The Sink-Free Lifestyle

Our recent bus remodeling included a new bathroom countertop. We were perplexed with what kind of sink to put in it, as the counter is a very low 30″ tall.  Given the small space of the bathroom, we didn’t feel we wanted to bring the counters up to a more modern & usable height and lose the feeling of open space.

This lead us to considering an above counter vessel sink to solve the problem – keeping the visual space the low counter provides, while raising the sink’s height by a few inches for practicality.  Plus, they’re pretty darn spiffy looking.

Problem with a vessel sink, is that there are very few options in stock at most hardware stores and we needed a particularly small one for the space.  We decided to just have our contractor leave the countertop uncut, and we’d deal with the install ourselves once we found the sink we wanted.

For the past few weeks as we’ve had sink contenders shipped in to try out, we’ve been living bathroom sink-free.

Since we’re enjoying our clean smooth bathroom countertop so much – we’ve decided we’re staying sink free!!  Woohoo.

Here are some advantages of a sink-free lifestyle that we’re enjoying:

• Simplified plumbing systems. With no sink, you don’t need a faucet or a drain – or any of the plumbing to make them functional.  And no leaks to worry about!
• Significantly less water consumption.  With no faucet, you can’t use water.  Brillant idea, and awesome for boondocking when water conservation is key.
• Easier cleaning.  No toothpaste dribbles to clean up.  Simply wipe the countertop every so often, and you’re good to go.
• More space.  In a small space, every corner, edge and design feature takes away from the illusion of space. Without having a faucet and sink in the way, our bathroom looks huge!

Sure, there are some trade-offs. It’s brought back some fond memories of our first nomadic days traveling in the T@b travel trailer, which had just a small kitchen sink outside.  Here’s some tips we learned from that experience:

• You can brush your teeth with just a little bit of water in a cup to rinse your brush.
• You can use a hand sanitizer instead of washing your hands with water and soap.
• Men can shave in the shower instead, or let their beards grow out.

Ok, I’m kidding.  Happy March Fools?

I’m thrilled that we’ve finally found our vessel sink, and we’re tackling the install today!  We’ll soon be brushing our teeth where they should be, in a slick looking bathroom sink… not the kitchen sink!