We Bought A House: The Beginning of the End?

Okay, the title is not entirely accurate as any homeowner would no. No home is ever “complete,” or entirely finished. Going to any home show is evident of that! There is always some new technology or feature being developed to make something easier, or more efficient.

But when it comes to our second floor bathroom remodel, the “end” has been a long time coming; about 6 months worth!

Let me explain – when we started, we removed the fixtures; the toilet, tub, and vanity. We tore up the carpeting and began to demolish the walls. We figured there wouldn’t be insulation in the walls due to the age of the house, which is not a problem.

Over time the bathroom was completely demolished and taken down to bare walls and ceiling. Exterior framing was built and secured, proper insulation was installed and we thought that was the end of the demolition.

Over time the room sat there until I decided that I was going to remove the plywood “subfloor.” Subfloor is in quotations because it was not quite the end of the subfloor, as there was another set of 3/4″ tongue and groove below it. I pulled that up and exposed the bare floor joists.

I then spent time sistering the joists to level the floor – sistering is when you place modern boards against the old in an effort to level something; a floor, a ceiling, etc. It is also done when you are repairing old, damaged boards. It was at that time that I decided to completely replace the 3/8″ copper plumbing with new 1/2″ PEX.

My wife and I installed shut-offs in the basement that would allow us to completely shut off the water to the second floor, and we cut through the old copper pipe. Larger holes were drilled and relocated to account for the larger PEX and the flooring was reinforced for the later addition of a new toilet and vanity. After this I laid down a new 23/32″ subfloor.

Coming from apartment living since 2007 to homeowner in 2021 was quite an experience – I learned the basics of plumbing and pitching the waste water pipes. I glued new PVC and installed P-traps. My tool library and understanding of the building and plumbing trades vastly expanded. I also installed a small security feature – adding plastic strapping to the waste water pipe and mounting it to the bottom of the subfloor beneath the bathtub to keep it connected if it should ever dislodge.

Now, “the end is near” because we entered into a new phase of the remodel – sanding the drywall for paint.

In all, this is one of the final steps before we can actually use the bathroom for the first time. It will be quite an upgrade from the first floor bathroom we currently use and share with our washer.

The bathroom saga is still not finished, but has become much easier for us to bear.

The light is getting brighter at the end of the tunnel…was that just a pun for my need to begin to learn how electrical works? Stay tuned!