Shower Makeover

We got our house keys on May 10th, but I didn't have to be out of my apartment until the 31st... It was a good thing too, because the shower was totally unusable in it's current state.  Not to mention disgusting.  It was riddled with holes left behind when someone removed handrails from the shower walls, the caulk was a cracking mess and the whole thing was just old and super gross.  

Shower before...

So, the first order of business was to replace the fiberglass shower surround before we actually started living in the house.  Welllllllllll, that was MUCH easier said than done. 

Luckily, my dad is super handy and knows everything about everything...because I wouldn't have had a clue how to tackle this project.  We ripped the existing shower surround out exposing the studs and the plumbing in the wall.  This is when it started getting fun. (Please note my sarcasm.)  My dad took the old shower fixtures off and when he removed some fitting or valve thing-a-ma-jig (I know absolutely nothing about plumbing) the faucet EXPLODED and water shot out at million miles an hour and I accidentally screamed at the top of my lungs.  Okay, okay...the "exploding" part is probably a bit of an exaggeration, but the screaming part isn't. 

I stood with both my hands on the gushing pipe trying to direct the water into the bathtub.  I was worried about it drenching the bare, plywood subfloor.  My dad RAAAAN outside in search of the water main shut off thingy while someone else started throwing buckets of water out the window because the tub wasn't draining fast enough and it was filling up quickly.  I can't make this stuff up.

After what seemed like a hundred hours, my dad finally found the shutoff but he had to dig through the dirt with his hands because it was buried underneath a big tree root.  Of course it was.  Meanwhile, back in the bathroom I was remaining totally calm and collected.  Oh, wait...I was completely drenched and having a full-blown panic attack.  That's right.

Long story, short...my dad got the water shut off, he worked a bunch of plumbing voodoo magic in the walls to get ready for the new surround and fixtures and then he installed everything.  That's about as technical as I can get.  We chose a surround intended for a standing shower (without the base) so the walls are very tall...almost to the ceiling.  It made the bathroom ceiling feel really high and I love the way it turned out.  Buttttttt, it had an unintended consequence. 

After....so purdy.

I installed my beautiful, curved, oil-rubbed bronze curtain rod above the shower and then realized... "Oh, crap.  My shower curtain won't be long enough!"  Shower curtains are typically about 72 inches long...and I now needed one that was 84 inches long.  I found this especially annoying considering my blue/brown/gray shower curtain was the color pallet inspiration for the entire bathroom.  Blarg.

I had the idea to add a panel of fabric to the bottom of the curtain to lengthen it, but I was worried it would look tacky and disjointed.  Light bulb!  Then I had an even better idea... I would cut the curtain towards the top and insert a panel of fabric in between two halves of the curtain...making it look more like one cohesive piece of fabric.  Of all my artistic/creative/handy talents, sewing is NOT one of them...so I convinced my mom to play seamstress for me.  She did an awesome job...

Next, I added a cream-colored ribbon along the seams to give it a more finished look.  My mom introduced me to Stitch Witchery which is basically a strip of fabric glue that is activated by heat... You just put a strip of Stitch Witchery in between the fabric and ribbon, put a damp towel over it and then iron it on.  Presto.  Instant trim. 

I hung it up this morning and I am in love with it.  I can't help but poke my head in the bathroom every time I walk by...  And the best part is, for less than 10 bucks I have an expensive-looking shower curtain!