Historic Home Remodeling: Our Craftsman Bathroom
Published On: February 28, 2016 Posted by: Jeremy Peterson
Our home was built in 1908 and is a fantastic example of Arts & Crafts era architecture. The Arts & Crafts design movement, also known as Craftsman, began as a counter-culture movement against the gaudy mass-produced opulence of Victorian Era design. Rather than over-the-top finials, curves, and infinite minute details, the Arts & Crafts architects designed homes that were square, simple, and geometric. The genre also favored a recognition of nature.
When our home was built, it came with only one full bathroom and a weird sink placed in a dormer nook upstairs. We removed the sink a while ago since the plumbing had failed and it had been decommissioned. However, we thought that the nook might be able to be enhanced into a bathroom.
We began demolition in December. Since our home is one had a half story, we have significant attic space in our north and south walls. We figured we might be able to use some of this under-utilized space.
The first order of business was to remove lathe and plaster and begin to expose the space we wanted to expand into. Its a dirty job.
I discovered very quickly that my own efforts were quite inferior to the pros. I summoned a contractor to come and help finish the demolition in a way that would accommodate our project.
Some professional direction made much quicker work of the demolition as we prepared for construction.
Installation of the plumbing meant we had to pull down the ceiling and part of the wall in our master bedroom. Our sleeping arrangements during this process have been less than glamorous.
We also removed the douglas fir flooring to use in other parts of the home. This made way for the mosaic tile which was to go down in the bathroom.
Once the bones were put in place, it was time to put some flesh on them.
We framed in the wall with a pocket door and milled casings to match the existing ones throughout the rest of our home. We wanted to keep the historic integrity of the finishes in the house.
I had the baseboards milled to match the originals and painted them in a Craftsman White color. Bead board and a chair rail finished the walls.
We used 3 by 6 subway tiles to surround the shower. The tile contractor that did this work did it in the old methods. The entire room was floated out 1/4″ with concrete and metal mesh. He squared up the surfaces to provide a nearly perfect place to set the tiles.
We found an antique vanity in Idaho and brought it home with us with this project in mind. We cut out a hole for the sink, stained the top, and painted the body.
The mosaic tiles on the floor are styled like those used around the turn of the century. We used a silver grout.
BEFORE AND AFTER
Of course, no project presentation would be complete without some before and after photos to add some sizzle to the story.
I hope you enjoyed these photos. It has been a labor of love for us to add this beautiful bathroom to our home.
