When we bought our house in 2007, we intended to renovate it from top to bottom. We judged the modest-sized home by its bones and were reassured that most major structural updates—windows, roof, plumbing, and siding—had been completed by the previous owners within the past five years. That left cosmetic work and smaller projects, and we assumed that with a bit of effort we would have a wonderful place to live fairly quickly.
What we couldn’t accept, however, was the single full bathroom. Planning to make this house our long-term family home, we knew we needed at least two full bathrooms. The house did have a second, oddly placed half bath on the lower level, and with some creative reconfiguration it seemed possible to convert that space into a modest master bathroom.
Rather than fitting the new room with the plainest fixtures, we wanted to respect the character of our 110-year-old house. That led us to search for the perfect claw-foot bathtub. New reproduction tubs were priced far above our budget, so we turned to online marketplaces for an affordable antique alternative. Our only requirement was that the tub be long and deep enough to accommodate a full-sized adult comfortably.
Before we even moved in, a nostalgic search on eBay turned up an exquisite antique cast-iron claw-foot tub—bright fire-engine red and of ideal dimensions. Located in Pittsburgh and priced to sell, it cost about a tenth of a new replica and only needed some restoration to bring it back to life. We hesitated about buying such a large item sight unseen and about the five-hour one-way drive it would take to retrieve it. We also worried about how much work would be needed to make the tub fully usable—after all, we were first-time DIYers with limited experience but plenty of enthusiasm.
In the end, desire outweighed caution. One weekend we drove across Ohio into Pennsylvania and brought home the tub we’ve affectionately named Clementine. She spent some time in a family member’s garage while we prepared our house for her arrival, and this past fall she finally moved into her forever home.
Encouraged by another family member who has refinished a claw-foot tub, we’re about to take on one of our most ambitious DIY projects yet: restoring Clementine to her former glory and installing her in our newly configured master bathroom. We’ll be documenting the process—detailing the challenges, the lessons learned, and, we hope, the successful outcome. Stay tuned as we share the full restoration journey and practical tips for anyone considering a similar project.