You wrote:

"I love the beautiful Italian baths, they are so sleek and minimal. But
they are freaking way too expensive. I found some products that are
close enough in appearance or can be made to be close enough in
appearance to emulate the look without the price."

May I ask you to share your sources for these bath products

Thanks

My vanity in the master bath was found on ebay. So were the plumbing fixtures.

Grohe makes $400 shower valves. They also make $100 shower valves. Guess which I chose.

The shower pans in the master and guest baths are Swanstone, the largest they make, set 6" down so that their highest point is even with the finished floor. Eventually I will build a teak grate to lay over the shower pan, creating what looks like monolithic floor surface without the drainage headaches.

Master bath lighting from Chiasso.com

Toilets by Toto, their dual flush model.

Shower walls are Minerit Lightweight, a cement board that I sealed and attached with construction adhesive.

Hope this is what you are looking for. Good luck!

Richie - again, nice work!

Couple of questions.

1. Are you a licensed electrician? I am assuming you were if you were able to do the electrical work yourself - doesn't look like you are out in the country!

2. How difficult is the plumbing and electrical work? I have done a ton of low voltage computer and network wiring in the past and have always wondered that what it takes to pull this off.

Having worked on several of my own houses, I can appreciate how much work you have done here. Did you factor into your costs your lost wages?

How long did this take to build?

Hey Jason, thank you for your compliments.

 1) I am not a licensed electrician. But in my city if you are the "owner/builder", you may do whatever you want on your house. Of course, it must pass inspection.

2) If you have done low voltage and networking, then you can do electric. Signal flow is signal flow. What's more tricky than the actual wiring is making sure you are putting the right boxes in the right places. Ceiling light fixtures and exterior light fixtures tripped me up a little on this, but I worked around my ignorance. There are some general rules to follow regarding the "load" you put on each circuit breaker, but nothing that can't be learned from a book. I am lucky to have a couple of electrician friends who I can call in a pinch.

3) I did NOT factor in my time or lost wages. That would make my bottom line much less impressive!

4) It took one year from move out to move in. The drawback to being your own contractor is that there are still things to do around the house. I'd say we are 95% there. I'm nibbling away at it one day at a time. Once you move in, however, things slow down dramatically.

Although it was grueling at times, I had a great time.

 -R.