The Major Mistake I Made in My Master Bathroom

Lately, the team and I have been working on bathroom renovations so I’ve been helping homeowners with design decisions. And that got me to thinking about the major mistake I made in my own master bathroom. Any guesses what that could be?

The wall tile. Yep, the most prominent feature in the room.

The Back Story

When I started renovating My 1914 Bungalow, I had a very gracious neighbor allow me and my two dogs to move into her house in the neighborhood. She was living elsewhere so I was sort of housesitting and her kind gesture allowed me to live close to the renovation. So while I didn’t have to live through the renovation, we were still moving at a very fast pace to get me in the house as soon as possible so I wouldn’t overstay my welcome.

When it was almost time to have the plumbers return to finish setting the fixtures, I was still working on tiling my master bathroom. The mosaic floor tile was already installed so all I had left to do were the walls. Oh, I forgot to mention I was installing the tile myself.

Originally I purchased white 4″ x 12″ subway tiles so it should have been a pretty simple installation. Long story short, the installation didn’t go well, I panicked, and off to Home Depot I went.

I vividly remember Daddy going with me and us loading up these large gray 12″ x 24″ tiles. I just grabbed what they had in stock with enough for my entire shower, even though I didn’t love them. Honestly, I didn’t even like them. A piece of advice: Never do this.

It was an impulse buy because I was in a rush.

How Plumbers Typically Charge

The reason behind the rushed decision is that I was working with new plumbers. Typically speaking a plumber will give you a quote for the entire job based on how many fixtures they are installing. They will come and do what’s called the rough-in which is all of the water and drain lines within the walls and floors. Once that’s completed they will invoice you for the rough-in, typically 70% of the bill, and wait to hear back from you.

In the meantime, it’s up to you or your contractors to get things completed like drywall, tile, and trim. Once you’re ready, they’ll come back and set the fixtures. The goal is to come back once to set everything.

The Rush to Get in My House

At this point I had already broken protocol by asking them to set the guest bathroom so I could move in by December. Fast forward to February and I had scheduled them to come back and set the kitchen and master bathroom to finish up.

I knew if I didn’t have the shower wall tile installed I would be charged extra again for one more trip just to set the shower fixture. Living through a renovation makes your mind do crazy things in terms of thinking rationally. Nowadays, I would gladly pay the extra fee.

The Problem & The Solution

The tile itself isn’t bad and in fact, I get compliments on it all the time. It’s pretty in a modern kind of way. The thing is, I’m not really into modern styles. I learn more towards vintage for permanent design details like tile so while it’s pretty, it’s just not me.

On my one day to-do project list is to replace the gray wall tile with a combination of white subway and square tiles. I’m not 100% sure on the pattern just yet but am likely to extend it around the entire room as well as a wainscoting. But for now, the modern gray tile will do.

The Moral of the Story of My Master Bathroom Renovation

To wrap up this long story, my advice is this. Be sure of what you like even if it causes a slight delay in your renovation timeline. Plan well, but if you find yourself in a similar situation, don’t settle for something you know deep down you won’t like. If you do, you’ll likely look at that room or design detail every single day and think, why did I make such a rushed decision? And we all deserve to love the spaces we live in.

SHOP MY MASTER BATHROOM
Teak Shower Bench
White Mosaic Hex Floor Tile
Gray 12″ x 24″ Wall Tile
Extra Long Ruffled Shower Curtain
Vanity Faucet
Shower Faucet
Similar 36″ Vanity