Hurricane Isaias was the first major hurricane to hit our area since we moved here 6.5 years ago. We followed our county’s mandatory evacuation orders and drove many hours away to an unaffected part of Florida (Ocala). As we hunkered down at an Airbnb with our friends, kids, and pets, we watched as the hurricane became a Category 3 and turned towards our area back home. Luckily, our house and most of our neighborhood sustained only minor damage, relatively speaking. A few trees down, a scratch in the painted top piece of our fence (can see the tree leaning on it below?), and a LOT of leaves and sticks to clean up.
Overall, we felt very grateful and very lucky. Also, if you want to know how many times Jennifur meowed in the car during our little road trip, the answer is 15 or so, and then she curled up and slept just like Penny.
But luck wasn’t the only factor. When we moved here, we prioritized making hurricane-ready improvements to our house. Some were big and costly, but others were things we were able to check off in an afternoon. We’ll do a separate post about all of our hurricane prep tips, so this is more about home improvements you might want to consider before next hurricane season rolls around. We also have to acknowledge that all the things on this list are absolutely a privilege to be able to afford and we’re very grateful that over time we could save up and execute these to safeguard our house.
6 Ways We Got Our Home Hurricane-Ready
It bears mentioning that our house is at least 36 years or so old (the county says it was built in 1991 but all of the original windows inexplicably said 1984 when we bought it). And yes, those original windows were all in tact when we bought our house in 2020. Which definitely says something about how homes here just seem to be built for storms – even when those aforementioned windows were single pane. The fact that none of them had been replaced in many decades of hurricanes impressed us. I point this out just to show you that we didn’t think of our house as the straw house from the three little pigs to begin with. It had already demonstrated durability through many decades of hurricanes. So making these further improvements just gave us even more peace of mind, lowered our homeowner’s insurance, and made it less stressful to evacuate during a storm like Isaias.
I’m going to order these from biggest (in terms of scale, cost, and time) to smallest, because we tried to prioritize the most impactful actions first. And that starts with the biggest of all: choosing the house itself!
Buying a less vulnerable house
Upgrading to impact-rated doors & windows
Getting a whole-house generator
Adding hurricane ties
Choosing outdoor furniture wisely
Setting up security cameras
Like I said, some are bigger investments than others, but all felt extremely worthwhile when a storm came barreling our way!
1. Buying A Less Vulnerable House
Hurricanes were top of mind for us when hunting for our Florida house (obligatory before photo below). Hurricanes aren’t strictly a Florida phenomenon – think Sandy in New England, Helene in Western NC, and storms like Irene that did a number on our Virginia neighborhood in 2011 (we lost power for something like 2 weeks! Which also happened to me after another hurricane that hit VA when I was in college). All of that is to say that we had experience with hurricanes previous to living in Florida, so when we were researching potential neighborhoods, we definitely considered how they might fare in a bad storm – particularly with storm surge / flooding which often does some of the most damage in a hurricane.
In fact, water is the #1 cause of death in a hurricane, whether from coastal storm surge, overflowing rivers, or heavy rain flooding. So buying in a location that wasn’t prone to flooding has always been a top consideration for us in our house hunts (both in Virginia and when we were house hunting here). Luckily, websites like FEMA and the First Street Foundation make it easy to look up the flood risk of any address. You can also activate map layers on Realtor.com and Zillow that show a property’s risk for flooding, fire, and other environmental hazards.
Ultimately, we picked a home with zero flood risk according to these sites. Of course, that’s just a calculation, not a guarantee (and climate change makes everything less certain). But even with our own eyeballs, we could see that our location had some great safeguards. It’s protected by 30-ft high dunes on the beach (seen below after Isaias). And our home is a few blocks away, just beyond the tallest hill in our neighborhood. So our house is at a very high elevation with relation to storm surge. For Hurricane Isaias they warned about 7 feet of storm surge, but it only clocked in at about 5 feet. Once again, this dune is over 30′ high and our house is even more elevated behind an even taller hill in our neighborhood.
But obviously, picking a home involves A LOT of important factors beyond flood risk. And if you’re not planning to move anytime soon, how do you make the most of the home you already have? Well… that takes us to all of the improvements we made after we moved.
2. Upgrading To Impact-Rated Windows & Doors
The biggest hurricane-ready improvement we made to our home was replacing all of our windows and doors with impact-rated ones. These are specially constructed and installed to withstand both high-velocity winds and flying debris. A broken window is bad enough on its own, but getting one during a hurricane also increases the chances your roof will come off because of the wind and sudden pressure change inside the house. So these greatly reduce the risk of that happening during a storm.
This upgrade was BY FAR the most costly and time-consuming thing we did. Impact-rated windows can cost 2 or 3 times as much as regular windows, and the installation is more involved too. Ours ended up taking nearly 3 months (we ran into other issues, like rot under the siding) and cost tens of thousands of dollars. It was a tough pill to swallow for a result that looks & functions mostly the same as it did when we started, but we knew it was one of the best things we could do to protect our home and all of the meaningful things that we keep within its walls. Of course people and pets get a few day’s notice to evacuate, but our hurricane safe windows and doors make us feel like the art that our kids painted and all of the things we filled this house with have the best chance of being all good for the long haul.
These windows and doors have pretty amazing stats. They’re designed to withstand sustained wind speeds of 150-180+ mph (covering up to Category 5 hurricane conditions). They literally test them by firing giant pieces of lumber at them at a wildly high speed with tons of force (they call it “missile testing”). They can crack if hit extremely hard, but are designed to not breach, meaning water shouldn’t enter the house, even if a tree branch comes flying into the pane. They’re also designed to withstand some insane pressure changes (up to +90 / -130 PSF) which can often come with strong hurricanes.
There are alternatives to replacing your windows (like window shutters, plywood, or even “hurricane fabric“), but we decided they weren’t as ideal for our family of our specific house. Plus we wanted something that protected us year-round without the effort, time, or warning needed for those other methods. We’ve actually had more Tornado Warnings here than hurricane issues, and those don’t often give you enough warning to board up your windows!
While expensive, upgrading our doors and windows also helped our insurance policy. I won’t say it saved us tons of money, but it did save us about 10% and keep our insurance policy from spiking or getting dropped entirely, which is a real concern these days in Florida.
3. Getting A Whole House Generator
The next most costly upgrade on this list is getting a whole-house generator. After experiencing several multi-day hurricane-related power outages in Virginia, we decided a generator was a must-have in Florida. Prolonged power outages aren’t necessarily “damaging,” but they can be inconvenient (no lights or Internet), uncomfortable (no A/C or hot water), and even costly (lost food, flooring damage from the fridge melting out onto the floor, etc).
We opted to have a whole-house Generac generator professionally installed versus buying a portable one from the store. Yes, it was much more expensive (about $8K installed), but it had some big long-term advantages to us:
It’s automatic: When power goes out – even briefly during a normal thunderstorm – it automatically clicks on right away. It also switches back over to the utility power automatically when electricity is restored.
There’s no setup: Since it’s permanently installed and hardwired to our main breaker, we don’t have to mess with wires, plugs, gasoline, or other fuel lines. We also don’t have to lug some big piece of equipment out of our (non-existent) garage.
It’s constantly fueled: It’s hooked up to our natural gas utility line, so we don’t need to worry about refilling gas or propane tanks before a storm comes. It wouldn’t work if the hurricane takes out our gas line, but that’s low risk since it’s buried very deeply underground.
There’s no decision-making: Since we picked a generator large enough to power our whole house, we don’t have to prioritize what gets power and what doesn’t. Portable generators may only power a couple of appliances (like the fridge) or require fuel rationing, which might be hard to do during extended outages. It even keeps the pool running so it won’t get all green, which can happen during periods of extended power outtage since it can’t filter itself.
It’s safer: Sadly, one of the main causes of death after a hurricane is carbon monoxide poisoning due to improper generator use. Ours is outside, and since we barely* have to interact with it, there’s very few ways we could mess it up.
*Generac recommends turning it off to cool for 30 minutes after 24 hours of use, so we did go outside and press a couple of buttons each day after we returned from our evacuation until the power was restored.
All that said, I’ll be honest: our generator has been kind of a headache over the years. We had some issues with improper installation, challenges with the annual maintenance company, and some hiccups reconnecting it during our recent renovation. So if you’d asked me a month ago, I’d have given you a lukewarm review. But now? After 4 days without power from Hurricane Isaias? I’ll sing its praises ALL DAY. Not only did we keep some normalcy in our house during an otherwise stressful time, we became a place for friends and neighbors to come and charge their phones, get on our Wi-Fi, and enjoy some A/C.
4. Adding Hurricane Ties
Hurricane ties (also called hurricane clips or straps) are metal connectors that essentially lock your roof to your walls, making it harder for high winds to rip off your roof. I know, that sounds scary, right? Maybe it’ll be helpful to know that it’s usually an issue with much stronger hurricanes than we’ve had in the last 6.5 years here – so that’s not common at all. In fact there’s zero evidence that our house has ever lost its roof in 36 years of being here. And our neighbors who lived here for 70 years have never even had a broken window, let alone any roof issues. But back to hurricane ties: they became standard building code in Florida in 2002, but older homes (like ours) can be pretty easily retrofitted with them. We paid a local contractor about $900 to install ours to ensure that they met code. And then they were inspected in order to lower our homeowner’s insurance. Very worth it! Highly recommend.
We don’t have attic space under most of our roof, so some of the added ties are visible on the exterior under our roofline (seen above, painted). But when we had the siding redone on a portion of our home during our our recent renovation, they were able to install them to be hidden. Here’s a pic of them before the siding went up.
We added the hurricane ties around the same time we got new windows & doors. That’s because our insurance required us to submit an updated Wind Mitigation Report to get credit for the windows. As I mentioned, this requires a special inspection, so before paying for that, we asked the inspector for tips on other things we could do to improve our report. He suggested these straps and even pointed us to a qualified handyman who could install them.
We’re planning to have the rest of our siding replaced in the coming months, so we’ll be able to get those hidden hurricane straps everywhere soon!
5. Choosing Outdoor Furniture Wisely
We’ve also considered hurricane prep when choosing some of our outdoor furniture. Outdoor items can become dangerous flying objects in high winds, so before any big storm, we move and/or secure all of our outdoor furniture. BUT, since we don’t have a garage or big shed to store them in, we’ve prioritized furniture that folds, stacks, or otherwise is easy to arrange to be a compact and secure grouping in a corner of the fence that shelters it from a lot of the higher wind gusts.
For example, we picked stacking outdoor dining chairs (similar linked) for the table above and on our upstairs deck. Also, these wicker lounge chairs by the pool collapse to be virtually flat. See them leaned up atop the upside-down table below? These features make it easy to condense everything into one, heavy mass that’s less likely to blow around. I’m also a big fan of bungee cords to hold things together so they’re locked in place.
Basically, whenever we buy outdoor items, we make sure we have a plan for what will happen to them in a hurricane.
6. Setting Up Security Cameras
Hurricane Isaias was the first time we’ve had to evacuate for a storm, so it was helpful to have ways to keep an eye on things from afar. We added Ring cameras years ago for general security and monitoring purposes, but they were a big sanity-saver during Isaias. Being able to keep watch for damage, debris, and general storm progress made leaving a lot easier. And thanks to our generator, they all stayed connected the whole time (thanks generator)!
We luckily didn’t experience any damage during Isaias – apart from a scratched fence board from the fallen tree shown above. And knowing that, thanks to these cameras (and reports from helpful neighbors) made the drive back after the storm much less stressful. Thank goodness for no bad surprises waiting for us at home.
Beyond cameras, some other smart devices came in handy too. We knew our leak sensorsunder sinks and major appliances would alert us to issues like a thawing fridge. And our windows & door alarmsconfirmed that they didn’t blow open. Even our generator has an app that tells us if it’s operating correctly, which was really nice to know.
Sure, none of these things actively prevent hurricane damage, but they gave us much-needed peace of mind during our evacuation. Also, three cheers for our fence, which turned out to be ridiculously strong. Imagine how much that giant pine weighted?! And it leaned against it for days before a pro could come get it off for us.
Like we said at the start, some of these hurricane-readiness improvements were bigger & much more costly than others. That’s one reason we’ve added them over time, as budget has allowed. Thankfully, Mother Nature was patient with us, and our area didn’t get hit with any major storms in that time. And now we feel as ready as we can be for future storms – and are hopeful even more advancements over time will pop up, and maybe we can add those on too.
What we know for sure is that the things listed in this post made it easier, faster, and less nerve-racking for us to evacuate when we were told to. And we’re very thankful that it was a no-brainer to prioritize the safety of people & pets and evacuate without a second thought, because we’d already done a lot to protect our home. It made driving away a little easier – and coming home a lot sweeter.
*This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
As a former professional product namer, I’ve named everything from cheeseburgers to cell phones. And you might think… she also probably wants to name my baby. Well, you’d be right. I LOVE brainstorming name ideas, researching meanings, and test-driving name pairings. I also get the sometimes daunting pressure of it all. It can be stressful, and there are tons of factors to consider, endless options to sift through, and somehow even more opinions. Hint: do not ask everyone you know for their opinions – it can make it so much harder.
So while this post won’t give you the perfect baby name (I’ve already written tons of baby name lists), it will give you the tools to find the right one for yourself.
Think of picking a baby name in two stages:
Building a list
Narrowing it down
I like to think of these two parts of the process as distinct, because it allows me to gather ideas without too much analysis or judgment at first. Kind of like how most professional authors recommend writing a very bad first draft of a book just to get it out instead of getting caught up on perfecting every word in the first chapter. There will be plenty of time for refining things in the second step, so just let your mind wander and cast the net far and wide at first.
Building A List Of Baby Name Ideas
There are no bad ideas during the first stage. Just think of it as brainstorming or gathering inspiration. Keeping a “the more, the merrier” mindset helps because you never know what random idea will grow on you, spark a different thought, or maybe work as a middle name or nickname. Here are some other things to keep in mind:
Take your time. You’ve got almost 9 months, right? Don’t cram your brainstorming into a weekend.
Keep it handy. Use something like Google Docs or the Notes app on your phone so you can access it anywhere. You never know when you’ll encounter a new idea.
Don’t fret about order. You can organize, alphabetize, or categorize later. For now, adding new names to the bottom of one long list is fine!
But how do you actually gather names for this list? Well, here are some great ways to build your baby name list:
Identify A Style
You probably already have a sense of what kinds of baby names you’re drawn to. Use these as launch points on Google or in baby name books. Styles include:
If you’re uncertain about what style you’re drawn to, look up a few of your favorite names so far and see if they fall on any lists, like “Hipster Baby Names” or “Top 10 Ranking Baby Names of the Year.” Those lists might have additional names you like.
Find Meaningful Sources
Some parents find confidence in their name choice when it has personal significance or family connection. Those might include:
Family names from earlier generations (get inspiration from your family tree!)
Character names from favorite books, movies, shows, etc
Aspirational attributes (you know, names like Hope, Faith, Joy, etc)
If any of these types of meaningful names sound promising to you, do some research to add similar names to your list – look up family trees, browse favorite books, scour maps, look up popular names from a certain geographic location, etc.
Utilize Naming Tools
Of course there are traditional sources for lists of baby name ideas that you can use to round out your personal list. These include:
Lastly, you can try super-specific search terms in Google to flush out certain types of names you want to see more of. You can try things like “Boy Names that Start With C” or “Names In Rock Song Lyrics.”
Narrowing Down Your Baby Name List
Ok, so you’ve made a big list of potential names… now what? Here are my tips for paring down your baby name ideas and zeroing in on your top options.
Check For Undesirables
One of the quickest ways to whittle down a baby name list is to identify “deal killers.” Some of these come down to personal preference, but knowing the potential negative outcomes or associations with a name is an easy way to nix it from your list. They include:
Undesirable Initials
Will your child’s initials spell something unwanted? Initials like PEE, DUH, or ICK might make you want to avoid that outcome.
Sounds Like Something Else
Sometimes a name on paper looks great but sounds strange when you say it aloud. Test it out by speaking the name you’re considering out loud, paired with last name, middle name, and even nicknames! You want to avoid an embarrassing situation like comedian Amy Schumer (who changed her baby’s name after realizing it sounded like “Genital”).
Popularity
If you care about uniqueness, it’s always smart to cross-reference the Social Security Administration’s list of top baby names in the United States to avoid trendy names that rank highly or are rising. We really didn’t want our kids to have super common names due to my husband John always being “John P” in a sea of other Johns, so by using the SS list of names we were able to avoid that (both of our kids are the only ones with their name in their grade).
Negative Associations
Consider Googling a name to see how it appears in pop culture, politics, history, etc. Make sure you’re comfortable with any existing figures or characters who share that name. Especially for unique names, these may be the primary associations that others may have with your child’s name.
The Assumed Gender Association
Understanding the potential gender associations of a name can be a smart thing to reflect on and decide whether you care at all or not in the least. We knew a woman named Justin who started every work call with someone new telling them “yes, I’m a female named Justin” and always said she wished she was “just a Justine to avoid spending years of her life explaining her name.” We actually love a gender-neutral baby name (that’s a whole list of our favorites), so it can also be smart to identify if you prefer names that work for both boys and girls, and hunt for that category on some online lists too.
Consider Practicality
Names also serve many functional purposes, and your child will be the one to benefit (or suffer) from keeping real-world applications in mind.
Longevity
Does this name suit a child, teen, AND adult? Because you aren’t just naming a baby – you’re naming a person who will (presumably) use this name for resumes, business cards, and other grown-up scenarios.
Pronunctiation
Do you care if the name is easy to say? Some people want it to be obvious, but others don’t mind a name that is unusual and therefore might require an explanation for how to pronounce it.
Spelling
Similarly, do you care if the name is easy to spell? Some people want to use the most common spelling or the most phonetic spelling of a name, while others love some flair with an unusual spelling. Just figuring out what you prefer can help direct you towards a name you love more than all the rest.
Flexibility
Does the name have existing or potential nicknames? Are you comfortable with those being used? Nicknames can also alleviate some of the issues above. For example, if the full name is tricky to spell or pronounce (Margueritte), but the nickname is simple (Maggie), you might feel like it’s the perfect balance.
Family Fit
Think about how potential names mesh with existing names and nicknames in the household (parents, siblings, even pets!). Will similar-sounding names cause confusion (like someone calling “Annie” across the house while someone else thinks their brother “Danny” is being summoned?). Or maybe you intentionally want alliterative names (each of the children starts with L, for example)?
Think Rhythm & Flow
Saying names out loud is a great way to narrow your list. Humans are naturally drawn to names with rhythm or flow to them, so here are some general “best practices” that you can conform with or completely throw out the window. Your choice!
Unequal Syllables
There’s a general “rule” that first, middle, and last names sound great with an unequal numbers of syllables – like 3-1-2 or 1-2-4, instead of 2-2-2. So if you have a long last name, you might want to focus on one-syllable first names (or vice versa if your last name is short). Again, rules are meant to be broken, so feel free to disregard this completely if you love a name that follows a different format.
Separation From Last Name
Some people try to avoid first names that end with the same sound that the last name starts with (ex: Jack Kraus) because it can be sort of a tongue twister to enunciate the end of the first name when it runs into the same sound. I knew a Mary Sass who hated that she sounded like Mary’s Ass (true story). And no matter how much you love the name Eden, if your last name is Ham, do you want your child’s full name to sound like “eatin’ ham?” Maybe you do, It’s just another thing to consider. Be sure to say the full name out loud a bunch of times just to be sure you like what it sounds like when it blurs together.
Mix It Up
Names with lots of matching sounds, letters, or alliteration might feel overly “sing-songy” or cutesy (think characters like Amelia Bedelia). So look for full names that mix hard & soft sounds and don’t rhyme. You may also want to avoid ending with the same letters/sound that you last name ends with (ex: Madison Peterson). Someone once told us they loved the name Paterson for a girl but we said Paterson Petersik out loud and we all laughed.
Test It Out
We also encourage you to test out potential baby names before you put one on a birth certificate. Here are some popular ways to “test drive” a baby name:
The Shout Test
Picture yelling this name up the stairs or down the hall to get your child’s attention. Is it natural and easy for you to say? Will it get confused with other names in the household? (John had trouble growing up because his name sounded very similar to “Mom” and his dad’s name “Tom.”)
The Crowd Test
Picture calling this name out in a crowd (say you get separated from your child at the zoo). Is it easy to say loudly? Will it be easy for your child to identify it as their name of does it sound weirdly similar to something else that might be said loudly in public pretty often? As a person named Sherry I will tell you that my heart stopped a few times in grade school when a teacher said “You should all be SHARING with the class” because I thought she was interrupting herself to yell at me for talking. But I survived.
The Classroom Test
Picture a teacher calling your child’s name on the first day of school. Will it invite any snickering or teasing from other kids (ex: your child goes by Frank, but the teacher has their given name of “Frances” on the roll sheet). We know someone who thought about this and just named their kid the-nickname-version of their name instead of the full name.
The Starbucks Test
Picture giving this name to a coffee shop barista. This is a good scenario to consider how strangers hear a name.
The Writing Test
Write the full name out on paper. How does it look to your eye? Do you worry it’s too long or maybe too difficult for a toddler who’s learning to write? Do you like how it will look on name tags, jerseys, lunch labels, and more?
The Conversation Test
Put potential names into everyday conversation for a day or two, using them as placeholders whenever you refer to the baby (“Maeve just kicked!“) or even imagine future conversations about your child (“Freddy has a big exam tomorrow“). See if some names feel more natural than others.
None of these tests are meant to be “pass” or “fail,” since no name will be 100% perfect in all scenarios. But they can give you some helpful insights as to which names you like most and what you actually care about (and don’t at all).
Other Naming Considerations
In addition to all of these ways to create & narrow down your baby name list, here are some other things to remember during this exciting time.
Include A Partner
If you have a partner, you likely want to collaborate to make them feel included. Talk about what feels like the easiest way to pick a name together. Do you want to keep separate lists and cross-reference later? Work through every decision together? Or maybe you get the final say on the first name, and they pick the middle name? Just talking this through can make you feel like the best team who can land on the best name that you both love. And if you’re single, you might want to consult with a close friend or family member to bounce ideas off someone else so you don’t feel like you’re doing this in a vacuum. Just be warned that asking too many people for their opinions can quickly spoil soooo many names you love.
Maybe Don’t Finalize It
Some parents find it easier to wait until they meet their baby to make a final selection. You never know if seeing your child’s face will make one name a clear winner over others. We had a name for our daughter that we were heavily leaning towards, but we agreed if she was born with a head of dark hair we’d name her Jane. She was bald, so the original name (which was a family name) is what we went with. But it felt nice to just say “we don’t have to be 100% sure going into this birth. It can be totally fine to bring a few top contenders into the delivery room and just meet your little one to see what fits.
Invite Feedback Carefully
As I’ve hinted at a few times, involving others in your naming decision is up to you, but remember that everyone has different preferences, associations, and instincts. And they may feel bolder about sharing those opinions with you when that name is still hypothetical (and not attached to your actual baby). So if you’re not prepared to hear every one of your cousins nitpick your favorite monikers, maybe keep him out of the loop for now.
Don’t Stress
There are plenty of important decisions to worry about during a pregnancy, but don’t make picking a name one of them. There are THOUSANDS of great names out there, and you’re bound to find plenty that you like. No name checks every single box, so don’t fret about perfection and enjoy the process.
More Baby Name Ideas
We’ve given you LOTS to think about, but not many actual names. That’s where these posts come in. Be sure to check these out as your adding names to you list. And yes, some of the pet ones may come in handy!
*This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
For the last six years, having one bathroom worked surprisingly well for our family of four. But this year, as part of our recent renovation, we finally added another bathroom – and boy does it feel luxurious after so many years without it! Today we’ll share why, where, and how we finally added a second bathroom to our smaller home.
We’ve also got not one, but TWO video tours below. There’s a quick walkthrough of the bathroom (with a peek at the rest of the downstairs renovation). Plus a longer, no-detail-spared tour Sherry recorded for Instagram.
New Bathroom Video Tours
Before we dive into the process of adding this bathroom, let’s walk through the finished space. The first is a quick spin around the bathroom to orient you, (filmed by steady-handed John). It starts in the new “lounge” area (which was the main part of our recent renovation) and leads you into our new ensuite bathroom.
This second video is one I posted on Instagram that’s a more detailed look (and admittedly less steady handed – sorry!), along with some yappy explanations of how things work and why we made certain decisions. Some of the same info is covered in the text below, but this video is definitely the easiest, most thorough way to experience it!
Now let’s cover some backstory before getting into all of the after pictures.
Why We (Finally) Added A Bathroom
We assumed that adding a second bathroom would be super high on our priority list when we moved here in 2020. We’d never lived in a one-bathroom house before, let alone as a family of four. But the pandemic deterred us from rushing into it, and we quickly realized that having one bathroom wasn’t a big deal at all… especially with an outdoor shower that we all loved.
Then things changed last fall. Not because we were desperate for another bathroom, but because we decided to renovate a large part of our house’s downstairs layout. The main goals of that renovation were to (1) give us more access/visibility to our backyard pool and (2) make our son’s room bigger. The bathroom wasn’t even on our radar at first!
But in talking with our contractor, we decided it made sense to tackle the bathroom while the house would already be torn up. Plus, it would be more cost-efficient because framers, electricians, drywallers, etc would already be on site and a whole lot of walls would already be open. The contractor even said “the bathroom will be easy and cheap” because of a very simple pipe-run that he could add under our raised deck out front. Music to our ears!
The last thing to do before officially adding it to the to-do list was to pin down where to put everything… which proved harder than expected! Let’s just say we considered EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE WAY you can lay out a small bathroom… maybe 10 to 15 times each.
Laying Out Our Second Bathroom
The decision about where to put the new bathroom was easy: this corner of our bedroom. It was a natural spot to create a full, ensuite bathroom from existing square footage without impacting the bedroom’s function much at all. We’d basically just lose the storage & display space below and the room would become a bit more of a rectangle instead of an L shape, which always was a little quirky.
This is the rough floor plan we showed our contractor when he was bidding the job. You can see where the bathroom was going (at right, in green) and how it would require relocating our bedroom door and shifting one of our Ikea closets. You can also see how weirdly shaped our bedroom is – so many angles!
The contractor liked the general plan, but identified a few code requirements to consider – mostly clearance around the toilet and the door swing. So before he took our ideas into his CAD software, Sherry and I used Photoshop to map out just about every possible arrangement we could think of – toilet here, sink there, maybe a pocket door? These are just a few, but we considered literally EVERYTHING that was possible with code considerations and all that jazz.
This small space was QUITE the puzzle. Changing one thing (like widening the door to meet code) impacted something else. Now is the shower too cramped? Are we creating a clusterfug between the toilet & open door? In fact, our big idea of a pocket door wouldn’t even work because that door was required by code to be wider than the space we had next to it for it to recess into the wall. Womp-womp. So it was back to a wide traditional door that would have to swing in or out.
Not to be deterred, we continued to brainstorm (just John and I for days with graph paper and tape on the floor, along with our contractor and his son, who had lots of ideas to throw into the pot. Finally, we landed on two solutions that helped everything click into place:
Swap out the wide traditional door we assumed we had to have (which requires bulky framing & jambs as well as a ton of space to swing out or in) for a matching set of Ikea closet doors, which can be mounted to a thinner side panel, earning us space inside and outside the bathroom that isn’t “used up” by door swing, as well as a really cool seamless closet look from outside the bathroom.
Use the side of the Ikea wardrobe as the “wall” in the bathroom, rather than adding extra framing & drywall around it, which also saved us a fair amount of floor space we thought we’d be losing.
The second one was a pretty unconventional solution, but it would give us a few crucial inches to help us meet code in all the important spots – thereby creating a bathroom that’s not too cramped or tight feeling (in fact it’s ADA compliant with a zero entry shower!). Our contractor laid it out in CAD to be sure, and those two tweaks really made all the difference. The shower got bigger, the clearance around the toilet increased, and the whole thing felt more open and spacious.
To be totally sure that we liked this plan more than the 274 other ones we considered, we taped everything out on the floor before demo began and “walked” our new floor plan for a few days. We actually did this for some of the previous iterations as well. This was the first version that felt – dare we say it? – spacious. I know you’re laughing because it looks insane in this picture, so you’ll just have to trust me that actually walking it and living with it was enough for us to say: this is the one.
One last consideration was how this would all look from the bedroom. Sherry and I took to Photoshop again to render what it might look like. Forgive this hasty “before” photo I snapped using my 0.5x lens. You can see the bathroom taped out on the left side. You can also see why we thought that was the perfect spot for our ensuite bathroom though. It totally makes more sense of the room’s L shaped layout.
First, we mocked up the new bedroom door location, the shifted closet, and a “traditional” door to the bathroom (far left) just to make sure it wasn’t the only solution that looked good. We assumed it would balance the door really well, and feared we’d be back to square one because we were pretty committed to the double door concept at this point. Thankfully we both hated it. The door to the room being shifted back about 2′ from the door to the bathroom (thanks to our wall of built-ins) made it look dumb. We were thrilled! (Note: we wouldn’t want to shift the bathroom door back to where the bedroom door is because our bathroom would literally not have room for anything and wouldn’t come close to meeting any sort of code requirements for clearance).
So yes, we were downright jubilant that we didn’t like that rendering. The mix of doors looked more chaotic and off-balance than we expected. It was actually a relief when we mocked up the closet-doors-as-bathroom-door version, which remember: at this point was basically our only workable plan. It instantly made the room feel more symmetrical, which is incredibly hard to achieve with all of the weird angles in this room!
We even had fun mocking up a cabinet above the door…
… and then settling on a shelf because it felt less “wall of cabinets everywhere” and added some nice dimension.
So between the CAD drawings, the tape on the floor, and our photo mockups, we finally felt confident about our plan. All that was left was to… make it a reality. Easy, right?
Bathroom Construction Progress
Construction actually was very straightforward, thankfully. It was all handled by our contractor, and the few curveballs they encountered were pretty small and easy to resolve. But here are a couple of “in progress” shots to help you better understand the layout.
See that section of blonde plywood on the floor in these photos? That’s where the shifted Ikea wardrobe would go (which used to be in front of where our new bedroom door was placed). You can see how there’s only framing behind it, not on the sides. A wall is about 5″ thick, so not framing the sides saved us nearly A FOOT of linear space on that wall (!!!). We did have the contractor add some 1/2″ wood panels to the exposed wardrobe sides to give them a bit more finish & strength, though. You’ll see that in our after photos (and it can be seen in the two videos we shared above as well).
Let’s skip ahead to the after pictures, since it will be easier to talk about some of our material selections and design decisions. Plus, those are the fun part anyway!
Bathroom Afters
I know you’re eager to look inside the finished bathroom, but let’s stay outside for one more second to show you how the doors turned out. Here’s an angle similar to the one above.
We’re SO RELIEVED that the doors worked out as well as they did. Not only did they solve our floor-planning challenges, but they also created this cool “secret room” effect. It’s almost like the bathroom is hidden among our closets!
It’s a little hard to get a good picture of this whole wall (without breaking out that weirdly-warping 0.5x lens again), but this shot (and the video at the beginning) gives you an idea of how it all connects. Plus, you can see the little display shelf John built over the bedroom door to break up all of the closed closet doors. It adds some nice dimension and color up there.
Our blend-in-with-the-closets door solution really helps the bathroom feel much more spacious than it is. The outswing keeps the doors from cramping the bathroom AND the actual opening is wide & generous – nearly 35″ across! Here’s John (and Penny) for scale.
John actually did a lot of finish trimwork on these doors after the contractors installed them, including the surrounding “jamb” that gives the passage a more finished look. It also conceals the hinges better and gives the doors something to rest against when closed (keeping them flush with the closets). He also added faux baseboards and a center strip to the doors to give us full privacy.
But enough about doors – let’s move on to the shower, which turned out bigger & better than we expected. During the floor planning process, we were always a little nervous it might feel tight or cramped (and it was hard to “stand in the footprint” when we taped it off because a wall of cabinetry ran along that back wall before – sort of cutting the shower footprint in half). The fear of it feeling cramped and tight is one reason we chose light, shiny wall tile, a glass divider, and a doorless/curbless entry. These were all tricks designed to make the shower feel spacious, seamless, and bright – and it worked! We knew we could always add another piece of glass if we wanted a door, but we both really like it this way. We also had an open glass shower at the pink house – just with a side wall but no back wall or door – so we should have known we’d like it! But it was a relief to each take a few showers and say: we do not need that door!
Placing the shower on this wall also gave us the biggest shower possible in this space. It’s 5′ across and, because of the angled wall, it flares from about 3′ wide on the open side to 4′ under the shower-head. So for once, the weird angles in this room worked to our advantage because it’s the widest where we actually stand to shower (as I demonstrate fully clothed below).
When I’ve shown video of the shower on Instagram, people have worried that water must get everywhere because there’s no curb and no door, but it’s totally fine. The opposite wall with the controls doesn’t get wet, and the floor slopes down to direct water back toward the linear drain under the shower-head. It’s hard to tell from the photo below, but that side pane of glass is very wide (see above) so nothing splashes out beyond that wall.
Speaking of the linear drain: it was a solution to one of those little curveballs we encountered along the way. We originally planned for a traditional center drain, but there was a floor joist right where it needed to go in order to be centered. Our contractor immediately suggested a linear drain that they use for all of their projects (apparently some have issues, but this one has been great for the five months we’ve been using it) and it allowed us to offset the pipe. A linear drain also meant the floor only had to slope in one direction (toward the wall) instead of sloping in on the sides too, which is nice. We’d never used a linear drain before, so we were pleasantly surprised that you could inset your floor tile right into the drain cover itself! So it has a pretty clean look. And the whole thing pops out easily if you have to access the actual drain cover.
We kept the shower controls pretty simple, with just a shower-head and one wall-mounted hand sprayer. We mostly wanted the sprayer to make cleaning easier, but it can be nice to have both things spraying on you at the same time too. I actually use both all the time when I shower in here and John’s taller so something about his height makes him like all the water coming from the shower head instead.
And as you’ve seen above, we had them place the shower controls on the opposite wall so you can turn everything on without getting wet. We also added a simple niche under them so it’s not visible when you enter the room, but holds all the shower things we need in there. We debated doing a ledge like our last shower, but we didn’t want anything bumping out or cramping the usable space at all. And as for the placement, we wanted the bottom of the ledge to double as a shaving ledge – which I demonstrate for you in the video tour towards the top of this post. It worked out so well!
I also explained in my yappy little video above that, for now, we only have that one towel hook in here. We considered putting more on the backs of the doors, and we could always add them – but it turns out that one has been working great (our entire family uses the outdoor shower most of all, so the indoor bathrooms are more for the sink and toilet than anything else). But again, we can just add a hook or two to the back of the doors if we ever feel like we need more.
Enough about the shower! Let’s spin to the other side of the room where we have the floating vanity and storage shelf we built under it. You can also see how we frosted the window for privacy (without blocking the natural light). This is the frosting film and application kit we used.
We chose a wall-mounted, floating vanity to maximize visual floorspace and this wood vanity fit perfectly, had great storage, and came with the engineered marble top and brass hardware. All we had to supply was the sink faucet, which is the same line as our shower fixtures. We feel lucky we able to so closely match the brass finish on the fixtures, the vanity pulls, and event the brackets holding the shower glass!
I realize this might not look like a lot of bathroom storage to some people (ok, or many people), but remember that for the last 6 years we were sharing a similarly sized vanity with our two kids. So this is practically the Taj Mahal to us. John also loves that the top drawer flips down to store his contacts and glasses.
The mirror over the vanity used to be above the fireplace in our bedroom. We were SO excited that it fit here perfectly, because we’d already decided to splurge for a bigger Frame TV for movies upstairs and put the upstairs Frame in our bedroom (no more watching TV on our laptop in bed!). And since this mirror needed a new home, we love how it fills this wall so well. There’s nothing like an oversized mirror to bounce light and make a room feel bigger.
You can also see the thermostat for our heated floors on the wall above. We’ve never had heated floors before, but we had our contractor add them because there was no way to route an HVAC duct to this room and the floors would get SO COLD in this corner in the winter (even when they were just wood). We had no trouble keeping this corner cool in the summer, but we worried about cold tile floors in the winter months (no thank you!).
We obviously haven’t had to used much them yet, but we’ve gotten lots of encouraging DMs from people who use heated floors as a primary heat source for their bathrooms, so we’re very excited. In fact I cranked them up to 85 the other day, just to see how it feels and I LOVED IT. Also both pets loved it.
I’m sure I’m forgetting about 100 details, but the last thing I’ll mention is that my FAVORITE THING is adding colorful art and accessories and textiles to a bathroom as well as some fresh greenery.
The towels, framed prints, a cute soap pump, a glossy pink storage box, some family photos, even a crocheted creation by our son – it all makes it feel so fun and cheerful in here. And the texture from the gleaming tile and the wavy edges of the mirror (and the soap pump and the plant pot) along with the sculptural wood front of the vanity make me so happy.
We’ve lived here six and a half years (I know! the longest we ever lived in a house before this one was 7 in our last Richmond house!) and we’re absolutely savoring the fact that we’ve slowly and thoughtfully turned this 1-bedroom/1-bathroom house (truly, that that was the original house’s listing!) into a functional 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home for our family. So grateful. Renovations can feel like they take forever and stretch you so thin to want normalcy again, but when they’re over it’s amazing how immediately worth it they can feel. We’re just so happy we took this on and it all turned out so well.
Bathroom Sources
For convenience sake, here are all of the bathroom sources linked in one spot for you:
*This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
It’s no secret that I want to name your baby (I’ve loved sharing name ideas – and John and I even pitched a pet naming book before starting this blog). And the topic of celebrity baby names has always fascinated me. From whatever “off the wall” name a famous person has chosen for their offspring (Surie! Apple! Blanket!) to the way that celebrity baby names have real impacts on naming trends (if a popular celeb names her son something, that name can soar to the top of the charts). It really is intriguing to me that beyond the gossip factor, celebrity baby names introduce new names to the lexicon, boost the popularity of others, and can even steer people away from choosing a name that’s in the headlines… which actually happened to us! But more on that in a minute.
Of course, it’s not just the names that famous parents pick that have influence. The celebrities themselves (or the characters they play) can also drive names up or down the annual rankings. But today we’re going to focus on celebrity offspring names and how wild (or mild) they’ve been. And who knows, maybe you’ll find your future baby’s name in this list.
How A Celebrity Baby Name Influenced Us
Before our son was born, “George” had been high on our list of boy names. But then Prince William & Princess Kate used it mere months before we found out we were having a boy. We heard how a royal name like that can soar up the chart, and nixed it from consideration just due to not wanting our kids to have super common names (John was known as “John P” in school due to an abundance of Johns).
While Prince George didn’t cause a major surge in the name as originally predicted (I remember one news source saying it would be in the top five names by the next year after the royal family chose it), it did reverse a multi-decade decline in George’s rank.
And fast forward to 2020, “Archie” became one of the fastest-growing boy names around the same time that another royal couple (Harry & Meghan) named their son Archie. So it’s always smart to keep an eye on celebrity baby news if you’re hoping to avoid (or be inspired by!) a famous name.
Unique Celebrity Baby Names
There are many theories about why celebrities choose unusual baby names. Maybe it’s another form of creative expression or an extension of their role as “tastemakers.” Maybe it’s a way to make headlines or help their child stand out. Some research actually suggests that celebrities are no more likely to choose unique monikers than the rest of us – we just don’t make the news! Whatever the reason, here are some memorable and weird celebrity baby names of note:
Malibu Barbie
Influencer Trisha Paytas and her husband, Moses Hacmon, named their first child Malibu Barbie Paytas-Hacmon in September 2022. They also have sons named Elvis (born 2024) and Aquaman Moses (born 2025).
Saga Blade
Actress Megan Fox and musician MGK named their first child together Saga Blade Fox-Baker in March 2025. The couple said it carried double-meaning, referencing Fox’s fertility struggles and the Nordic god of storytelling. Megan Fox also has three sons Noah, Bodhi, and Journey with ex-husband Brian Austin Green. MGK also has a teen daughter named Casie from a previous relationship.
Rumble Honey
Model and Tik-toker Nara Smith and husband Lucky Blue Smith have four children, all with unique names. Their three daughters include Rumble Honey Smith (born October 2020), Whimsy Lou (born April 2024), and Fawnie Golden (born September 2025). They also have son Slim Easy (born January 2022).
Wave Set
Rappers Cardi B and Offset named their son Wave Set Cephus in September 2021, following big sister Kulture Kiari (born July 2018). Both children’s middle names reference their father (Offset’s real name is Kiari Cephus). They also have another daughter, Blossom Belles (born September 2024)
Zuma Nesta Rock
Singers Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale had three sons before their 2016 divorce: Kingston James McGregor (born May 2006), Zuma Nesta Rock (born Aug 2008), and Apollo Bowie Flynn (born Feb 2014). Zuma refers to the Malibu beach where Rossdale decided to pursue music. Nesta is Bob Marley’s middle name (Kingston is also the capital of Jamaica, Marley’s birthplace), and Rock refers to his parents’ music.
Moroccan Scott
Moroccan Scott Cannon and his twin sister Monroe are the only children of singer Mariah Carey and ex-husband Nick Cannon. The couple gave lots of reasons for the twins’ names (whom they call Roc and Roe, sounding a bit like “rock and roll.”) Cannon also proposed to Carey in the Moroccan-inspired room in her penthouse, plus they like that it sounded sort of like a mash-up of “Mariah” and “Cannon.”
Nick Cannon is father to 12 kids in total, including Powerful Queen, Golden Sagon, Rise Messiah, Zillion Heir, Legendary Love, Onyx Ice, Halo Marie, and Beautiful Zeppelin.
Cricket Pearl
Actress Busy Phillips has two daughters with her ex-husband: Cricket Pearl Silverstein (born July 2013) and older sister Birdie Leigh (born Aug 2008). Philips explained on the TODAY Show that instead of using nicknames (Busy is short for Elizabeth), they’d just name their daughters the cute terms they wanted to call them to begin with!
Fuschia Kate
Sting (the singer born Gordon Sumner) has 6 children from two marriages, most of whom have classic names like Joseph, Elliot, and Jake. Fuschia Katherine Sumner (born April 1982) stands out among them, but has a very traditional explanation. She is named for Lady Fuchsia Groan a character in one of Sting’s favorite books, the Gormenghast series by Mervyn Peake.
Olympia Lightning
This speedy-sounding name belongs to the daughter of the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, and his wife, Kasi Bennett. Olympia Lightning Bolt (born May 2020) is a tribute to her dad’s speed. It also pairs well with her twin brothers (born May 2021) named Thunder and Saint Leo, which is Usain’s middle name.
Sir & Rumi
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s twins Sir Carter and Rumi Carter were born in 2017, and unlike big sister Blue Ivy, neither has a middle name. Rumi is named after a 13th-century Persian poet that her powerhouse parents love. And Jay-Z has explained that Sir just fit his son’s demeanor from his very first moments.
Celebrity Baby Girl Name Ideas
Beyond the more unexpected – and maybe what you’d consider wacky – celebrity baby names, there are plenty of classic, unique, and cool names you might want to borrow from a famous parent. Some may still feel a little “out there” to you, but these celebrities are helping to normalize them. Here are some of our favorites, starting with girl names:
Sunday – Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban (also Mike Meyers)
Tabitha – Sarah Michelle Gellar & Matthew Broderick
Townes – Hilary Duff
Violet – Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck (also Emily Blunt & John Krasinski)
Vivienne – Anglie Jolie & Brad Pitt
Willa – Sophie Turner & Joe Jonas
Willie – Michlle Branch
Willow – Jada Pinkett & Will Smith (also singer Pink)
Winnie – Jimmy Fallon
Wyatt – Jason Kelce
Celebrity Baby Boy Name Ideas
Lastly, here are some of the baby boy names chosen by famous families you may want to add to (or strike from!) your consideration list:
Abel – Amy Poehler & Will Arnett
Ace – Jessica Simpson
Archer – Jesse McCartney
Arlo – Julia Stiles
Atlas – Anne Heche
Bash – Brittney Griner
Bear – Kate Winslet (also Alicia Silverstone)
Beau – Chloe Bridges & Adam Devine
Billy – Whitney Leavitt
Bingham (goes by “Bing”) – Kate Hudson
Bowen – Drew Brees
Callum – Kyle McLachlan
Canon – Steph Curry
Cooper – Gabourey Sidibe
Cosmo – Scarlett Johansson & Colin Jost
Cy – Jennifer Lawrence
Dash – Alice Cooper
Denver – Jessie James & Eric Decker
Ennis – Kristen Dunst & Jesse Plemons
Ernest – Prince Eugenie
Felix – Debby Ryan
Ford – Katherine Schwarzenegger & Chris Pratt
Flynn – Miranda Kerr & Orlando Bloom
Genesis – Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz
Gideon – Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka
Homer – Richard Gere (also Bill Murray)
Louie – Jennifer Lawrence
Lincoln – Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard
Kaius – Derek Jeter
Meyer – Josh Peck
Onyx – Iggy Azalea and Playboi Carti.
Oscar – Mandy Moore
Otis – Olivia Wilde & Jason Sudeikis
Ozzie – Max Greenfield
Nico – Michael Phelps
Pace – Diplo
Parker – Property Brother Drew Scott & Linda Phan
Patch – Phillip Phillips
Remy (full name Remington) – Kelly Clarkson
Rocco – Madonna & Guy Ritchie
Rocky – Sarah Michelle Gellar & Freddie Prinze Jr.
Roman – Al Pacino
Ronin – Frances Bean Cobain & Riley Hawk
Sebastian – Anderson Cooper
Shepherd – Josh Duhamel
Silas – Jessica Biel & Justin Timberlake
Sonny – Jason Lee
Tatum – Khloe Kardashian & Tristan Thompson
Tennessee – Reese Witherspoon
Ziggy – Ashley Simpson
More Baby Name Ideas
If you’re looking for more baby name inspiration, take a look at the links below. We’ve got lots of easy-to-read lists for everything from boys & girls to dogs & cats too!
Olivia Harvey is a freelance writer and award-winning scriptwriter from outside Boston, Massachusetts. She’s a big fan of scented candles, getting dressed up, and the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. You can make sure she’s doing okay via…read more
I’m originally from a small beach town in West Michigan, but I moved to NYC for college where I got my BS in Fashion Media from LIM College. Brooklyn is now my permanent home, where I love exploring celiac-friendly cafes or bakeries, and I’m constantly reading and bringing my…read more
