Complete bathroom remodel

Lordoftheflies · May 29, 2019

Ok I set the bathtub in some sandmix. I was too freaked out about the time and getting everything right since I literally had one shot at doing it.

For the ledger boards the instructions for the tub were not 100% clear....but it basically said I needed ledger boards all around. Given that I had to cut out part of the subfloor (not all of it since I nothing to nail into if I had done that) I ended up finding this product on the interwebs. I wonder what you pros think about it. I'll tell you it sure made life easy for me to be able to dry fit, level the tub with shims on the front apron, and then apply a thick bead of silicone caulk to all 3 walls.

The crazy thing about the Tub Mount system is that they don't even process online payments. I had to find their phone number and call them up...and then they didn't even take payment. They sent the product and asked me to send them a check! Talk about the honor system! I could probably help them out on the technical side in getting that up and running....

It's pretty cool - you get these steel straps which you bend a 90 around the 2x4. One screw goes on the bottom, 2 screws on the side of the 2x4.....Then you use one of their washer head screws in the slot. You bend the top of the strap away from the stud to allow you to use an additional slot with a screwdriver to raise the tub. You tap the bent tab to lower the tub. And the first step is to make sure you level the apron.

Here I decided not to drill into the lip of the tap and instead used some large washers and the screws the Tub Mount system came with. I suppose I could just pre-drill a hole and use just the screws and then dab each one with silicone. Any opinions? The way I have it now I'll have to notch out the kerdi board ever so slightly at each washer location.

Before I got the tub mount I was failing miserably at trying to level the tub as you can see by the holes.

Lordoftheflies · May 29, 2019

Being a bit on the paranoid side (my buddy says I overkill everything) I decided to go into the crawl space and check the mortar. I made the bed about 2" high and didn't use piles. In hindsight it probably would have made life easier. Anyways, once I got in there I felt like I didn't have enough mortar so I rushed out to box store and got another bag of sand mix and shoved it in manually the hard way. It was not comfortable nor pleasant but judging by this video, I think the mission got accomplished. I might buy another bag and just fill in the area to the left of the drain (from the point of view of the video looking from the drain side wall down the length of the tub).

I tried to make the mortar as dry as possible and probably didn't do a good enough job of mixing at the bottom of the bucket....so the last part came out looking a little wetter than the rest. But, it was basically just as Jadnashua said to do it - wet enough so I could make a clump in my hand but no water came out when I squeezed it.

Since I was there I figured I'd shove in some extra silicone just to make sure I don't get any squeaks in the future.

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

Lordoftheflies · May 29, 2019

Here's the video I took of the mortar. There's a large piece of OSB underneath the tub.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3h8y69uscskpit9/2019-05-27 22.25.43.mp4?dl=0

Lordoftheflies · Jun 9, 2019

I added some more mortar near the front of the tub on both sides of the drain. Let it set for a few days (no rush heh heh) and now the tub is SOLID.

Also boxed up the exhaust fan. My electrician buddy screwed me by putting the hole so close to the tub. He also (without my knowledge) cut through a load bearing stud on the exterior wall. I had to sister all the walls anyways because it was 1.5" out of plumb. Going to use kerdi board for the box since it is so close to the tub. In fact the shower curtain rod will sit just under it.

Since the walls were so out of plumb I need to build up the top plate. On a bit of it 2x3 will work, on the right side I used 3/4" plywood and some 1/4" lattice. That stuff is expensive - $1.20/lft wtf!

And of course the ceiling is not level. Not much I can do about that but I leveled the bottom edge of the box.

Reach4 · Jun 9, 2019

lordoftheflies said:
Also boxed up the exhaust fan. My electrician buddy screwed me by putting the hole so close to the tub. He also (without my knowledge) cut through a load bearing stud on the exterior wall. I had to sister all the walls anyways because it was 1.5" out of plumb. Going to use kerdi board for the box since it is so close to the tub. In fact the shower curtain rod will sit just under it.

How about a shower curtain track instead of a shower curtain rod.

Lordoftheflies · Jun 9, 2019

Well the box is in the way. And it's too late anyways since I bought a solid, curved, 66" rod.

Getting a custom made medium weight linen curtain with an accent stripe. 84" wide x 72" tall with a liner. It's standard height but went wider because of the 66" tub and the curved rod. I have a standard 72" wide curtain on a curved rod atm and it barely covers the opening which isn't even 60" since there were multiple layers of sheetrock on both sides.

Lordoftheflies · Jun 9, 2019

Just realized that if I do tile the box I won't be able to get to the duct if I ever needed to. Maybe I will leave the bottom exposed with a small access panel........Although one should never have to get in there again.....

Lordoftheflies · Jun 12, 2019

Picking up 16 sheets (4'x8') of NationalGypsum purple XP mildew/moisture/mold resistant 1/2" drywall for the bathroom. Going to use it for the ceilings as well as the hallway since I have my water lines in my false wall. $12.xx a sheet locally. Time to rip out the seats in the sienna. And I have to figure out where the heck to store 16 sheets of drywall now. I'm thinking the best place is in my bedroom (next to bathroom) which means I gotta clean out all the crap that already being "stored" there temporarily. Fun times ahead.

Picked up one of those Stanley Panel Carry handles. This should aid in transporation.

Also picked up some mildew resistand drywall mesh tape.

Suceress · Jun 19, 2019

Looks like you've made quite a bit of progress!
The panel carry is a good idea. I think I'll grab one for when I need to replace the subfloor in some of my bathrooms, so thanks for the tip on that!

Even though the chances of a person ever needing to access the duct/vent thing, it would probably be a good idea to leave an access panel just in case. Murphy's Law & all.

I also thank you for posting so many pictures. It really helps to visualize the process as well as appreciate the progress.

It's always inspiring to see these things-- reminds me I need to stop procrastinating & continue working on my projects as well.

I know encouragement can help, so keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out & I'm crossing my fingers for you that everything will go smoothly.

Jadnashua · Jun 19, 2019

The panel carry I have has wheels on the bottom so, when possible, you can roll the sheets rather than carrying them. Don't remember where I got it, since I've had it for close to 20-years.

Lordoftheflies · Jun 19, 2019

suceress said:
Looks like you've made quite a bit of progress!
The panel carry is a good idea. I think I'll grab one for when I need to replace the subfloor in some of my bathrooms, so thanks for the tip on that!

Even though the chances of a person ever needing to access the duct/vent thing, it would probably be a good idea to leave an access panel just in case. Murphy's Law & all.

I also thank you for posting so many pictures. It really helps to visualize the process as well as appreciate the progress.

It's always inspiring to see these things-- reminds me I need to stop procrastinating & continue working on my projects as well.

I know encouragement can help, so keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out & I'm crossing my fingers for you that everything will go smoothly.

Thanks man. I had to use my block plane on a couple of the old studs...and also need to bring out the top plate for the outside wall that is 1.5" out of plumb. I fixed the studs on the inside of the of hallway (now all are 16" OC) and confirmed with National Gypsum that 16" OC is OK for both the walls and the ceilings spacing the screws 12" apart on the studs/joists.

Will install the ceiling drywall first, then the walls, then will install the 2nd layer of BC 3/4" plywood. Still have to pick out the vanity mirror though. Argh! Almost there...I think I see a little light at the end of the tunnel!

Suceress · Jun 19, 2019

Since you're fairly handy, if you don't see a vanity mirror you like, you can get a frameless mirror & build your own frame.
It doesn't help that prices on things have shot up. I noticed the plywood I wanted to get has doubled in price & some of the metal stuff has tripled.

If you have MS Paint program or any simple graphics programs like GIMP, you can paste images of products you like in with stuff you already know you want/have & see how it would look together. I like to take product pictures & paste them all into a file together to see how they look. Can't always get the right angles, but get a general idea of whether or not they match. I've also found Google Sketchup useful for actual dimensions & seeing if things fit & if they would look good in the space or if they would be awkward.

If you have a Habitat For Humanity ReStore in your area you can check to see if they have any stuff you like for a good price. They often get donations of stuff that people pulled out of homes or had surplus of after building.

I am impressed with all of the work you've done. That's a lot of tough labor but it will be worth it when it's finished. I can't remember if you've mentioned or not, but are you going to have vanity lights over the mirror?

Lordoftheflies · Jun 19, 2019

suceress said:
Since you're fairly handy, if you don't see a vanity mirror you like, you can get a frameless mirror & build your own frame.
It doesn't help that prices on things have shot up. I noticed the plywood I wanted to get has doubled in price & some of the metal stuff has tripled.

If you have MS Paint program or any simple graphics programs like GIMP, you can paste images of products you like in with stuff you already know you want/have & see how it would look together. I like to take product pictures & paste them all into a file together to see how they look. Can't always get the right angles, but get a general idea of whether or not they match. I've also found Google Sketchup useful for actual dimensions & seeing if things fit & if they would look good in the space or if they would be awkward.

If you have a Habitat For Humanity ReStore in your area you can check to see if they have any stuff you like for a good price. They often get donations of stuff that people pulled out of homes or had surplus of after building.

I am impressed with all of the work you've done. That's a lot of tough labor but it will be worth it when it's finished. I can't remember if you've mentioned or not, but are you going to have vanity lights over the mirror?

I have whip ready for the vanity light. Haven't picked that out yet either.

I will probably go for a vanity mirror+cabinet combo since it's the wifey that needs the space. That said I have four huge drawers in the sink cabinet already so she SHOULD have enough room.

Wifey will also like the whip I switched up for her 1000W wall mount heater.

Thanks for the suggestions will see if Habitat has anything nearby.

Lordoftheflies · Jun 19, 2019

Check out what I "made" from watching YouTube. Cheap, functional, and looks amazing! Two coats of spray on oil poly!

They ran out of caps so I used a reducer bushing which I like better than a cap!

Lordoftheflies · Jun 29, 2019

Now I'm deciding on how to insulation the ceiling properly. I created a separate thread for it here.

https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/1947-cape-cod-attic-insulation-advice-needed.82227/

Jadnashua · Jun 29, 2019

One thing I put in my master bath was a heated towel bar. It doesn't get the towel super hot, but it's definitely warm, and it also helps to dry it out quickly. I wired it to a timer.

Lordoftheflies · Jun 29, 2019

I'm going for the cheaper route with the iron pipe.

The electric heater will be right under it so I think that will help towels dry as well. I didn't realize that there are some people out there who change out their towel with every single use. My ex-boss told me this and I was floored. I use mine until they start to stink........

Lordoftheflies · Jul 30, 2019

Well I thought I posted pics of the sheetrock getting installed on the ceiling...but evidently I did not.

So whilst doing the ceiling I got a little sidetracked and the project snowballed (exponentially, again, for the 84th time) and I realized that the insulation on top of the second floor bedrooms was absolute garbage. The quick version is I went up there, removed all the old trash 3" insulation, sealed all the penetrations (lights, wires, fixtures, chases, etc.) with spray foam, and got a ton of help from @Dana on THIS THREAD and ended up using 30 bags of all-borate blown in cellulose insulation. I also had to install new mesh screens for the gable vents since the rodents had chewed throw the original plastic one.

Just look at this garbage insulation that was up there. Smh.

Lordoftheflies · Jul 30, 2019

Here are some pics of the sheetrock. In hindsight I should have just skipped the batt insulation (I hadn't decided to go with blown-in at the time and was leaning towards batts until Dana straightened me out).

Also in hindsight I should have installed the rafter vent baffles before putting up the sheetrock in the ceiling. The slope is much lower and thus it's a super tight area to get to once the sheetrock is installed.