Involuntary Bathroom Remodeling Part II

In my last post, I discussed the suddenly urgent need to completely redo our downstairs bathtub/shower, and the accompanying demolition.  With everything demo'd to dry wood, I had to contemplate rebuilding everything to support the new tub and shower enclosure.

The first order of business was figuring out what tub to put in the space.  The old tub was a 60" jetted "drop-in" that, you will recall, (1) didn't have working jets, (2) wasn't properly supported by the framing, and (3) didn't fit into the 57" space--the tub protruded three inches into the closet in the adjoining room.  Kendra and I decided we would buy a 54" tub instead, which is harder to find than a standard 60" tub.  We finally settled on a 54" tub at Menard's, primarily because it was available without special ordering.

This still left us with a size problem -- a 54" tub to go in a 57" space.  The best solution I could think of was to build a three-inch shelf out at the top of the tub.  This meant more carpentry (ugh)* but seemed very doable.  Since 2x lumber is actually 1.5", that means I just needed to nail a couple 2x8 to the framing to create the shelf.  It all seemed very easy, until Kendra mentioned that she'd like to install shower doors in the finished space, instead of a shower curtain.  Now, my simple shelf project turned into a new wall projecting three inches out from the old wall.  Ugh, more carpentry.

*The reason I say "ugh" is not because I hate carpentry, it's just that I'm really bad at it.  Driving a nail usually is a two- or three-take process for me.  Which makes me hate carpentry.

I set to work reconstructing the space so that we could set the tub.  First, I needed to reinforce the floor joists, which had significant (although not catastrophic) water rot, so I sistered some 2x8s to the existing joists.  Underneath the bathroom is crawlspace, which made the work more difficult in that I was flat on my back the whole time, yet also easier in that I didn't need to reach straight over my head to work.  Due to the bathroom being located on an exterior wall, I was able to rest one end of the 2x8s on the sill plate, which should make them hold better (I think).   After reinforcing the joists, I cut a piece of OSB board to fit the opening in the floor and screwed it to the joists.

After a little bit of framing to correct the hole in the wall the old tub was shoved into, and then installing two 2x8s to create the proper width for the tub alcove, it was time to install the tub.  I cut and fastened a 2x4 ledger board on the back wall to support the tub.  Then  I enlisted Kendra's help to lift the tub into place.  It took quite a bit of coaxing, shoving, and pushing, but we finally got the tub set on the floor.  I doubt we had a quarter-inch of space to spare.  I used some shims to level the tub, and then we were set.

The tub snugly in place.  You can see the new framing at both the right and left-hand sides of the tub.

After getting the tub in, I turned my attention to the new, 3" deep wall I would need to build out to accommodate our future shower doors.  I decided I would attach horizontal 2x4s to the existing studs, then attach vertical 2x4s on top of that to run the length of the new "wall."  This successfully narrowed the tub alcove from 57" to 54", and resulted in a plumb-enough new structure for installing the cement board.

The cement board was surprisingly easy to work with, although there was some drama along the way.  First, I needed to clean up some of the wiring by removing the switch and wires that worked the nonfunctioning jetted tub.  In the switch's place, I installed a GFCI outlet, located in the same electrical box as the switch for running the exhaust fan.  It doesn't really makes sense to have an outlet in that particular spot, but I didn't know what else to put in the box.  I guess this will leave a power source in case we want to put in a 42" TV right across from the toilet.

After the wiring, I called and had Cooter's Plumbing come over and replace some of the old PVC pipe that ran to the tub and shower with PEX pipe.  They also installed the new shower valve and made the drain connections.  With the wiring and plumbing done, it was time to cover the walls.

I attached 4 mil plastic sheeting on top of the lathe board to act as a waterproof barrier to the framing underneath.  I decided to install the cement board on the long wall first, because it would require the least cutting and let me practice my technique before moving on to the more delicate pieces.

One wall down, two to go!

I found the board easy to cut and work with, but my efforts were not without problems.  After hanging the first piece--the one on the top in the picture above--I realized I had forgotten to cut out the opening for the exhaust fan.  Luckily I was able to punch out an opening with the use of a utility knife and cold chisel.  It added some work, but not an ungodly amount.

Yesterday, after a couple weeks of no progress, I was finally able to hang the rest of the cement board.  Here are a couple shots; this picture shows a straight-ahead view:

And here is a photo showing the new 3" wall:

As of today, we are almost ready to start tiling.  I still need to mortar the cement board joints, and finish the perimeter with joint compound.  And we still don't have the tile yet, although it's supposed to come in this week.  After two months of no downstairs tub, and I'm guessing 40 hours of labor, we are getting close to finishing this project.

Porch Demolition

In the last post here at Peaches, we discussed the upcoming work on the back porch. Well, work is underway, and things are coming along nicely. Here are some pics of the demo work that was done earlier this week. First, the exterior:

I don't know what you can see from the photo, but underneath the vinyl siding is a vertical wood paneling-type of siding. It's isn't terribly unattractive, but that doesn't really matter, because it's coming off anyway. Also note that the rickety old steps are completely destroyed.

Now, pictures of the inside:

Not a whole lot to look at here; everything is just about what we expected. After we removed flimsy wood paneling (or, rather, after our contractor removed the flimsy wood paneling) the remnants of the original porch were revealed. you can see one of the old porch posts, painted white, in the photo above. Unfortunately, there aren't enough of the old posts left, so we are going to have to replace all of them for the "new" porch.

Quite a bit of time has elapsed since we took these photos, so I must confess that this is NOT what the porch currently looks like (sorry, it takes too much effort to try to update this blog daily!). So, faithful readers, you will have to remain patient while we get the newer photos uploaded. Work continues this week, so hopefully we can do a better job of updating the blog as the porch progresses.

Let's Take It Outside

So far, all the work to the house has been on the interior. Now that winter finally seems to be over, we decided it was way past time to address the exterior of the house.

We've got a lot of problems. We've documented the problems with the front porch, and it is near the top of the exterior to-do list. We have been assured that it isn't a structural threat to the house, but it is unusable in its current condition. Next, there is no outdoor entertaining space. We've decided to put in a patio instead of a deck, as it fits in better with the home's historical context. And, between the dog and Max, we really need to fence in the back yard. Add in the need for a complete landscaping overhaul and our (eventual) desire to remove the vinyl siding and restore the original clapboard siding, and out exterior to-do list is a bit overwhelming.

First up, however, is to address the back porch. Right now, it is enclosed and has been turned into a laundry room. When we moved in, we moved the washing machine and dryer upstairs, so the back porch doesn't serve much of a purpose. We've decided we want to turn it back into a screened-in porch, so that it serves a bit of an outdoor/entertaining purpose. We are very excited to get this going, as we think it will change the entire complexion of the homes exterior from the back elevation.

Here are the "before" pictures. First up, this is the back of the house:


The lower portion of the house on the right is what used to be (and what will once again be) the back porch. The taller portion on the right is an addition to the kitchen. As you can see, the entire exterior is covered in vinyl siding. We have no idea what we will find underneath that siding, especially on the enclosed porch. And, obviously, those rickety old steps must be replaced.

Next up, here's a picture from the inside of the house:


This door leads to the enclosed back porch. Right now, it is not an exterior-grade door. As part of the porch work, we are going to remove the door and window, and put in a french door. Our contractor says he can re-use the old trim for the french door, so it should retain its "original" look.

And here are pictures of the inside of the back porch:



As you can tell, it's not very attractive in there. You can see the old wood siding (what we hope we will find under the vinyl siding) and the remnants of the washer and dryer hook-ups. The exterior wall is covered in flimsy wood-paneling, with some kind of backer board underneath it. Hopefully the old porch posts will still be underneath there, and in salvageable condition. There is also (in the top picture) exposed plumbing and wiring that goes up to the second floor. Obviously, that stuff will have to be enclosed.

And that's the back porch in a nutshell. I will post updates as construction progresses.

Sometimes, You Just Can't Do It Yourself

If there is anything Kendra and I know, it is that our home-improvement skills have limits. With the bulk of the painting done at the country estate, we are just about ready to enter phase 2 - the contractor phase. So Kendra met with our contractor at the house today to discuss the scope of our work. We will be starting the construction of our new master suite by borrowing some of the adjoining bedroom to create a new walk-in closet. In the long-term plans (but not necessarily to be done right away) is to turn the existing closet + some unfinished space into a master bath, and to add a laundry room off the upstairs hall.

We also have about 800 square feet of wood floors to refinish (remember all that carpet we pulled up?). This is going to make a huge difference and give us a very "finished" feel, as we will be refinishing the floors in the office, downstairs bath, stairs, upstairs hall, playroom f/k/a jayhawk room, and Max's room. Some of the trouble spots on the downstairs trim will also be touched up.

We are on a tight time frame, and I think Kendra may have freaked out our contractor a bit when she told him that we wanted it done by the end of the month. The good news is that we should be able to post some sweet before-and-after shots relatively soon.