Lived In—The Newsletter

Lived In—The Newsletter

Let's rewind a little bit

Every main character has a good origin story

Hemby Home Co.'s avatar
Hemby Home Co.
Jan 24, 2026
∙ Paid

Our house was built a little over 20 years ago. It is, in many ways, the antithesis of what I hoped my home would be; that is, it’s basically a builder’s spec-special.

The upstairs bathroom in all her pre-flood spec-built glory.

At least the bathrooms are. They have that vinyl bathtub–shower combo, complete with a floor tile that really has nothing wrong with it except for the fact that it’s a boring grey 12x12.

The rest of the house is better: 10-foot ceilings, the shower in the primary bathroom is a dual-sided showstopper, and even though the kitchen is nothing to write home about, it has good bones and cabinets that aren’t the poopy brown I hate the most.

So, the upstairs bathroom. Fundamentally, there’s nothing wrong with it. But, as many homeowners do, we hoped to one day make some simple upgrades to help it feel a little less basic and a little more like us.

So where do you start with a bathroom update?

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