3301 Retro Ranch: And the Bathroom Project Continues....

The minion speaks....

To pick up where we left off, Beth headed to Chicago with her father and brother two days into the bathroom renovation project. So, as I did with Beth via phone calls, pictures and FaceTime, I will try to give you a flavor of the project during the first two weeks.

After the first 3 days of demolition, comes the weekend. We (meaning me) have a porta-john (but no indoor toilet), the sink in the kitchen and laundry room and a shower on the patio.

As mentioned before, we did not anticipate the winds on the patio blowing the shower curtains with the vigor that they did. I can attest that having a wet (and cold) shower curtain hit your backside (or front side) mid-shower does not make the bathing experience pleasurable. I thought I had outsmarted these rogue curtains by buying the largest nuts I could find at The Home Depot and pinning them to the bottom of the curtains. I was feeling pretty smug as I was attaching them until a breeze came along and moved the curtain I had attached 3 large nuts to like a sail. The big guns came out after that and the curtain is weighted down to any available log, garden statuary or accoutrement I could readily find.

A refreshing retreat!

On Monday, after the concrete had cured to support the beam that was getting spliced in, Troy and Gordon did their repair and framing magic. The rotted sill plate and beams were replaced. The car decking (floor) was installed with a temporary trap door for access for plumbing and ductwork. New studs in the exterior wall and little bedroom wall installed and any minimally damaged wood was treated. The framing work for the new wall between the bathrooms was built with supports for new medicine cabinets, lighting, counters and plumbing.

Over the next two days the plumbers were here. A crew of 4 the first day as they removed the old cast iron lines and the galvanized pipes that weren't removed already. New supply lines, shower controls and the tub were also installed. After two long days they filled the tub with water and requested the inspection. I was hopeful that the inspection would happen before the weekend but alas, it wasn't until the next week. Note that the toilet could not even be temporarily installed until the plumbing was blessed. I headed to our condo in Astoria for a weekend of cycling, relaxation and indoor plumbing.

The electrician was next as lighting was minimal and the outlets had been disabled. The new switches, outlets and junction boxes for new lights as well as exhaust fans in both bathrooms were installed. A new line had to be run to our panel which meant a hole in the drywall I had repair in February / March appeared. The electrician also dropped something heavy directly into the new bathtub. Oops. So out comes the plumbers again to install a new tub and take out the "scratch and dent" model that wasn't even a week old. Hopefully someone at Re-Store can fix the dent and use it.

Oops!

On Friday Ted the drywall guy arrived and after meeting with Troy for about 30 minutes realized he didn't have enough sheetrock and off for supplies he goes. The rest of Friday, Ted measured, cut and fitted pieces of sheet rock in the old master bathroom as well as the little bedroom. Most of the hall bath was completely new sheetrock. With an indoor toilet in place and with exterior painting to work on before Beth returned, I spent that weekend at the retro ranch.

Ted was back Monday to complete the drywall installation and to start his slip coating. Sadly the miracle of indoor plumbing was removed so Ted could complete his tasks. Troy installed the wonder board in the tub and shower areas and Ted worked his slip coat and sanding magic the next few days. By Thursday evening the master bathroom toilet was back in place and it was time to prime and paint before the next sub contractors arrived.