Windows, Tubs, and Doors : Remodeling Progress
People always say that if you want your dreams to come true, you have to get out there and make them happen.
So that’s what I did.

I’ve dreamed of having a bathtub since the day I went to college and realized showers were the only option. Well technically one dorm I lived in had bathtubs but… eww.
This loft we’re building in the back of the airplane hangar might be small, but so what. I’d like to have a bathtub. If it means I’m installing one myself, so be it!
First I decided to mark where to put the window. The future bathroom already has a window. However, the slope of the roofline makes that window impossible to keep. (We need the shower in the tallest corner of the room, not a window.) That window will eventually be sealed.
Our new window will go above the future bathtub.
The steel beams that run along the length of the hangar pre-determine the height of my window. (I’m actually using a window identical to the one in the bedroom, which gives everything a nice, balanced feel, especially from the exterior.)
Here’s what I’m envisioning:

And when I say “I’m envisioning this,” all I’m really thinking about is the cold and snow outside and the wonderful warm water inside. That marble and expensive tub are not in our budget. If they were, I’m not sure if we’d want them. In fact, we’re not sure what we’d want AT ALL.
Martin and I haven’t really thought about decor. We’re taking things one step at a time. One window at a time. One copper elbow (a basic pipe fitting) at a time. It keeps us grounded.
When you don’t get specific in your dreams early on, it makes you more tuned in to opportunity when it’s knocking. That’s how we managed to snatch these doors (there’s one stacked in front of another):

As Martin was loading the windows onto the trailer a few weeks ago, the owner of the little glass shop came out. They got to chatting. Turns out those doors were ordered by someone with a whole lot more remodeling cash than us. Then that person changed his mind.
So you know us! We’re nowhere near ready for doors. But we got ‘em! We think they’ll be awesome for the bedroom. The glass will need to be bead-blasted or get some lacy vinyl decals. That’s research for another day.

Right now? We’re installing a bathroom window.
What about you? Do you have a bathtub? Love it? Secretly crave one? As long as we’re dreaming: would you take the fancy one above?








November 26th, 2011 at 9:02 am
OH what I would do for a deep soaker bathtub. I had one in my previous home- and I miss it so so much.
November 26th, 2011 at 10:54 am
Even though we have a tub, I pine for one that is a little more comfortable. Our home was built in the 70s and the part of the tub where one would recline is straight up and down…no angle in it whatsoever, so if you try to kick back in the tub, you end up getting a kink in your neck. I would love to do a bathroom remodel and get a new one, but the practical side of me has a hard time justifying it…but it really doesn’t do too much good to have a tub that is uncomfortable to kick back in. Keep that in mind when you’re shopping around! Just my 2 cents! :)
November 26th, 2011 at 11:06 am
Our house is all but a hundred years old. We have an old claw foot tub in the bathroom and I love it. It is cast iron and when you draw a bath the warm water heats the tub up, so when I bathe the kids I slide my feet in under the tub and enjoy the cozy warmth the tub radiates.
Speaking of an old tub, have you considered used building materials? I know in our area we have a couple of stores (including one run by Habitat for Humanity) that sell used building supplies. They often have really great pieces at low prices. It is a great way to get some older character in a home and saving money at the same time.
November 26th, 2011 at 11:16 am
Thanks for the tips, ladies!
Mother of Pearl, we do not have a used building store within several hundred miles of us as far as I can figure out. We are repurposing a lot of what we have and buying old steel from a guy who was “collecting” it in his back yard for years and years. Our eyes are always open!
Katie
November 26th, 2011 at 11:17 am
No bathtub for me. I’m a shower girl. I do like your dream bathroom, however. If it were mine, instead of the tub, I’d have a bigger shower and maybe a bench by the window for putting my towel and whatever else I’d need handy. The big windows are dreamy.
November 26th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Oh, how I craved a bath this fall. When I had surgery to remove a cancerous uterus I was told I couldn’t take a bath for 10 weeks. But, after that 10 weeks did the bath feel good! We have an old claw-foot tub my husband wants to put in when he redoes the bathroom. Sometimes there just isn’t anything like a relaxing bath.
November 26th, 2011 at 6:29 pm
What is beadblasting? I ask because I hate our front door – it has a window in it that lets in lovely light but also allows people to ring the doorbell and then peer straight into the living room. We’d planned on saving upp for a new door with windows at the top. We would then sell our door on Craigslist or donate it to the Habitat store. However, if we could just fix it……. Oh, and I love the idea of your windows!
November 26th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
Jessica,
You know frosted or etched glass? You use a bead blaster to do that. As luck would have it, it’s also a common tool at airports!
I would call your local glass place to ask them about options for your window. There are all sorts. And in the very least, don’t replace the whole door if you can just replace/alter the glass situation and would rather do that!
Katie
November 26th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
I miss having a jacquzzi tub. I’m much older than you so just believe when I say, it’s a nice place to hide
in and call your own space where no one can reach you for 30 minutes…I would let dad handle the kids while I soaked and rejunvenated.
November 26th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Wow! You are making amazing progress – you should be so proud!!!
November 27th, 2011 at 11:35 am
I love to watch your progress and see your dreams. I’ve always thought a nice window in the bathroom would be so nice. I saw one at a home show that would somehow fog when a switch flipped. That way you get the view until you want to take a shower, then it somehow magically went opaque. Even a skylight would be nice in my bathroom, but because of the TALL attic, I doubt I could even have a skylight. Both located in the interior of the house, there are no windows.
here’s a link to what I am talking about.
http://www.ltisg.com/ltiprivacy.php
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/green/smart-window.htm
~a
November 27th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
I would love the tub!
November 27th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Annie, I know what you can use!!
Your bathroom is the perfect candidate for a solar tube. They work really well in spaces with tall attics and no windows. Here’s a picture of one:
http://inhabitat.com/solar-tube/
xox
Katie
November 27th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
Oh! And those “fog lights”? Interesting….!
November 28th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
relaxing in a warm bath tub while thinking of the beautiful snow scene outside is wonderful!
November 28th, 2011 at 8:31 pm
The doors are beautiful and another thought is to put up tension rods top and bottom then a nice piece of material hemmed top and bottom onto the rods scrunched up to make a curtain on the door. We have glass french doors on a guest room that we did that with. Plenty of privacy with the curtain and also very attractive.
November 29th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
I love the inspiration picture! And I totally feel you on “when I say envisioning I mean….”
We’re redoing our guest bathroom, and I’ve been missing my deep garden tub. The dinky one in the hall bath is really not cutting it. We’re hoping to create something like this (http://pinterest.com/pin/263531015664832686/) on a serious budget.
Love those doors! We used the frosting stuff in a spray can on our bathroom windows, but the vinyl stuff works too (or bead blasting of course).
November 29th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
cool plan, Cait!
November 30th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
Hey, Just make sure you can actually see out of your window when you are soaking in the tub. If you put a window in too high on the wall, then when you’re down in the water, all you’ll see is wall from that vantage point. That is, if a view out the windown is what you’re going for. Of course this could make privacy an issue in some places… cause, er, there would also be a view IN to the soaking room as well. Just some thoughts!
Best!