Beginning House Projects Galore

Even though we were living in the house we needed to get started on projects. One project that was dear to our hearts was fixing the downstairs bathroom. We were sleeping in a downstairs bedroom but every time we needed to use the restroom or take a shower we had to use the upstairs bathroom.

Our downstairs bathroom was a complete disaster. The floor was completely rotted and unlevel by several inches. So by employing 20 ton bottle jacks I leveled the floor and added new supports. After removing the bathroom floor it was apparent that a majority of the complex plumbing for the house was located underneath the bathroom. So I decided to bite the bullet and rip out all the old cast iron and galvanized plumbing and put in all new pex and pvc.

I kept the cast iron bathtub for the bathroom and decided tile around it and the floor. In order, to protect the floor and wall from future water damage I installed cement board all around the tub and the floor as well as 4 inches up the wall. Afterwards, a waterproof membrane was painted on the cement board. The goal is to make the floor nearly water proof so that any possible renters can't destroy the new floor.

Next to update the bathroom but also keep the decor within the period for the house, I added custom design choices such as a shower niche with arabesque tiles, subway tile around the tub, and a grey marble 6" by 2' large format floor tiles. Finally, new rubbed bronze fixtures completed the new look.