Home Remodeling Part 1- Bathroom

As soon as we first looked at this house we knew the first project would be the bathroom. It's not that it was horrible or falling apart or anything like that, it's just that there's not even a shower. Just a tub. Could you imagine Adam taking bubble baths everyday? No me neither.
The other deal is that there is just one bathroom (not counting the toilet in the brick cellar/basement that terrifies me). I can live without a kitchen for a period of time, but I can't live without a bathroom.

So demo on the bathroom started right away (after a pipe in the basement was moved to make room for the new basement stairs that are going in as well) and we are continuing work on it tomorrow. Sorry I don't have pictures of me helping to take down the wall, but trust me, it was fun.

We took down all the tile (cheap plastic stuff) and also the layer of drywall that was over the plaster. Took out the old cast iron tub, built in vanity and sink and are even taking up the linoleum floor. We will eventually take out the toilet too, but have to leave it working for now.

We took out the wall behind the tub that was a closet accessed in the master bedroom. It was a second closet, so all is not lost, and we now have a lot more room for a regular sized tub (the previous one was only four feet long) and can build a false wall allowing for a shower as well. We will be laying new ceramic tile for the floor, baseboard, and behind the tub, new drywall all around to cover the old plaster with a lot of holes in it, a new toilet, corner tub, and vanity will go in. We are dropping the ceiling a few inches to allow electricity to be run through to put in new lighting and a vent/fan. Then of course you have your regular painting, etc. that go along with everything else.

Just so we are very clear, when I say "we," I mean Adam and I being bossed around by the much more knowledgeable men from our church who are helping. Jim has kind of taken on the bathroom project for us and is patient in teaching us all kinds of new things and giving us his expert plumbing and building opinion. Tom is helping out building the new basement stairs.

Now for the pictures:

Before

View from the door leading to the kithchen. Viewed are tub, vanity/sink. Don'tcha like the wallpaper?

The little addition for the toilet


Another view, so you can see how compact it is, the edge of the toilet on the left, tub with the vanity in the way.

Current View

The pink is the original bathroom and the blue is the closet once the wall was down. The door leads into the master bedroom but will have a wall built over it and the tub will sit in front of it in that corner. The door will be plumbing access from the master bedroom.


View into the toilet cubby


The mess! Drywall on the floor, but so much more space


Once more view that would have been similar to the first picture view.

Looking at the change already makes me really excited to see how this will all shape up. It's so hard to show these things in pictures, but I'm working on making a mark up of all the products and things we are using so give you some idea of what it will look like finished.

Tomorrow we are expecting to spend all day at the house and I believe Adam will be learning to put up drywall. I'll of course have baby duty and will be starting in the dining room taking down a chair rail, paneling, and wallpaper. Too many people in the bathroom are not a good idea as it is a small space. Plus the demo is a lot more fun than the putting back together anyway. :)

Let us know what you think! Also any suggestions or ideas are helpful too! We want to hear from you about this process as we go along.