t-boe

Well, the upstairs bathroom needs to be remodeled. I've never done anything like this before. I know I'm fully capable of doing it, I just think I'm getting into a project that's a whole lot more involved than I may think. I'm basically pulling everything out except the stool and the floor tile. Everything else will be replaced (tub, tile surround, sink, vanity, vent fan). To those who have done a project on this scale, have any advice?

idacal

Im remodeling my house and for me I have found out unless you like that kind of project hire somebody. Its not that hard to do but unless you take your time and make sure all measurements are right, tiles are straight, and trim matches up it will look like it was done by an amature and you will not be happy. Thats JUST my experiance though and im by no means saying dont do it just make sure you know what your getting into before you start. O and figure twice as much money and three times as much time as the project looks like.

berner

This is bang on the money. Bathrooms are expensive and a lot of work. There's always a few surprises along the way. Mine took about 2 weeks. We never had another bathroom on the main level. I learned really quick to stop all fluid intake at about 8 PM. It was a long way to the downstairs bathroom at 4 AM. The wife wouldn't let me bring the Porta-Potty in from the camper.

There were a few trips to the plumbing store during the project. I had to relocate the toilet because the new tub was wider. Hooking up new plumbing to existing is a pain. Hopefully you can get at the tub drain from below.

If you're putting in an acrylic tub, fill up the space underneath it with some spray foam like Great Stuff. It will insulate it and snug it up. You might want to look into using something like Hardie Backerboard behind your shower tiles. It's a lot more waterproof than Aquaboard drywall.

Chances are your floor tiles aren't going to fit up to the new tub and vanity. Like I said.. surprises. Good luck with it.

Chrisreyn

t-boe, I am kinda suprised at the answers you are getting.... I've built two houses and remodeled the one we're in now, and I didnt think the baths were all that difficult,...

how extensive it is will depend on what you find when you start pulling the tub suround and such, they all get water behind them, so the amount of rot will tell you how big a project it will be.

if you're just "swapping parts", then a lot of the little things like the vent fan and switches, outlets wont be too hard, make sure you put GFCI's around the sinks if they werent there before.........

Tile isnt as hard as it looks, start in the center of your space and work outwards so as to have the tile evenly spaced across the room, then just fill in the blanks...

Go to the room below where the tub will set and place an access in the ceiling...about the size of a heater vent works( and a louver makes a good cover for it) so you can access the drain , it WILL leak as the tub settles into place..teh louver "cover" will let you check this easily..

I'd pull the toliet as well if your doing a whole room job.. they arent that hard to do, and you might as well check the subfloor for rot and mildew around the toliet base( very common)....

take your time and it can be a real fun project....

chaikwa

I kinda hafta agree. I decided to re-do my bathroom a few years ago. After I got it all stripped to a plywood floor and nothing else, I made the whole project become real easy! Now I use a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat on top. NO PLUMBING to mess with! And I use a medium sized horse watering tub and a garden hose for the shower. Makes it REAL easy when it's time to 'remodel' again... just move the stuff around the floor space and you're done!

Hope this helped!

chaikwa.

Chrisreyn

if you'd get a haircut you'd be able to use a real tub again without the constant clogging from loose hair....



Scotty actually has the local FD hose him down once a week , needed or not

Lary Ellis (Top)

If you are pulling out an old acrylic shower/tub combo it can be a large help to use your 3" air driven cutter to cut that thing in half. Most of them are installed long before the sheet rock and doors go into a house. Trying to get one out can be tricky.

By making it 2 or 3 smaller pieces, it can sure make the removal a heck of a lot easier. There is a wood frame in them as well but no match for the air chisel

Remember....Demolition is half the fun!... You are supposed to make a bunch of noise and beat on your chest a little during that phase of the job

t-boe

Thanks for the replies so far. They toilet and tile are new so I won't replace them. I'll be taking out the toilet for sure just to get the bathtub out. The room below the bathroom has a drop in ceiling so I've got easy access to the bottom of the tub. When you put in the new tile arround the tub do you just screw in the hardi backer to the studs and lay the tile on top? I don't know if you have to put anything else under there other than sealing the backer board.

t-boe

That's the main reason I want to do it myself!

Chrisreyn

you mean for a tile surround?
Screw up your backer board,run a chalk line a the top of your tile runs if not going to the ceiling, and tape and mud the seams above that...
Other than that, just a light coat of mastic or whatever mortar you are using and run the tile... the smaller the tile, the more you need frequent chalk lines to ensure good straight lines.... dry lay-out a "wall" on the floor and you'll see what you need....

berner

There's good instructions for installing Hardi Backerboard here. .http://www.jameshardie.com/backerboard/
You don't have to seal it. The store where I picked mine up has a couple of pieces totally submerged in water and it's completely unaffected by the water.

I didn't mean to discourage you with the job. Bathrooms are a fair bit of work but you'll get a lot of satisfaction out of it once it's done. The only thing I regret about doing mine is not putting in a jet tub. I sit in front of a computer all day. It'd sure be nice to go home and let some hot water pound the knots out of my back.

spunbearing

I think that you will find that the " footprint" of the new vanity and the new tub will not fit with your tile 90% of the time. I would count on having to rip out the floor tile. If you don't have to, it's a bonus. Your drain location on your new tub or tile pan is something that can be challenging if you have a concrete slab. Make measurements on the new stuff and make sure that it matches as close as possible to the old tub. If you have cast iron drain piping cut out the sanitary tees or elbows while you're there. Just tie in the ABS with some no-hubs.You probably already planned on it but make sure to replace the shower valve while you're in there. I've seen people try to be frugal and it bites you in the tail. Replace it while you're there. It will only cost you $100-$200 in parts and it's cheaper than cutting the wall open later. If you have an old window in the shower area that is marginal replace it now so you don't have to disturb the tile later. Just think ahead to any possible problems and take care of it now.

P.S. As Larry said it's easier to cut a fiberglass or acrylic shower into smaller parts. A sawzall with a wood blade works well too.