Shower: Estimates and Demolition

I've been interviewing plumbers to get an estimate on rebuilding our shower base as well as building and waterproofing our shower walls so that I could tile.

The first plumber let me know that rebuilding a cement base would be an extravagant cost that he doesn't do, but he knew a guy that did it.  He even called this guy while in our home for an estimate which ended up being around $2300.00 sight unseen and didn't even include waterproofing the walls.  This plumber's estimate of over $1400.00 included three parts:

1. Redoing the drain pipes to code.  Apparently, in 2003 when we had our tub turned into a shower, they did not give us the right pipe diameter.  We have had no problems with draining our shower, but code is code!
2. Replacing the pressure valve and shower trim.  A pressure valve helps control the water temperature when water is used in other areas of the house by regulating the pressure.  The shower trim includes the handle to turn on the water and the back plate that covers the hole for this handle.  Again, we have had no problems; however, I do want to change out our brass shower trim for an oil rubbed bronze finish.  I had planned to get my current trim powder coated, so I really didn't need this in the estimate.   (More on powder coating later.)
3.  A fiberglass shower base and drain.  The idea that this would cost less then the cement base was intriguing.  The fact that his estimate stated a 'chrome' drain along with all the other 'additions' led me to believe this plumber was just adding up his profit.

The second plumber - actually both 'plumbers' were estimators for their employers.  They may have had a plumbing background, but their job was to assess the project and provide an estimate.  So, why am I still waiting for the second plumber's estimate?  It has been over a week.  He also suggested updating the pipes to code and to use his company's brand of shower base, along with a new pressure valve and trim.

Today, I might have found my shower installer!  He doesn't do plumbing and did not suggest new shower trim or plumbing changes.  His estimate for creating a cement shower base and water proofed walls ready for tiling was $900.00.  He doesn't give written estimates.   WHY IS THIS SO HARD?  The only reason I'm considering him is because he was referred by a local interior designer and he has been in the business for many years.

Well, regardless of who will be rebuilding our shower, we still need to demolish the old one.  I purchased an angle grinder and a diamond blade disc to aid in cutting through the tile and grout.  I picked up a sturdy face mask knowing that the air would be filled with grout and ceramic powder.  We also picked up a 'Bagster' which is a flexible dumpster bad that will be picked up by Waste Management when we call them.  It holds 3 cubic feet of debris and should hold our shower walls and floor and a few other items we need to get rid of.  Here's a few pics of the fun.

Don starts in on the niche wall.

I held a fan up to the window to try to exhaust the dust.

I was pretty tired at this point and didn't realize I was being filmed. 

At the end of the day, we left the shower floor, a few tiles in the niche wall, a very dusty mess, and damaged drywall to deal with the next day.

Have you had the challenge of demolishing a shower or other structure in pursuit of something new and improved?  Enter a comment below and let me know if it was as fun as they show it on HGTV!

Shower: You know when it's time to remodel when...

Back in April, I completed one side of our main bath remodel.  See the finale post here.  I had planned to wait a year or so to get to the other side.  Well, I think these circumstances are clear indicators that I need to do something NOW:

• An increasing amount of ants marching across the floor on a daily basis.
• The exhaust fan is dripping condensation and causing the ceiling drywall to disintegrate.
• The toilet appears to be leaking from the base.

Believe it or not, the ants were the catalyst to do more investigation.  Don, my dearest and daring hubby, began to chip away at the shower step only to find swarms of ants living in the wet 2 x 4 wood that made up that step.   I'm SO glad I wasn't home to see the event.  He did a very good job of stomping, pounding, spraying, and cleaning up to eliminate the out pouring of those little pests.  He made a second attempt to go further into the investigation after consulting with me.  He was attacked again, but we think we won because we have not seen a single ant for a few weeks now.  Here is where we stand...not a pretty sight:

A few holes in the walls and a mess to clean up

The entire wall by the plumbing torn out to see if there are leaks

The trench where there was apparently a leak from the shower base

Do you know how long it took me to get this corner fixed during my previous remodel?  Hours!

Just Yukky!

What does one do when you're faced with this mess?  Shop!  I sourced a few tile samples and set them up on the sink to see how well they would do for a backsplash as well as accent tile in the shower.

An attempt to move away from the dark tiles I currently have

I really like this look, but it is more modern than my cabinets

I found a sample at Menard's that both Don and I really liked.  When we both like something, it has always been a good indication to me to move forward.  We often have very opposite opinions.

My thought was to use the above sample as an accent and a sink backsplash along with either subway tiles or 9 x 12 tiles in a white that would tie in the sink countertop.  I found these ideas online to help me see how the large tile and the accent would look:

9 x 12 tile vertically applied

9 x 12 tile horizontally applied

 Once again, I'm wondering if the larger tiles conflict with the traditional style of my bathroom, but I like the idea of less grout lines.  The next picture was one of those Ta Da! moments for Don and I as the mosaic 'accent' along with the smaller subway tiles is quite dramatic:

I then found this beauty which pulled me away from the dark mosaic of which I thought I made up my mind.  Don knows me better - I always reserve the right to change my mind :) !

I think this is a great example of a 'transitional' style, which could work for me.

I captured a portion of this picture and did a quick mock up by applying it using 'PIXLR' onto a picture of my sink area.  See before and after:

Before

After

This led Don and I off to shop in a real store to see what we could find in person.  We went to Floor360 on Verona Road.  We found a contender, but at this point, I don't know its cost:

The tiles that look a bit like a taupe color in my picture really match my apple green walls, not taupe.  My camera seems to be missing some of the green in other tiles as well.  Either that or my lighting was not the best.  The white tile came from Menards at $1.19 per tile.  I really hope I don't have to spend money on floor tiles at this point and if I don't, the above mosaic has some tiles that are a great match to the flooring I currently have.  Luckily I have a box of smaller shower floor tile left from our original work done on this shower.  With the purchase of a small amount of coordinating floor tile, we should have plenty and a new look.

Just one example of adding a different tile color as a border

We are currently searching for someone who can finish the demo of the shower, pour a new shower base with proper waterproofing, and set up the walls so they are ready to tile.  I'm thinking of taking on the tiling myself.  After all, this is a blog for DIY Challenges!