Fixer Upper Small Bathroom Renovation

Our contractor finished his portion of this bathroom renovation nearly a year ago—with it being one of the first major projects in this home. Our portion—which included texturing the walls, adding decorative details, and painting—didn’t happen until a few weeks ago. Let’s just say that having another baby is motivating us to tackle our list of not-quite-but-almost-done projects! Finally, we can show our fixer upper small bathroom renovation transformation!

Renovating your own home? Our Home Renovation Planner + Budget will help you stay on task and save so much time and money!

Here are some of the before, during, and after pictures of our first-floor bathroom renovation:

Table of Contents

Before of our Fixer Upper Bathroom

When we moved in, there wasn’t a working bathroom so it was definitely one of our top priorities. There was a blue tub with a leaky shower, a very old toilet, and a vanity that had been half-eaten by mice. Because this bathroom is pretty small and doesn’t get a lot of natural light, we opted for a walk-in shower with glass doors. We kept the bathroom light and bright and added in some vintage elements like my great-aunt’s cabinet to store towels and toiletries, a second-hand pedestal sink, an antique mirror we bought for $10, and beautiful milk-glass lights that we found on Facebook Marketplace.

During our Fixer Upper Small Bathroom

We wanted a walk in shower without a base. We liked the look from an aesthetic standpoint, but more importantly—we thought it would be easier for our young son to walk in and out of. Our contractor sloped the floor so that it would drain and not pool water.

After our Fixer Upper Small Bathroom Renovation

We painted the bead board Snowbound by Benjamin Moore, and we color-matched Farrow and Ball’s Mizzle–a gorgeous dusty green–for the top portion of the walls. The walls were in pretty rough shape, so we decided to use a pool trowel and drywall mud to layer on a heavy texture. It was our first time texturing walls and not perfect by any means; however, we had fun learning and were happy with the results!