Check out this ladykiller in the half bathroom:
It’s not especially offensive looking, but it leaks. And with a single knob I’m always worried that Clara will accidentally turn it to scalding hot when she’s washing her hands.
So we hit up our Habitat ReStore hoping for a cheap find. Sherry lunged for joy (you need to see that in person by the way) when she spotted this $12 find in the pile… only to learn that it was inexplicably missing one handle (we dug around for 20 minutes looking for it to no avail). Just wasn’t meant to be.
So we settled for this $34 find at Home Depot, which was pretty much the most affordable option they had. We figured that it was worth the peace of mind that we no longer had a leak and that Clara could use it more easily.
Making the switch promised to be quick and easy. Turn off the water. Unscrew some hoses. Bada bing. Bada boom. Hello new faucet. Except step one revealed a slight snag in the this-should-be-easy plan. The hot water valve wouldn’t turn off. It turned just fine, but the turning had no effect on the water flow. It just spun like a pinwheel.
That’s how switching out the faucet turned into replacing the hot water shut off valve (something I’d never done before)… which meant turning off the water to the whole house at the street. So we whipped out our water meter key to help twist the always stubborn valve out there (these are around $7 and we use ours more than you’d think).
I don’t have photos of the next part unfortunately, because I spent most of it with half of my body stuffed into the vanity trying to wrench various valves and hoses apart, wrap plumber’s tape, and wrench things back together. And somewhere between yelling at Sherry to have a plumber on standby and quietly cursing, I forgot to ask her to hand me the camera (which probably would have gotten wet and resulted in too-dark-to-see photos anyway). #bloggerfail. But for an idea of what the installation process looked like, you can check out this well-lit and profanity-free video from Home Depot.
I tell ya, I was convinced throughout this entire project that I was going to break some pipe and a cartoonish explosion of water would erupt from the ground, lifting our home from its foundation like we had just struck oil. But surprise – none of that happened, and I was able to get the new hot water valve in without any problem.
With the new valve attached, I got the old faucet out of the way, scraped away some of the gunk on the sink with a putty knife, attached the new hoses under the sink, and put the new fixture in its place.
When it came time to turn the water back on, I was certain at least one or two of the five new connections I had just made were going to leak (just call me the most pessimistic plumber in the world). So I laid some colored construction paper under everything so if something dripped, I’d be able to spot it quickly.
To my shock, there were no drips. And I watched for a good ten minutes – convinced they were just waiting for me to look away. Then Sherry finally dragged me away from my sink staring-contest and encouraged me to accept the victory like a big boy. Our new faucet (and its hot water valve) were officially installed!
It’s not a big exciting design decision, but we’re certainly glad to have it taken care of for functional reasons. And I guess we did make a deliberate decision about the finish. We looked at a few oil-rubbed bronze options (to match things like the doorknob and the light fixture), but all of those were at least $80+ (which felt too expensive for a Phase 1 fix). So we’re glad that brushed nickel worked just fine (and was a lot cheaper) thanks to the mirror, which acts as a “transition” between the two metals, since it mixes both tones in one spot.
Hilariously enough, the new faucet didn’t fail to impress our toughest critic. Clara walked in there after her nap and just stood there for a second staring. When Sherry said “Is everything OK?” she said “Wowwww! It looks beautiful in here! Did we get a new washing thing?”
She often notices things that change in the house, but I think this is the first time she led with such a strong compliment. We’ll take it.
Oh and here are the before and after photos you guys requested on our last bathroom post:
As for a budget breakdown, in our still-settling-in chaos we don’t have every receipt on hand, but our best guess is that we’ve sunk about $110 into this room in total (for the mirror, paint, light fixture, vanity knobs, and faucet). So for rooms that you use every day but are pretty pricey to fully renovate (like a kitchen or bathroom), it’s nice that an in-the-meantime upgrade can make a difference while you’re saving up for Phase Two down the line.
On to the next room!
Amy E. says
Clara looks so TALL! my goodness! or are the counters just low in your 1/2 bath? my parents’ house has some low counters; i guess the original owner was a super-short old lady who had the builders make them low just for her, or so they tell me.
we had used glacier bay faucets for a phase 1 update in our master and guest bathrooms, too (same exact one, i believe). they did okay for a couple years, then developed a leak. we wanted to replace the drop-in sink as part of phase 1 but didn’t, but when the guest-bath faucets started leaking, we ate the $30 and got a new, more expensive/better quality faucet and picked out a new sink. moral: it should be okay for now, but it’s definitely not a long-term piece.
we just finished phase 2 in the guest bath: rip out the builder-grade towel bars and tp holder, paint walls, add bead board and chair rail. i’d love to see new flooring and re-tiled tub/shower nook in there too… sometimes it seems like there’s always another phase for “someday”.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Amy! And yes, Clara’s a tall glass of water these days. Her short mom is jealous. Haha!
xo
s
tess says
we turned down the temperature on the hot water heater so little hands getting scalded isn’t a possibility, even with the hot water turned on full blast,
not sure what the magic number is
Rachel - Love in the House says
I’m a home daycare provider and our rules state that the water heater cannot be higher than 120 degrees F for children’s safety. Our water heater has a dial with A B C, etc, so it took a little experimenting but we found the right spot! Just gotta wait for it to warm up or cool down and use a candy thermometer under the running water.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that! I think ours is at 121 (somewhere we read that was energy efficient) but I think since Clara’s used to cold water from having a two-handled faucet, even warm-ish water throws her off/scares her since it’s not what she’s used to. She’s the girl who eats a cooled off hot dog and still insists it’s too hot ;)
xo
s
Beth says
Our son is the same age as Clara (only about a month apart) and he is the same way about temperatures. To him, anything that is the slightest bit warm, is too hot and he freaks out. We have faucets like this too because he can only use the cold when washing his hands. Even his bath water has to be on the cool side or he freaks out and won’t get in. His food is the same way….
So, I totally get where you are coming from. Great update! Love how this bathroom has evolved.
Lil says
That is a crazy transformation for $110ish. Nicely done. Thanks for keeping it real and letting us know when things didn’t go exactly as planned.
Holly says
Looks awesome! Any tips/tutorials on how to replace the silver drain ring piece that goes into the bottom of the basin? Pretty sure I got all of those terms wrong, LOL! I have 3 to replace. As of now, all the pieces have been sitting on my bathroom floor for 2 months after giving up over frustration!
Jessica says
And I’ve suddenly discovered why ($$) my landlord put that exact faucet in my bathroom! :)
Like Clara, I thought it was a nice fix. My building is about the same vintage as your house, so the little faucet upgrade really made the space look great. Helped that I have a few other brushed nickel finishes in the room already.
Jessica says
Oh and I should add that now I’m going to go home and be all, “I have the same faucet as John and Sherry, neener neener.”
YoungHouseLove says
Ha!
xo
s
Sarah says
Those single-handle-crystal-looking-plastic knob things are even hard for adults (well, me) to get the right tempature water with, let alone a kid, so yay for two tempature handles!
christy says
I have four of those not-so-offensive (but so ugly) faucets in my house. Like you, I want ORB, but the cost has kept me from starting to replace them. Can I say I was slightly relieved to see that your grout is dirtier than mine? I have been pinning miracle grout cleaning/restoring methods on pinterest but I have yet to find my miracle. Oy. Can’t wait to see if you find it!!!
Katie says
Such a beautiful bathroom!! :)
Amy says
Wonders never cease on what you guys tackle…….! I didn’t even know that there was a place on a property to turn on/off the water…..makes sense—:)
Clara is so cute!
Lauren @ Everyday Lauren says
My absolute favorite line of this post…..
“Then Sherry finally dragged me away from my sink staring-contest and encouraged me to accept the victory like a big boy.”
Gave me a few good giggles this morning :)
And for real for real, I would never even guess that was the same bathroom…ever.
XOX Lauren
Pat S says
I’m not an ORB person (doesn’t fit my decor) but I have the exact same faucet you just put in. I have one each bathroom and love the sleek look. I noticed someone said theirs had not held up but mine are about 4 years old now and still look perfect … so good luck.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Pat! We’ll have to report back!
xo
s
Amber says
Looks great! I’m glad to see that you guys are mixing the ORB with brushed nickel. We are currently having this dilemma in our bathroom, and I’ve been worried that ALL the fixtures and hardware should match. Sometimes I just need to see an example to get over my fear of things not matching =). Thanks!
Shanna N says
Glad you had a wonderful experience with the Home Depot Glacier Bay faucet. We were not so lucky – we had TWO of them with leaks at the seams. We gave up after the 2nd one and bought a much more expensive Moen faucet. No leaks! Amazing.
Jess says
Thank you! Now u have to get rid of that sink top!
Vivian says
It all starts out so easy, doesn’t it?! I DID break a pipe when I tried to install a new faucet during my poor single mom days … didn’t realize it (it was inside the wall) until I had tons of damage. No more plumbing for me … I’ll gladly pay a plumber!
BTW, why is the hardest part installing the matching stopper in the sink! That always gave me the most grief.
Good job, John!
Bridget says
HOLD the PHONE.
There is a tool you can buy to turn off your water?? I didn’t have to reach into the (spooky, roach-y) water hole up to my chin and blindly use an old wrench? Which I then dropped, which resulted in me having to find ANOTHER wrench…?
Young House Love/the internet has taught me something today. LOL.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! I read your comment out loud to John. We have totally been there with the dropped wrench.
xo
s
Brandy says
It looks great guys!
Is it ok that I chuckle a little that yhl has shell sinks from the 70’s though? ;) I love that you guys keep it real on a budget!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Party at our house. We’ll bring the shell sinks and bell bottoms!
xo
s
Julianne says
It looks so great in there, I’d be tempted to call it “done”! No need for phase 2! ;0)
jan propst says
Look nice. I love the new mirror.
Terry M. says
Ugh. Those floors. Seriously, please stop posting photos of those grody floors.
Brandy says
Seriously, they’ve mentioned they need to get on that! One project at a time, the upgrades they’ve made in the meantime look great! They show people that don’t necessarily have the budget to do a whole reno that is possible to have nice spaces! #hatersgonnahate
Rachel - Love in the House says
The bathroom is looking great! As another option when looking through Habitat Restore for fixtures, check out this blog post from Style North: http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/02/strip-brass-with-oven-cleaner/ Mind. Blown. Based on this, I used oven cleaner and sanding sponges to remove the brass finish of our kitchen cabinet pulls. It worked like a charm. (I didn’t know where to find the Blue Magic she mentions and it turned out so well I didn’t go look for it.) We have brand new looking hardware for less than $10.
YoungHouseLove says
SO AWESOME!
xo
s
djs says
Last week I replaced the leaking plastic-fake metal faucet in our travel trailer with the same faucet! So much nicer and NO leaks!! However mine was an easier fix. Everything is looking so good!
Elle Marie says
I’m so impressed you handled this yourself – we had to have ALL of the shut-off valves in our house replaced because they ALL failed when we went to change out fixtures… And the way the original plumbing was done at our place meant that the new shut-off valves had to be soldered into place, which meant it was not a DIY endeavor (or at least, not a DIY endeavor that we were comfortable attempting). Thankfully, my husband has a friend from high school who is now a plumber and cut us a deal on installing all of the new shut-off valves, and hooking up our new faucets.
When you do make a long-term upgrade, our plumber friend and our house inspector both recommended getting quality fixtures (we purchased Moen fixtures through Overstock.com for a good deal cheaper than the home improvement stores) – they have fewer plastic parts and replacement parts are easy to get, so if you do need to repair a fixture down the line, you don’t have to pay to replace the whole thing. We have been over-the-moon happy with our Moen fixtures. Since I know you plan to be in this house for the long haul, it might be worth looking into when you’re ready for more substantial upgrades!
YoungHouseLove says
Great tips Elle Marie!
xo
s
Brenda says
We had one handle faucets in all our bathrooms and kitchen growing up, so I never realized it could be a safety issue. I despise two handle faucets with a passion (especially in the tub/shower), and it’s one of the first things I dream about replacing if I ever own my own house. Love the shiny finish! Clara is right, it’s very pretty.
Callie says
Clara is HILARIOUS. I barely even like kids, but she’s like some kind of tiny wise interior decorating commentator! What attention to detail :) I can hardly wait to see how she’ll take after you guys…guest poster? Interior decorator? Home fashion magazine writer?
Gwen, The Makerista says
“a new washing thing” kids crack me up! she’s too cute. its almost a given in the land of home ownership that one thing will lead to another, huh? way to tackle it all on your own!
Amy @ a new old house says
Sometime the little things make a big difference- looks great!
I love Clara’s assessment- too cute!
I imagine this is like a game for her… wake up from nap and search out the newly refinished, re-styled, or replaced item :)
Amy BK says
I love the way your half bath turned out and love reading your blog. I was very interested in this post because of the mixing of finishes with the ORB and brushed nickel. We’re building a house soon and I love the look of ORB handles and hardware on white doors, but I’m not sure that I want all my faucets, etc, to be ORB. Is it ok to mix them if there is some method? Like door hardware, floor registers are ORB, but faucets and lights are brushed nickel? You said this is phase 1 of the bath. Is the ultimate goal with your house to have ORB everywhere? I’m trying to avoid trends that may not last, but who knows!
YoungHouseLove says
I love a mix! An example would be, in the living room we had ORB curtain rods and doorknobs but silver lamps and a silver mirror. As long as each color pops up more than once it looks intentional and not like anyone’s mismatched or the odd man out.
xo
s
Ali Burtt says
No joke. I was kinda hoping for pics of cartoon-ish explosions of water. Which would have been fun for me, but probably not so fun for you.
Shannon [Our Home Notebook] says
The bathroom is so pretty and fresh now! I love how budget friendly it was too. So inspiring.
sue says
The new washing thing looks great. And can I just say, awesome job on that bathroom in general. I mean, who EVER wants a cream colored sink, but with the complementary decorative touches you’ve added in there, it looks like it could have been a smart intentional design choice(that probably sounds like a backhanded compliment, but I didn’t mean it that way…what I mean is, the room is looking fantastic).
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Sue!
xo
s
Annelies says
It’s so funny how you want a faucet with two knobs, while here (Belgium) we see it as old school and most new houses have all single knob faucets since that is the modern look. Also, that you think about Clara in making that decision while you can’t protect children for everything and need to let them be able to learn what’s safe and not as well (to a certain extent ofcourse). But don’t want to be negative, just point out our differences of culture, because you guys are amazing!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, I’m in total agreement Annelies! If the faucet hadn’t leaked, we would have probably left it and encouraged Clara to work with it until she could control it better (the water heater is turned down so she can’t truly scald herself, it was just her being shocked/flustered when she’s used to using the right handle to get cold water and it came out hotter than she expected). But since it was leaking, replacing it with something Clara-friendly while we were at it made sense to us (it was also just the one in our budget, haha). So funny to hear that single knobs are cool in Europe (someone else said that too) since two handled bathroom faucets still seem to dominate the market here. Kitchen ones are a toss-up though!
xo,
s
Annelies says
Sherry, thanks for answering, you are so kind. I read in the comments someone else saying the same about the faucet, and it goes as well for the dark wooden floors while we have more light wooden floors over here. But love your style and there are more versions of what looks pretty, but it’s just funny to see how things can be different in different cultures!
And I completely understand why you decided to go for the two knob faucet, anyway it’s your house and your decisions to make. Don’t want you to feel like you have to defend yourself just because you are so kind to share your house with us.
YoungHouseLove says
No worries! I definitely didn’t take it as criticism. You’re so sweet!
xo,
s
Jennifer L says
You may have mentioned this and I’ve missed it, where do you keep the towel to dry your hands? We’re using the towel bar across from the sink right now but I’m trying to scour for ideas of a better solution.
YoungHouseLove says
I’m still in the market for a towel ring for the wall but for now we’re a wipe-our-hands-on-our-pants family. Haha!
xo
s
Mellissa says
Such an impactful change for only around $100 bones. What an inspiration!
Linda says
Very wise comment about always having a plumber’s number handy, just in case. Also, I found it best to do any plumbing DIY’s on a weekday, in the morning – just in case Ido end up calling the plumber, I won’t be doing weekend, night, or emergency rates, if my own efforts fail for whatever reason.
Just wondering – when you get to phase II fixes, have you considered checking out plumbing supply houses for toilets and fixtures? I’ve been told that while the pricing may be more than a big box store, the fixtures are often of higher interior quality (the areas you can’t easily see in a toilet, let’s say) than some of the less expensive mass merchandise fixtures, even when the name is the same. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if some of the manufacturers had different specs for plumbers and for HD, for example.
YoungHouseLove says
I love that idea!
xo
s
Ellen says
Is that vanity color on your color chart? – thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s not, but it’s Silhouette by Benjamin Moore. It’s sort of a rich chocolate/gray so it acts like a neutral (could slip into almost any palette I think).
xo
s
Elaine in Ark says
I remember when my dad installed a one-handle faucet in our bathroom. My grandmother couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. Your new bathroom updates really look great!
Matt says
I’m really surprised you guys don’t have a shutoff valve in the house – that should be code. Not everyone has a water main key, and some places you can’t buy them at your local hardware store.
YoungHouseLove says
We probably do, but I knew where the outside cutoff was already so I guess I was being lazy in sticking with what I knew.
-John
Natasha says
I have the same faucet in my half bath! Hooray for cheap but great looking updates! Just a tip for that tile floor in there…get some Ajax (super cheap, like less than $2) and sprinkle it along the grout lines, then spray a little water on it and use an old toothbrush to scrub the grout. You will be shocked at the actual color of your grout and it will make the whole floor look brand new.
Julie G. says
Thanks so much for this post. We renovated our main bath 2 years ago and have only had hot water to the sink since then. Even our contractor wasn’t sure what to do after we replaced the faucet thinking that was the problem. We will definitely be checking this out! And by “we”, of course I mean my husband.
Lauren @ The Highlands Life says
Such an easy fix that makes a big difference!
julianna says
Next time you need a faucet replaced, check at Tuesday Morning. They often have kitchen and bathroom faucets at very good prices.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip!
-John
Eris says
So funny, I posted about faucets today too!! Isn’t it crazy how expensive even the most basic fixtures are!? We’re mixing metals in our bathroom too. Modern times, right? :)
Kayla says
The Clara comment is so hilarious. I will now be calling all faucets in my home, washing things. =)
deeda says
Looks great!
Since you have a child in the house, have you considered turning down the temp on your hot water heater? Our pediatrician recommended 120 degrees, which is hot enough to be effective but not so hot that it causes burns. If my daughter accidentally turns the water on full hot in the bathtub or sink, it will be unpleasantly hot but it won’t harm her.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, ours is at 120 (121 I think I read about so it’s guestimated at that number, haha!). She still got startled and said it was hot though – she’s the kid who eats a lukewarm hot dog and says it’s too hot ;)
xo
s
Erica S. says
Whoa. I admit, I started to lose faith a little bit when you posted that green paint on the vanity….but you turned it around and BAM! I’m in love.
Sidenote: It must be a mom thing, since my 3yo is obsessed with My Little Pony, but I noticed right away that Clara is holding Pinkie Pie while looking at the new ‘washing thing’ :) Good taste, Clara!
Sarah M. Dorsey says
Wow!! Looks SO much better!! Great job!
Melissa says
HA! I do the same construction paper/faucet-staring thing when I replace a faucet, too!
Brittany Fry says
Looks much better!!!
Jennifer says
Wow, what a transformation on such a slim budget! You guys are truly inspiring. I just removed the love handles from our bathroom (I’ve seen you guys do it so many times I had to give it a go!) and um…it looks like I am running to Home Depot to pick up some dry wall patches! Live and learn : ]