MY BIG BEAR LAKE COTTAGE RENOVATION – PART 6

Hi friends,

I realized it has been ages since I last gave you an update on my Big Bear Lake Cottage renovation so today I’m doing just that.  Last time I showed you my cottage, affectionately called The Bird’s Nest…

we had just finished selecting paint colors.

This is the result.

At the same time work continued inside.  Next on the agenda was the bathroom renovation.

So, today, I thought I’d show you the Bathroom Before & After.  Let’s start with the very ugly before.  

• Plastic insert shower with the ceiling falling off
• Very narrow, closed in shower opening
• Horrible vinyl flooring

• Cheap plumbing fixtures from the dark ages

• A ghastly pedestal sink
• A horrible light fixture

•  And a dated, ugly toilet

In an effort to keep my renovations both attractive and affordable, I selected an inexpensive tumbled Travertine tile called Toscano by Jeffrey Court that is carried by Home Depot here.   It complimented my color scheme beautifully, was the “rustic luxe” look I was going for, and it was affordable.

In the demolition process we opened up the shower entry, making a wider opening.  Then my tile setter Greg got started by first waterproofing…

and then floating the shower stall.

It was exciting to see the work progress and my vision gradually become a reality. Because I decided to lay the tile on the diagonal, it was a slow installation process with a lot of tile cutting.  But, it was worth it in the end.

And because this is a mountain cottage I decided to go with a Crema River Rock Mosaic Floor Tile that was in keeping with the rustic setting and decor.  It also came from Home Depot here. It looks great but it’s also practical because it provides traction to avoid slipping on the wet surface.

The final addition to the shower was this Serenity Plus Shower with a rain shower head, handheld sprayer and 8 body jets.  Because we didn’t have room for a jetted tub, this was the next best thing.  It is wonderful to enjoy a jetted hot shower on a cold evening apre ski.

The next thing I had to address was the sink.  Since the bathroom was very narrow I decided to manufacture a custom, hand-forged, wrought iron sink base.

I design and manufacture hand forged wrought iron.  My company is called, The Hill Ironworks.

This custom iron base fit my small space perfectly.

I added a custom wrought iron mirror that I designed and manufactured for the space as well.

The beautiful ceramic vessel sink is from Kräus and I only paid $99.00 for it on FaucetDirect.com.  The wall mounted faucet with tons of character is actually intended for laundry sinks but I love it here.  It is from Kohler and is called the Connock Wash Sink Faucet.  I also purchased it at Faucet Direct for only $157.00.

The flooring started to go in…

and I manufactured a custom wrought iron toilet paper/magazine rack…

to go along with an attractive new toilet made by Toto. Toto is known for their quality and efficiency, and since this is a vacation rental home I needed reliable plumbing.  A new exhaust fan and recessed lighting was installed in the ceiling.

I even made custom wrought iron Tissue Paper Holders and matching Waste Cans for the cottage.

At some point in the near future these items will be available for sale in my upcoming Etsy Store.

But my favorite addition to the bathroom was this sweet little painting of a bird, painted by my friend Maureen.

So, here’s another look of the Before & After:

Before…

After.

Before & after.

It is now a lovely, functional bathroom that I can be proud of.

Stay tuned for more of my Big Bear Lake Cottage Renovation.  I’ll be showing you my beautiful new kitchen next.

So there you have it: My Big Bear Lake Cottage Renovation – Part 6

The Bird’s nest is available as a vacation rental.  Visit the listing on www.VRBO.com/452020.

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