Its been awhile since I have posted an update about the bathroom remodel. We have made some good headway over the last little bit.
Although we did not finish in time with the one room challenge deadline, we are still going. I am hoping to be able to finish before the next one room challenge because I have some big plans for the upcoming year.
I sat down recently and prioritized all of the projects for this next year. I planned out dates and timelines for things which I am hoping I will be able to stick to, but this is more of a plan than I have ever had before, so….
Since the ending of the one room challenge timeline, we have gotten the following done:
- replaced 3 windows
- drywalled the water closet area
- new duct work for exhaust
- finished shower plumbing
- added duroc to the shower ceiling and back wall
- insulated the ceiling
- filled in window sill area will foam to level out for finish work
This list may seem short but it has been soooo much work for each of these things.
Plumbing
We originally had placed the plumbing in the shower along an exterior wall. We placed it there so that we could turn on the water for the shower without having to get wet while doing it. After some re thinking ( and someone kindly pointing out) we would not have access to this plumbing should anything ever go wrong in the future.
I mean lets hope that nothing ever does, and we have done so much research while doing this to make sure it will last, and be up to codes etc.
BUT
If something did happen, we would have to tear out tile to access those connections. That wasn’t not something we were willing to do. So we moved the on and off valve for the shower to an interior wall. We will have access panels on the outside of it where we can get to plumbing where needed. I am still figuring out how to make the panel aesthetically pleasing, as I DO NOT want the typical plastic cover plate.
Other obstacles we encountered with the plumbing was we wanted a rain shower and a hand held shower option. So we needed to split the water between these two options.
Currently when you take a shower at our house, if someone flushes the toilet, washes their hands, or uses ANY water in any way, it messes with the water temperature in the shower. There are several times we have gotten frozen out from a flushed toilet, or forgetting we started the dishwasher or washing machine.
This is probably the thing I am the most excited about. We put in a valve / thermostat that should update the water supply, and prevent this from happening. It is going to be so nice to have that feature. It is something that I took for granted in our other house. Old houses have things in them that are outdated, and once you live in an old house, you realize how much you took for granted in a new house…( breakers tripping constantly, water temperature issues, poor insulation) the list is a long one.
Duct work
We added an exhaust fan to the bathroom, which is exciting for prevent mold in the future. We found A LOT of it during demo.
We also added an exhaust fan to the toilet area.
*Side note: We decided to close off the toilet area because it was what worked best for our needs. There is one bathroom on this floor for the bedrooms, and all of us are trying to use the space at the same time each morning. Someone always has to use the bathroom at the same time someone is trying to shower. The toilet was part of a bigger space before, but we turned it to the side, facing the other way so that we could build walls around it making separate. The space is small, very small, but it was what worked best for the way we use the space.
We added an exhaust fan to the toilet space, and the shower space, so that both spaces could be vented properly.
While adding the duct work, I learned a lot. I originally had planned on using clamps or zip ties around the flexible duct work to attach it to the exhaust fans, and the external holes of the walls for venting. These attatchment methods…
DID NOT WORK.
So I used duct tape. Thinking this must surely be what it was named after.. It sat like that for a few weeks while I finished up other areas and began prepping for insulation.
I posted about using the duct tape online. I got some pretty quick feedback, which was a hard lesson learned.
DUCT TAPE IS NOT FOR DUCT WORK.
Many people might have just looked up online how to do this right in the first place, and honestly I should have too. But I didn’t. My husband definitely already knew. Had he known what shenanigans I was up to in there, he probably would have kindly pointed it out.
So I removed the duct tape, which came off as easily as wet bandaid…YEP.
Like no effort AT ALL. Which proves why it wasn’t meant for that type of work in the first place.
I found foil tape, which my husband had already purchased, and used that instead.
It was sooo much easier to use. It molded to all the grooves and edges, and stuck better too. Here is a video I made about that fun learning experience.
Insulation
Next up came insulation. I made sure to get the correct PPE on, so I wasn’t itchy the rest of the day.
I used r-30, which is attic insulation. I wanted this area to be as cozy as it could be since this house IS ALWAYS COLD.
This is just the facts with a cinderblock construction house, with no insulation in any exterior walls, and a climate that regularly reaches the negatives for days and weeks at at time.
In other rooms we have re-done, I used kraft faced insulation, which was easier to install since you just tack the paper to the studs as you go. I couldn’t find attic insulation that was the width I needed, faced at all. So I went with un-faced. It is a little messier to use, for sure, but it was the width and R value I needed for this space.
Windows
This was something we have been waiting to do for awhile. We ordered these windows when we first started the bathroom renovation in April.
We ordered custom sizes, and glass details in them. We were quoted 4-5 weeks turnaround, which was great since I was participating in the one room challenge, and needed them within a 8 week timeframe.
THEY TOOK 10 WEEKS…
I was very frustrated at the lack of communication and overall extended timeline on this. We paid up front, and planned around their lead times given. Then when they showed up, I was very confused. The windows were white. They were supposed to be black.
So we sent them back, and waited another 3 weeks.
This was our second time ordering through this company, and the first time, we had no issues whatsoever. I am hoping it was just a fluke, as we would love for all of the windows to be the same. I am sure they are accustomed to mass orders for new builds, and not just a few windows here and there like we are doing.
The install happened in two phases. We did the smaller window that hung over the carport area first. We chose this since it was easiest to install and only required me and Nick to do it.
We removed the old wooden window, the sash surrounding them, the springs and all pully mechanisms. This part went pretty fast, as the wood was rotten in some areas.
Nick built a new frame out of pressure treated cedar boards to hold the window. I forgot to get photos of that.
I then climbed out onto the carport roof, and Nick and I lifted the window into place. It had plastic fins along the outside that we attached to the new cedar frame Nick built.
I used long screws and a driver to put the screws through the fins and into the wood. I pre-drilled each hole with a counter- sync bit first to try and prevent splitting of the wood.
For the larger set of windows, we borrowed a friends fork lift. It had a basket attatched to the front of it, so someone could stand in it. We hauled the window upstairs and after removing all of the wooden windows, sash and frame, like we did before, we lifted the double window into place. It took 3 of us to lift it into place, and get it sitting in the new frame Nick built for it.
I stood outside on the lift, and helped adjust where needed until it was time to drill it into place.
I pre-drilled my holes, and then screwed it into place just like the other window. It took a lot more patience and time to screw this window into place.
Once it was in place, I used some spray foam that is created FOR windows and doors to fill in any gaps surrounding the window. This foam is made for this because it will not expand to a point where it causes the frame of the either the window or door to become bowed. If it bows, it will not close correctly in either situation.
I let it cure overnight, and cut away any foam that had leaked out past where I wanted it to be.
Im pretty excited with the way the new windows turned out. I can’t wait to put some trim around them and make them beautiful around the edges!
Durock/ sheetrock
The last big thing we have finished lately is hanging a bunch of drywall on the walls and durock in the shower area to get ready for tiling.
This is a messy job. It is WAYYYYY more dusty that cutting drywall in my opinion. I used a dremel tool to make the cuts needed, and fitted the sheets into place. This material is made out of cement, so although there are tools you can use to score and snap, like a piece of drywall, it is very hard to do. My preferred method is to use a dremel tool with a cutting disc on it, cut most of the way through it, and then snap. Once it is snapped, I then cut through the rest of the way with the dremel tool.
My husband nick, hung the ceiling part, which I am grateful for because it was the trickiest part to do for sure, and allowed me to focus on areas I am more comfortable doing.
We have had a few hiccups along the way, like cutting this piece too thin, causing cracking.
AND
realizing that we bought the wrong shower pan.
The backsides had a lip, but the front did not. We bought this shower pan so that things would be easier for potential leaks etc. in the future. WE thought this was the easiest way to do this, but as you can see above water would be SPILLING out of the front area wall.
So.
It doesn’t work with our shower build design.
We will be building our own shower floor pan. Which is exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time.
And that is where we are at with the bathroom so far. I am hoping to seal and finish all of the duroc within the next couple of weeks, so that next week I can move onto other things.
The next thing is drywalling the ceiling, which I am anxious about with all of the lights and vents. It is going to be a lot of cuts.
Come back next month to see the progress ! We are moving forward. Slowly. But progress is progress.
-Amanda