Budget Friendly Bathroom Transformation Part 2

Again we were so excited to get started that we forgot the before photos, but luckily, my friend has some spindles in her house that we have not yet removed....yet....so you can see what we started with.

These old spindles remind of old banks and prisons....

 After removing the spindles from the small privacy wall in the hall bath with my handy Sawzall (my favorite tool to borrow from the hubby), my friend and I constructed a simple column using lumber from the trim section at our local hardware store that only had to be cut to length--a task easily accomplished with the chop saw. I admit to a fair amount of measuring and math being involved since I used simple butt joints instead of miter joints. I left the last spindle in place and screwed the new column to it for added stability. I counter sunk the screws since I knew the end result would all be painted. My friend is an excellent finish person with attention to detail that I can't even begin to imagine. She did filling and sanding to such a high quality that the column looks seamless. Then she painted it to match the cabinets. Leaving a column saved us a lot of money and headache since it meant that we could leave the header in place. It also creates wonderful architectural character in the room. Getting rid of the spindles opens up the space, makes it look brighter and roomier, and creates a display shelf. Since simple columns could be a feature of an old house or a new one, instead of dating the room, it makes it feel timeless.
We could have just painted the spindles white like so many home owners do, but removing them altogether opened up the space so much that it was worth the added effort and expense. With lumber, filler, and screws, I'm pretty sure we came in under $50. I will say, this was definitely a two woman job. Having someone to hold the pieces in place while another person installs the screws made it much easier and safer, so if you take this on, enlist a friend to help.

As a final note, I would say that this is a project anyone can take on with a little planning. If two ladies of a certain age can do it, anyone can! Most lumber yards will cut wood to length for a minimal fee. Then all you need is a drill with a counter sink bit and any kind of saw to cut the old spindles in half so you can pull them out, even a hand saw would work. Simple tools, a little money, and some elbow grease created a priceless result.