Complete bathroom remodel

[Lordoftheflies]

Next up I'm going to install some blocking for the vanity mirror (40" w x 30" h), double check that all the studs are plumb and level with each other, and start installing sheetrock and Kerdi on the walls. After that I can install the second layer of 3/4" BC plywood before tackling the ditra.

 

[Lordoftheflies]

And just for reference here are a few pics of after blowing in the insulation. As you can see the insulation goes all the way to the bottom of the gable vents. 18" and was aiming for R-60.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Lordoftheflies]

Here's a pic of the floor tile that came in. I thought the pattern would be bigger based on the picture on lowes.com but I still like it.

 

[Suceress]

The tile looks nice. Glad you go the insulation replaced. It's always good when progress is made.

 

[charlesey]

Very nice information. My mom wants to modify her bathroom and make it more stylish and comfy. I like that you explain here bathroom remodel.

 

[Lordoftheflies]

The tile looks nice. Glad you go the insulation replaced. It's always good when progress is made.

Thanks. If I see something wrong, I can't pretend that I didn't see it and just leave it.

Very nice information. My mom wants to modify her bathroom and make it more stylish and comfy. I like that you explain here bathroom remodel.

Thanks. Be prepared to do more than you expect. Boy is that a lesson to be learned.

 

[Lordoftheflies]

Drywall is in on about half the walls. Haven't started the shower/tub combo yet with Kerdi. Doing the walls first so I have the bottom plate to screw into. Then I can get my 2nd layer of plywood installed.

I screwed up on the box location for the vanity switch/gfi It's way too close to the 30" tall x 42" wide mirror. No biggie, I have plenty of access from the rear of the false wall since the hallway is still open.

I'm struggling a little now on deciding how high to install the subway tile and thus how high I should put the chair rail. If I do it anywhere near the mirror I'll have a weird situation to deal with since the chair rail sticks out so much.

I think the easiest thing to do is try to get it in between the top of the sink and the bottom of the mirror. I'll also have to contend with the window on the opposite wall.

Here's the height of the vanity on the 1st subfloor. It will sit higher because of 2nd subfloor (3/4") plus thinset + ditra (1/8") + thinset + 1/4" tile...so what is that about 1 1/2" - 1 3/4" higher than now.

Here you can see where the top of the sink will be. The sink itself is 2.5". The bottom of the mirror is 10" above that.

All measurements are to the 1st subfloor. Here's the main set of switches. Light, fan, then wall mounted heater.

There's the switch that's being hit by the mirror. Ugh.

Wall adjacent to vanity and switches.

Not happy with how the mirror stain came out (purchased like this). Will most likely sand and redo it.

 

[Lordoftheflies]

I moved the outlet today as well. Now onto deciding just how high to install the chair rail and thus where to end the tile.

Put up the mirror to test fit my blocking and help me decide where to end the tile. Blocking testing for the vanity cabinet as well.

 

[Suceress]

It's looking good! I wish I could give some suggestions on tile but my brain isn't working & tile is beyond my area of knowledge. I do hope you get things figured out & get it looking the way you want.
Something you might consider trying is making a model of the room in Sketchup (I think there are some free versions available). You can build the room with pretty much exact dimensions & mark with guidelines or draw lines & shapes & then add textures to see how things look.
It's what I've been doing for the reno I've been trying to work on in my house. Helped me decide against some of the ideas I had when I saw how it looked in the model.

 

[Lordoftheflies]

Thanks! Got a bit sidetracked with doing all the insulation and foam board and taping and spray foam for the attic and kneewall spaces. Now that that's all closed up (i.e. no air leaks) I can focus back on the bathroom.

Yeah I have sketchups of the layout. I'm close....just on the fence. Also have to figure out how to put up the sheetrock and support it around the window since the whole damn existing wall was way out of plumb.

 

[Suceress]

I wonder if you can shim to make it more plumb. More than likely you'll just have to do the best you can to get the sheetrock on & then smooth the surface afterward.

At least you are making progress. I still haven't fixed up my bathroom since I joined here in 2008. Major procrastination. I've done a little bit of work on it over the years, but really need to make an effort to get it done-- just other things get in the way.

Do you have a photo of the window and any sketches of your ideas for sheetrocking around it?

 

[Reach4]

In this photo, I presume all of the PVC is vent stuff. If not, there are major flaws. If it is vent stuff, the santee is upside down from ideal, but it won't matter.

 

[Lordoftheflies]

Yes, venting for the vanity. The drain connects on the left side. Yes, I know it's not perfect since it's not 6" above the flood rim and yes the san-tee is upside down.

The tee in the middle connects the venting from the 1st floor.

 

[Lordoftheflies]

I wonder if you can shim to make it more plumb. More than likely you'll just have to do the best you can to get the sheetrock on & then smooth the surface afterward.

At least you are making progress. I still haven't fixed up my bathroom since I joined here in 2008. Major procrastination. I've done a little bit of work on it over the years, but really need to make an effort to get it done-- just other things get in the way.

Do you have a photo of the window and any sketches of your ideas for sheetrocking around it?

I furred it out with 2x3s so the "new" wall is now plumb.....but the window is not and neither are the surrounding studs that I wasn't able to furr out. I'll have to tack in some random pieces so I have some support for the drywall. I'll also have to make some angle cuts for the jamb extensions. I have some thin masonite like scraps I can slice up and use too (~ 1/8" thick).

Somewhere in this thread I already posted sketchups files of the layout.

 

[Lordoftheflies]

And with regards to procrastination I know exactly what you mean. That said I've found that taking baby steps and getting little things done snowball the confidence level and you'll pick up the pace with each completed mini-step. So keep it up!

 

[Lordoftheflies]

Got some taping done. I wanted to fill in the cracks and gaps in the cutouts for the electrical...... Used Easy Sand 90 for the first coat and mold resistant mesh tape.

 

[Lordoftheflies]

 

[Suceress]

Hmmm.. Do you plan to put up trim/casing around your window? If so, that can hide some of the flaws where it meets the drywall.
Looks like you're making good progress thus far.

I've never messed with drywall much since my house has all printed wood panels that are about 1/8" thick. I have painted over drywall for a friend though.

Do you have metal boxes for your switches? If so, it's recommended to wrap the sides of the switches with electrical tape to make sure the wires/screws don't accidentally touch any of the metal they are not supposed to touch inside or it can cause a short or electrify the box. Same with outlets. I see that at least one of the switches has the grounding plate. I like the rocker switches. What are the markings on the center one? Is that a multi-phase one for dimming? (I've been studying the electrical stuff so I can plan it out for my own reno- I will hire an electrician but I still like to have a plan & know these things). It sort of looks like you might have the sort of switches where the wires just poke in through the back instead of wrapping around a screw though so it's probably good. Oh, and that does look like electrical tape around the GFCI with the red reset button so that is good.

I like the GFCI outlet with the switch. When I lived in Singapore almost all of the outlets had power switches & I thought it was a nice feature.

I'll have to look through the thread to see if I can find the sketchup pics.

Keep up the good work! It's inspiring me to try to work on mine some more as well.

 

[Lordoftheflies]

I haven't decided what to do with the casing yet since the whole damn thing is so cockeyed. We will see.

Yes, all my switches are grounded. I'm a stickler for that. I worked for an electrician buddy for 6 months and I went from petrified of anything electrical to rewiring my entire house and relanding all the wires in the panel that, ironically, the same buddy had put too much slack in and made a complete mess off. The student is now the master.

The switch in the middle is for the fan control. It's a Lutron Maestro (high end line) that has a range of preset times so you can leave the bathroom exhaust fan on for up to 60 minutes and then it will automatically shut off. 5/10/15/30/45/60 minutes are the option and also you can just leave it on. You can see the exact model I bought HERE.

The left switch is also a Lutron switch. It's a special electronic low voltage meant for LED fixtures. I had used "regular" dimmers that caused the fixtures to buzz.......and this was the solution, albeit a bit expensive. You can see that HERE.

I always tape my electrical devices and I always install ground tails. These are bulky devices (except for the 3rd one which is just a regular Decora single pole switch). All my boxes are metal.

 

[Suceress]

Thanks for the links! I was commenting about the little copper piece on the rocker switch on the right in the last photo. It's not on all of the switches & I know it is specifically to maintain constant contact for grounding.

All of your grounds do go back to the panel & then to a grounding rod, right? (I'm pretty sure my system doesn't have a grounding rod so I'm going to have to fix that).

That first switch is very nice! I love that it comes in so many different colors. I'm guessing you did a lot of research to find good switches. I have problems with my LEDs flickering on my electrical so finding something for LED lights is a good idea. I do think part of my problem was I got dimmable bulbs but none of my fixtures or switches have dimmers. I'm currently looking for replacement ceiling vent/fan/heaters. The ones I have are at least 35+ years old.