From Canning Porch to Beautiful Vintage Bath in Oregon
http://www.decor-ideas.org 04/06/2014 22:23 Decor Ideas
When Obbie and Connie Atkinson bought their farmhouse in Eastern Oregon, they knew it needed a new bathroom. Their home was built in the late 1800s before the advent of indoor plumbing. The existing bath, which was cramped and oddly shaped, was probably tacked on to the house in the 1920s or ’30s.
After eight years in the home, the couple converted a canning porch off the back of the house into a beautiful new bathroom, complete with a vintage soaking tub and a walk-in shower.
The canning porch was previously used for laundry and storage. Every once in a while, it was set up for a houseguest, as seen in this photo.
AFTER: The Atkinsons did most of the work themselves. When designing the space, Connie had Yosemite’s Wawona Hotel communal bath in mind. “I love that historic lodge feel,” she says.
“We also have little grandkids and wanted the bathroom to be able to accommodate a crowd,” she says. “My daughter’s son, Charlie, uses a wheelchair, so we wanted something that was handicap accessible. I’m sure Obbie and I will also appreciate that when we’re older.”
The bathroom transformation began alongside state highway 86 in Eastern Oregon. “I found the perfect 1930s-era large cast-iron sink online, but it was way too much money,” Connie says. “Then one day I was driving the road to town when I spotted a white flash across the river. I pulled out my binoculars and could see that it was a sink. It was the exact sink I had found online.”
After wrestling the heavy basin across a field and a flowing river (“My poor husband. He must really love me,” Connie says), she got the sink home and cleaned it up.
AFTER: The sink was resurfaced, and a custom vanity was built to accommodate it. The legs were repurposed from an antique dining table. The wood countertop, purchased at Ikea, got a fresh coat of blue paint.
“I love the sink,” Connie says. “I giggle every time I walk in my beautiful bathroom and see it there. It gives the new bath a little local history.”
Finding a faucet for the old sink was not easy. The hardware came from Vintage Tub & Bath. “Obbie and our plumber worked really hard to get the new fixtures to work on the very old pieces,” says Connie.
Connie found the bathtub at a resale shop in Atascadero, California. She hauled it home, where it sat in a chicken shed for seven years. When the bathroom remodel was under way, she finally refinished the piece.
“The inside was in good shape. The outside had some rust, so I flipped it over, used steel wool and sanded it, then used a primer for rust prevention,” she says. “I painted two coats on the body with a color I mixed, and spray painted the claw feet black.”
Disks under tub feet: Vintage Tub & Bath; tub faucet fixture: Hippo Hardware
The doorless walk-in shower features white subway tile. The couple hired a local electrician to wire the fan and heater in the shower.
One of Connie’s favorite pieces is the medicine cabinet above the toilet. “It’s from Ikea, but with a paint job and some new hardware, people can’t believe it’s a new piece.”
Subway and floor tile: The Home Depot
Connie found the salvaged bathroom door at a local yard sale. To save space Obbie mounted it like a sliding barn door.
The mirror over the sink was purchased from Connie’s favorite antiques store in Lewiston, Idaho. “It was gold, which was not my style, so I painted it,” she says. “First with a black, then blue, then with the mix I put on the tub. Then I hit it with sandpaper, and all four colors came through.”
Schoolhouse-style lights: Lowe’s
Obbie took the exterior walls down to the studs and installed new windows. The green vintage hardware featured throughout the bathroom was purchased at Rejuvenation.
“Don’t be afraid to tackle projects yourself. It’s so rewarding to be able to accomplish a task and have it look great,” says Connie. “On the other hand, know when it’s time to call in the pros. A good electrician and plumber can save you a lot of time and headaches.”
The couple didn’t have a set budget and just paid for materials as the work progressed. The space already had water, but everything else had to be built from the ground up.
Connie estimates they were able to complete the bathroom for less than $3,500: “$300 for wood here, $80 for Sheetrock there — I’m not sure what it cost in the end,” she says. “We chewed this project one bite at a time and saved a lot of money doing the work ourselves.”
Says Connie, pictured here with grandsons Walker and Charlie, “This is what we did it for — the babies!”
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