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After 2 years of renovating we have finally finished our DIY Bathroom rebuild. We had one bathroom in the original Queenslander which you could access from the kitchen, hallway and not one but 2 doors from one of the bedrooms. We ended up knocking through the bathroom wall to create a hallway into the extension where we added the new bathroom. The original house is a Queenslander that was built around 1915 so we wanted to create new, more modern family bathroom but still tie in the features of the original house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihDV7sDBTdI
Bathroom Design
The extension added to the original house included the kids bedrooms, their bathroom and our walk-in wardrobe. As the three kids will be sharing and growing with this bathroom I wanted to design a space that felt open and gave them the storage they needed.
We are so delighted to have one room finished, we have just started on the kitchen so will keep you posted.
Shower Niche
The room itself is generous in size and as it was quite a long room, so rather than build the shower niche in the wall, we decided to build out the shower wall to create a full-width shower shelf.
This would allow plenty of room for products and I love how it gives the illusion that the room is wider than it actually is. I had already chosen the shower tile so measured the height of two full tiles as the height of the niche. We designed it as a niche rather than a shelf to allow us to add spotlights.
TIP: Lighting is one of the most important elements of great design so prioritise this in the planning stage as once the walls are closed and tiled you lose that opportunity.
Lighting
- We used LED recessed lights in the shower and the bathroom, we zoned them so one can be on without the other and they create an even glow in the room.
- Instead over the mirror lights we opted for a wall light to create a glow at eye level
- We added shower niche lighting which is wonderful to leave on at night as it creates a glow but also highlights one of my favourite features in the bathroom. We also wired for under-cabinet lights however opted not to install them at this time.
TIP: think of and wire for any lights you may want now or in the future, you can always cap them off if you don’t need them at this time but to rewire later could be very costly.
Walls and Ceiling
The original house is a Queenslander and although this bathroom is in the new extension we want it to flow seamlessly from old to new, for that reason we decided to add VJ’s on the walls and ceilings. We opted for cement board, not sure if you need cement board for non-wet areas but we still went with it. We have completed most of this bathroom ourselves and I would have to say this was the hardest job we did due to the weight and height of the ceilings. We did use a hoist and without this I’m not sure it would have been possible as I found these to be extremely heavy, especially when holding them over your head. The first hurdle was bringing all of the sheets upstairs and the second was getting them installed!
TIP: When installing VJ’s on both the ceiling and the floor line up the VJ’s so there’s a consistent line running from one wall across the ceiling and over onto the other wall. Most people wont notice this details but I find it noticeable when they don’t line up as it draws the eye.
Tiles
I love to design with a neutral base, who wants to be ripping out tiles in a few years when the trends change, but as this is our kids bathroom I wanted to add some personality with these fun patterned tile on the floor but stuck to a neutral colour on the walls. We added herringbone around the shower walls and kept the tiles in the niche linear to tie in with the VJ’s.
Vanity
We upcycled a cabinet into a vanity and added stone counter we found on marketplace and paired with over the counter sinks.
Decor
I found some fun prints and let the kids pick one each and had some hooks I bought years ago that we added under each print for their towels.
Fret work
One of the beautiful features of our original house is the fretwork over the doors, and I love this architectural detail, Derek made the new door frames using a template of the old fret work, we are yet to install this.
Happy DIYing
Claire
I love how you've combined the materials in your bathroom renovation. The EasycraftVJ panels along with herringbone pattern of tiles blends very well together. The light grey tiles with a hint of a Moroccan pattern that provides a nice contrast. The LED lighting is of course a nice modern touch.
An excellent interpretation of a modern family bathroom that still blends in with the character of the house.
Thank you so much for sharing such an amazing bathroom renovation.
Eric
