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This post is sponsored by alcohol. And maybe a little Xanax.
One Room Challenge Week 2 // Builder-Grade Beige Master Bathroom Makeover
Hey guys, and welcome back to my second update for the spring One Room Challenge! If you’re just now joining me, take a peek at last week’s post:
WEEK 1 // BEFORE PICS AND PLANS
We’re working on our master bathroom, and today’s post is all about demo. Let me let you in on a little secret if you’ve never gutted a room to put it back together: demo really, really sucks. There is just no two ways about it. It is not a stress reliever like they tell you it is on renovation TV shows. There is no cool music playing in the background (well, there can be, but it doesn’t make it less painful). And I pretty much hate it and am so thankful for my sweet dad and husband for all of their hard work helping out.
As a reminder, here’s the before pic:
(Disclaimer: Please don’t hurt yourself doing demo work, guys. It’s messy and can be dangerous. Remember to wear a mask and eye protection. Do not use any tools without proper training, precautions, and supervision.)
Ripping it all apart
And as another reminder, we’re taking out the wall and floor tile, the shower area, and the little closet Mike is facing in this pic:
Before we got started, we laid drop clothes from the bathroom alllllll the way to the garage to protect the floor. Tip…set up in a sunny spot because cats love getting in the way and sunny spots:
Here are a few of the pics from the demo process. Please just imagine the kind of b-roll guitar track you’d hear if this were a TV show. Don’t imagine all my cussing.
Wahoo! Nothing was in the back of the shower; it was just unused space that they sealed off to make the world’s most useless shower seat. Yes!
Closet completely out…and we found a vent pipe in the way. That’s the white pipe behind the drill. We’ll talk more about that in a bit. (Demo tip if you have cats…cover up holes in the floor. They WILL get in the floor and play in the ceiling.)
And guess what we found when we finished pulling up all of the tile floor? That our toilet had been leaking and had already seeped through the subfloor. There was no wax ring put on when it was installed. Cue me entering a fit of rage right about now thinking about what would have happened (i.e., the ceiling below sagging and getting a giant water spot on it) had we not caught this. My fit of rage lasted a few hours and slowly morphed into, “BUT ARE THE OTHER TOILETS SAFE???” But we can’t think about the other toilets right now.
There are lots of things you don’t think about with demo, either. Like all of the screws and nails you’ll have to remove before you can start putting anything back together. Sounds easy, but it’s just one of many, many small things you need to do before moving on to the next step!
Plumbing time!
Alright, after ripping everything apart, we had some prep work to do before putting it back together. That included having Jon the Plumber in to do a little work for us. (I did NOT feel comfortable doing DIY plumbing…we wanted to know that everything was done right.)
Here’s some of the plumbing day work being done: running some of the plumbing for the new tub and setting the new shower pan we received from Delta!
Ahh, the tub. Guys, the tub ordeal was one for the record books. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who had to deal with me that day as I was flipping out about having to return a tub (Mike, dad, Jon, and definitely Patrick and Brian for their excellent counseling and quick thinking). Yes, I said return a tub. Here’s the original tub sitting in our garage.
Yes, it’s beautiful, but it’s too big. Yes, I did measure it before I bought it. No, I was not properly visualizing how it would look in the space. Rookie mistake, but I’m not a designer, so it happens. Although the tub was BEAUTIFUL and of superb quality, we returned it the next day (SO GLAD I ordered it from one of the big-box stores and could return it so easily!) and bought something else. Something smaller, both in length and width. Here’s a peek at the new one:
I got it online and HATED having to buy something this big online without seeing it, but I am super pleased with it. However, switching it up from a drop-in to a freestanding tub threw some of our plans out the window. I guess that’s just the way things go with major renos–you gotta be flexible accept the fact that some things just might not work out/might have to change.
Putting it back together
Any who, while we were thinking through some of the changes we’d need to make, artsy Jon the Plumber sketched out this expert rendition of the space:
The area between the vanity and the tub…that vent pipe posed a bit of a problem, so we ended up deciding to move the vent pipe back up against the wall, build a knee wall by the vanity, and just build out an area to accommodate the vent pipe. I wasn’t super happy about it at first, but when Jon drew this out, I could visualize it a bit more. We also decided to build out a knee wall behind the tub to accommodate a wall-mounted tub filler.
Measuring for the knee wall height:
Knee wall being built out behind the tub area, new subfloor laid! Man, laying that new subfloor made SUCH a difference!
Knee wall separating the vanity and the tub area built in, as well as the little enclosure for the vent pipe. I know what you’re thinking: Brittany, that looks kind of terrible right now. Yeah, that’s was I thought when we first decided to do it. But I have plans for it…promise!
“I love my new knee wall!” -Blanche
Electrical outlet moved and re-set, tub filler plumbing run, and the walls going back up. It’s happening, people!
“Why can’t I get in the floor and play in the ceiling anymore?” -Blanche
And with the last of the walls back up, we’re all ready to take a nap.
What’s next?
So what’s next? Everything has been ripped apart and, for the most part, put back together. Next week I’ll be sharing progress on laying and grouting the floor tile, laying and grouting the wall tile, and a few other miscellaneous things. I really want to get the baseboards and shoe moulding back up…and patch and tape the sheetrock corners. We’ll see what I have to share with you! 🙂 Until next week…
and one day you will look back, while soaking in your tub and sipping wine, and say…. man that totally sucked, but it was worth it!
YES, yes I will!
Holy cat fish, girl!! You accomplished A LOT in one week!! I actually LOLed at ‘are the other toilets safe?!?” I would have had the exact same reaction… hahaha And your kitty! What a ham. Love it…Can’t wait for next week!
I know, I am going to be fretting over those damn toilets until we pop them up to see if there is a wax ring there!!
It seriously looks great! I know there were a lot of set backs, but that was a ton of progress you guys made!!
Your cat is hilarious! I hear you about demos. Every time we demo a room, we find something that makes us go “woah, what if we never saw this!” Good luck with the next few weeks. It’s going to come out so beautiful and brand new!!
She’s the little apprentice 🙂
Looks great can’t wait to see it finished
Thanks Laura! Sharing the tile update next week 🙂
Oh my you guys got SO much done!! What a bummer about the toilet! Even with a few setbacks you guys seem to be on pace 🙂
Thankfully between the three of us we had the entire thing demo’d in one day! But then we about died and slept for 100 hours.
I remember the freak-out day well, but it is all coming together so well. I love your furry model. 🙂
She loves the bathroom project. Such a weirdo.
I’m so impressed you did all of that Demo! Can’t wait to see the full reveal on the new tub!
Oh wow! You have gotten a ton done already Brittany! Nice job! I love that your cats have to get in almost every shot! I have a yellow lab who always wants to nap where i need to take pictures 🙂 Bummer about the toilet subfloor-but hey, at least its getting done right this time!
Only thanks to my husband and dad! No way we could have gotten demo done in one day without a team of three!
that PJ shot is like… too real.. I do way too many official blog things in PJs with no bra on.
This week looks like a lot happened. Hopefully next week goes a bit smoother!
HAHA right…and not even cute PJs. That’s my cheerleading camp shirt from 2002 lol. I can’t believe it’s still kickin.
It’s stressful for now, but you’re going to love the end product. 🙂 Can’t wait to see it! Super cute cat btw! I miss having kitties around to drive me nuts and make me insanely happy at the same time! LOL!
Yes they are so annoying but also so cute, especially Blanche 🙂 Henry is nosy but prefers to supervise from afar, whereas B is all up in your business 100% of the time
WHOA that is a lot done in one week!!! I cannot even imagine about the tub. I would have been freaking out, too! But that is SUCH a good lesson to order it from a store where you can actually take it back! It’s tempting to order some things online but then what do you do if you have to ship them back – such a pain! Excited to see what you do this week, Brittany!
Yes and Home Depot was totally cool with the return, no questions asked. And the bonus is that the new tub ended up costing us like 400 less!
Man! I feel your pain. I went through a bathroom makeover last year and I said I would never do it again in weeks! Good luck, my friend! :-)) I am sure it will be amazing!
I’m kind of feeling that already. Next time it’s gonna be a room that needs a little paint, a few plants, and we’ll call it a day.
I’m in the sucky-want-to-cry part as well, so your post helps me feel less alone. 🙂 I keep telling myself that next week, I’ll have something pretty to post.
Ps. My dog likes to lay on every drop cloth that I lay down as well. And be right in the way when we’re working. 🙂
Exciting! We had major issues when we tiled our floor so we had to pull them out and we’re starting over (well, starting over meaning getting a pro to do it!). Looking forward to your Week 3 update, hopefully we’ll both have our floors done 🙂
Lol…the truth of renovating! Sorry to hear about your setbacks, but it’ll be totally worth it in the end!
Wow! You have made so much progress! And I hear you on the toilet thing…two houses ago for us the toilet AND tub had both leaked for years and rotted out the sub floor. Can’t wait to see your finished bathroom!
I panicked when the original shower pan was first pulled up because the area underneath looked wet (it just wasn’t covered in a thick layer of dust from demo). Thank GOD it wasn’t leaking too.
WHOA girl! You’re kilin’ it! The space looks completely different already! LOVE it! The tub will be soooo worth it!
Looks awesome! I thought there’d be more cussing in the post 😉 Do you have a warrenty with the builder? Might cover some of the expense of replacing the subfloor for the toilet… and checking the other ones…
There was cussing and crying in real life. Don’t worry.
Looking so good so far!! Such a pain about the tub but glad you’re happy with the new one you got!!
I agree…demo is the worst! But….your space is looking amazing!!
You guys are doing a fantastic job- and yes the leaking toilet sucks but at least you caught it and fixed the problem before it could get worse! And when your finished, I suggest taking a LONG soak in that beautiful tub!
Wow you guys have been busy! Super bummer about the tub but awesome you were able to return for what you wanted! And that toilet situation—- EWWWW.
sponsored by alcohol! Lol! Oh my gosh, well, it can only get better…right?
I totally agree that demo sucks…I think all those people on TV shows like it because they don’t have to clean up afterwards 🙂 Looking forward to seeing what you get done this week.
Exactly…and they aren’t doing the hard parts lol. Just whacking a wall with a hammer!
What a huge project — but you’ve completed a lot! Like Cassie said in the first comment, when you look back — it will be totally worth it.
Oh my goodness, I totally feel your demo pain! What is with all those screws in drywall? Seriously, taking those out was ridiculous. And while my cats didn’t get into the ceiling (they would have if they could) we have discovered that they love to eat wood 🙄 Cheers to demo being over and another good week!
At one point I was like, where is Blanche?!? We hadn’t seen her for hours. So I shook treats and we heard her pitter pattering through the floor. She came out covered in dust. It was kind of adorable. After that she just stood next to the hole (that we covered up) wondering why she couldn’t get down there anymore. SO damn cute.
I know it sucks when things don’t work out exactly according to plan, but I think the new plan with the freestanding tub is gonna look amazing! Good luck over the next week. I’ll be following along!
Thanks Tash!! I love the new tub so much more, so it all worked out!
Wow! What an undertaking and thank God you did this before your toilet fell in through the ceiling! I loved watching the progress as I’ll be needing to do mine in the future. Can’t wait to see it come together. Loving your assistant “Blanche” I’ve got a couple of those too. 🙂
I know. Once this is all over we need to pop the toilet up down the hall and check that one for a wax ring. So frustrating but good to know before it becomes a huge PITA.
Wow, you’re so lucky you discovered the leaking toilet before major damage! I’m looking forward to following along on this adventure and to see how it all turns out.
Wow! This is a major makeover Brittany! It’s going to be amazing….can’t wait to see more!
Disaster aside, you’re making amazing progress!!! Amazing! xo
oh my goodness! The toilet ordeal would have set me on a war path as well.Your progress is fabulous though!
This is quite the project!! It’s looking good though! Can’t wait to see the added details when you are finished!
I agree, demo can be a major pain. But you got so much work completed!