| Small-Bathroom Renovation -- Introduction and Getting Started |
From "Bathroom Remodeling"
episode DBR-101 |
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Overview DIY's Bathroom Remodeling workshop follows the expansion and renovation of a small master bathroom in an existing home by first-time homeowner and novice do-it-yourselfer Sarah Smith. With the exception of some of the tear-out of the old walls and the reworking of the rough plumbing, all of the work shown in this series was performed by non-professionals -- predominantly by Sarah her father. The series follows the progress of the entire renovation, from planning and preparation phases through the finishing touches -- including a few mistakes and challenges along the way. The mistakes and oversights made during the course of the project were incorporated into the program to provide some insight into the types of challenges that might be faced by novice builders in a project of this magnitude. This also gave an opportunity to show the solutions that were used in dealing with some actual construction challenges. The five-part series is broken down according to the main phases of the renovation -- budgeting and planning, preparing the space, installing the new tile floor, framing walls, installing electrical and plumbing fixtures, wallpaper and paint, etc. The final episode covers some finishing touches as well as a recap of how the renovation progressed -- including some lessons learned along the way. Background Sarah has just purchased her first house -- a 1960s-era brick ranch-style home (figure A) in suburban Atlanta. One feature of the home was a small master bath, considered a luxury for its time. But by today's standards the 4-by-8 foot space was cramped and had begun to look dated. Sarah wanted to replace the pink and peach-colored tile and old fixtures of the existing bath (figure B), and to enlarge the space to include new shower. Like many first-time homeowners, Sarah had a lot of ideas for improving her new home, but not a lot of money. Since she could not afford the estimated $10-thousand for a contractor to rebuild her bath, she decided to do it herself. With some help from her father, who had some building experience, Sarah undertook the ambitious project of stripping the existing bathroom down to the bare wall-framing and sub-floor, and completely redesigning the space. Though she had a small amount of building experience from helping her father with various projects when she was a teenager, Sarah would have to learn a number of new skills for this ambitious project. She would learn to use some advanced power tools and would master some building techniques for which she had no prior experience. Her father agreed to help her to learn some of those skills and to participate in the reconstruction. Over the course of the renovation, Sarah learns how to build partitions, solves the problem of an uneven floor, prepares the sub-floor for tiling and learns to cut tile using a wet-saw. She also installs plumbing fixtures, relocates some of the electrical wiring, installs new switches and a recessed ceiling light. The Plan The plan for the proposed renovation was to strip the old bath down to the studs and sub-floor and rebuild it entirely. To gain space for the bathroom without building on a big addition, a wall would be removed to incorporate the space of an adjoining hall closet (figure C). By expanding into the closet space, the bathroom could be enlarged 15 square feet. Though it doesn't sound like a lot, the additional square footage would increase the area of the existing bathroom by 50 percent. The old tile shower (figure D) would be removed, and a neo-angled shower stall would be added in one corner of the new space (figure E). The expanded space would also allow for a larger vanity, new fixtures and improved lighting. As part of the redesign, the bathroom door would be repositioned for improved privacy. Sarah and her father would undertake the process of tearing out the knocking down the wall between the old bath and the closet, ripping up the tile floor, stripping the remaining walls down to the bare studs and build new wall partitions. They would also remove and replace the old sink, toilet and light fixtures. Virtually everything in the renovated bath would be new -- from the ceramic floor tiles and walk-in shower to the solid surface vanity and textured wall covering. Since Sarah has a full time job, all the work will have to be at night or on weekends. She began the project in September, hoping to finish in two months. In the end, it took almost three months. The Budget One of the most important steps in planning a renovation of this type is to establish a budget. Determine how much money you can reasonably afford to spend, then develop a budget as a planning tool. Comparison shop for the larger items to help keep your expenses down. Following some initial research Sarah budgeted $3500 for this project, including materials and any outside labor. Her budget took into account the use of quality materials to enhance the value of the house, and included the following: Shower kit and door, $600
Shower faucet, $150
Vanity, $385
Vanity top, $300
Vanity faucet, $100
Toilet, $150
Water-resistant drywall, $50
Wood for floor, $50
Cement backer board, $50
Floor tile (50 sq ft at $3/ft) $150
Grout, $15
Rent tile-saw, $50
Tile mortar (premixed), $40
Light fixtures, $100
Wire, switches, GFI plug, $ 25
Pre-Hung Door, $50
Moldings, $50
Wallpaper, $60
Paint, $50
Rollers and brushes, $25
New tools, $100
Nails and screws, $15
Valves and supply lines, $35
Mirror, $100
Rough plumbing - contract, $500
Labor, $300 Total, $3500 Sarah knew she would need to hire a plumber to do the heavy repositioning of the water-supplies and drain, so that aspect was incorporated into the budget. One of her initial tasks was to find a reputable plumber and to discuss with him what she needed to have done and the costs involved. Getting Started Safety Alert: Follow appropriate safety precautions in any major construction project. Wear gloves to protect your hands, protective goggles to prevent eye injury, and a particle mask to reduce inhalation of dust and other particulate matter (figure F). - Before beginning any of the work of tearing out the old bathroom, the area of the house was prepared to protect it from the messy job that's about to begin. Because the old plaster walls and tiles are set on several inches of concrete that will ultimately need to be removed, builder's paper was rolled over the hardwood floors to protect them from dirt and abrasion.
- Before work begins on tearing out a wall, careful measurements were taken (figure G) to make certain that holes weren't put in the wrong places or support structures damaged.
- Once preliminary precautions were taken, the strenuous task of tearing out the wall using a sledge hammer got underway (figure H). One of the toughest tasks in the renovation is breaking up the concrete floor and shower base (figure I) to reveal the wood sub-floor.
- With the floor tear-out complete (figure J), and the main water supply shut off, Sarah disconnects the water connections to the old sink (figure K).
- Once the plumbing connections have been dismantled, the bathroom sink and toilet are removed (figure L).
- After the fixtures had been removed, some outside help was brought in to help finish the tear-out. Once the concrete flooring was all removed, and the walls were stripped down to the bare studs (figure M), an unpleasant surprise was revealed: the sub-floor beneath the old shower had been built up, and was not even with the rest of the bathroom floor (figure N).
The sub-floor would need to be leveled in preparation for the new tile floor. The steps in the floor preparation, as well as wall-framing, are covered in the segment that follows.
RESOURCES :
The Complete Book of Kitchen and Bathroom Renovation
Time Life Books
Website: www.timelife.com
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