Bathroom Bonanza pt.3

Trying to fit the modern bath style we wanted into our teeny tiny budget presented us with a giant sized conundrum. So after much creative thinking and scouring Chicagoland for a viable bathroom vanity option, we settled on another IKEA hack project. The Expert (Peter's Dad) is back to help us with the bathroom cabinet installation.

Our IKEA shopping trip consisted of ping-ponging between the kitchen and bath departments picking up a little of this, and a little of that. If you are an IKEA junkie like we are, these names will sound familiar, if not, you can head down to the imagery to get an idea of the process.

We knew we liked the LILLANGEN Single Basin Sink for its compact size and deep basin, but the cabinet which is normally paired with it didn't come in a size that would suit our space.  The other available cabinets were great, but either wouldn't fit the sink or the space. So we hopped over to the kitchen department to see what we could find.

The cabinets in the kitchen department are all one standard size. Read: too big for a bathroom vanity. Luckily, my lovely boyfriend was willing to put some sweat equity into getting this thing done right.  More on that later. Finish choice was a no-brainer. We're both suckers for gray and wanted the vanity to look nice and contemporary. The AKURUM two door base cabinet in Abstrakt High Gloss Gray was an easy pick. The fact that we found the perfect wall cabinet to match the vanity certainly sealed the deal. The counter tops are NUMERAR. Again, from the kitchen department.

Peter and The Expert in their makeshift wood-shop amid the rugged terrain of our apartment. 

The base cabinet was too tall for comfortable sink height and too deep for the minuscule space we have in our bathroom, so the boys got out their power tools and hacked away at that sucker.  I just stood out of the way and giggled while the pair cussed like sailors. I'm so helpful.

And the (semi) final product! Eventually we'll have to add some art and such to make it a bit less sterile. We're so relieved to finally be able to brush our teeth in the bathroom, not to mention doing makeup, hair, etc.

Crap.

We were supposed to move in tomorrow but the construction is behind schedule.  At this point, the kitchen is holding everything up.  The plumbing has been redone three times now, the stove location is slightly different than the original plan, which means the gas line was installed wrong, and somehow an electrical outlet ended up directly over the kitchen sink.  Yikes.  Hopefully we'll be moving in on the 2nd or 3rd, but honestly, seeing the place like this, I'm starting to regret ever undertaking this project.  There is construction waste piled from the floor all the way up to the 12 foot ceiling in some places, everything is covered in dust, and the wall still has holes big enough for me to climb into in some places.

Construction.

Sorry for not having photos to post.  Peter is down at the loft everyday working with the contractors on the kitchen.  I dipped in for visit today and I'm happy to report that the bedroom "L" wall is up.  So is the HUGE gaping opening for a closet.  The entry closet is split up to make room for a washer/dryer that we still don't have, and the kitchen cabinet frames are assembled and waiting for the plumbing, gas, and electric to be finished.  The walls are actually white!  It's starting to look like a home... in a dusty warehouse.

Kitchen Madness, pt. 2.

The last few days have been spent losing our minds over the kitchen.  We visited Home Depot, Community Home Supply, a couple independent design centers, and IKEA.  I'll save you the suspense, we're going with IKEA.  Everyone else laughed at the combination of our budget and ambitions.  Whatever, our kitchen is gonna rock.

For the record: No one, NOT A SINGLE KITCHEN SUPPLIER, can offer what IKEA does for the price.  We got an upgraded kitchen from IKEA for less than the cheapest fiberboard with staples junker at Home Depot.

The only beef with IKEA - listen up IKEA! - It's almost 2010!  Get with the times and make your kitchen design program compatible with a Mac.  Driving across town to use my cousin's Windows machine sucks.  WTF IKEA?

Here is the preliminary plan.  Don't judge it too much, it's only a rough draft.

Yep, it's black.  Everyone warned us not to do it, but we pulled the trigger anyway.

The plan shows stainless steel counter tops, which just happened to be discontinued that very day (yay IKEA!), so they upgraded us for FREE!  What did we get instead?  You'll just have to wait and see.

Big Plans.

Before we get started on all the work, I drew up some plans to get the measurements nailed down and give us (and the contractors) a clear idea of where we're going.  The main changes will be:

-Build a wall to separate our loft from the one next door.
-Build an "L" wall to form the bedroom.
-Create a bedroom closet and shift the hall closets to accommodate our washer/dryer.
-Enlarge the kitchen to include a dishwasher and more cabinets.
-Gut the bathroom and start over.
-Paint!

This is a quickie plan I created of the loft in its existing state.  The horizontal piece of wall at the top left is technically new.  It divides our apartment from the adjacent one.

This is the proposed loft plan which includes the new construction and some furniture placement.

Contractors arrive tomorrow to start working.  We have two days to find a kitchen.  Is that even possible?