Bathroom Vanity/Sink Options

When planning the wall of sliding doors for the basement, we knew that we wanted to be able to access both the washer and dryer at the same time; in order to make this happen, we had to add another 3-4 inches onto the span of the sliding doors. In doing so, we reduced the size of the bathroom by this same amount. Accordingly, as it stands right now, a standard vanity (22" deep) would be 24" from the front of the toilet and 20" from the end of the tub. This is acceptable, but makes the space kind of tight and uncomfortable, so we started looking for a vanity that does not take up as much space.

In order to accomplish this, we need to find a vanity that is not very deep (16-19") and/or that takes up less space than a cabinet style vanity (i.e. pedestal sink). To throw another wrench into this decision, we plan to have some built-in linen storage in this bathroom, so that needs to coordinate with everything.

Option 1: Our favourite look right now is the Retrospect Console Table from American Standard. It would definitely meet our aesthetic and space requirements, and would match multiple wall cabinet options, but it needs to be custom ordered and is a little bit outside our budget ($700ish, plus the matching toilet is pricey).

Option 2: We also like the look of this pedestal sink. This would cost about half the price (or less) of the above console table. I know pedestal sinks aren't typically used in a three piece bathroom, but the added built-in storage should make up for the lack of cabinetry, so maybe that is not a big deal?

Option 3: Another option we are looking at is modifying a kitchen cabinet from Ikea (maybe the Adel?) to fit one of their smaller sinks such as the Odensvik. This type of cabinet option would not seem as spacious as the above options, but has a good depth of 18.75" and could obviously coordinate well with matching wall cabinets.

Option 4: This is probably unlikely, but we are actually considering using the sink that was in the upstairs bathroom when we bought the house. It has been sitting in our garage for 2.5 years (didn't have the heart to throw it out) and is in great shape, but we would probably need to spend about $300 to re-finish the sink and re-plate the legs. The question here is whether or not it suits the style that we are going for (probably not).

Tub Installed

I could not procrastinate installing the tub any longer, so Meredith's Dad helped me install it last night. I had planned to take photos of the process, but sometimes getting the job done is just more important. The instructions provided by Rona and the tub manufacturer were basically useless, so this was the process we followed:

• Framed walls on all three sides for a very tight fit (only 1/8" or so of extra space).
• Inserted tub to make sure it fit the space, then removed it.
• Installed 1x3 pieces of strapping horizontally to support underneath the edge of the tub where it touches each wall.
• Inserted tub to make sure it hung at the right height when supported by the 1x3 (in our case we tried to have the tub level with the apron 1/4" off the ground), then removed it.
• Mixed three bags of mortar and spread a large bed of mortar underneath the tub at the approximate height so that the tub would rest on it.
• Inserted the tub to see if it was the right height.
• Removed the tub, removed or adjusted some of the mortar, and then reinserted the tub until the tub was at the right height (did this 3-4 times).
• Once the tub was at the right height (i.e. most of weight on the mortar, but edges supported by 1x3), stepped in the tub to push it down onto the mortar.

Time for framing and then more plumbing. Yippee!

Moving the Tub into the Basement

My brother came over to help with the house last weekend, so we went to Rona to pick up the bathtub for the basement. Julian had previously helped me move the clawfoot tub upstairs, so I could tell he wasn't looking forward to that task, but he soon learned that acrylic tubs are not nearly as heavy as their cast iron counterparts. The tub we selected is kind of big (8" wider than a standard tub), so I knew that moving it into the basement would be tricky. It did not fit into the side door, so we had to move the fridge out of the way and carry it down the empty abyss where we once had basement stairs. Kudos to our kitchen designers who suggested having the fridge space accessible like this for moving things into the basement. Not-so-kudos to us for not having cleaned under our fridge in two years.



The tub is now sitting in the basement patiently waiting to be installed.