the making of the barn half bath

Before I show the barn half bath I thought it might be helpful to take a walk down memory lane first to see how all the pieces came together!

When we bought the farmhouse there wasn't a bath on the first floor (well, technically there was a bath right behind the kitchen in the el-  where the new kitchen was to go so that one was removed).

 

This looks like a good place to put a half bath don't you think?!  I often look back at photos from the initial renovation and think.... we were absolutely CRAZY!  I'm so happy and grateful that we renovated the farmhouse and barn, but looking back at the photos is emotionally exhausting!

Forms being fitted for the pouring of the concrete foundation.

The concrete foundation was faced with granite so it would match the original cut-granite foundation of the farmhouse, the el and the barn.

The 6' x 7' framed half bath is accessed from the barn room and was completed in the recent Phase II barn renovation.

We found this antique marble sink top and backsplash at a shop in Massachusetts not long after we bought the house.  The antiques dealer was having a sale, so it was $76!  I loved it, but thought it would be way too difficult to find a furniture piece that would fit, and a good deal is only a good deal if you actually use it!  So, we decided to "think about it"! 

And, we did think about it for all of one minute as we walked to another dealer's booth about six spaces down and found this piece!  The wood top was exactly... exactly the same size as the marble! It was meant to be, and was on sale for only $126!  In all honesty, I thought that was way too much for its condition and that it was missing one of its tassel pulls, but the fact that it fit the marble perfectly made the price irresistible!   I later found a matching wood tassel pull at a favorite source, Old House Parts in Kennebunk, Maine.

The very night we bought the marble and dresser I googled "12-inch round sink" to see if I could even find a sink to fit.  Instead I found a Craigslist listing for an antique 12" round sink in Boston, only an hour and a half away.  It too, was meant to be, and a steal at $10!
The sink is small in diameter, but it is very deep and has a nice "feel" to it! 

The dresser being retrofitted for the sink and plumbing.  I still have full use of the bottom two drawers which I use for holding kleenex, extra t.p. and extra hand towels.

Old French iron chandelier being checked out for scale in the room.

The sink vanity will go where the radio is in this photo.  I wanted to hang a painting (this painting) on this wall; you can see the wire for the picture-light coming out of the wall.

One of our two original barn doors.  While we were out antique shopping one day Dan spied a similar door and it sparked his great idea to use this door as the sliding half bath door.  Up until that point I was going to use an old paneled door from the house that swung into the room.  When you see the finished room you'll see just how wrong that would have been!  I love it when the design process just falls into place. 

Note the door "pull" cutout in the center of the door.

Several boards from the door were removed and used to repair boards in the large barn door.  In this photo you get a peek at the finished walls of the half bath!  I wrapped the walls and ceiling in barn wood.  The walls are hung horizontally which provides a nice contrast to the vertically hung boards in the adjacent barn room. 

The door being re-sized for the half bath opening.

The chandelier being wired.  Dan will tell you this is one of his trickiest wire jobs to date- since the piece is seen from below, thin electrical wire was laid along the top rim of the round iron band, held in place with paper-thin wire and a bit of glue.  I wanted the bulbs to just peak out from the cups (no sleeves) which entailed wiring the smallest sockets they make inside of already small metal cups.  Let's just say he was not happy with the lighting designer that day, or rather days as this puppy took a while to get completed!

Add all this together and you get one sweet little barn half bath... which, btw, is next!