DIY: Nipping Murphy's Law In The Bud

Speaking as somebody who has never done any "real" home renovating, I will say this: it was WAY harder than I expected. And more time-consuming.

Our plans took a detour almost immediately. After it took us two hours to change the light fixture (the old one was installed incorrectly and didn't want to come off the ceiling), we decided to manage our expectations. "Ya know what?" I said, "Maybe giant mirror removal is more than we can handle." Hubsey, who imagined us getting glass shards in our eyes anyway, was like, "Yeah, let's wait."

So we did small stuff. Changed the light fixture (which I loooooove), installed a new towel bar and TP holder, took down the glass shelf and weird robe-hanging nubbins, hung some new artwork, and found better accessories.

It wasn't the major overhaul we planned, but I still think little changes make a difference:

I love you, light fixture. You might have been heavy and cumbersome to install, but now that you're in place and looking so pretty, I think you're super.

A new towel bar isn't super exciting, but at least this one is properly attached to the wall. The TP holder matches (and is also firmly in place).

Well, okay, this view is pretty much the same. But now we have real accessories, like real adults! No more plastic soap bottle!

The toilet isn't centered on that wall and I felt like having a group of differently-sized art would make it less noticeable. Taking down the shelf helped, too, because it WAS centered on the wall and just made things look wonky.

We set an original budget of $250, but since we only did half the work, we only spent half the money:

light fixture: $50
towel bar: $19
toilet paper holder: $17 (not pictured, it was the very last thing we did)
soap dispenser: $13
bath mat: $9
toothbrush holder: $8
paint: $4
spackle: $3.50
sand paper: $3
art: free (already had them)
candles: free (already had them)

Total: $126.50

Glass half full, right? We still have plans to take the mirror down eventually (which will require moving the vanity, since several inches of mirror are behind the backsplash and the sink is glued to the cabinet, and don't forget that the mirror is glued to the wall!), but it will be with a little help. Hubsey has a couple of handy family members who live nearby, and we need somebody who knows what they're doing.

Ever had a house-y project not turn out the way you expected? I'm sure you have. Did you like it anyway? Have you also experienced the transformative power of a new light fixture?