lol this is how it starts

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I've spent a couple hours/day for the last few days removing tile grout with an olfa knife being as careful as I can.. tile edges still chip, some are cracked from the house settling, one I glued back down with marine epoxy and another fell off in my hands tonight.

Now we're looking into the cost of materials to just replace all the tiles.. and the cost of replacing the bath tub which is a terrible contractor grade product. And if I'm gonna redo tiles, then we gotta rip the wall open and redo plumbing for he shower because there's no sense in investing in tile work then having a diverter valve fail in 3 more years and have to bust the tiles out.

And since the tub would be out may as well redo the lino flooring, replace the few pieces of baseboard, fix up the walls (my specialty) and caulk & re-paint everything.

I think this $125 project is about to turn into a $2000+ project real fast. At least we'll only Have To pay a plumber and the rest we'll do ourselves. At least there's some local bathtub manufacturer where friends and us have bought "factory seconds," quality tubs with very small flaws for super cheap. WAY better product.

But yeah, this is how it starts.. pull at one thread thinking you're going to re-grout some shower tiles and all of the sudden most of the bathroom is getting replaced. Oh well - I haven't been using my time for anything more valuable AND majority of the wear & tear damage was caused by yours truly over the last decade or so, sooooo..

keeping a house in shape is a lifelong project... yes, I've noticed that pattern too! leaking sink at our house... always something!! !

It is.. but maintenance is pretty minimal since they bought the house brand new ~17 years ago. Not a lot has worn out yet. Washer and dryer have been replaced I believe, need a new bar fridge downstairs, signs that the kitchen freezer side is having some issues but it still works. Basically appliances more than anything. Roof/gutter clearing, gathering leaves outside, pressure wash etc but it's certainly not falling apart or an old fixer upper.

A few small drywall things for me to fix up, and IF she's gonna do a full colour change then there are a bunch of flaws from the original construction that I've noticed in the finishing over the years that I would touch up first since I do drywall finishing. And then IF the basement was ever going to get a full repaint including the ceilings then Maybe I'd re-finish all the ceilings since there are some humps and shadows on them and I can fix all that as long as we clear/cover everything for dust.

The worst condition room in the whole house is the bathroom I've been using for a decade or so, and the tub that's in there has always sucked (shallow, poor finish) sooo makes sense if you're going to put a little work into some area or another that it's the One that needs attention.

Good luck! This sounds like a very long project that need lots of dedication! Have fun and enjoy the process!

lol it shouldn't be that long but it is and is going to be lololol

I've gotta go pick up the new bathtub we ordered now. It's 3" wider and about 4-5" deeper - about the biggest we could possibly jam in this space. Then I need to get the plumber over to advise, go shopping for some parts, get hime to do his thing to replace plumbing and install the tub.

Then I'll board and finish the walls and prime before tiling.. which we haven't even gone shopping to pick tiles yet, nor flooring.

Repair the damaged baseboards, prime and paint, a couple other odds and ends etc. It's not exactly going to be done in any sort of quick timeframe, but it will be nice when it's complete.

Sitting in the tub for a nice bath is going to feel a lot more satisfying after this project, for sure. And one of the best parts about doing this kind of project is that you can pick a lot of the little details yourself. You could choose patterns and bath shapes and the general style. It is a personalized space.

I suppose - but there are limited options in this size.. Most of them have a more "modern," design with squarer edges. I guess some designer people like the look ? but laying back in one was very uncomfortable as the edges are tight sharp radiuses. We chose one that's more sloped with rounder radiuses so it's more comfortable to lean your neck against if you lay down in it.

Asked my mom to look at fixtures (it's her house) and she said she might want to change colours etc.. she looked online a bit and went to a wholesaler. Decided to stay with chrome (good choice; cheaper.. we can just add sprayers/wand etc) but while she was out and looking she decided we should install glass shower doors instead of a shower curtain. Good thing she decided that Now because if I have to add any more studs or backing inside the walls then Now is the time to do it before I re-board and finish the drywall in prep for tiles and paint.

It's a great feeling of accomplishment to see something you've made yourself.

Yeah, building stuff is kinda nice.

Today's a busy day with other building project planning. In a half hour or so I'm off to pick up a work partner (old guy, very skilled/fast) and go check out a couple jobs another contractor wants to hand to us. One is a bunch of patches in a brand new big house right on the ocean in West Vancouver - electricians and plumbers had to make modifications. Then he has another site somewhere nearby that's a double penthouse - I think the full top floor of the building.. but maybe just half a floor I'm not sure yet. That one we both kinda wanna do because it's different. He finishes a lot of fancy mansions with intricate ceilings and all that, but there are far fewer massive penthouse suites than mansions so finishing one would just be a different scene.. and scenery with the likely views from the top however tall the building is. Can't be that tall, though, as I don't think there are any really tall buildings in West Vancouver. The owners bought two penthouses and are joining them together with a $10M renovation budget.. apparently including tape & mud in speakers for the walls/ceilings. We've done tape in lights, and on another house in progress we'll do tape in vent covers.. but tape in speakers will be new. More of the same in how it's done but we're all curious how you mud speakers flush into the walls and then use them without the vibrations cracking the walls. We'll use the most crack resistant materials.. but stilllll.. hmm. If THAT works out flawlessly I think we'll have something to be proud of.

And thennnn I might just hit the highway before rush hour and drive 100+ kms from there to Abbotsford to go quote re-finishing a couple of bathrooms in two neighbouring townhouse units. Normal peoples' world where normal people live and the neighbours are looking to re-do their bathrooms at the same time so they both get a discounted price instead of me having to charge $$$ to do one I can do both for a bit more than the cost of 1 as with this trade I have to make 3-5 trips to complete the work and so it becomes a per trip charge as to how much it costs to do a small job.

Blah blah blah. Who knows, still might shift gears to building film sets when the film industry fully restarts after the strikes. Easier work, higher pay.

But yes; it's satisfying building things. I would WAY rather build walls than spreadsheets. The physical work keeps me fitter and stronger vs. being sedentary and getting fat.

I love having a project to do me.

I hate little fiddly jobs like dusting and stuff but give me a big job to do and I'm all in.

Went to go work on a house in Vancouver yesterday afternoon and then my plumber friend replied to texts.. which was Very Good because we've been unreasonably overwhelmed trying to figure out what plumbing parts to buy. There's a ridiculous amount of options and it's not very clear to the layman what parts are required to make each configuration option work. etc.

So, instead of getting much work done I chatted with him a while. Then ripped through some work and left there by X time in order to meet up with him at a pub and continue our convo, which continued at his place nearby until ~1:40am. It wasn't all plumbing talk of course, also a social visit.

Overall it was a very VERY good use of time because he was able to show me some plumbing things, tell me what I should buy, explain what he would replace/add etc (he's a plumbing instructor at a trade school at a nearby university) and then beyond that he told me a bunch of other little things to do in preparation for removing/replacing the tub + other things to do now that are cheap to do and really should be done to future proof things + order of operations to do things the best/easiest throughout the reno in general. I never really thought about it before, but he's done a lot more than just plumbing - he's gutted and redone more than 100 bathrooms so he has his process nailed down pretty good!

Even little things like how much extra wall to remove so its easier to take the old tub out and put the new one in is very helpful as then I can have everything Ready for him to install the tub when he comes over. And removing extra wall is no big deal as I can easily replace it and finish it. Was planning on replacing extra with dense shield anyways - fibreglass covered waterproof drywall - but knowing how much he Needs removed helps me not waste his time when he comes to connect everything. Then we can get down to the serious business of bbqing steaks and drinking whiskey.

edit: Knowing what to do next is deeeefffffinitely beneficial overall. I slept better last night and woke up more energized this morning. What a difference it makes eliminating silly stresses like infinite choices of plumbing parts and now knowing Exactly how to go about the process of deconstruction/reconstruction in the most ideal way. Knowledge is power.. I've heard that before. Feels like it this morning!

Great to hear you had that conversation!
Many experts are willing to share their expertise if someone will listen to them!

He's offered to come do the plumbing work free of charge, too. I told him we'll at LEAST cook a decent dinner.

In the past when he's needed $ I've loaned it to him and he's repaid it - including funds needed to float his daughter's impromptu weekend wedding last year.

So, there's some give/take reciprocation of favours.