Week 1 of the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge

Its week 1 of the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge and I’m so excited to announce that I am a finalist for season 6! If you’re unfamiliar, this event challenges DIYers on to create a space using the incredible Jeffrey Court tile brand in 6 weeks. The winner, chosen by fan vote, will get a $5,000 prize! I think its safe to say all the participants have their eye on that title, me included!

You saw me tackle my master bathroom shower in the Spring, but this time I’m going even bigger. I’m not just tiling a shower, I’m tiling an entire bathroom. What bathroom, you ask? Well, the only bathroom left in this house!

The Plan

For the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge I am going to be completely remodeling our upstairs/kid’s bathroom. In the past I’ve done a few quick fix DIYs but now I have the opportunity to make some big changes! I’ve spent a lot of time staring at these walls, trying to decide what I want to do. Ultimately… were gutting it! The only thing staying is the tub!

Below, you’ll find my mood board for this project that was inspired by this Jeffrey Court “Morning Mist” blue glass tile. Everything else was built on that, including 2 more Jeffrey Court tiles for the shower and bathroom floor. I think with the blue and white, some gold fixtures and wood shelving will bring in that natural element. Then, I love to mix in patterns, especially in a kid’s space. So I have my eye on some floral wallpaper as well. It will be fun to see how these plans evolve as the renovation moves forward.

The Bathroom Before

Before we start the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge, let’s take a “before” look at the bathroom we’re tackling. The color palette is already similar to my mood board but the overall look is going to be more elevated. The DIYs I’ve accomplished here already were: painting the walls and vanity, bead-board, framing the builder-grade mirror, and painted tile. As much as I’ve loved my painted tile, it was always meant to be a temporary solution. I’m much more excited to replace it with an updated style from Jeffrey Court!

Demo – Week 1 Progress

As with any major renovation, we started with demolition (my husband’s favorite part). This involved removing the vanity, shower tile, and even a wall!

Because this bathroom is divided into 2 areas, (the sink and the shower/toilet) it feels pretty choppy. While this set up can be beneficial for shared bathroom situations, I find it to feel closed-off and be harder to clean. With this renovation we decided to remove the adjoining wall to open the bathroom up into one big space. We actually considered removing the unused linen closet as well. However we found ductwork behind the wall that we decided not to touch. We did find some mold on the drywall behind the shower tile. Which is why its important to always use cement board under tile instead!

One thing we did NOT expect to find was a family of cockroaches also behind the shower tile (AHHH!). Since this room is above the garage, they seemed to have found a home in a warm, moist area. We called an exterminator to come out and treat the area immediately. We totally had the “heebie-jeebies” for the rest of the day!

Whats Next?

At the end of week 1 we decided to wait on removing the floor tile so we had a sound surface to walk on. Demoing that and the remaining wall studs of the adjoining wall are our priority moving forward. We also plan to put up the cement board in the shower and on the floor next week in preparation for tile. Some little things to tackle are framing a shower niche, moving some electrical, as well as some plumbing. We hope you follow along on this adventure with us either here, or on Instagram!