We interrupt this remodeling project to install a new bathroom

My dad makes a yearly trip to Seattle specifically to help me out with the remodel. He typically comes in the summer, and I generally have an itinerary of projects for us to tackle during his week-long stay. On his first visit three years ago we got my priority items done early, and we decided that we could tackle one more small project – the upstairs bath.

The upstairs bath is small – about 5’ x 8’. When I moved in it had a shower stall, a toilet, and a small vanity with a sink. It had an ugly dropped ceiling, dirty white paneling, and a linoleum floor. Our plan that weekend was to remove the paneling and ceiling, prep the plaster walls behind them, and paint.

First to go was the drop ceiling. Above it was a nice plaster ceiling – just what I expected. A bit crumbly, but not too bad.

Then we began ripping out the paneling. The piece behind the toilet on the back wall yielded a surprise – a window! The room had always had a small window at the top of the wall next to the shower stall, but removing the paneling reveiled that the window was actually much larger. It had been partially covered over by the paneling, and part of it was still obscured by the shower stall.

Well, that wouldn’t do. The ugly shower stall would have to go. We grabbed the sawzall and cut it up into little pieces and carted it out.

Surprise number 2 involved the floor beneath the shower. The subfloor was rotten, so we pulled that up – revealing a badly damaged set of floor joists. The plumber who installed the shower stall had cut clean through 2 joists and partially through a couple more. Yikes – the bathroom was cantilevered.

To make a long story short: we gutted the entire room – down to the studs. The only original piece that remained was the plaster ceiling, which had a curved section and would have been a pain to rework in drywall. (And messy, since my attic with all of its horrors is above this room.) Of course, we ran out of time to put the bath back together.

And so the bath sat that way for about a year. When Trissa moved in she convinced me to at least re-install the toilet. (Which is kinda nice to have in the middle of the night.)

This year when we gutted the first floor I finally had opportunity to address those cut-through joists. All of the joists are now sistered and repaired. A new pantry wall below the bathroom also lends additional support.

And that brings me to the present. Rather, Trissa’s Christmas present, a clawfoot tub. My original plan was to hang drywall (and leave it un-taped), slap down a NEW linoleum floor, and install the tub. We ARE in the middle of our first-floor remodel, you see. But, this didn’t sit well with everyone, so now the bathroom will have new drywall (taped and painted), a new bamboo floor, the tub, sink, mirror, lighting, etc. etc. I started this work with my dad last week and believe it or not, I think we’re 80% done. The drywall is up, the floor is down, the plumbing is in, and the first mud job is drying. Stay tuned.