Remodeling Bathrooms
Sometimes you draw a short straw. Something seemingly bad happens and you get bummed for a bit. Our upstairs bathroom sprung a leak while I was in D.C. and obliterated the downstairs bathroom.
So, I get home & assess the damages. It’s bad. The downstairs bath is beyond repair. It’s a total gut and replace job.
Getting past all that it’s really kind of a good thing. No, turns out it’s awesome! Look – Michelle and I love remodeling. We’ve learned how to do most of the cabinetry, drywall, floor and fixture stuff ourselves. I’m still timid about wiring and plumbing (gas and water). But, that aside… we’ve done every room of your typical house except a bathroom. So, guess what I’m doing?
I started the tear out this weekend. Going well until I wrenched my back. So, I focused on eye level stuff for a while and then knocked off only after getting all the drywall and part of the floor ripped up. The toilet is out but the sink remains – couldn’t take it out due to there not being any water shutoffs. WHO made this place anyway!? Sheesh, I know to do that!
The floor in the bathroom is going down to the original floor joists (all subflooring gone). The flooring in the hallway goes down to the original subflooring. Then we tile it all back in. COOL!
gWHIZ 
May 22, 2006 at 10:07 am
Sounds like way too much fun for you. We’ve redone two of our bathrooms and also found it to be a very “revelaing” experience. Don’t overlook using a vanity-top to ceiling mirror as a way to make the room seem more spacious. We found that this was not terribly expensive and also made an easy fix for a very nasty wall. Wallpapering bathrooms is a lot of fun.
May 22, 2006 at 11:43 am
Good idea. Since we salvaged that GIGANTIC mirror from over the preexisting vanity… wouldn’t have to set us back for mirror $$ either.
Michelle’s thinking floor to ceiling tile… we’ll see. I’m not 100% on board. But, I like the idea.