As promised, our house has a very . . . interesting master bath. There are a few problems.
- The tub/shower has an indoor planter. . .
- And, a plexiglass screen/shed situation right outside the window.
Please feast your eyes on the before picture (note the super dingy lighting - also an issue). The white bar across the plants are our drapes. The painter thought that would be a great place for the master bedroom drapes. But, I digress.
It absolutely killed me to look at that plexiglass "situation", so I committed to using my day off today to sort it out, and take advantage of M's rental trailer to dispose of everything.
It was pouring buckets today. It's not every day I choose to tear down my master bath plexiglass "shed", but when I do, I choose the best days.
I used a mallet & was able to take down most of it in 90 minutes or so. Part of it had been exposed to the elements, so the wood wasn't exactly structurally sound. There was a small section that had either been replaced, or had dryer wood, so it was tougher to extract. I'm also counting this as my workout for the day. :-)
But, I prevailed. I got it all down, and then went to tackle the "planter box". I immediately removed all of the dead flowers (assuming it was a shallow little dip in the tub holding cute, albeit dead, potted plants,) and discovered. . . a 2' bucket of dirt. Oh boy. Seriously. It's really deep, folks. I'm going to need a wheelbarrow to remove all of the dirt. And then what? What am I going to do with this awkward space????!!
At least all was not lost. The shed came down. I got to take all of the pieces to the landfill. Plexiglass is dead. Of course, the fumigation killed the plant outside that was potentially going to offer some cover for the shower, but. . . can't win 'em all.
Later tonight, I may head back over with the wheelbarrow & my spade (because. . . they just painted the bathroom & I don't want to ding anything with a giant shovel) & get to work.
If you have tips, suggestions, or just mocking laughs for my home improvement project, please share. If you've ever seen anyone repair the planter shower box, please advise. :-)
For the planter box - once cleaned - rolled up towels a la hotel style? Can't tell if box is outside shower stall (I would think so), that might be a good first step to fill it until you have more time to get creative.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes on the new house.
It's sort of outside the shower stall? I don't think it would get wet, but they would likely get damp?? Thanks - plenty of projects ahead! ;-)
DeleteOK, I see why the plexiglass had to go - ugly. The planter idea isn't as bad, and maybe could be salvaged. Once you get rid of all the dirt (not a good idea) could you put some sort of clean gravel in there and then set in some pots with ferns? I think they would do well in the shower (warm, moist air) and the showers would probably take care of the watering. It might look 'tropical.' Otherwise, all I can see is setting a tray on top of the hole, but that would have to be drained and wiped down every time someone showered, so maybe more work than you're wanting to do. It is a very different feature, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't want any extra work. And, I feel like the ferns or other plants would drop leaves?? Is that crazy? Ha, yes. A very different feature. ;-)
DeleteI could not wrap my brain around the planter concept. I have no clue how to disguise that. The plexiglass shield was pretty bad. Glad you knocked it down
ReplyDeleteAt least one project was completed! Using the mallet felt great. ;-)
DeleteWhat in world - haha. I am not even sure Pinterest has a solution for that one .)
ReplyDeleteSadly, my searching has turned up no awesome ideas. I'm thinking we will have to cover it in some way & then wait for a bathroom remodel some day.
DeleteThat is a true dilemma. Maybe empty it and use it as some sort of storage? I googled it and to be frank I don't think there were too many planter boxes installed in bathrooms so you have a "special" decorating issue.
ReplyDeleteI'm worried about the moisture if I use it as storage? But, definitely planning on removing the dirt. It boggles the mind why you would want the planter in the shower. And yes, when repeated Google searches come up empty, you are the cheese standing alone. ;-)
DeleteI'll see if I can get a few photos of the planter box in context of the shower stall & post those soon. I'll also document the dirt removal project. The construction guys were still working last night, so I didn't want to get in their way with my wheelbarrow.
ReplyDeleteThe good news is that it would appear that you have unlimited potential to boost the value of your home, and in the San Jose area your returns will likely exceed your investment. So there's that! :-)
ReplyDeleteHahahaha! Yes, exactly. So very true. I'd estimate we're up $150-200K with the improvements, with around a $50K investment. But, maybe more? We'll have to see how everything looks when we're wrapped up. I'll do a more complete post on what we've done so far.
DeleteWTF?! lolz
ReplyDeleteThat indoor bathroom planter is a head scratcher for sure.
I'd suggest a big bag of cement to fill it in. Mortar decorative tile on the top of it after you fill it in.
lololz
I know. I think that's the only option. I too am so puzzled with why you would design anything to do with dirt as a permanent fixture in your bathroom. . . but, that's just me.
DeleteWell, you gave me a laugh. It would be interesting to have seen a picture of the "concept" when the house was built to know what the builder was aiming for.
ReplyDeleteIt was a custom built house, so I know they chose this design element! We bought from the original owners, so . . . we are now going back and updating some "interesting pieces" of the house. ;-)
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ReplyDelete