Home Building Diary

Bathroom Surprise

My work in the bathroom is done (the plumbers still need to attach the fixtures, toilet, and water heater) but that’s not the surprise. (A bathroom surprise sounds sort of gross, doesn’t it?) No, the surprise is it didn’t quite turn out the way I’d planned.

Weeks ago I started on the floor. Just before laying the linoleum “click” flooring, I noticed in the instructions that it isn’t “appropriate for humid rooms, such as bathrooms.” Rats. So I had one of my “to heck with it” moments and drove to Lowes for some vinyl flooring. I know … vinyl yuck. But I found some big 18″ tiles that kinda sorta look like slate tile. I had to put down vinyl floor underlayment first, because the existing Advantech subflooring wasn’t smooth enough. Instead of the traditional lauan, I used Accuply. It’s supposed to be more durable and long-lasting.

Then I installed the bathroom vanity, medicine cabinet and storage cabinet. They’re more Lowes specials, just about the cheapest ones they sell. But I actually like them — they match my kitchen cabinets and provide lots of storage space. They came fully assembled and were easy to install (just screw to the wall). I swapped out the wood knobs for some brushed nickel ones, just like on the kitchen cabinets downstairs.

Notice the pine accent wall next to the sink? It was built to enclose the water heater, and we used up leftover pieces of pine from the ceiling. Looks much better than drywall.

Next we installed the washer and dryer. I bought stackable front-loading machines from Sears. They’re Kenmores and the washer is energy star rated. It will save energy and water. We had a real time getting them installed. First, Marshall brought his winch and we cranked ‘em up to the second floor (before the spiral stairs went in). Then we had to move the drain-pan, because the plumbers had put it in too close to the wall (no room for the dryer vent). Finally we got the washer into the pan (without breaking the plastic drain pan - a feat) and the dryer on top of the washer. Then we learned that the 4-foot cord I’d bought for the dryer wasn’t long enough because the electrician put the dryer plug down low (where the washer is) and the washer plug up high (where the dryer is). Subcontractors … can’t live with ‘em, can’t shoot ‘em in the head.

The washer and dryer are located in their own little cubby-hole, so I couldn’t reach around them from the sides. So … leaning over the top of the dryer, I fit the pieces of the dryer vent together and replaced the 4-foot dryer cord with a 6-footer. Problems solved and done job.

Lastly, I tackled the walls around the tub. I planned to tile them, but when I looked online for installation tips, I learned that tub/shower tile should only be installed over cement board. Well, my drywall subcontractor (I hate subcontractors) had convinced me that greenboard (a moisture resistant drywall) was the way to go. My options were to rip out the greenboard or switch from tile to a tub surround, which is meant to install over greenboard. I went with the tub surround. Another trip to Lowes got me a surround that only cost 99 bucks (not the cheapest one — these things are cheap). Installation was easy — Sandy helped me cut the flat pieces to fit, glue them to the wall, then glue in the molded corner pieces. Those corner pieces didn’t exactly fit well, but with some careful caulking the end result looks good. It will be easier to keep clean than all those grout lines anyway.

The bathroom surprise? Vinyl and a tub surround instead of linoleum and tile. Changes the look a bit. Doofus subcontractor screw-ups really weren’t a surprise at all.

Note: lots of other stuff is done too … cork flooring in living room, railings built for the porches, “instant” closets for the bedroom, etc. More posts coming up!

4 comments January 26th, 2007

Floorplan online at last

Now that the house is nearly complete, I thought it would be a good time to post the floorplan online. Better late than never.

This should help you get oriented.

1 comment January 18th, 2007

Spiral Staircase

The spiral staircase is in! I’m really going to miss climbing that ladder to the second floor.

I bought a black steel spiral staircase kit from Salter Industries. It’s a sturdy and good-looking unit so I’m happy with the purchase. Installation isn’t quite as easy as they claim though. Read all about my spiral stairs over at my website (I don’t want to duplicate all that here).

Spiral stairs are naturally photogenic.

Add comment January 11th, 2007

Cork Flooring

Between the holidays, my brother and I put down the cork floor in my bedroom. It’s a laminate flooring that just snaps together. No glue or nails. It’s so simple to install that I’m sure more people will try cork floors in the future.

We started at the back left corner of the room and laid the first course along the wall. Leave an expansion gap along the edge. Luckily, the last piece was approximately cut in half, so we used the rest of it to start the second row. The first piece of the second course snaps into the first. Then you’re making connections on two sides of each plank, but it’s not hard. Snap the side into the previous piece, lay it down, and tap it gently into the first row with a board and a hammer.

The joints are all very tight and are difficult to see. Quality of the product is high — only one piece had a defect (in one corner). Planks measure roughly 1′ x 3′ (they’re a metric size). Under the finished top is a thin board (MDF?) and a rougher layer of cork on the bottom for cushioning.

My cork flooring is made by Stepco in Portugal and I ordered it from FastFloors.com. It cost a little less than $4 per square foot.

The bathroom floor is also done, but I’ll save that tale for next time.

1 comment January 2nd, 2007