We can rebuild it. We have the technology.
After a much deserved break on Monday, Tuesday marked the start of putting things back together and adding in the new. Brad got up on the roof bright and early to install the roof cap for the bathroom fan. Since I still can’t bring myself to get on the roof, I watched from the ground.
Since the top of every existing floor joist had been beveled to accommodate the mud job, we had to sister in new floor joists.
Today turned out to be quite the day. Between some minor mishaps and only having the dumpster until tomorrow, there was a LOT to be done. I rented the big pipe cutter first thing this morning, and we got to work taking down the stack. Partway through that, I heard a noise coming from the kitchen and discovered that some debris had fallen onto the ice maker line, causing it to burst and spray water all over the kitchen.
Today was another day of demolition. Lots of hard work, for sure. We managed to get all of the drywall removed, from the walls and the ceiling, as well as removing some bits of old wall tile and plaster and lath from the old tub area. Dirty dusty messy heavy work.
We also started removing the cement “mud job” from the floor. It’s basically 4+ inches of concrete poured on top of the subfloor.
Yesterday evening marked the official start of the project, and my friend Jeremy came over to help with more demolition. We very easily removed the vanity, and the shower partition wall, which left just one more thing… the tub. A cast iron beast, original to the house, and far too heavy to remove in one piece. So several hours with a sledgehammer later…
It took about three hours total to get it broken into small enough pieces to carry out, and made a HUGE mess.
I thought I should take a step back and cover the “before” side of the bathroom remodel. Stepping through the door, you’re immediately greeted by the original cast iron tub. At some point in the past, it was modified into a tub/shower by adding pre-fab walls and a floating partition over one side of the tub. It was also sloppily refinished to some sort of vomit color, which is now flaking off in several spots.
Yesterday, we took delivery of all the construction materials for the bathroom project. While it’s just a small part of the total budget, it’s definitely the biggest (and final) step before the real work begins. Having a living and dining room that look like a small lumberyard really makes it sink in…
Heavy stuff
More heavy stuff
Plumbing? Or upgraded Intertubes?
Board yet?
So very board