Continuing Thread: What Are You Fix-It'ing Today?

[A930Rocket]

We mention it only because we don’t want anything to happen to you!

[rsrguy]

Time to some sketchy $#!t... do daaaa... do daaaa

[rsrguy]

Inching closer..

[DavidI]

In July, I decided to completely remodel one of our bathrooms. The house was built in 1984 and this particular bathroom had not been touched other than maintenance. The idea was to remove everything back to the studs and modernize it with a wider bathtub (the previous one was 60"x30" and the replacement is 60"x36"). Because the bathtub is a left side drain and it was centered on the 30" width of the tub, I had to move the drain over. This also made me move the toilet over to accommodate the wider tub.

[DavidI]

A lot of hammer and saw work.

[DavidI]

I went to the YouTube University and learned to plumb with Pex A. I bought the expansion tool and the supplies. A new Delta bath/shower setup with a diverter and handheld wand was installed.

[DavidI]

I added an exhaust fan, two additional outlets and sconce lighting. I did a lot of research regarding the wiring portion, but I hit some complications. I could not determine the chain where the GFI was installed and later found it was the one in the garage. This particular bathroom is upstairs on the other side of the house. I wisely called in one of my buddies who is an electrician to ensure that everything was done correctly and I was not going to burn my house down!

[DavidI]

Moving the drains over was not too difficult. I just ensured the proper slope was maintained and cut and glued new pipes in place. I stubbed up the toilet drain so I could cut it off level with the tiled floor.

The bathtub install was not too tough with the help of a friend. I put plastic down over the plywood, followed by thinset, and placed and seated the bathtub in its new home.

[DavidI]

Installed some greenboard and Kerdiboard ensuring everything was watertight.

[DavidI]

I traded some work on a neighbor's truck for him to build a custom hardwood Maple cabinet and I had some leftover quartzite from my kitchen project that we used for the vanity top.

[DavidI]

My tile guy did an amazing job! I installed the toilet, lights, mirror, etc. to finish the job. Another guy built my shower doors and installed them as well. It was a tough project for someone who is not in the construction field, but now that I am retired I have plenty of time!

[DavidI]

One more thing that I did was to write a letter addressed to whomever does the next renovation on the bathroom. I provided a little background on us as a family, laminated the paper and placed it within a wall to be discovered decades from now. Just a little fun!

[rwest]

Nicely done David!

What was your total time from start to finish and how was that Kerdi-board to work with?

I need to do my bathroom soon, but I only have one bathroom in my house, so I need to be ready to go and do it fast. I can pee in a corner of my backyard, but number two might be problematic!

[rsrguy]

Excellent results... may I ask why you didn't install a soaker tub? With or without jets?

[oldE]

Well done, David. That looks like a couple of weeks well spent.

[Evans, Marv]

Wow David! Congrats on the completion of a great project. The note in the wall was a nice touch.

[Baz]

Really nice job on the bathroom renovation project, David......like night and day!

[A930Rocket]

Nice work, David!

The wavy walls are tile? It looks really pronounced, and really nice.

I see you added an outlet at the toilet for a bidet. Good idea.

In the one picture, it looks like there was an old medicine cabinet that has your screwdrivers. To the right of the screwdrivers, there’s a metal box, which I’m guessing is a J box. if this was new construction, they wouldn’t allow that to be covered up.

[oldE]

A930Rocket, that looks to me like a switch or an outlet in the next room.

[DavidI]

Originally Posted by rwest

Nicely done David!

What was your total time from start to finish and how was that Kerdi-board to work with?

I need to do my bathroom soon, but I only have one bathroom in my house, so I need to be ready to go and do it fast. I can pee in a corner of my backyard, but number two might be problematic!

I have some basic skills in construction and did most of the work myself, until I got tired each day. From start to finish, it took approximately calendar 2 months. There were a few periods where my supplies had not arrived or a tile guy was not available. I believe it could be completed within a month knowing what I know now.

Kerdi-board was a little expensive, but the price was worth it. The boards are light foam as opposed to the chalk drywall. It cut very easily with a utility knife and had grid lines to make alignment simple. I was very happy with their products and highly recommend it.