DIY Modern Master Bath Remodel - Part 1: Demo & New Walls

Monday, October 30, 2017 -
Demolition and building the walls in our DIY complete modern bathroom remodel

*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product in exchange. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

Last Friday I told you guys about our DIY bathroom remodel that's underway. If you haven't yet, head over to see the full blog post,with all the "before" photos and my inspiration. Today I'm showing you guys the really scary part (demo) and how we've started moving around walls. 

Check out the full series: 



I made a diagram to give you an idea of the bathroom layout. It's definitely not to scale. but you get the sense of things.  In the "before" floorplan, you can see the separate tub and shower on the left. There is actually a 4' x 4' glass block window above the tub. That's staying. Although I REALLY wish I could replace it, that would involve cutting the exterior wall, patching stucco, and the cost of the new window. We decided it was cost prohibitive and I'll just try to work the window into my design.

The other big change is the linen closet/ toilet area. Like I said in my last post, the old design didn't allow for a water closet, or enclosed area around the toilet. This is a major pet peeve of mine. Nobody wants to see or smell a toilet. Luckily, I figured out what we could do that wouldn't involve ripping up the entire foundation. I tell you more about that in a minute. 


The star of the remodel is going to be the new, custom shower, so that means the tub and the cramped fiberglass shower that came with the house had to go. 


Take a look at the picture below and you'll see why I call demo the scary part. Swinging a hammer isn't terrifying, but when you step back and realize you just ripped giant holes in your house, it's pretty unnerving. It's worth it though... or so I hear. 


Once the tub and shower were out, we ripped out the short wall between the two. We also removed the linen closet and the wall around it. 


With a clean slate, we could create our own floorplan. Here's what we are planning on. The vanity is going to change a bit, but for the most part, the major changes are outlined in orange. 




By moving the linen closet to the other wall and rotating the toilet, it gave us enough room to build the much needed water closet. 

I framed up the new walls traditionally, but like most remodels there were some weird cuts and small spaces. The new wall dividing the shower is where the shower plumbing is run. I needed to add some blocking for an adjoining wall to connect to, but the space was way to narrow to fit a nail gun, even my Compact Paslode Nailer


Luckily, I was just sent a new pneumatic palm nailer from Ridgid Power Tools. It's my new favorite toy! A palm nailer is ideal for tight places where swinging a hammer isn't possible. 


It works so fast! If you haven't used one before, it's really simple. It has a magnetic shaft which holds almost any size nail. You can adjust the depth to accommodate your material. I made a little video to show how a palm nailer works in action. 



I have tiny hands but was able to control the nailer with no trouble and secure my block exactly where it needs to be. 



Since the two walls of the shower are both exterior walls, I needed to make sure to insulate. I hate fiberglass insulation! If you've ever touched the stuff you know what I'm talking about. Although it looks like cotton candy, it's actually made up of millions of tiny sharp shards of glass that end up everywhere - including in your skin. 



While stuffing it into the cavities between the studs, I was sure glad to have a nice pair of leather gloves.  I filled two walls and my hands were safe and itch-free. My Husky gloves are also water resistant, so I'm definitely hanging on to them for future projects



Here's how the tub area looked before we started,



and how it looked after a couple Saturday's worth of work. 


Here's the old linen closet and toilet space,



and now the new water closet. 



Taking photos in a bathroom is tricky, hopefully you can get an idea.


So, do you notice that giant hole in my new wall? It's there on purpose and it's going to be awesome! That's going to be a massive medicine cabinet and I have a cool idea for the door. My goal is to get that done with week and I'll share it with you guys as soon as it's done. 


I know it doesn't look like much, but we're getting there. We've made some major progress on the shower, so make sure to stop by for updates. The large scale subway tile I choose from The Builder Depot is so, so good! Wish me luck!


Let's be friends! Follow along so you don't miss a thing!
    

2 comments

  1. Wow, you have accomplished a lot! I can't wait to read and see the progress.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This project looks promising. Wanna see the result. Good luck with this!

    ReplyDelete

Powered by Blogger.