The bronze color gives a nice, rustic touch.