Bath Remodel & Ideas Needed - Noob Alert

Fittest

Hi there, sorry for the long-winded intro. Skip to the pics if you don't want to read.

I'm glad that I found this forum since it looks to be one of the most popular and populated sites out there.

I hail from Southern California and was fortunate enough to purchase my first home last year. My 3 major renovations will be the bathroom, kitchen and backyard. The house itself is a cozy, 1100 sq. ft. home but the lot is a good size at 7,000 sq. ft. So yes, I have a large backyard complete with a 100 ft. ash tree.

Though I plan to hire professionals when the job gets too much, I am intrigued by the idea of using my own blood, sweat and tears to fix up my first home.

WARNING: I have ZERO experience with home renovations of any kind but have basic tool skills (ie I can use a hammer, know what a Phillips is & have replaced the "plastic thingies" behind a broken toilet bowl). One thing I am proud of when we moved in is that the previous owner left a wall mounted, wooden TV stand in the bedroom corner. I tore out the 16 long nails or so, thereby ripping part of the wall in the process. I was able to patch up the wall and paint over it making look brand new. I DO have a fairly high IQ and can follow instructions, but I'm afraid ingenuity, creativity and playing McGuyver are challenges for me.

So, I've decided to try out the bathroom first, primarily because it is the smallest area. From my research, I've learned that the first thing to consider is design, form and function. Hence I am here to gather advice for every step of the way.

First, the specs. It is a typical, rectangular bathroom that is in the "small" range.

LENGTH: 8.75 feet
WIDTH: 5 feet
CURRENT AMENITIES: Single vanity with bottom storage, medicine cabinet, toilet, bathtub, shower, old tile floor.
WANTS: New tile floor, new vanity with storage, updated medicine cabinet, updated mirror, updated lighting, stand up tile shower, frameless shower door, bath fan.

CURRENT LAYOUT (please excuse the Microsoft Paint--NOT to scale):


VIEW FROM HALLWAY ENTRANCE:


WINDOW ABOVE EXISTING TUB - thinking of nice glass design:


SINK & VANITY:


VIEW FROM SIDE DOOR/MASTER BEDROOM:



LIGHTING:


SPACE BETWEEN CURRENT VANITY & TOILET:


SPACE BETWEEN TOILET & CURRENT TUB:


VIEW FROM TUB TO MAIN DOOR:


AN INSPIRATIONAL PICTURE OF ROUGHLY WHAT I WANT:


Wow, sorry for all the pics and info. What do you think? Here are some initial questions that come to mind.

1. This is the only full bath for the house. Will getting rid of the bathtub for a stand up shower devalue my house significantly?
2. Is it impractical to have a frameless, shower door? I am also concerned about drainage since the opening would be next to the Master Bedroom and the side door. I'd have to put a raised step to contain the water ala the last pic.
3. Do I need to tear everything out to do the flooring first or is it possible to do everything first and then upgrade the floor later?
4. Since this is the only place for a shower, I was thinking of tearing out the existing tub and shower, then doing the tiled, stand up shower first so that the GF and I don't have to use the hose too many times.

Any thoughts, comments, design ideas, criticism are welcome and appreciated.

Blondesense

OK, I'll get the ball rolling.
This may not be the best logic. Although the bath may have the smallest square footage, when you start looking at plumbing, electrical, vents etc., it is one of the most complicated and challenging.

If it is a small house likely to sell to an individual or couple you might be OK. OTOH if you expect to sell to a family, not having a tub will very likely be an issue at resale. A Realtor familiar with your area would be the best person to answer this question.

There are several ways to successfully build a shower. Most involve a curb. You want to do a lot of research on your options and how to build a shower correctly. Hint: Tile and grout do NOT make it waterproof!

Try the search button here. There are several threads on this subject.

If you are planning on keeping the shower the same dimensions as the tub you might check into a shower receptor. They make them to fit the same "footprint" as a tub. Using one of these and tiling the walls would be one of your options. Tiling shower walls is labor intensive. Building a shower with pan from the drain up and then tiling it is even more so. While tile is definitely and upgrade on a prefab shower, a prefab will be quicker.

How much thought have you given to budget? Have you priced some of your "wants" such as the frameless shower door and vessel sink? A bathroom is one of the most expensive rooms in a home to remodel.
It sounds like you are planning on keeping everything in its current place. This is a good idea if you are satisfied with the current layout because once you start moving plumbing and electrical the difficulty and cost increase dramatically.

And the last comment, which should really be the first: Research permits.

Good luck!