Bathroom Renovation questions

[dgk]

I have an attached 18 foot wide house about 60 years old. The bathroom has a stall shower as well as a bathtub. I was thinking of replacing the old tub with a jaccuzi and making it the shower also. That frees up the stall shower area to use as a nice sink, cabinet, and cat litter/feeding area. Right now the cat litter sits in the tub which sort of makes the tub unusable for its primary purpose. More exactly, the litter is not directly in the tub. The litter is in a cat litter container and that is in the tub, but the end result is the same.

My friends contend that people like separate stall showers and it will be easier to sell the house that way (I'm not planning on selling anytime soon although a few more winters like this one...) I can't imagine why anyone would need a separate shower when the tub should work as well but I figured I'd ask about both the asthetics as well as plumbing considerations.

On the plus side of the proposed arrangement is that there isn't room in the stall shower for two folks to fit comfortably but there is in a tub. I don't often get in that situation but it would be nice if it works out. The downside is that cleaning is likely tougher, particularly the jets I would think. Someone told me to use water based soaps since they won't harm the jets which otherwise will need changing in a few years. I don't forsee any problem with the additional plumbing needed for the shower part.

One other consideration is that my plan for the sink/cabinet/cat litter/food area will feature a fan and filter arrangement to trap the litter dust which otherwise tends to settle on everything. And keep it all at the bottom of this cabinet and out of the way and sight.

It is likely that the whole bathroom will be gutted since the current sink is small and the tiles (pinkish orange - where did they get that color?) are hideous. I won't do the work; I can do small things around the house but I'm much better with software than hardware. A contractor will do the work. Money is an issue but I can spend $4000 or so which I think should do the job nicely.

All comments greatly appreciated.

[kyle.boatright]

$4k to have all of this work done (gutting a bathroom and replacing everything) is a pretty tight budget for this project. I'd say your friends are right about having a separate tub and shower for resale, but unless you plan on selling in 5 years or less, I'd rebuild the bathroom for you, not the hypothetical next guy.

Good luck,

KB

[dgk]

Thanks. I can spend more if I have to. I'd rather do it right and have it nice. I can't remember the last time I took a bath.

Of course, if I sell to cat lovers, the litter box arrangement would be a plus.

[Joe Bobst]

That might buy the materials, but no labor. I agree with another poster that your budget is way low. Things like floor reinforcement may add a bunch, and the list keeps growing, the more you get into it. Bathroom renovations run second only to kitchen redos, which are typically in the $15K range. Go ahead and do whatever you like and good luck finding a quality-minded contractor to work with. When it's done let us know if $6-7K got you what you liked. HTH

Joe

[dgk]

Yikes. How depressing when reality sets in. And I was thinking about the kitchen. But the bathroom is over the kitchen so I figured I'd best do the bathroom first.

I don't think there will be a need for floor reinforcement though. I'm not getting a big jacuzzi; it will likely be the same size as the current tub or just 4 inches wider. The two people will likely have to stand. In fact, being made of cheap plastic (fiberglass?) instead of porcelin should result in less weight I would think.

But I've done some floor and tile work. That's why I think I go pro on this.

The kitchen does need some work but mostly cosmetic stuff. New cabinets and countertops. Granite or something nice. Get rid of the wallpaper, particularly on the ceiling. I worry about that wallpaper on the ceiling. Why, I ask myself, is there wallpaper on the ceiling in the first place? Do I want to know?

[George Macomber]

I should not cost much more than 4k. Look the bathtub and flooring probally 1000 for materials. another 500 for sink and other hard ware and probally 2 days work for a skilled handyman.

hell dont let people over charge you up the ass... . since when do carpenters make 100 dollars and hour

[Gunner]

Comments inserted

A jaccuzi and flooring for a grand? Give me the name of your supplier, and please don't say HD.

another 500 for sink and

Sink & tub faucets should be no _less_ than $350 total, or you're buying junk. So that leaves $100 for bowl & vanity and misc. plumbing. Get real!

George, wake up! A total gut job and redo with additonal wiring and alteration in 2 days? Not on this earth, and you can't put 10 guys in a bathroom to do the job.

Average carpenter rate in this area is $22.36 per hr. Plus you have workers comp., tools, insurance, vehicles, social security tax towards carpenter and whatever benefits. You come real close to $100 per hr to make any profit for a company.

[B]

If this new bathroom helps get you into that special "situation" that you mentioned, write back and we'll help you re-do the bedroom.

-B

[dgk]

I find the kitchen causes the more delicate types to flee. Perhaps that should be done first.

[montana]

We've gotten into the "bathroom of Doom" scenario where, when the bathroom was gutted we found many bad things having to do with the ceiling/floor for the 3rd floor bathroom (no solid joists), no proper venting, galvanized pipes that were at death's door, a cast iron drain pipe at death's door, a leaking shower pan... All this stuff's fairly typical in a house that's 76 years old.

Our home insurance is going to pay for a little bit of what happened after a leak was discovered, but we're going to be paying about 8k for the fixes. One of the reasons we're paying 8k instead of 15k is because I spent many hours searching out the best prices for stuff, from the shower plumbing pieces parts to the new faucet for the footed 3rd floor tub. We're even getting a new window. It has taken me days of work, when you add up all the hours.

The contractor was too busy to do the work last year, but that delay really helped us in the long run, no matter how inconvenient it was.

When you open up walls (where we live) you have to bring everything up to code, which also means old knob & tube wiring must be replaced.

Gunner's advice is right on the money.

And if I had to replace stuff in a bathroom above a kitchen & the kitchen, I'd work from the top down. I'd hate to have a ceiling fall into my new kitchen.