Montview Home

Our home located off of Montview Blvd in Aurora was built in 1956 near the old Stapleton Airport. Within walking distance of the trendy Stanley Marketplace, there’s an up-and-coming diverse neighborhood with easy access to Central Park, Lowry and Interstate 225, and only a short drive to downtown Denver.

The typical homes found in this area, like ours, can be an affordable option if you’re looking to renovate a mid-century property and create an upgraded home with unique character and increased value, either as your residence or as an investment.

We have taken on the challenge to update this already adorable house into the home that reflects our lifestyle and passion for modern living. The first phase and short-term renovation is to turn the current 3 bed, 1 bath layout into a more spacious 2 bed, 2 bath plan; we can do this without making any structural modifications to the house, but since this does not add square footage, future projects include adding a garage and a second story among other renovations.

Guest Bathroom

Before

Although it had been renovated before, the old bathroom of the house came with intense dark orange tiles in the shower that gave it an enclosed and outdated appearance. The oversized vanity and toilet made the small room feel crowded and uncomfortable. The plumbing in general also needed an upgrade as some pieces were loose and didn’t work properly.

Renovation

We started by exposing all the plumbing to identify and repair any issues. The old tile floor was removed and we made repairs to the subfloor. Once all the piping, framing, and subfloor were repaired, we used moisture resistance materials to cover up the walls and floor, then installed the new tile throughout the room. The walls were textured and painted, then a new vanity and toilet were installed. We added new trim and a new mirror, as well as a medicine cabinet.

After

To brighten up the small space, we used white tile and gray grout in the shower and extended it to the rest of the room to create a wainscot. We preserved the original cast iron tub and added a smaller vanity and toilet to make the room feel more spacious than it really is.

We took advantage of the existing shower niche to add an accented area with tile that matches the new floor. We chose oil-rubbed bronze hardware to contrast with the neutral colors of the room and give it a more modern look. We kept the original light fixture for character and installed a narrow medicine cabinet. Even the original old door was fixed and resurfaced.

Although there isn’t much storage, there is enough space in the medicine cabinet and vanity for the essentials of a guest bathroom. As a finishing touch, we repurposed some rugged dark panels and hung them on the plain wall to achieve a final bold and contemporary design.