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Day 1: Bathroom of mass destruction

May 4, 2015 by Mr. 1500 Days 25 Comments

This week, I take a break from my normal posts to show you the bathroom I’m remodeling. I’m going to try to finish the entire thing in 5 days. Today, I tell you about day 1.

Pesky plaster and rotten wood

Old bathroom is in those bags
Old bathroom is in those bags

Day 1 of the bathroom remodel is in the bag. Actually, the bathroom is in the bag – the garbage bag. Lots of them. Our house is from the 50s, so the walls are 1″ thick plaster. And plaster is heavy. Really heavy. We took out 23 bags, each weighing about 75 pounds for a total of about 1700 pounds. I am scrawny, so tomorrow, I will be sore.

We also discovered a lot of rot. The wall that Mrs. 1500 is fighting with in the photo below was half rotted out. We took the whole thing out and I’ll frame out a new one tomorrow.

Mrs. 1500 doing battle with the rotted wall
Mrs. 1500 doing battle with the rotted wall

I thought that we’d have the tub out today, but it was not to be. This will be first on our list for tomorrow.

IMG_20150504_190206758_HDR
This is how we ended the evening

 

Falling behind

What is worse than removing plaster? I’ll tell you: getting our older daughter (C) to take oral antibiotics. C was diagnosed with strep throat today and I’m convinced there is nothing she likes less than ingesting medicine. Combine that with amazing stubbornness (my genes, I confess) and you have a recipe for sitting there for 45 minutes, egging her on.

C was up all last night with a sore throat. I was already dead tired from the Berkshire weekend, so now I’m feeling downright delirious with exhaustion. Seriously, you ever get so tired that you can’t remember things people told you 20 seconds ago? That is how I am now. The brain just isn’t working. But the show must go on.

Tomorrow

I’m not as far ahead as I’d like to be, but worse things have happened. On Tuesday, I hope to remove the tub, install the shower, hang drywall and get the plumbing fixed. Tune in Tuesday evening for another riveting update.

Progress

  1. Remove all fixtures including light, tub, toilet and vanity.
  2. Remove all plaster from the walls and ceiling, gutting it down to the studs.
  3. Remove all floor tile.
  4. NEW -> Frame new wall.
  5. Fix rotted floor. The shower doors were not installed correctly which resulted in a leak which rotted lots of stuff.
  6. Reframe wall to accommodate a bigger door. The current door is very narrow.
  7. Fix the plumbing: There is a clog somewhere in the sink’s pipes… (Mrs. 1500 note: Ask Mr. 1500 how that clog happened. Go ahead, ask him. **Someone** cleaned tiling tools out in the sink… Not naming names but it rhymes with Trister Bifteen Lundred…)
  8. Hang and finish drywall.
  9. Install new tub/shower enclosure.
  10. Tile and grout floor.
  11. Paint.
  12. Install toilet.
  13. Install new vanity and cabinet.
  14. Tile backsplash and install light fixture.

Filed Under: Something Completely Different Tagged With: shower

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle says

    May 4, 2015 at 9:30 pm

    You two are amazing. Wow!!

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:11 pm

      Ha, don’t count your bathroom before it’s finished.

      Reply
  2. Jacq says

    May 4, 2015 at 9:33 pm

    You can do it!!!

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:13 pm

      Ha! I hope so…

      Reply
  3. The Roamer says

    May 4, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    These are awesome to read…

    Do you think you would like help… Or is more then 2 people to much for that small space…. I was thinking of carpentourism… I keep wanting to help out with projects like that so I can get some knowledge under my belt with out having to buy the house firsts. Its a win win scenario I think since whom ever would get free labor…. Inexperienced labor… But I would follow all the directions… Plus since I’d be doing it for free it won’t be like I’m just trying to earn a paycheck
    The Roamer recently posted…Biking with Kids: Our 1st Trip to SchoolMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:14 pm

      Thanks Roamer! Can you be here tomorrow? 🙂

      Most of it will be done by end of week, but if you’re in the area, feel free to stop by any time!

      Reply
  4. Brian @DebtDiscipline says

    May 5, 2015 at 4:34 am

    The demo is always the easy part, it the putting it back together part that is work. Good luck!
    Brian @DebtDiscipline recently posted…How not to run a Small BusinessMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:14 pm

      Don’t say that! This was a miserable demo. I hope the rebuilding goes better…

      Reply
  5. Hannah says

    May 5, 2015 at 5:54 am

    Your poor girl- strep is horrible (I got it once a year for the first 22 years of my life). Good luck on nursing your daughter and your bathroom back to their former glory.

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:15 pm

      I know, right? Sore throats are horrible. She is already doing much better. Getting the medicine down is still a huge fight though.

      Reply
  6. Thegoblinchief says

    May 5, 2015 at 6:32 am

    On the antibiotics – have you tried using the blunt syringes to squirt it in the mouth and then clamp her mouth shut until she swallows? Sounds cruel but that’s the only thing that worked for my kids – plus the syringes make for super accurate dosing. The pharmacy should be throw one in with the Rx.

    On the exhaustion be CAREFUL. Exhausted workers make mistakes and/or injure themselves. I know this from repeated personal experience doing manual labor when I was younger.
    Thegoblinchief recently posted…Goblin Hoard Report Card – April 2015My Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:17 pm

      This is a great idea, but I’m thinking she may throw up too. She already did it once. Seriously, it takes her 45 minutes to get it down.

      I hear you the exhaustion. My brain just isn’t the same. I lose tools constantly. It is miserably.

      Reply
  7. Debtless in Texas says

    May 5, 2015 at 6:55 am

    I can’t wait to see part 2 – I hope it all goes well.
    Debtless in Texas recently posted…The Tax Man ComethMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:17 pm

      Ha, there won’t be much to see. I’m thinking it won’t get good until day 4…

      Reply
  8. Fervent Finance says

    May 5, 2015 at 7:33 am

    Killin’ it! Who doesn’t love some DIY!!?? Can’t wait to see the finished project. Hopefully no more suprises…
    Fervent Finance recently posted…Financial Independence Day – September 2026My Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:17 pm

      Lot more surprises. Sigh…

      Reply
  9. Mr. FSF says

    May 5, 2015 at 9:23 am

    Wow, just wow……
    Mr. FSF recently posted…April UpdateMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:18 pm

      But so sleepy…

      Reply
  10. Stephen says

    May 5, 2015 at 9:24 am

    I’m not going to lie, when I saw this post on my feed I thought it was round 2 of the soylent experiment.

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:18 pm

      This is the Comment of the Year! LOVE IT!!!

      Reply
  11. Chris @ Flipping A Dollar says

    May 5, 2015 at 1:00 pm

    LOL You look like a project manager with that punch list. Also thought of a poop joke that I’ll hold back on. It involved lots of Taco Bell…

    Must feel good to get that bathroom gutted though!
    Chris @ Flipping A Dollar recently posted…April 2015 Profits – Love Re-Stocking FeesMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      May 5, 2015 at 5:18 pm

      Let the poop (jokes) fly! Half my humor comes from bodily functions!

      Reply
      • Chris @ Flipping A Dollar says

        May 6, 2015 at 6:08 am

        I think it’s a dad thing. We just have really base humor. It’s just our duty (doody?).
        Chris @ Flipping A Dollar recently posted…April 2015 Profits – Love Re-Stocking FeesMy Profile

        Reply
        • 1500 says

          May 6, 2015 at 4:10 pm

          LOL!!! Keep it coming!

          Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Thursday Rant #4 - DIY Home Improvement - Gen Y Finance Guy says:
    July 13, 2015 at 8:01 am

    […] there is Mr. 1500 who just recently took a week off of work to try and get a bathroom remodel completed in that time. As most remodel projects unfold, there were plenty of surprises and […]

    Reply

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My goal was to build a portfolio of $1,000,000 by February of 2017; 1500 days from the birth of this blog (January 1, 2013). And hey look, I’ve since retired!

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