Downstairs Bathroom Remodel: Take One-Demo

We started out on Thursday with demoing. We pulled off the paneling, ripped down the dropped ceiling grid, tore off some linoleum-like wall board, knocked down some plaster, and ripped through some lathe board. We removed the door and jamb, then installed a new one that hangs squarely in the jamb. We removed the cabinets that were hanging on the wall, and are debating where to hang them now--in the basement or in the garage.

This is the before picture of the bathroom. Green walls, yellow/gold vinyl flooring. Lovely.

Crooked door. Vanity with door that won't stay closed. The ivy was covered up by the laundry folding table.

These are the different layers that were on the wall. Paneling painted white, then green. Green and black vinyl-like wall board behind that. Behind that was pink and green plaster, which was attached to the lathe board. There were studs in very odd places. There was once a door behind where the washer and dryer were.

Instead of running the plumbing through the walls, the hot and cold pipes came up through the floor, as did the drain pipe.

This is what we found above the dropped ceiling, along with a bunch of insulation with years and years of mouse droppings. Ick.

Where my new shower will be installed.

The framing for the drywall ceiling.

Naomi just couldn't stay awake any longer, so she laid down on Shannon's back as we began laying the new flooring and fell asleep. Not all of us were as fortunate.

I had hoped to get the project done over Memorial Day weekend, but no such luck. Although we've spent many late nights, we're not even close to being done. As is typical, this project has been 'one step forward, two steps back'. That's what you get when you're do-it-yourselfers.


Tomorrow I will post some pictures of the progress we have made so far.

"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." Proverbs 14:1