Days 28-30: The Final Push
Well, it's Day 30. Only twice as long as my original "estimate" (HA!) was for. That David Doyle - he's a wise man. (Check this post for the reference.
Things were actually going fairly smoothly. On Thursday and Friday, I worked feverishly to paint and finish installing all the fixtures. In fact, it was almost like one of those TV shows - I was almost finished with everything just as Mom #2 got here.
Then things pretty much fell apart. When I installed the shower rod, I didn't think about how high it was, (DUH) and it ended up being too high to keep the water in the tub! Then, when Mom #2 tested the sink, the cold water had no pressure. (?!) Oh, but that's not all! I wanted to test the shower, so I reinstalled the curtains (without proper anchors!) and tried the shower. Unfortunately, it ran off-hot-warm-cold instead of the off-cold-warm-hot it was supposed to. (?!?!)
But wait, there's more! When we tested the solder originally, we ran water through the spout. The problem with that is that there's no pressure. When you pull the diverter up on the spout, that's when the line to the bathtub spout is pressurized. So, when I tested the shower this time, there was a nice leak. (?!?!?!?!?!?!)
At this point, I seriously considered committing arson.
But, cooler heads prevailed. A shower (in the temporary shower downstairs) helped cool me down, and our old friend Google gave some insight into the problems.
Solutions:
1. Drilled new holes with correct anchors (leaving 4 extras on each wall to fill!) for the curtain rod. Perfect. I'm a mudding expert - 8 holes means nothing.
2. After some searching, I found that the supply line had kinked. Remove it, attach it a bit differently - pressure!
3. The shower valves are actually made to be reversed, in case two are installed back-to-back. (Picture the supply lines - the cold and hot lines would each come up in pairs, so one side would be reversed.) Simple fix - just remove the valve and rotate it 180°.
4. Interestingly, the joint that was leaking wasn't the one I'd redone twice - it was the other side of that corner. After some trouble at first, (You try wielding a hot torch in a hall closet trying to solder a joint that's screwed to the cross support you put to hold it tight. Oh, and that cross support is flammable. And so is the closet. Have fun with that and let know how it goes.) I was able to get the joint soldered correctly.
Wow, I type too much. On to the pics!
You may have noticed that the window trim isn't installed yet. There are still a couple little things left to do. Nothing major, though.
One final note: This post has been particularly painful for me. Not in an emotional sense - I gouged my thumb pretty good on the table saw trimming off the door trim. (The new floor is 1/2" higher than the old one.) I've learned many lessons during this project, but the most important one was today - DON'T RUSH. IF YOU DO, YOU'LL END UP WITH A BLOODY SPACE BAR.
But all is well that that ends well. I'll be fine. I will, however, be taking a few days off to go on a little mini-vacation with my lovely wife. (Who, by the way, has been more supportive and understanding through this whole process than can be reasonably expected of any human being. I could not have done it without her.) Expect at least one more post with reflections and a couple more pictures with the door and window trim installed and finished.
Thanks for visiting! Feel free to leave any comments. I recently changed a setting (which I didn't know existed) so anyone can leave comments - even those without Google accounts.
Things were actually going fairly smoothly. On Thursday and Friday, I worked feverishly to paint and finish installing all the fixtures. In fact, it was almost like one of those TV shows - I was almost finished with everything just as Mom #2 got here.
Then things pretty much fell apart. When I installed the shower rod, I didn't think about how high it was, (DUH) and it ended up being too high to keep the water in the tub! Then, when Mom #2 tested the sink, the cold water had no pressure. (?!) Oh, but that's not all! I wanted to test the shower, so I reinstalled the curtains (without proper anchors!) and tried the shower. Unfortunately, it ran off-hot-warm-cold instead of the off-cold-warm-hot it was supposed to. (?!?!)
But wait, there's more! When we tested the solder originally, we ran water through the spout. The problem with that is that there's no pressure. When you pull the diverter up on the spout, that's when the line to the bathtub spout is pressurized. So, when I tested the shower this time, there was a nice leak. (?!?!?!?!?!?!)
At this point, I seriously considered committing arson.
But, cooler heads prevailed. A shower (in the temporary shower downstairs) helped cool me down, and our old friend Google gave some insight into the problems.
Solutions:
1. Drilled new holes with correct anchors (leaving 4 extras on each wall to fill!) for the curtain rod. Perfect. I'm a mudding expert - 8 holes means nothing.
2. After some searching, I found that the supply line had kinked. Remove it, attach it a bit differently - pressure!
3. The shower valves are actually made to be reversed, in case two are installed back-to-back. (Picture the supply lines - the cold and hot lines would each come up in pairs, so one side would be reversed.) Simple fix - just remove the valve and rotate it 180°.
4. Interestingly, the joint that was leaking wasn't the one I'd redone twice - it was the other side of that corner. After some trouble at first, (You try wielding a hot torch in a hall closet trying to solder a joint that's screwed to the cross support you put to hold it tight. Oh, and that cross support is flammable. And so is the closet. Have fun with that and let know how it goes.) I was able to get the joint soldered correctly.
Wow, I type too much. On to the pics!
You may have noticed that the window trim isn't installed yet. There are still a couple little things left to do. Nothing major, though.
One final note: This post has been particularly painful for me. Not in an emotional sense - I gouged my thumb pretty good on the table saw trimming off the door trim. (The new floor is 1/2" higher than the old one.) I've learned many lessons during this project, but the most important one was today - DON'T RUSH. IF YOU DO, YOU'LL END UP WITH A BLOODY SPACE BAR.
But all is well that that ends well. I'll be fine. I will, however, be taking a few days off to go on a little mini-vacation with my lovely wife. (Who, by the way, has been more supportive and understanding through this whole process than can be reasonably expected of any human being. I could not have done it without her.) Expect at least one more post with reflections and a couple more pictures with the door and window trim installed and finished.
Thanks for visiting! Feel free to leave any comments. I recently changed a setting (which I didn't know existed) so anyone can leave comments - even those without Google accounts.
posted by dan at 11:02 PM
1 Comments:
Dan and Veronica:
On-site review of the bathroom:
Wall tile is wonderful. I loved the subway tile. Plus keeping it clean and simple with using white tiles looked wonderful.
Floor tile is a favorite. The pattern looks very nice in a smaller space and I think it looks very good against the wall tile.
Pedestal sink: I thought the style was perfect for the room. Plus, it almost seemed just a trifle higher than most vanities. Maybe it was just me, but I really liked the height.
Shower and tub: Perfect. Did not feel cramped or in a small space whatsoever.
It is such a totally new space, that it is hard to remember the original.
This is a job well done and the knowledge gained from this is worth quite a bit.
Question: In hindsight: Would you have vendored out any piece of the renovation that you tackled yourself? Also: Was there any code restriction or mandatory item that surprised you?
I was lucky enough to be the first visitor to see the finished product. Congratulations on a job very well done.
Mom # 2.
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