I've had some requests for more information on the recessed toilet paper holder we designed and installed in our ensuite bathroom, so I thought I'd try and put together a little tutorial rather than emailing everyone individually. Back when we renovated our bathroom, we had to decide where the new toilet paper holder was going to go. Now that we had a sliding glass shower door we couldn't hang it beside the toilet like it was before. There were three options - 1) attach it to the side of the vanity, 2) have a free-standing holder on the floor, or 3) attach it to the wall across from the toilet. The first choice was shot down because it was too close to the toilet and I didn't want holes drilled into the vanity anyway. The second choice didn't have a chance because Tom hates those holders that stand on the floor. Not to mention that it would be in the way whenever we were entering or exiting the shower. So that left mounting it across from the toilet. Tom was concerned that we would still bump into it since it would stick out from the wall and the room isn't that large anyway, so he decided he would build a box and inset it into the wall. First we had to choose a toilet paper holder so that we would know how much space we needed for the holder and roll together. We wanted a holder that swung out a bit to accommodate any sized roll, and one that let you "reload" from one side. Once we had that we could build the box around it. Below is a simple drawing of the dimensions of our box. You could of course modify it to suit your own needs. We used 1x6 boards, so the face of the box is 3/4" thick, but the rest of the board has been cut down behind to be slightly thinner. This gives a nice overhang around the edge that can be caulked so that it looks like a built-in. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the box while it was being built and before I painted it. I have no idea why not. So I'll try to describe what was done to the best of my ability. Tom took a 1x6 board and using the table saw cut away part of the board, leaving a 3/4" inch lip along one side. Like this: He cut the board down to 4" wide (the width of a roll of toilet paper) and then into 4 pieces - 2 at 16" long and 2 at 8" long. When you fit the pieces together to form a box you can see that a notch needs to be cut out at each end of the 16" boards so that they meet up with the 8" boards correctly, giving a frame around the entire box. Tom accidentally cut the notch a little too low so that the wood behind isn't flush, but the pieces do meet on the inside where it's important. The 4 boards were screwed together and the joints visible on the front were puttied. A spare piece of 1x6 was cut down to 1x4x8 for the shelf in the middle. We used the toilet paper holder and a roll of toilet paper to determine the spacing above and below the shelf. The final step in construction was to add a back onto the box using a piece of plywood. Once it was all puttied and sanded, I painted the inside and all around the outer frame with two coats of white primer and 3 coats of white semi-gloss paint to match the baseboards and trim. There was no need to paint the outside of the box as it wouldn't be visible once installed. Now for the installation. You'll need to determine where you want the unit to be. We centered it between the edge of the shower tile and the door frame at a height that was comfortable to reach when you're doing your business. Tom held the box against the wall and traced the outline with a pencil, then cut out the drywall with a straight edge and utility knife, and made sure the box would slide through the opening. Make very sure you are only cutting the drywall and not through any electrical wiring or boxes! Also, if wiring needs to be re-routed, please make sure a qualified electrician does that for you. We had wiring behind the wall that led to the lightswitch on the other side, but there was enough excess wire that we were able to push it up out of the way and secure it to the studs without having to alter anything. Once the wiring was clear we had to determine how to attach the box securely. Since the spacing between studs is 12" and the box is only ~9" wide, we had to shim up the studs on both sides until they met the box. We just layered scrap pieces of wood, screwing them into the studs and then into each other until we had the right width. The box was then put in place and screwed into the shims from the inside using countersunk screws. The last step was to attach the toilet roll holder to the underside of the shelf. The holder is mounted slightly forward of center so that there is enough clearance when the arm swings up to put a new roll on. A double roll will stick out slightly at the front when it's new. I also puttied and painted the screw holes, and caulked the seams between the frame and the wall. You don't have to caulk the seams, but I like how it gives the project a finished look, and makes it seem like an original part of the room. The toilet roll holder we chose was the Moen Preston model in brushed nickel. Most of my favourite projects are designs that we came up with ourselves, and this one is near the top of the list. When you're working in small spaces you have to improvise sometimes. This solution for toilet paper supplies in a tiny ensuite bathroom really makes use of an otherwise unused space.

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I'm so happy to finally show you the ensuite bathroom! It has been 4 long months since it all started - and though it's been finished for a few weeks now, I wanted to have everything in place before I showed it off. Getting shelves on the wall was the final hold up. First the brackets were too big, then we had to search all over town (and all the way to Toronto) for enough small ones, then our evenings and weekends were full with other activities. But enough with the excuses, let's get to the good stuff. Do you remember what it looked like before? Take a look back here from when we gutted it and prepared for the tilers to make it pretty again. It was a sad, little box - a box that was falling apart. The water damage around the shower door was so bad that the drywall was flaking off, and the shower itself felt like a cave. But not anymore! Instead of shielding your eyes from all the ugly and hurrying out, now it's a place you want to spend time in. We raised the ceiling of the shower and then had it and the walls tiled in 12"x24" "Wooden Grey" porcelain tiles. The floor tiles are a mini wooden grey & white mosaic. We knocked out the wall between the shower and the toilet and installed a frameless glass wall with sliding door. With the higher ceiling and glass walls, the shower is so much brighter now. The old shower had a built-in bench which was convenient, but it took up a lot of space. We decided against replacing it and added a small teak bench instead - for those important leg-shaving moments. We also built a niche in the back wall to hold shampoo/body wash bottles. I love the streamlined look of the whole space. I'm not sure it's any bigger, but it feels twice the size. The showerhead is the In2ition from Delta with the Carlisle shower controls. It is flat-out amazing. We wanted a large showerhead, but also something that could be detached, as this is where we bath the dogs as well. The center of the showerhead slides out to become a handheld wand with a 6 foot hose. Now comes the really cool part. The water controls have two levers - you set your temperature with the smaller inside lever and then just turn the larger lever each day and you have the perfect temperature every time. Nice when you're stumbling in first thing in the morning with your eyes only half open! The vanity is from Ikea - the Godmorgon/Odensvik combination. We chose a wall-hung vanity to increase the floor space and make the room look larger. Every little bit helps. We bought the same vanity nearly a year ago, but then had to go back and buy a second, smaller vanity because the first one was just a little too big. So much for measuring. The edge of the sink would have been right up against the handle of the toilet. Besides being awkward, it just looked bad. The smaller one fits the space better and there is still plenty of room in the drawers for everything. But now we have this extra vanity. We're either going to sell the bigger one or we might keep it for when we renovate the main bathroom - whenever that happens. We replaced the handles that came with the vanity with brushed nickel rod-type handles from Home Depot. The mirror above the vanity is custom-made. Tom wanted the vanity hung a little higher than normal, which meant the old mirror was too big to fit between the lights and the sink. We looked all around but couldn't find a mirror the right size, with a real wood frame, that was a price we were willing to pay. So we bought an unframed 20"x24" mirror and built the frame ourselves! The inside edges of the frame are routed with a groove so the mirror slides right into place and won't fall out. I stained the frame with Minwax stain in Jacobean brown and gave it two coats of wax, buffed with steel wool. The shelves beside the mirror are made from 2"x10" boards planed down. I gave them the same stain/wax/buff treatment as the mirror frame. So smooth. We decided on shelving rather than a cabinet to continue with the light and open feeling of the room. On the other side of the room is a built-in medicine cabinet. It was stained dark brown before, but I thought that the room needed more white to balance out the dark floors, vanity, and shelves. The only other thing we did to change it was to move the doorknob from the bottom corner of the door to the middle. Makes more sense, don't you think? Below the medicine cabinet is the recessed, built-in toilet paper holder. Tom designed this. I think it's his favourite thing in the room. There are only a few places we could put a holder - on the side of the vanity (too close), on a floor stand (Tom was very much opposed to this), or on the wall across from the toilet. This last one was the best option, but he was still concerned that we would bump into it if it stuck out from the wall. So he built an inset box from 1"x6" boards. He planed down the boards but left a lip all around the front to frame it. There's a shelf that runs across the middle to store spare rolls of toilet paper, and the roll holder mounts to the underside of the shelf. A couple of coats of primer and white semi-gloss paint finished it off. (Moen Preston toilet roll holder in brushed nickel.) Go here for a complete how-to. I can't forget to mention the flooring in the main area. We chose dark brown 8"x36" plank tiles that look like hardwood. I love this floor so much! The tiles have a slight texture like hand-scrapped boards and there are slight colour variations to add to the natural wood look. We even replaced the floor vent. Upgrades for everyone! I chose teal and white as accent colours for the room. We bought new fluffy towels and facecloths to offset the white accessories. Even the hand soap coordinates - and that one was purely accidental. Since the bathroom is never used by guests, we decided to forgo a towel bar and just hang our bath towels on the back of the door. A cozy bathmat from Ikea finishes it off. How about a few before and after shots? I love to look at how far this room has come. It's open and spacious and BRIGHT. No more builder basic pieces - this bathroom is really us. ******** Travel back in time to see the whole process - Bathroom Reno - Demolition Bathroom Reno - Plumbing and Insulation Bathroom Reno - Shower Installation Bathroom Reno - Tiling