There was blood.

There was sweat.

There were no tears.

In the end, there was a big open space where there was once a bathroom where there was once a bedroom. 

In the back is the water damage. It was far less than I expected, but I will need to replace a couple of subfloor planks over there. I decided not to demo the wall next to the door. It’s in decent shape and is plaster, so more effort than it’s worth. I still have to remove the nails in the floor and against the wall where one of the shower walls used to be. 

This took two days with some much needed help from K. Day 1 was partially spent capping the tub water lines with shut-off valves so as to not cut water to the entire house for the duration of the project. I’ll do the same with the shower, but for now, the shower system is still in tact. One of the sink shut off valves decided it was going to be broken as well and required replacement before we could demo the vanity. 

Shulkie made an appearance and broke up the concrete mortar bed of the old shower. 

Yes. A pick axe. Thank goodness for J suggesting I try that. Otherwise, I’d have spent $50 bucks on renting a breaker that I didn’t need to make. 

I’m glad I did it, even if I did have a momentary sense of panic a few hours into Sunday’s work wondering what in the hell I’ve gotten myself into. And then I remembered how glorious this is all going to feel when it’s all said and done.

Next steps:

• Replace damaged subfloor planks
• Select and install a bathroom exhaust fan
• Measure for where the new tub surround and tub will sit to move tub drain
• Ensure current shower drain will fit within dimensions of shower pan kit

After that, I can call in for my first inspection for rough mechanical and rough plumbing.

I’m still on the fence about which exhaust I’m going to get. Options in my budget range to cover a 117 sq ft room are really ugly. And the decorative ones seem to all have bad reviews. 

Remember, ladies, this is a man’s world. But who cares, because we’re doing it anyway!