12 - Bathroom

This house had only 1 bathroom, and it's small, so we had to maximize utility, which is my strength, and make it beautiful and functional for all occupiers, which is my wife's specialty. The previous cabinet stuck out 4 inches and the sink was small, so washing your face was always difficult to not bump into the cabinet and reaching the water. 

1. The gunk was extreme, but anytime the pipes get exposed, it's a good idea to snake and clean the pipes as deep as possible. I used a drill snake and a plastic hair snake with the teeth. 

2. Ryobi Tile cuter cost $119 at Home Depot at the time. The more expensive diamond cut blade is absolutely necessary to drive through the tile densities faster and more accurately. 

3. We decided to add a larger recessed cabinet + a larger sink that fit next to the toilet.  I had to frame the recessed medicine cabinet opening but an unexpected pipe blocked a full insert. I took precaution to cover the pipe as a barrier between contact with the wood of the cabinet.

4. Ran electrical for a GCFI extra outlet, and reinforced a base to mount the pedestal sink.

5. I built the shower niche from scratch, I posted a helpful video in the Resources page, that shows the material and method I used.  There are prefabricated niches, but I couldn't find the right size.

6. For the niche I used Mapei Aqua Defense and Teflon paper to layer and paint the mold guard layer over the niche cutout and mold resistant sheetrock. I probably overdid it, but I wanted to be absolutely sure. 

7. The pipe soldering took practice on test pipes/fitting before I completed the final install.  See the videos I posted in the Resources page, it takes a minute to warm up a copper pipe, but it took 7 to 8 minutes of blow torching the thicker metal of the shower fittings to solder to the copper pipe.  ALWAYS remove the shower cartridge before applying heat. 

8. Wood shelves are stained and lacquered pine, which is moisture resistant.