Living February 17, 2016

Keeping up with the Joneses: How Much Does it Cost to Update a Bathroom? (Part 2)

Remember that cutesy little budget we posted late last week?  There are a few things we naïvely left off that list… and I’d try to list them all but that would require getting up off the couch and digging out the 1,634 receipts from Home Depot that are currently floating around my diaper bag (along with an old banana and a jar of spackle. I'm not kidding.)

So in addition to buying all of that stuff we talked about last time, you’ll also need:

 

 

 

 

 

  • Backerboad seam tape: I knew we needed backerboard but seam tape?? Backerboard is a cement-ish board that you screw into the floor and shower walls.  You also will need this metal tape stuff (backerboard seam tape) to lay between the seams to keep the boards together.  Also, repeatedly drilling into a cement board may make your significant other scream obscenities. $5
  • Ceramic tile caulk and caulk gun: It’s important to get a good seal the seams around the tub and tile on the ground and in the shower before you lay your tile. We had an old caulk gun at the condo but #impatient $18
  • Tile adhesive (PRE-MIXED): That last bit is in caps for a reason, party people.  Turns out the $5 you spend on “mix it up yourself” adhesive will leave you alone at 9:52pm with a bucket full of gritty goop that will turn into cement and ruin your bucket. $52
  • Replacement bucket: $3

My wise and reno-experienced mother-in-law once said “Whatever you think you’ll spend on a home project, double it.  And whatever time you think it’ll take to complete… triple it.” We’re 6 days into our renovation and we should have moved in yesterday but had to push it out a week sooooooo totes on track! But hey, we’re still having a ton of fun despite the obscenities.

Next, we tile!

 

Tyler Davis Jones is a Windermere Real Estate agent in Seattle who, with his wife Jenn, recently traded in their in-city condo for a 1940s fixer-upper. Tyler and Jenn, along with the help of some very generous friends and family members, are taking on all the renovations themselves. You can follow the transformation process on the Windermere Blog or on Tyler’s website and Instagram

Next week on the blog: The Harsh Realities of Renovation