3Fl Progress

Getting the floor repaired and heart stopping plumbing
We were stalled for about two months waiting for a building permit to come through. The city is so short on inspectors that one poor guy is all that is left to process a whole desk full of the things...no, really, a whole desk full. Looked like something out of a movie. Once that was in hand, Joe the Plumber took off like a rocket, meaning that I had to hang on tight to do the needed woodwork and repair.

	Now, talk about something that will make your heart stop. I walked in after Joe the Plumber had left to see our waste stack cut and seemingly hanging in air. There is actually a support rod that blends into the background. This stack had to be cut so that the new addition to the plumbing system could be vented.
	Look hard to your left and you can see the beautiful job Joe did on running the new pipes to shower and toilet. After this job, Joe the Plumber told me to button up the floor so he could install the shower. Heh, no problem.
	I could have laid 3/4 inch plywood directly onto the existing floor joists, but when I tried it out, there was still a bit of give. So instead I put in supports along each joist, then laid 3/4 inch plywood between each joist space. On top of that went one big piece of 3/4 inch plywood. No give. I tried. Even ate a big burger then jumped up and down. No give.
	Next, I nailed underlayment (1/4 inch plywood) on top of the 3/4 inch plywood. This stuff is suppose to give you a nice smooth surface so you can place the final floor material down. We first though we would use tile, but realized that doing so would require us to raise the entire floor level just too much. Instead, we decided to go with some great (meaning on sale real cheap) vinyl one piece flooring. Look hard to your left and you can see the beautiful job Joe did on running the new pipes to shower and toilet.
	Not to our surprise, there is not a single level spot on the entire floor. True, even with careful repair of the damage done by the...uh...skillful removal of the old floor by Joe the Plumber. Look under the level and you will see a big time shadow. Something like a half inch drop from one side to the other. Not a problem for anything other than the shower. That part of the floor must be dead level or the shower walls will be "off."

Joe the Plumber is working on getting the roughed in plumbing inspected. After that is approved, he can install the shower and sink. There is still electrical work to be done too, but I need to build the false ceiling first so the exhaust fan/light can be mounted. If we are really lucky, this little project will be done in just a few weeks! (right.)

Do you see what I almost did here? Doh!

So I get all excited about being able to finally put up the partition that will define the new bathroom from the old closet space. I get so excited that I am whipping up these studs like mad.

Fortunately, when I stopped to wipe the sweat out of my eyes (for the 100th time) I noticed that I had forgotten to move the sink vanity into the new space! I guess I could have squeezed it out if I had put up the entire wall, but it would have been just too good joke fodder for Anna. Yes, she would use it against me every chance she got.

The vanity had to be moved over way to the left to make more room to pass between the sink and new shower stall wall.

After rescuing the vanity from behind the new wall, it dawned on me that the original placement was going to be way too close to the shower wall. You see, the shower stall has three walls...only two of which will be supported by the existing walls. I had to erect another wall just for the "outside" shower stall panel. You saw before how out of level the floor is, so it was no easy doing to get this new wall (really a partition) close to level.

You can see the new tub wall just to the right of this picture.

A new partition had to be built to hand the third wall of the shower stall.

This view is from where the vanity is located in the picture above. You can see two of the studs that will eventually make up the new shower stall wall/partition. Joe the Plumber did not want me to completely finish this wall, since his helper has to be able to reach the shower bottom. Joe will have to put quick drying cement on the floor to level the tub base first. That will require some fancy dancing by both Joe and his helper.

Eventually, this new partition will be tied into the new, lower ceiling. That is on my "to do" list.

We passed the plumbing inspection, meaning that Joe the Plumber can finish his part and I can button up over the plumbing. I still have to reach the electrician and lower the ceiling for the exhaust fan/light combination unit. Nope, not sure how to vent that bubba yet. Joe thinks it might be possible to tap into an old vent that was there from previous plumbing. That would save me a whole lot of aspirin by not having to cut a hole in our relatively new roof! More on the way.