Upgrading the Necessary Room

Good morning!  It’s Friday!  Are you looking forward to the weekend?  I really wanted to spend the weekend going on the Georgia Trust Ramble in LaGrange, GA, but instead I’ll be staying home getting some cleaning and other  non-fun stuff done around here.  Yuck…tours are way more fun.

Speaking of things that are less-than-fun, this is what was happening in my home this morning at 8:30 AM.  Two new toilets were installed, one in my guest bath downstairs and one in the hall bath upstairs.  Exciting, huh?  Just what I want to spend money on!  NOT!

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

The old toilets were starting to make little drippy sounds and I had noticed a slight increase in my water bill.  Plus, being 30 years old, they took forever to refill and weren’t very water efficient.  Rather than attempt to repair them myself (which I have done several times over the years) or call a plumber, I decided to bite the bullet and upgrade them.  I’m going to wait on upgrading the one in the master bath because I want to do a major renovation in that space that’s going to include knocking down some walls.  I wasn’t sure what size toilet I would ultimately need once the renovation got underway, so I’m going to hold off and replace that one when the time comes.

After doing a little research, here’s the one I ultimately chose.  The Kohler Highline just happened to go on sale right before I purchased it, but that wasn’t the reason I chose it.  It has pretty decent ratings online and I liked the shape of the tank better…it’s not squared off on the edges.  I know that sounds crazy, but I notice stuff like that.

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

I lucked out.  The weekend I bought these, the State of Georgia was having a tax-free holiday on plumbing related stuff that’s water-sense certified.  The Kohler Highline was on sale for $178, so with no tax and my 10% military discount, the total cost for each toilet was $160.20.

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

Installation is $100 per toilet.  Lowe’s charges $99 for installation, but only $60 for any other toilets you are having installed at the same time.  Home Depot matched that installation price so my first install was $100 and the second was just $60.

It’s gets better, though.  The county I’m living in will give you a credit on your water bill of $100 for each water-sense toilet you have installed.  Whoo, hooo!   So that’s a $200 credit I should see on my water bill, once I submit the rebate papers.

Here’s the cost breakdown:

160.20  Kohler Highline
160.20  Kohler Highline
100.00  Installation for first Highline
  60.00   Installation for second Highline
$480.40 Total
-200.00 Rebate for WaterSense
$280.40  My final cost for 2 new Kohler Highline toilets, including installation

Not too bad, huh?  That worked out much better than I initially thought it would.

So, here’s how the one upstairs looks installed in my son’s old bathroom.  I kept the seats from the old toilets because the ones that came on the Highline felt and looked kind of cheap.  Plus, they didn’t sit as comfortably.  Yes, as a matter of fact, I did try one out.  Fully clothed.  With the door shut…thank you very much.  The nice installer put the old ones on the Highline for me.  So, moral of that story is, if you get new toilets, you may want to keep your old seats.  Just saying….

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

I somewhat panicked when I saw how far away from the wall it was.  You’ll see why that was a concern when I show you the one in the guest bath downstairs.   I guess the one that was here before was this far away, too; I just never noticed it.  The reason I think it was this far out from the wall before is because the person I hired so many years ago to hang the baseball-themed wallpaper was able to wallpaper down behind it, unlike the toilet in the guest bath.  Plus, the installer placed it directly over the screws that were in the floor already.   So, it must have been this way all along.

Are you wondering why this bathroom has baseball wallpaper?

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

This was my son’s bath and he loved baseball. He played it all the way through highschool, along with swimming year round.  Since that was his bath and it was located right next door to his room, it just made sense to tie it into the scheme of the room back then.  I recently renovated his room and now it’s my home office/craft room. If you are new to reading BNOTP, you can read/view that renovation here: Office Addition: Bedroom Becomes Home Office/Craft Room

Boy's Bedroom Decorated in a Baseball Theme

Here’s how this bath looks at present.  I threw open the shutters to capture these pics with natural lighting.  As you can see, it’s not a very big bath.  I have to tell you, renovating baths is not high on my “can’t-wait-to-do” list.  Baths don’t excite me.  I’m not one to soak in a tub or spend any time in the bath.  I’m more the “get in there, get it done and get out” type.  I’d much rather put my energies and money into the rooms where I do spend my time.  However, that being said, I know it’s time to start seriously thinking about some bath renovations around here.  Ugh.  Can’t you just hear my excitement?

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

Now, about this blue sink.  It was here when we bought the house.  I claim no responsibility for this choice.   When we first saw it while touring the home, we said right then and there, if we bought the house the blue sink would be the first thing to go.  Twenty-two years later, here it is.

The reason it’s still here is because our son, who happened to be in second grade at the time, loved it.  He thought it was totally cool.  So my challenge was to find wallpaper to go with it.  While on a “Street of Dreams” home tour that year, I found this baseball paper in a bath and knew it had the perfect shade of blue to work with our crazy sink.

I almost choked when I heard the price of the paper.  I don’t remember now how much it was, but it had to be purchased through a decorator AND it came with edges that had to be cut off.  The edges showed the colorway (is that what it’s called?) of the paper.  I had never seen paper quite like that.  It was some pricey stuff and I had to hire a wallpaper person who knew how to remove the edges and hang it.

Update:  Thanks to Ellen for helping me remember what this type paper is called.  The word I was looking for is “hand-screened” and the edges have to be trimmed before it can be hung.

The baseballs on the paper have the real signatures of well-known baseball players from the early years of baseball.  When I had it hung, the guy who hung it got the biggest kick out of it because he recognized many of the names.  I will say this about it, it looks as nice today, as the day it was hung.  It hasn’t yellowed or changed in color at all.

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

 

I chose a cute baseball themed towel rack back when I decorated this room back in the day. It actually a baseball on the end. 🙂

Baseball Themed Towel Rack in Boy's Bathroom

 

The shower area…hard to see but it has white tile and still looks pretty nice.

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

 

I did replace the original light with this fixture.  It reminded me of baseballs for obvious reasons.

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

 

Back toward the entrance is a linen closet that’s fairly decent size.  It’s very deep and holds a good bit.

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

 

When I renovate this bath, I’ll tear out the old cabinet/counter that has seen better days.  I may redo the floor, although it’s white which is a neutral.  I’ll install a longer cabinet/counter which would hide the foot print of the old one, so not sure the floor will have to go, although I’d like to see it get regrouted.  Or, maybe I’ll install a free standing counter that is (or at least looks like) a piece of furniture, in which case the flooring would need to go.

The tub needs to be resurfaced or re-somethinged…have to do some research on that.  Or maybe I should go with a whole new one.  It has nice, white tile across the back, so it still looks good.  I’ll probably keep it a bath/shower combo for resale purposes.

I’m seriously thinking of having beadboard installed or some type of wainscoting, which would get painted white.  Obviously, I’d take down the wallpaper…sniff, sniff.  I sort of hate to see it go.  It won’t be near as painful as painting over the baseball mural in my son’s room was.  Once I settle on a design, I’ll get excited about it and then I’ll be raring to go.  The thought of renovating three 30-year-old baths has felt overwhelming, so what I need to do is take it one bath at the time.

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

 

While I’m showing you baths, I might as well show you the guest bath that also got a new toilet today.  I almost went with a color called bisque or something like that.  It was sort of cream colored and would have looked great with my Thibaut wallpaper.  I still love this paper and…

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

 

…it ties in well with the English Country/woodland feel of the family room that’s located around the corner.

Living Room with Judges Paneling

 

Since  I didn’t want to limit myself regarding how I might decorate this bathroom in the future, I stayed with a white Highline in here, too.

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

 

Here’s what I meant about this one being closer to the wall.  When this room was wallpapered, the person who hung it (not me) didn’t wallpaper fully behind it.  So I was a bit worried the unfinished area might  show.  I had the measurements of the Highline and did measure in advance of purchasing it, but when I saw how far the one upstairs was out from the wall, I was worried.  It turned out just fine, though.   Even standing over it like this, you can’t see the unfinished area.  I also have a roll of this paper left over, so that strip could have been replaced, if necessary.

Updating 30 Year Bathrooms with New WaterSense Toilets

 

So, not the most exciting Before and After, but no more drippy sounding toilets and hopefully I’ll be using less water.

Have you been replacing drippy toilets in your house for water efficient ones?

Got any ideas for me on how I should renovate my son’s old bathroom?  Do you like the beadboard/wainscoting idea with either paper or paint above?   I think I’ll spend a little time over at Pinterest checking out baths today.   If you have any inspiring pics to share, send me the Pinterest link or email me the picture.   I’m sort of starting to get a little motivated to update these dinosaurs.  Sort of.

Happy weekend!

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Comments

  1. Sorry – I have no advice on how to redecorate them. Both of mine need work and I don’t want to deal with the job at all.
    Enjoy your weekend.

  2. You certainly do have some “projects” waiting for you — bathrooms are always more difficult just because of the size & all the fixtures you have to work around. It will be fun to see what your talented & creative mind comes up with!

  3. Hi Susan,
    I love white toilets too. I remodeled the guest bathroom due to water damage from the toilet leaking. Click the link and you will see what I did. I love your new office and the bee theme. A nature theme would be beautiful in your bathroom. I know you love birds. Yesterday I read the post about what would I do if I didn’t have to be concerned with money. My suggestion is hire someone to do the bathroom and go on that trip to France. LOL.
    Thanks for being a great blogger and inspiring me to become the best blogger I can be… Here’s my link.
    http://bettycozycorner.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-angel-bathroom.html
    xo
    Betty

  4. Oh, Susan,
    how sweet is your son’s old bathroom?
    I love the “baseball” wallpaper and that towel holder is too cute!
    I bet, if it were possible, your son would remove it and paper a bathroom in his new home with it, am I right? lol Actually it’s a pity it has to go… but I see your issue…
    I personally have always loved wainscoting and wallpaper in bathrooms and I have never understand why in Italy or in Germany you usually see tiled walls, sometimes even to ceiling!!! In the bathrooms in my home I have part-tiled walls but only painted wallpaper to ceiling and I have pictures and wreaths hanging on the walls and they do, without any doubt, look better on wallpaper than on tiles!
    Susan, I’m sure, however you decide, your exquisite taste will come out again!
    P.S: Susan, I love, love, love your guest bath! That wallpaper is so wonderful! I wouldn’t change a thing there! 🙂
    ~Hugs to you~
    Cecilia

    • Thanks, Cecilia! I do love that phesant paper. I may be able to replace the cabinet/sink in there without having to change the paper. Plus I have some extras…keep your fingers crossed! I should take a pic of the towel holder. It has a baseball attached to the end…hard to see in the pic since it’s against the baseball wallpaper.

  5. I had to laugh at your trying out toilets. I do the same thing, and my family howls, but I tell them there’s nothing worse than an uncomfortable toilet. After all, you might want to do some reading there so you should have a comfortable seat!

    • lol Lulu, I noticed in both HD and Lowes, they have the toilets way, way, way high up in the air. 😉 Those seats that came with this one were awful…the “aftermarket” ones you buy on your own are much better. HA!

  6. First of all your son had the best-decorated rooms in Georgia. There is not a boy around that would not be proud to have as his room. I even know a couple grown guys that would still be happy with that bathroom.

    Kudos on your deal with the toilets. That is an excellent buy. They usually get you with the install, but looks like you outsmarted them. I bought the same toilet a while back. Every time I went to research every person I spoke to just said the word Kohler. When I would ask a few more questions they would just keep saying the word Kohler. The funny thing about the round vs. elongated, I was told the women like the round because they are rounder and they guys like the elongated for biological reasons. This is a great post today.

    • Awww, thanks! I miss that boy! He lives way too far away! Madonna, I do like Kohler products and in my reading online, everyone kept saying Kohler. You can spend hundreds one though. I just decided to stay with the basics…nothing overly fancy.

  7. Hi Susan- I don’t envy you having to remove more wallpaper! After we took down the last of it here I said no more! I’ll stick with paint for my mood swings!! I defiinitely like the bead board/ wainscotting idea- that’s a classic look! I also love the white carrara tile- the greys and whites are classic and long lived!

    • Liz, I’ll definitely want to go with something classic for the things that are more or less permanent…no trends that I’ll come to regret. At least now I know of an awesome wallpaper remover that actually works!

  8. Ha…I have those same lids…at least 25 years….(and counting…) LUV the pheasant wallpaper…I have a pheasant fettish, oh, ya. Nice work. franki

  9. I understand your lack of enthusiasm. I have been dragging my feet for five years here in this house. I desperately want the hideous “garden tub” GONE — it just collects dust. I can’t get motivated either, because when they start tearing things out, life gets very inconvenient. I did get the toilet replaced, and I like the higher seat. It makes all the difference to my arthritic knees!

    Good luck — and I actually love your Thibaut wallpaper.

    • Ellen, that’s why I think I’ll just do one bath at the time. Thanks…I love that paper, too! I just had it installed about 3-4 years ago so it isn’t that old. 🙂

  10. I really do love your guest bathroom! It is gorgeous!

  11. When we did a MAJOR remodel/addition to our house, I chose to put tile half-way up the wall instead of beadboard. I did consider it. It’s a nice look, but went with the tile instead. It’s the same tile as the floor, but the floor is in a windmill pattern and the wall is straight tile with a contrasting piece on the ‘diamond’ in between four tiles ( hope that makes sense). That same contrast was put on the top. Bathrooms can be fun, but just not a huge inspiration! lol I know you’ll come up with something very interesting and fun!

  12. I just replaced the toilet in my master bath. Nothing wrong with the old one except it was 25 years old and my knees are much older than that. I bought a “big girl”toilet. It’s one that is taller than the kindergarten toilets that were in his house! I do feel like a queen and so do my knees.

  13. Ann s Mindicino says

    I just redid the only full bath in my house. We replaced old mirrored shower doors with clear ones. Tiles are 4×4 white 3/4ths to the ceiling so those stayed and got regrouted. easy, cheap. I put in a double sink with vanity since it’s the only full bath. I got the sink and vanity locally but got my ideas from Pottery Barn bathroom. I like the manmade counters, not mica but swanstone. Used a blue speckle swanstone (similar to corian) sink and counter top all in one. The positive side to this is it’s one unit; no seams for the sink to get dirty; a nice clean look. may try to post photos when I’m home. The negative is that is one piece of the double sink or countertop gets damaged you have to replace the whole thing. I’ve had this kind of sink in my kitchen for 12 years; never had a problem. After removing the old m mirrored shower doors we wanted more mirrors so I mirrored one wall (inexpensive and opens up the whole room; gives us a little more mirror for close touch ups) Did faux painting on the rest of the walls that previously had a nice floral wallpaper but no longer matched. Also got cabinets from Pottery Barn; have not found the “right ” medicine cabinet yet; great looking and good storage. Looking for an old fashioned medicine cabinet; have looked a lot; hard to find – all I see are the typical modern tri-folds like yours. Want something less contemporary. any ideas? Also accesorize a little; nice toilet holder; hamper etc. I think you might try the faux painting; you can always paper over it if you don’t like it. hope this helps. Ann

  14. Ann s Mindicino says

    oh I forgot the most important thing. I manage property and the new toilets are better for the environment but you have to be really careful not to throw anything other than the obvious in them; very quick to clog and you do not want back ups!

    • Thanks for the warning. I know the first ones were especially bad. I hope they have improved them…time will tell.

      • If you have a septic system, you will want to use the not-fluffy paper. My septic guy says he has to clean out pipes and tanks every 2 years when people use the fluffy paper that doesn’t break down. If they use paper labeled okay for septic systems, it’s every 5 years. But I expect you live in a “civilized” place with public water and sewer. In the country, we live a whole different life!
        I had to buy toilet seats for my old toilets and am so happy they are made of plastic now. The wooden seats were nasty!

        • Yeah, I live in a city, so no septic tank. My sister lived out in the country and had a septic tank and I used to hear her talk about how expensive it was to have the lines cleaned out. Glad you don’t have to do it too often.

  15. I’m sure whatever you decide will be beautiful Susan! Will you tie it in with the yellows in your new craft room? I bet the buffalo check curtains would look lovely with beadboard. By the way, I love your family room! I wish I could have your animal pictures and your doggie lamp. Have fun in your bathroom. PS – we would like to replace our toilets because they don’t flush as well as we would like. Someday…..

  16. Hi Susan! You are just too funny about those toilet seats!! I was laughing all the way through your story. I think you got an amazing deal on those two toilets! And I hope you are going to save that neat towel holder~~maybe you’ll want it someday 🙂 I’m watching the Yankees and the Orioles play right now and rooting for my dad’s favorite team. I just want to tell you this about the glass doors and tiles — I had the same doors on my son’s bathroom tub when we moved into this house. I wanted to replace them and had the shower door people come in. They removed the doors which had been screwed into the tile, and the tile started falling down! It resulted in a total replacement of the tile, as we found it had not been installed properly 20 years earlier. Most people seem to be able to replace shower doors with no problem and hopefully you will also be fine, but I just wanted to alert you to a potential issue. Can’t wait to see what you do! Linda

  17. I’m getting ready to up grade my bathroom. I’m going to use the beadboard wall paper. It’s paintable. I thought I would leave the bottom white, paint the top a color and add a chair rail molding.

  18. Ellen in Oregon says

    I had to laugh when I saw you featuring toilets today. I bought the same exact model last week for both of my bathrooms. I liked the sleek design because it makes it far easier to clean and seemed best to go simple for smaller bathrooms. I think the fact that yours is a bit further out from the wall is not noticable and , in case of a leak ( God forbid) at least there is room to access the plumbing at the wall. Mine is pushed back so tight to the wall I can barely reach the shut-off valve. Just like you,I was thrilled to find all the water saver rebates. I even found one for $50 from my water district. My the time I was done I saved over 60% on the whole deal. I am like you, I look at a bathroom more for function than beauty. I have been wanting to update a few things in the bathroom, but every time I make a wish list it seems that if you change one thing you need to replace almost everything else. At some point I will have the room gutted and redo everything at once. I also loved the idea of wainscotting & thought it would be the answer to my unevenly textured walls. I also love that cottage look in a small bath. I had a contractor take a look and he told me I would have to change the baseboards, flooring and that meant having to replace the vanity because of I did that the following year the flooring wouldn’t match. Forget it (for now anyway). I have seen a special type of wallpaper product that looks just like real beadboard and then molding is added to the top edge. For the small hall bath I think this might be the way to go for me. I have a dated solid oak vanity and I am going to revive it with a few coats of paint. I suspect that the color coding that was on the expensive baseball wallpaper may be an indication that the paper was screen printed in small production by hand. I have a friend who is an interior designer who has showed me this kind of paper in the past. Apprentently this hand printing process is experiencing a resurgence with those that can afford the upgrade. I love the wallpaper in the bath next to your familyroom. It is traditional & timesless so why change it if you still like it. Thanks for another great post.

    • Ellen, that was the word I was searching for…I think it was screen-printed by hand, which is why it costs so much! Thanks for remembering that for me…I was drawing a blank! I think I will try to keep the pheasant paper…I still love it! I have seen the beadboard wallpaper…so I know exactly what you mean. Thanks for all this good input! Sounds like you did very well with your upgrades, too!

  19. Trish Euler says

    Hi Susan,

    We love the same things. I absolutely ADORE beadboard wainscoting…..plus it’s very inexpensive. You can buy a sheet of 4 x 8 and have it cut to whatever height you wish and if you don’t go above 32″, you’ll get 12 linear feet out of one sheet. Talk about a bargain!!! I used it long ago in a kitchen in an old house where I was on a very strict budget and it came out great. I also used it again in a kitchen condo renovation and loved it. In the old house I used Country French wallpaper and in the condo I painted above the chair-rail. I’m voting for wallpaper in this bath. Just my humble opinion, but we really mimic each other in our tastes.

    Good luck!! Dying to see it.

    Trish

  20. Hi Susan,

    I think the toilets you chose are the one I was looking at for my master bath. My bath has a light blue Kohler toilet and matching sink in it right now–I absolutely hate them because of the color! Nothing says 1992 like light blue bathroom fixtures and carpet. Why couldn’t they have just put in white?
    Michelle

  21. I just left a LOOONG comment and it disappeared. OY! Good luck with the bathrooms, I can tell it is not soething you want to do! XO, Pinky

  22. Susan, Believe it or not, I bought the same toilet for my master bath. We were doing a small renovation in our main bathroom and I needed a new toilet. Well, it’s like a domino effect! We thought, well, with the plumber here we might as update all of our 3 toilets! Of course, I had to pay two as the main bathroom toilet was included in my renovation cost. I did buy a different style one for each of the other two bathrooms. I purchased the higher comfortable toilets and I do like them better. I left the seat covers since they automatically close. I know they are not the best but for now they will do!

  23. I have a green sink in my bathroom… I knew I wanted to change it the moment I saw it on my first visit! But it’s still there. I think I’m only going to change it when I’ll know what to do with the bathroom, when I have a “vision”!!! I would dare to give any advice, but surfing on the web for bathroom pictures until you have to stop on one because you love it so much… That’s when you’ll know what to do!

  24. Hi Susan,
    We miss you at the Southern Bloggers Conference. Maybe we’ll see you at the next Haven. A new toilet is always a good thing and it just feels right. Speaking of the necessary room. I’ve gotta go.

  25. Great post! I agree with you about spending tons on money on bath renovations….as long as money IS an object, I’d rather spend it where I spend most of my time. The wallpaper is awesome… bet it was the envy of his friends! BTW…I love the blue sink:)

  26. Good luck with the redo; look forward to seeing the “after”. I’m in the middle of redoing my youngest son’s bedroom and removed the college football border and began remembering the day we put it up after his bigger brother went off to college…I’m trying to get inspired to get “painting” and hope the sun comes out…always love to tackle things on a sunny day! His bathroom will be my next redo; and like you, I’m considering resurfacing the tub…a friend of mine did that and she had good results!

  27. Mary from Virginia says

    I agree with you about Bath remodels; just not that fun. I especially love the flooring in my master bathroom. I have noticed a come back of sorts with wallpapering bathrooms-I say YAY! I love wallpaper and have started searching for paper for my hallway bathroom. I had thought about the bead-board for my two bathrooms, but went with the tile half way up. It costs more, but in the long run I felt it would be a better choice as far as maintenance. I tried to select neutral tile, but you know what, everyone has their own taste and by the time we would really sell this house styles will have changed and someone will complain about the bathrooms. LOL I am in certain you will have a fabulous bathroom no matter what you select, you have great taste and style. Enjoy your new “potties”!

  28. Hi Susan-
    It is not the greatest picture but I posted one of our powder room that I did with the bottom half beadboard, top half paint and a rope-detailed crown. Pop on over if you’d like.

  29. Ann S Mindicino says

    i resurface not only bathtubs but entire bathroom tile in old apartments I manage. They come out looking like new. We use a local, Long Island, NY company called Superior Tub. Lovely family business. I bet Diane (the owner ) would describe the proper process for you, Susan. It’s incredibly inexpensive compared to your alternatives. The main thing is the after care. You have to use a product like soft scrub or you might as well not do it at all. Always surprised when I know about things that Susan and all her followers don’t know about!

  30. Hi Susan-
    I posted a picture of our powder room that I did half beadboard, half paint with rope detailed crown. Pop on over if you’d care to see.
    I know that what ever you decide to do will be fantastic like all else that you do.

  31. Elaine in Laguna says

    Hi, I don’t have a chance to comment very often, but I’m able to today. First off, I love the phrase, “necessary room” and I’m planning to add it to my So Cal vocabulary! I love bead board wainscoting and buffalo checks, so I’m casting my vote for that for your bathroom near the craft room. I did a mild refresh of my adult daughter’s bathroom (she’s flown the coop like your son) a few months ago. I replaced the shower doors, and replaced the towel bar to match the other hardware. I also put in a new faucet and light fixture. Next year, I’ll replace the counter when I replace my kitchen counter and the other bathroom’s counter. So all will be cohesive, which is my thing…Really glad you were able to bring the cost of your “necessary room” replacements with rebates and specials. I look forward to reading your future posts about this project!

    • Elaine, I love that term too. My sister has a cross stitch piece in her bathroom that has that on it. Google and you can read more about it. Thanks for sharing your ideas! Appreciate those! Sounds like you made some great headway with your renovation!

  32. I was just stopping by to tell you I love your blog so much that I added you to my blog roll when low and behold, what do my eyes see – toilets, loos, water closets, potties and johns! LOL!

    I’m with Mary & the others, I’m sure whatever you decide to do with your bathroom it will be absolutely fabulous!

  33. My bathroom project was completed a couple of weeks ago. I went with the beadboard and a big ole pedastal sink, and laminate tile. HUGE improvement ~ since I’m putting the house up for sale I won’t be able to enjoy it for long, but the next family to live here will enjoy it.
    The project was not as expensive as I’d thought, thank goodness.

  34. We just put that very same toilet in our bathroom. I love the way it flushes! And the price was right.~Ames

  35. While we are on the throne of delicate subjects, does your bathroom fan suck? Our bathroom fan use to twirl and make appropriate noises, but when I held tissue next to the fan, the tissue remained in my hand. Another one of those unsung projects that are far from cute and very close to essential.

    • HA, JoAnne, you are too funny. My fans sound like they work okay but I’ve never done the tissue test. They do help a lot with the humidity in the room when someone takes a shower, so that may be an indication that they are working. If you don’t run them, you can’t see in the mirrors after a shower.

  36. Cyndy's Beach House says

    Now I normally refrain from responding on blogs however…as I read thru ur post and visualised the new office you pulled together breadboard is the fist thing I thought of
    1. Bead board walls
    2. Timeless subway tile for tub, hip new shower curtain
    3. Pottery Barn white cabinet with marble top
    Wa-la and it combines ur office and the contemporary look. With ur creativity incorporate the staging elements

  37. I love your guest bathroom, Susan! And you’ve inspired me to get to Lowe’s (or H.D.) and have them install a new toilet in my powder room, which is in desperate need of replacement.

    • Haworth, now that these have been in the house about a week, I can say they are great. At first I was not too thrilled at how shallow the water was in the bowl…seemed like poor design. Then I got smart, lifted the lid on the back and realized by turning a little thingy in there that has arrows on it, I could adjust the water level. That made a huge difference and I’m very happy with them, now. The installer just left the adjustment too low for them to work properly. So I do highly recommend the Kohler Highland Classic. It’s refill quickly and is pretty quiet. I’m sort of wishing I had gone ahead and done my bath now, instead of waiting.

  38. So Funny we just remodeled two bathrooms and installed that same toilet. And just changed out the toilet in hubbys bathroom. From the get go I required my hubby to go back to the store and purchase an “upgraded” seat as the one it came with was seriously a cheapo– which is odd because the toilet itself is very nice!

  39. I love the baseball wallpaper sad to see it go. I work in kitchen and bath at the Home Depot. When measuring for a toilet measure from the center of the bolts on the base to the back wall. This will give you the “rough in” measurement. Most toilets come in 10 , 12 , 14, or 16 inch rough in. Standard is 12. If you install a 12 and your measurement is 14 inches you will have a 2 inch space between the wall and the toilet. Most new toilets are “comfort height” 2 inches taller than the older style. This makes it easier to get up and down especially for the taller folks. We have 5 toilets 3 of them are Kohler. Not only do they work better they have a better finish and clean easier. You made a good choice Susan . We do not have any rebates from our water company , lucky you. Thanks for shopping at The Home Depot.

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