Bathrooms in older houses - 1920s, 1930s

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a house from 1920 and its main bathroom was quite spacious. Maybe not mammoth spacious like the master baths of mansions built today, but larger than any of the 3 baths in my current house.

It also had a very large linen closet. And beautiful tile and cast iron tub. And lots of natural light from a beautiful old frosted window.

[Anonymous]

i have an american standard wall hung sink (1940) that half the houses in the neighborhood have (integrated spout - so cool). The fauect leaks and i called a plumber and he said i have to replace it (the whole sink). Ugh

[Anonymous]

My childhood home was built in the 1920s. Four bedrooms plus what was the maid's room. Very unusually for the time very bedroom had its own bathroom. But all bathrooms are small by modern standards yet we never felt inconvenienced. After all, what are you really doing in the bathroom beyond what we normally do in bathrooms? I'd rather have a 1920s-30s bathroom with the glorious classic tiles and bathtubs and sinks than any modern replacement.

I've toured several very grand houses from the late 19th to early 20th centuries up in Newport and elsewhere and goodness me, those bathrooms were huge. And fabulous. One house had a bathtub with both regular and salt water tabs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate "renovated" bathrooms more than most things. Even more than open floor plan kitchens, which is saying a lot.

You take some irreplaceable vintage tile, a gorgoeus matching tub, sink... And you Rio it all out, punch out the space with horrible cheap dryall, add a dumb looking vessel sink from home depot, a cheap and smaller tub, (or no tub at all, because nothing says luxe like a brown and beige tile shower.) It's just all awful. There was a Tudor flip in brightwood... The original bathrooms and kitchen layout being gobebdestroys value.

If you can't afford to replace nice things with nice things, don't replace them.

I like you.

I like you, too.

A coworker tore out his vintage bathroom, including this totally charming pencil tile with pictures, and replaced it all with The Endless Beigeness. And because we'd discussed home improvements a lot, he told me about the search for just the right beige tile. Love him, hate remodels that aren't appropriate to the era of the house, so my tight smile really got a workout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because those houses suck, do the world a favor and tear down that piece of crap

At minimum, replace ALL the pipes in the bathroom going in and out. They will be corroded and full of gunk. It will stick up the whole house.

[Anonymous]

stink

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because those houses suck, do the world a favor and tear down that piece of crap

If it were a well built home of that time, I couldn't disagree with you more. They're beautiful--especially the wooden floors, tile sunporches, high ceilings, fireplaces, windows, and yards.

After living in two "well built" homes from the 1930's and earlier, I disagree. Beautiful but money pits. And nothing works quite as well as in a modern house.

[Anonymous]

Remember that women had dressing tables and did their makeup etc in the bedroom not bathroom. And went to the hairdressers got up dos more, no home blows dryers in 1920 I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remember that women had dressing tables and did their makeup etc in the bedroom not bathroom. And went to the hairdressers got up dos more, no home blows dryers in 1920 I think.

Yup. I love my 1920s bathroom & my dressing room.

[Anonymous]

When houses were heated with coal fireplaces, a smaller bathroom was much easier to keep warm in the winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate "renovated" bathrooms more than most things. Even more than open floor plan kitchens, which is saying a lot.

You take some irreplaceable vintage tile, a gorgoeus matching tub, sink... And you Rio it all out, punch out the space with horrible cheap dryall, add a dumb looking vessel sink from home depot, a cheap and smaller tub, (or no tub at all, because nothing says luxe like a brown and beige tile shower.) It's just all awful. There was a Tudor flip in brightwood... The original bathrooms and kitchen layout being gobebdestroys value.

If you can't afford to replace nice things with nice things, don't replace them.

I like you.

I like you, too.

A coworker tore out his vintage bathroom, including this totally charming pencil tile with pictures, and replaced it all with The Endless Beigeness. And because we'd discussed home improvements a lot, he told me about the search for just the right beige tile. Love him, hate remodels that aren't appropriate to the era of the house, so my tight smile really got a workout.

I like you guys too. We should form a club.

I understand if you're dealing with a beat up bathroom that hasn't been taken care of, but people who replace perfectly functioning vintage bathrooms for a Home Depot Special should be drug out into the street and... well maybe not shot, but certainly given a stern talking too. Our 50's colonial has good fixtures but the tile is all cracked in place that we can't hide them. We ripped out our black and white tiles and replaced it with really pretty grey 4x4's and black and white hex and dot floor tiles. My only regret is I couldn't find grey fixtures to match the tile.

[Anonymous]

Be sure and replace those cast iron pipes with PVC so all can hear every flush and drain.

[Anonymous]

Also, people didn't shower or bathe daily. Women didn't wash their hair daily. Ever heard of a wash and set?

My grandmother, born in 1911, washed and set her hair once week and wore curlers to bed every night.

As another PP mentioned, women would apply makeup (small amount, likely) and brush her hair at a dressing table in her bedroom.

Men shaved at the sink, not in the shower.

Bathrooms were still a luxury. My grandparents' summer cottage, built new in 1920, and used by her family for thirty five years, had an outhouse. You'd wake up and wash your face with a bowl and pitcher. Bathing was done in the lake.
A walk to a hand pump to get water for cooking.

[Anonymous]

The bathrooms weren't indoors so when they were installed they often took over a small room or closet.