Boys Bathroom Part 4: The Plan1

This is going to take me how long?

This will probably be where DIY is going to cost me. My time.  I don't want the boys to be using my bathroom for too long, so I need to be on the ball.

Of course this is competing with two other factors:

1. I'm fussy. It took me 6 months to paint the inside of my house. It looks beautiful, but I could have gone faster.  I, very carefully, cut-in the paint inside the closet on the backside which you could never see unless you got on a ladder inside it. But I could just not let it go. Hence 6 months and I was exhausted at the end because...

2. My weekends are normally for relaxing.  My week is hectic: work, hellish commute, kids, little sleep, etc. Usually the weekend is my time to unwind, read a book and just loaf. This will be hard to go from hectic week to backbreaking weekend.

Hopefully these two points will be overshadowing by the main point of: I don't want to share a bathroom with my two teenage boys!

Phase 0:  Research, planning and material selection

I haven't be tracking this, but so far I've spent about 5 weekends and maybe 20 work nights on this.  Maybe 150 hours?

Phase 1: Demo

This should be fun! Sort of. And the boys will help me with this.

1. Empty out all the stuff, remove decorations.
2. Remove shower fixtures - plumber claimed I could do this without setting off the water. I'm dubious but its the only way to get the tile off
3. Turn off water for toilet, unbolt, and move around to remove tile from around it. Then PUT TOILET BACK.  Here's my fear. I'm okay with the boys using my shower and sink, but only having one functioning toilet is frightening. I just watched a YouTube video of this, doesn't look too hard.  Except for the gross removing the water part. Replace Toilet
4. Turn off water to sink. Remove vanity. Not sure how to do this one. Use utility knife to remove caulking from vanity to wall and then what?  Maybe look for bolts into wall?  We'll have to learn as we go.
5. We are going to remove all the tile, ALL THE TILE!  Remove the (probably soggy) boards from around the shower. Probably find ants. Cry.
6. Remove mirror. Again not sure how to do this.
7. Remove medicine cabinet. How?
8. Remove tub. I'm actually not sure if the plumber, who will be putting in the new tub, expects me to do this part. But with my luck he is, so we will try to do this as well.

TV programs always show this part as being easy. And they get to use sledge hammers. I've already cautioned the boys that NO sledge hammers will be used. And no, they can't punch the walls. And no it won't be funny to mash the mirror.

According to various websites, this will take an afternoon. I don't know what they're smoking but I figured this would take at least 10 each on Saturday and Sunday. And if there is extensive crying I can see the items like mirror and medicine cabinet removal to be pushed into the weekend.

Phase 2: New tub

This part is easy. Call plumber, wait for plumber, watch fascinated as plumber installs new tub, pay plumber. Hopefully the waiting won't be too long, and the watching should be 4 hours (his quote)

Phase 3: New walls

1. Beg brother-in-law to go with his truck to HD to buy the cement board.
2. Possible: rebuild box for ledge - I have a feeling that either the frame for the ledge is rotten or we will break it during demo. So cobble some 2x4 together for this.
3. Cut new cement boards (for tub surround)
4. Screw in [I tried to pick up one of these at home depot and it was so heavy. Not sure how this is going to work]
5. Tape and mud corners and seams
6. Paint over with Redguard to waterproof

NAP!