After replacing the kitchen floor last year, we asked our contractor (Daniel) to look at our master bath to see if something could be done with it. Right away he said we could get a walk-in closet and
create a separate "water closet" for the toilet. We didn't see how it was possible given the limited amount of space we had, but he was able to explain that if we shortened our vanity by two feet he could
double the square footage of the 8 foot closet. Granted, the smaller closet would have to be eliminated as that would be the new water closet, but if that other closet doubles in space we should be able to
"share" it. He also talked about the possibility of adding a skylight.
Now, the crazy thing is the house already had a skylight above the bathroom, but it wasn't "tunneled" into the space. If someone were to go into the attic there was always ample natural light on that side
of the house because of the skylight. Since it was already there we decided to incorporate it into the new design.
Skylight - outside.
Skylight - inside.
Now that we knew how we wanted to proceed, we waited until the new year after the major holidays to see if Daniel was available to help us out. He visited several times and gave us some leads on where to
find tile, flooring, and fixtures. We spent several weekends searching for the right porcelain tile, and we found something we liked. After that, we found some LVP (luxury vinyl plank) to use in the closet.
Finally, Daniel joined us at a kitchen and bath store to help us with finalizing the fixtures (faucets, towel bars, shower head, etc.).
Tile.
Vinyl planks.
Once we had everything lined up, Daniel came back with a start date that began the day after the boys returned to school following their Spring Break. That was fortuitous because they could still help
us (along with Jordyn) move furniture to empty out the master bedroom and bathroom before they left. After three straight days of, seemingly, rearranging everything in the house, we were finally able to remove
everything from the bedroom and bathoom.
All furniture gone.
Pretty empty.
Just a few things left.
Looking at master bath.
Old 8 foot closet.
Old 7 foot vanity.
Looking toward shower & toilet.
Shower.
New bedroom for now.
Week 1 Day 1 Monday, April 7, 2025
Around 8:30 am on Monday, April 7th, Daniel and his crew showed up to start the bathroom demolition. We also asked if he could replace the old carpet once we saw how faded it had become over the years. We
figured since we had everything out of the room, now would be the best time to get it done. Almost immediately, the guys started removing the carpet. As soon as it was pulled up Daniel called us to take a
look at what he found. Turns out there's hardwood underneath and he asked if this was something we might consider refinishing instead of laying new carpet. We talked it over a little, and our good friends
Luann and Pat said to really consider doing it. Since this looked like a nice option we changed our minds and opted to refinish the hardwood. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, the hardwood was only 5/16"
thick. It was also nailed down every 6 inches to the subfloor through the top so the nail heads were exposed and would have to be covered somehow. Daniel said he thought the wood could be refinished, but over
time the putty used to cover the nails and seal the gaps between the slats would deteriorate. Since the floor would be just about the last thing to finish, we didn't have to make a decision right away. He said
he would ask his floor guy to come out and give his opinion, so we'll wait to hear what he has to say. In the meantime, the crew began the arduous task of removing drywall and whatever else they could demo.
Wow.
No more closet.
No more vanity.
Almost to the shower & toilet.
Small closet & shower.
Looking into the attic.
Day 2 Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Demo would continue on Day 2. The first thing to arrive was the trailer to collect all the debris and eventually haul it away. Of course, at nearly the same time the port-a-potty arrived. By midday,
much of the debris had been removed from the space and thrown into the trailer. Demo continued with the removal of all the old tile (removal is a kind word as the noise from breaking up the tile was nearly
unbearable). By the end of the day, all of the old insulation was gone, so all that remained was the old framing and nails in the floorboards from the old subfloor.
Trailer & port-a-potty.
"Removing" tile.
Some of the debris.
The whole bedroom.
All clear.
Looking toward bathroom.
Old closet.
Toilet's gone.
Closet & shower.
Can see the skylight now.
Day 3 Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Day 3 meant removing all the old framing in the bathroom, pulling up the hundreds of nails in the floor, and scraping the popcorn from the ceiling in the bedroom. All told, the ceiling only took about
2 1/2 hours to clear, but since the old drywall was only nailed in they needed to add screws. Over time gravity would have taken effect and eventually pulled the drywall away from the rafters. Removal of the
old framing also meant removing the dropped ceiling in the bathroom. Once it was all gone we realized the space was pretty decent, but we knew that would change once the vanity was installed and walls were put
back up.
With the old master bathroom demolition complete, it was now time to envision what the new layout might be. Daniel came by in the morning and started to layout where everything was going to go. He nailed
2 x 4's to the ground to give us an idea of where the walls would be, how big the doorways would be, which way the doors would swing/slide, where the new shower stall bench was going, etc.. This was an
excellent way to visualize the new space. After some time, we gave final approval of the layout and work began by removing the old drainage system and prepping for the new drains.
Proposed floor plan.
Prepping for new drainage.
Day 5 Friday, April 11, 2025
The day began with the pick-up of the new toilet at Home Depot and the beginning of framing. A header was installed for the new pocket door that would separate the bathroom from the bedroom (something
that didn't exist before). By lunch time we had a good idea where both the water closet and the front of the walk-in closet would be. At the end of the day, the water closet and walk-in closet had both been
almost completely framed. Once the framing is complete we hope to begin the plumbing and electrical next.
The crew arrived around 8:15 am to begin the day. Shoring up of the water closet and shower floors continued. Work also continued in the shower where the seat was framed. Daniel stopped by to talk about
the placement of the grab bar in the shower and the possible location of lights. He verified with us where the new medicine cabinets would go. He also proposed putting a niche in the wall on the right side of
the vanity for Deb and creating a storage niche in the water closet above the toilet. Once we finalize the size of the water closet niche we can ask our vanity contractor to see if he can make a matching door.
He also gave an update where we are in the timeline. Once framing is complete the plumber will be out to plumb the shower, toilet, and sinks. We will have to let him know the heights of the shower head,
diverter, and in-wall faucets for the sinks. There is also the question of whether we should install a third pipe from the water heater to the back of the house where the bathrooms are located so hot water will
be more readily available. From there the electrician will install new receptacles and lights. Eventually, they will fireproof any holes in the wall frames where the pipes and electrical penetrated. Lastly,
the invoice arrived for the new window to replace the french doors in the master bedroom. Daniel will stop by later some time to verify the measurements and the direction the window will slide before we sign
off. The day ended when UPS dropped off the new bidet.
Shower floor support.
Shower bench framed.
Water closet floor.
Support above water closet.
Day 7 Tuesday, April 15, 2025
The morning started with more framing particularly in the shower and water closet. They also partially removed a plumbing vent to frame for the new medicine cabinets. Daniel stopped by again to verify
where we wanted the shower grab bar to go and the size of the niche in the water closet. He also remeasured for the window replacing the french doors and placed the order. The noise level was pretty loud this
day as there was a lot of old stud removal to reframe for the medicine cabinets and niche. Damage to the adjacent hall bathroom wall was notable, but expected, as framing of the water closet niche would
require adjustment of two wall studs.
There was a welcome break yesterday as enough framing was completed on Tuesday so the plumber could start work today. He started by clearing a lot of the old vent pipes and creating all new drainage pipes
under the floor. He also drilled a new hole in the water closet for the toilet. Finally, Daniel added some angled framing to the skylight to show how he envisions hanging the drywall to take advantage of
the natural light. He also said that he ordered all the doors (both swing and pocket) so they should be available soon. Tomorrow we will need to have an idea where we want the sink faucets to be placed in the
wall, how high we want the shower head, where we want the hand held shower head to be placed, and what style of shower drain we want. The timeline looks like we're on schedule, or maybe even a little ahead.
Friday and Monday will continue with plumbing, and the electrician is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.
Old vent pipe removed from shower stall.
New sink drains and vent pipe.
Vent pipe for new sinks.
New hole for toilet drain.
Left side framing for skylight.
Right side framing for skylight.
Day 10 Friday, April 18, 2025
The day started bright and early before 8:00 am when Daniel stopped by to mark off where we wanted all the fixtures to go. Since we knew we had to have those measurements, we stopped by Pat and Luann's the
night before to see where their sink faucets were placed. We took measurements and Pat sketched out some rough drawings that we used as templates for our sinks. After that, we talked about where to place the
exhaust fans, where to place the new lights, and which shower drain we wanted. The plumbers came while we were talking and they started all the finishing touches on the PVC work. By mid-afternoon we gave the
approval for a dedicated hot water pipe to the back of the house. At the end of the day all the vent pipes were in place, the faucets were roughed out, and the shower head & diverter were mounted.
Faucet height.
Faucet over sink.
Flange in place.
New vent pipes by shower.
Using existing roof hole.
Faucets are roughed out.
New vent pipe through the roof.
New shower diverter.
Shower head placement.
New panoramic of partial framing and rough plumbing.
The plumbers arrived just after 8:00 am. They began installation of the third hot water line to the bathroom by running a long copper line in the crawlspace beneath the house. They also connected and
soldered all the copper lines for the toilet, faucets, shower heads, and shower diverter. Water was turned off most of the day and didn't come back on until about 4:45 pm, but it looks like they'll have to shut
it off again tomorrow as they need to finish connecting the third hot water line to the water heater. Also, the shut off valves below the sinks still need to be installed.
