Bathroom Reno - Part 4

We are now at the finish of the project.  The vanity is in place, toilet installed, everything painted and the contractor for the glass door has finished his work.

When the contractor finished the floor he redid the entrance threshold and matched the wood in our floors with a very nice threshold that is easy for a walker to go over.  I did ask for the threshold for accessibility, but, I didn't expect a perfect colour match! 

First time my wife took a shower it was without any assistance from me.  All I had to do was put in a small table for her shower supplies and put the shower head on it.  Dropped the seat, closed the doors and did something by herself she couldn't do since her stroke... Take a shower by herself!  All she asks now is for me to bring out new towels and face cloths for her and after to help dry her hair.  She is loving the independence that the shower gives her and my back is grateful every time.

The renovation itself was a bit costly, but, worth every penny.  We have a shower that is handicap accessible, has non-slip floors, good lighting and looks great.  We didn't skimp on the materials and with the cost of the contractors (part of the project we had a plumber and electrician along with the main contractor) the project was $21k (original guestimate by me was $20k so it was close).

Bathroom Reno - Part 3

We are now in the process of having the bathroom being rebuilt.  One thing I did was take pictures of the process, especially where the blocking was put in for the grab bar and seat.  This way we have pictures with measurements on where everything is if we need to do anything else, or, if we sell the new owners knows what is behind the tiles. 

One of the things the contractor wanted was concrete backer board and I fully agreed with him.  If water ever got through it would hold up a lot better than anything else. 

At this portion you need to exercise a lot of patience.  As we get one portion done it takes time for things to dry.

Blocking for the seat

Blocking for the grab bar and allowance if we want to add another

Starting to look like a shower

Start of the bed of the shower

Membrane and the tile with the concrete board

Tiling the walls and the new LED overhead light

The non-slip floor

Grab bar and seat installed.  Only thing we are waiting for is the glass door

Bathroom Reno - Part 2

In May we were able to restart the project and the team arrived to start demolishing the bathroom.  We did one change request to replace the toilet in the downstairs half bath to use the same toilet as we were installing upstairs.  This would be a good decision as both toilets were not comfortable for my wife and we found that the gasket on the downstairs and the mounting ring were both broken and leaking.

During the demo upstairs we found that there were leaks in the old tiles and about 15 cm (6 inches) of the tile around the tub was soaking wet and moldy.  Fortunately it didn't impact the studs.  We also found that there is a concrete wall between us and our neighbour.  We also found the duct from the downstairs batch went through the corner of the shower so we had to adjust the size to allow for a 8 cm (3 inch) adjustment to the plan as we couldn't move that.  The pipe also went overhead and that was the reason for the bulkhead so we left it in place.

During the demo they pointed out we really didn't need to remove the ceiling or the existing drywall outside the shower.  For the popcorn ceiling they installed a new drywall over it and the bonus is that it gave us more room when mounting the larger fan.

You can see the pipe venting the downstairs half bath.

Bathroom Reno - Part 1

When we bought our condo the bathroom was usable, but, not accessible.  The tub was just under 56 cm (22 inches) high and the rail for the glass door added another 4 cm (almost 2 inches).  When you cannot bend your leg getting in an out is a real challenge.  The glass door wasn't mounted correctly and after a lot of vulgar words I got that mounted properly so the door would work properly, but, it was an obstacle for my wife using the shower.  There also were no grab bars so every time she wanted a shower I mounted suction cup bars.  There was no seating for her so we used a temporary stool.  

Her showers were rather painful as I had to assist her getting in and out and the tiling on the floor wasn't non-slip and I had a few minor falls.  After several months I drew up a basic must-have list for a bathroom renovation.

• Everything was to be gutted back to the studs.  I wanted to see what was there and if there were any mold and structural issues.
• Non-slip tiles.  As I mentioned I had a few minor falls, fortunately it was just me and not my wife.
• Better toilet at a height the wife would find comfortable.
• Much improved lighting.  The bathroom was fairly dark and when in the shower it was difficult to see.
• Improved venting.  The old fan was way under sized and I wanted at least 100 cfm.
• Custom glass so that there was a door that would swing either direction.
• Shower with a minimal lip so that the wife can get in and out by herself.
• Improved vanity.  The old taps were much too low and too close to the back of the sink to be comfortable using.
• Grab bar anchored to the wall and a seat so that my wife can sit while showering.

With that list we visited Home Depot and had a discussion with them about the reno, materials and hiring a contractor.  They were excellent and had great suggestions on the tiles, grout, paints, fixtures and a contractor.  Unfortunately we then went into a lock down for COVID and the project was on hold.  Upside we were able to have the materials delivered and I stored it all in our basement.

Next up will be the gutting of the room.