The Bathroom Diaries: Week 13
The final instalment!
Twenty weeks after starting the extension (thirteen weeks of actual work happening) our bathroom is finally complete (minus a few finishing touches).
Whilst this project has been incredibly challenging; especially during the actual build itself, where we spent endless weeks living and breathing the renovation (and dust), often wondering if we’d lost the art of having any form of conversation that didn’t centre around the extension, now seeing the end results I couldn’t be happier with what we’ve created.
It’s amazing to see my vision, which started as a 3D Floorplanner design I created back in August 2022, come to life.
I am immensely proud of what we’ve achieved, and the final space is everything I imagined it would be (and a whole lot more).
This has undoubtedly been my biggest project to date, filled with arguments, tears and sleepless nights. Although it’s a project for our own home, I approached it with the same dedication, attention to detail, and planning that I would for any client, and the end results speak for themselves.
Beyond the creative design, I really enjoyed project managing this venture. Overseeing everything from discussions with the planning department, to collaborating with builders, negotiating costs and perfecting those all-important finishing touches. This experience has definitely inspired me to consider adding project management to the services I offer.
Here we are with the final instalment of this mini-series.
If you’ve missed any instalments from The Bathroom Diaries you can catch up here.
Monday 17th February
I was delighted to hear the tap on the door first thing this morning with the arrival of our bathroom fitter. The not-so-good news, was that he’d woken up with severe back pain, which meant no tiles would be going up today.
However, we did manage to mount the vanity unit on the wall.
And the rest of the flooring has been laid, making the bathroom feel even more spacious!
Tuesday 18th February
The day I’ve been eagerly awaiting finally arrived….tile day!
After waiting since Christmas for the outstanding tile delivery, today was the day we were finally going to complete all the tiling.
Between the bathroom fitter and the other half, they did an incredible job with getting all the tiles up.
My biggest concern was avoiding any breakages, since the tiles are from Italy, and a single breakage would have meant a further 4-6 week delay. I may have completely broken down if we had to wait any longer to finish the bathroom.
Thankfully, all went smoothly, even when placing the final tile in position, which was a squeaky bum moment for the fitter.
The last tile had to be slotted in like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle and cut to fit under a beam, making it more fragile than a whole tile.
They even managed to tile behind the vanity unit for the splash back!
Wednesday 19th February
Today was another highly productive day!
Apart from the radiator, we now have a fully functional bathroom.
The first part of the morning was spent grouting all the tiles.
Seeing everything now grouted has completely transformed the walls, giving them a polished and finished look.
Next, the toilet was hung on the wall, although there was a minor issue with the waste pipe provided by the manufacturer, which didn’t connect perfectly, causing a small leak.
While working in the office, I suddenly lost my internet connection. Initially, I didn't think much of it, as internet dropouts aren’t uncommon. How is it that in 2025, an unstable internet connection is still a thing?
However, after trying the usual turn-it-on-and-off trick with no success, I realised there was no power.
Baffled as to why the power was off, I sought to find out what was going on.
It turned out the power cut was caused by water dripping through the downstairs cloakroom ceiling and down the wall.
When the toilet was flushed for testing, water had seeped through the waste pipe connection, dripping right where the spotlight was positioned, which caused the power to trip.
We knew there could be some drama with potential leaks today, as that’s always a risk when working with water. You can never be certain that all the connections are aligned perfectly until you let the water flow, and unfortunately for us this was the case.
The culprit this time was the waste pipe supplied by the manufacturer, which hadn’t connected smoothly.
After mopping up, replacing the downstairs toilet light fitting and a quick trip to the local plumbing suppliers for a new flexi-waste, the problem was soon resolved.
With that sorted, it was full-steam ahead with fitting the shower screens, installing the shower and sealing everything with silicon.
I can’t wait to finally be able to enjoy a shower again; just 24 more hours to go!
The last task for the day was plumbing in the vanity unit and fitting the tap.
We kept a close eye out for any leaks, and did notice a very small puddle of water later that evening. A quick call in to the bathroom fitter and it was soon resolved.
Fingers crossed for no more leakages!
Thursday 20th February
Nine weeks to the day from ripping out the old bathroom suite, I was able to enjoy my first shower in the newly renovated space.
Friday 21st February
This morning our bathroom fitter made a quick visit to install the radiator.
However, we had another unexpected water drama!
Unbeknownst to anyone, the valves on the top of the radiator had been left open. The moment the water was turned on, we had our very own water fountain display. You couldn’t make it up!
A couple of towels to the rescue, and as they say, that’s a wrap!
If you’ve enjoyed reading this mini-series, why not consider sharing your appreciation by Buying Me (or the other half) a Coffee. ☕️
I’ve purposely decided not to share too many “finished” photos of the bathroom just yet, as I plan to share a post in a few weeks which will showcase all the finishing touches.
Today’s post was to share the final instalment of our renovation journey, with a little teaser of the end result.
I’m expecting some very beautiful deliveries this week, alongside products which have patiently been sitting in my office, for some time waiting to be unpacked and placed in their new home.
So, you’re going to have to wait just a little bit longer to see the bathroom in its entirety.
And finally, I have my office back to normal, it no longer resembles a Lusso Stone storage room and normality is beginning to resume in the house.
I do hope you’ve enjoyed following our renovation journey.
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The Bathroom Diaries is an additional weekly post every Sunday, sharing the progress of our first-ever renovation journey, documenting the creation of my dream bathroom.
If you missed any of the The Bathroom Diaries series you can catch up here:
Wow! What a journey Sonya! It looks awesome, can’t wait to see your end result post! 🤎
Sonya that’s fabulous! I love the tiles above the sink.