My Green Bathroom Remodel
by Debra Lynn Dadd
My husband, Larry, and I live in a single family home built in 1940 in Clearwater Florida. Last year, during a Bau-Biologie home inspection, excessive humidity, moisture, and mold were found. It was discovered that the bathroom pipes were leaking in the shower behind the tiles and we had a major mold infestation in the walls and floor of our bathroom. There was so much mold, it was visible from the crawlspace and we could smell it in the house.
This prompted us to have a professional mold inspection and remediation.
The only solution to control the mold was rip out the entire bathroom, handle the mold problem, and build a new bathroom. This was one case of lemons becoming lemonade--by remodeling we made our house healthier and got a beautiful new bathroom that we love.
WE DID IT OURSELVES
One of the things my husband and I love to do together is remodel houses. So we did all the design and construction work ourselves.
Larry is what I would call an "artisan builder," in that everything he makes is both functional and beautiful. Because of his skill, our bathroom has some custom design features that we were able to install ourselves--such as detailed tile work--which we would have not been able to afford if we had to pay someone else to do it. So this project was a work of art for us as well as functionality and green construction.
What we saved in labor costs allowed us to spend a little more for materials. Labor turned out to be about 600 hours and the total expenditure on materials was about $7000. Our homeowners insurance paid a little over half of the cost of the materials, and nothing for labor.
OUR GOALS
As a green building consultant, the first question I ask my clients is, "How green to you want to go?" And I find out which aspects of "green" are most important to them.
For us, it was mandatory to have a nontoxic bathroom, and anything we could do beyond that to help the environment we would to do the degree it was feasible. We had budget constraints, and we wanted the style of the bathroom to fit within the context of our average suburban home that will one day be resold.
It was also important to us that the bathroom contain aspects of nature and celebrate the element of water. We wanted the bathroom to be a work of art that would bring us joy and lift our spirits every time we entered and use it. And it does.
THE "BEFORE" BATHROOM
Before we ripped everything out down to the studs, our bathroom was probably the most horrible bathroom I've ever had. It's was very small, only 5' x 8', plus a tub/shower.
The floor was covered with broken vinyl tiles, the vanity old particleboard, the fixtures and tile looked like they were probably the originals from when the house was built in 1940 and leaking, the toilet was a water-guzzler. There was a tiny window, and no ventilation fan. The shower tiles were black and white and the ceiling, which was peeling, was painted Pepto-Bismol pink. Part way up the walls was some kind of old paneling with a fake tile pattern in it. We were using a cotton shower curtain that we had to replace every few months because it would mold.
THE "AFTER" BATHROOM
What we have now is a charming bathroom that is water-tight, beautiful, and a joy to use. Every day we say, "We love our new bathroom!" Come take a look.
Listen to podcast of Debra talking about her green bathroom remodel at Green Living Ideas
start here >>
