Eventually I painted it...
However there were still many issues that needed to be fixed. Painting the bathroom was a bit like putting a mini bandaid on a gaping wound. There was a big hole in the flooring where they made the door frame bigger and the shower and vanity simply needed to be replaced.
At some point hubby & I were at Lowes and he spotted some corner shower units. We figured that would sure make a huge difference in the layout of the bathroom and we could solve all of the big issues. Only problem was that the whole wall would have to be removed and the shower plumbing would need to be moved to another wall, plus the shower drain would probably need to be moved as well. Yikes!!! That seemed to be too much to take on, and too expensive to hire a plumber to do all that work.
But then, my dad decided to come for a visit and I joked that he would be able to do the plumbing for the bathroom renovation. The joke turned into a reality and he even brought some plumbing tools with him!
When he got here he had a good look at what I wanted to do and decided that it could be done. The demolition began and so did the problems. Of course problems are too be expected, but as they are happening sometimes it seems a bit much! Here is the progress so far:
Step one: Tear down wall and remove shower.
Problem: Apparently the house was built around the shower because it was too big to fit through the door. Hubby had to cut it into pieces. Anyone want a used shower? slight damage, but real cheap LOL
Step two: Remove sink and toilet
Problem: No major disasters!! Well except the poor sink was chipped when a tool fell on it.
Step three: Remove old flooring and damaged subfloor
Problem: When removing the section of subfloor from near the sink a pipe broke and we had a water fountain in the middle of the bathroom. Now as much as I like water fountains I certainly did not include one in the plans for the renovation!
Bigger Problem: The only main water shut off that we knew about was in the ground at the street. Hubby ran out to turn it off and I soon saw him digging handfuls of dirt out of the hole. I ran to help him and we soon discovered that the shut off valve had no handle. CRAP!! I ran back to the house to get a wrench and on my way I tripped over a Tonka truck and crashed into the edge of the carport cement. OUCH OUCH. Nothing serious just a big scape and bruise and a whole lot of whining. Anyway, we got the water turned off and had enough plumbing parts to fix the pipe. PHEW that was crazy! We since have learned where the shut off valve is at the house. Probably a good thing to know about prior to starting any work in the bathroom or kitchen!
Step Four: Replace Subfloor
Problem: A tight fit means several trips back to the saw
Step Five: Move shower plumbing
Problem: Moen has the worst ever instructions I have ever seen in my life! Still don't know if it will be right??
Bigger Problem: While the plumbing was being worked on we had the water turned off. Then I discovered that the chicken we had defrosting in the fridge had leaked all over the bottom of the fridge. YUCK. I cleaned most of it up with Clorox, but I wanted to wash the glass shelf with soapy water but the water was shut off so I left it balanced on the sink, not noticing that the taps were wide open. When the water was turned back on the kitchen water went all over the counter and floor. What a mess!
Even Bigger Problem: When the water was turned back on there were no leaks in the plumbing that had been moved, but another pipe started to leak. Another trip for plumbing parts and that should be fixed up soon - I hope! My parents are only here for another day!!
Step six: Replace and repair drywall
Problem: Part of this step was already done and a sheet of drywall is already up on the wall. This shows an interesting discovery. Where the wall used to be they used 1/2" drywall on the right and 5/8" drywall on the left. Worked fine when there was a wall there, not so good when we are trying to make a nice smooth wall to put a shower onto. Not sure how we are going to solve this dilemma yet!
to be continued....
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