If you caught last week’s cabin bath reveal, you saw the pretty side of the room—the pattern mixing, the lights, the finishes…you know, the glam. (Click here if you missed the pretty stuff!) But when I shared the video tour, I realized I completely neglected to show you the right side of the room.
Why? Because the right side of the bathroom is the hardest working space in the entire cabin. It is full of hidden hardware, custom built-ins, and a few hilarious DIY plot twists.
Let’s open the door and peek Behind the Glam!
Plot Twist #1: The Displaced Washer & Dryer
In our original plans, we were going to put a stackable washer and dryer in this bathroom. However, our HVAC/plumbing crew who did the rough-ins actually put the washer/dryer hookups in the spot that was supposed to be our bedroom closet!
Once I realized what happened, I had to let the change simmer in my brain for a bit. Honestly? It might actually be better. Now I am planning on putting two closets on either side of the bedroom windows with a cozy window seat. But that meant we suddenly had a big, open space in the bathroom, so we decided to build a nice, large linen closet.
Plot Twist #2: The Water Softener We Didn’t Know We Needed
Just when we thought we had a normal linen closet, we hit another bump. We learned that our on-demand water heater and in-floor radiant heat required a water softener to function properly. It would have been nice for our HVAC guy to tell us that before everything was installed, but thankfully, friends warned us before we turned it on!
We bought a water softener, and it turned out that our new “linen closet” was the absolute perfect place to hide it so it could connect through the wall. We also realized we needed a fresh air exchange unit. We are still figuring out the exact placement, but just in case we put it in this linen closet, we know we need ventilation.
Enter: The Louvered Doors.
The $200 Upside-Down Door Mistake
Mike built the closet opening to fit the door size we needed. We measured. We made sure we understood what a “left opening” door meant. We even spoke to the employee at Menards who told us that interior doors only open inward, not outward like we needed for this closet. All that meant was that the door hinge would be visible on the outside rather than hidden on the inside. We were totally fine with that!
The door arrived. I painted it beautifully. I even found a stunning brushed gold doorknob for less than $20 (a huge win since vintage glass knobs were $50+ each!).
It looked amazing… until we noticed our rookie mistake. Can you spot it in the video below?
Because we had to flip the door so the “inside” faced out, the louvers point upward. By the time we realized it, we were too far in. The $200 custom door had already been painted and installed. To make it even sweeter, we wanted the utility closet door to match, so we ordered a second one. So now we now have a beautiful, matching set of louvered doors pointing in the exact wrong direction.
AND THEN THERE WAS…The Opportunity Behind the Shower
Getting our massive one-piece unit inside the bathroom (and dealing with the mold we found) was a challenge of its own, but it is finally in and everything is sealed! (If you want to read about that fun adventure, click here)
Enter: Custom Removable Shelves
Because of all the plumbing for the shower, we had an access pocket in the wall. Rather than just dry-walling that small section off, we decided to maximize the space.
I wanted to build small, custom shelves there to provide both storage and a spot for decor. But Mike had the added idea for them to be removable so we could still access the plumbing if we ever needed to!
We may never actually need to get back there, but it is so nice to know we can reach the plumbing without having to smash through drywall or ruin our beautiful shelves.
Even with all the mix-ups, the wandering washer, and the upside-down doors, this functional side of the bathroom turned out exactly how we needed it to.
