Tag Archives: Bathroom

January 11, 2011 · 12:37 pm

Quick Tip – Faucets

Here’s a tip for all you do-it-yourselfers out there:  when purchasing a second-hand sink through a popular online classified posting, be sure to obtain all relevant information and potential sources of cost savings.  No, I didn’t get ripped off or encounter a shady salesman, I actually scored a great deal from an old couple trying to get rid of their large pedestal sink for $20. Let me tell you what I learned…

Test the fixtures before installing the sink in place. I purchased the sink early enough to plan the plumbing installation for that specific fixture, installed custom plumbing lines, finished floor, walls, paint, and finally discovered the leak from the faucet.

“Not a problem, I will just grab a new faucet, I saw them at the hardware store for, like, 30 bucks.”

Time for lesson 2:

When you have this:

Sink

And you want to get this:

You really have to get this:

You see the subtle difference between the first fixture and the second, the spacing of the handles on the sink do not permit a standard cheap faucet type.  Instead we discovered we would not be able to purchase a replacement faucet for less than $100 anywhere.  Sure there are some resources to purchase used fixtures of this design, and with enough patience the online classifieds could again be useful, but the bottom line is this bathroom has been in half-way to completion for several weeks and through the holidays, so it is time to finish it.

We purchased a new faucet last night and will be installing it this week, hopefully to complete the plumbing requirements for this particular room, never mind the shower room next door.

Elliott with new faucet

Not to be discouraged, my wife has been moved into the nearly functional bathroom for a few weeks now as the mirror and lights work just fine!

Looks good enough

p.s. as we drove to the Syracuse airport yesterday to see my father-in-law off, we made the marvelous observation that it appears winter is back!

Driving

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December 29, 2010 · 12:55 pm

The Bathroom we are still working on…

Yes, we are still working on it, and no I haven’t been talking about it because I am ashamed.

Although we have taken a sort of construction hiatus during the holiday season, we did managed to assemble the room into something resembling a modern washroom before we set down our tools.  In its current state it remains unusable due to a leaky fixture on the sink and the general absence of any sort of door, but the floor is down, the walls are painted, the toilet and sink are installed, the lights are on.  We still have a deceptively long way to go, and some complications to rectify but I am certain all parties involved have learned a great deal, both about current construction standards, and efficient project management techniques.

Here are some photos during the painting process and the current state of affairs.

Between mud and paint

Paint supplies

Toilet and Sink in fully painted bathroom

Sink with vanity light, not-yet-installed oval mirror rests aginst the wall below

Let there be artificial light

Our largest hurdle left to overcome, other than purchasing new sink and shower fixtures, is the construction of the door frame.  Due largely to an abundance of inexperience, we have managed to frame the door opening without consideration of side trim pieces to cover the ends of the drywall.  We have a plan to work around this issue, we just need to gather the motivation to pull the project to a close.

A visiting, and very optimistic, friend even brought us a sort of “grand opening” gift to be placed in the new bathroom upon its completion, and hand crafted soap and towel stand built from reclaimed materials.

Toilet with "Grand Opening" gift

Track the progress: Walls and Halls, Tight Squeeze, Reverse Progression, Bathroom Update, How to Move Back in with your Parents

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November 4, 2010 · 1:03 pm

Tight Squeeze

There has been much progress made on the bathroom these past few weeks.  Some visual and much more non-visual.  Photos of the only truly new wall and additional drywall work will come shortly, but today I want to talk about some more discrete improvements.

Sunday afternoon, yes Halloween, I spent about 4 hours crawling around between the ceiling of the first floor and the floor of the second tying up loose ends with both old and new plumbing.  When the building was constructed there was originally no space between the floors, but as time passed and various owners of the building converted it into more residential living space the average ceiling height gradually reduced.  On the second floor there are some rooms with a simple drop-ceiling installed 2′ under the existing ceiling height to bring the room dimensions, and area that requires heating, down to 8′-0″.  On the main level, however, most of the lowered ceilings were constructed out of gypsum board and lacked commercial access panels.

Some damage above the drop ceilings

But wait!  There is one access point! The only possible location in which to gain access, albeit through advanced contortion maneuvers, is a removable ceiling within a built-in display case in the middle of the dinning room.

My father, attempting to share the experience

During the time spent between dimensions we accomplished many tasks, installed a new shower drain, removed lead block on existing cast-iron soil pipe, prepped and installed toilet drain onto said cast-iron soil pipe, anchored PEX water supply lines, and addressed various HVAC ducts in need of attention.

Allowing the eyes to adjust back to normal daylight levels

The sole access point

While I, unfortunately, do not have photos depicting the time I spent in this unimaginable darkness, I do have some photos of my emergence back into the light which I will share with you now in photo strip format:

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