Normally around Christmas time when it starts getting cold down here and staying that way I like to find an “Inside” project to work on during the winter. One thing about owning a house is the maintenance and things you can find to do are just about endless. The house we live in is a typical 1970’s South Texas Ranch House and if I was guessing I would say this entire subdivision we are in was built by the same homebuilder as there are just too many things in common and way too many things stupidly done in the construction to be chance or common practice. We purchased the house in the late 90’s and it had spent some time as a rental property so it was a bit rough inside and we got it at a very good price considering the going rate in the neighborhood. Since my youngest has moved out and I am pretty sure he is staying that way (no matter how much you child proof your house they still manage to get back in!) I am now doing major remodels in most of the rooms. This year I am remodeling the common bathroom or what was the kid’s bathroom.
Here is a picture I took in 2003 prior to doing much of anything too it. As you can see it is Formica with an old cast iron sink. The sink has some bad chips by the drain and the Formica has quite a burn mark in it. The counter top is about 5-1/2’ long and about 2’ wide and it has a 6” Formica splash running all around contact cemented directly to the sheetrock (how cheesy is that? And yes the Formica is pink). The cabinet itself is made from Oak plywood and this cabinet is indeed proof that you can round over plywood as can be witnessed by the door. There was no “Cheesy-ness” spared in the making of this cabinet!
Next witness if you will the shower, I knew I was in trouble when we moved in from the grout missing but I had time constrains as well as money so I did the best I could with Latex caulk but it was too late as you can see from the first tile course buckling from the swelling sheetrock beneath it years later. In case you think your monitor has issues let me assure that the tile is indeed pink and not only pink but REAL pink and I can tell you it is even uglier in person. My boys used to have issues with growing up in a pink bathroom but you do what you have too and learn to live with things.
Well this is how the bathroom looks as of this afternoon;
Since I have to do everything by myself it is taking quite awhile as I really hate doing demolishing and much prefer the rebuilding. This has been quite a challenge just to get to this point! The tile for example was done using wire and a mortar bed so it the parts that were stuck were really stuck. I could not just break up the tile as that wall is shared with the tiled shower in the master bath and I sure did not want tiles flying off on it! I ended up having to use a saw with a masonary blade installed and then cutting the tile walls out in sections and then removing the sections tile, mortar and sheetrock all in one piece. I also decided to remove a built-in cabinet that was used for tools and as a clothes hamper. I removed the wall and left quite a nice hole in the ceiling. I am not going to replace the ceiling sheetrock instead I am going to rough it up and apply a skim coat of mud.
So anyhow that’s what I have been up too and I will try to keep everyone posted as I progress with this. I will also try not gripe to much about the builders and how stupid, skill lacking and ruler challenged they were.
Ken
Here is a picture I took in 2003 prior to doing much of anything too it. As you can see it is Formica with an old cast iron sink. The sink has some bad chips by the drain and the Formica has quite a burn mark in it. The counter top is about 5-1/2’ long and about 2’ wide and it has a 6” Formica splash running all around contact cemented directly to the sheetrock (how cheesy is that? And yes the Formica is pink). The cabinet itself is made from Oak plywood and this cabinet is indeed proof that you can round over plywood as can be witnessed by the door. There was no “Cheesy-ness” spared in the making of this cabinet!
Next witness if you will the shower, I knew I was in trouble when we moved in from the grout missing but I had time constrains as well as money so I did the best I could with Latex caulk but it was too late as you can see from the first tile course buckling from the swelling sheetrock beneath it years later. In case you think your monitor has issues let me assure that the tile is indeed pink and not only pink but REAL pink and I can tell you it is even uglier in person. My boys used to have issues with growing up in a pink bathroom but you do what you have too and learn to live with things.
Well this is how the bathroom looks as of this afternoon;
Since I have to do everything by myself it is taking quite awhile as I really hate doing demolishing and much prefer the rebuilding. This has been quite a challenge just to get to this point! The tile for example was done using wire and a mortar bed so it the parts that were stuck were really stuck. I could not just break up the tile as that wall is shared with the tiled shower in the master bath and I sure did not want tiles flying off on it! I ended up having to use a saw with a masonary blade installed and then cutting the tile walls out in sections and then removing the sections tile, mortar and sheetrock all in one piece. I also decided to remove a built-in cabinet that was used for tools and as a clothes hamper. I removed the wall and left quite a nice hole in the ceiling. I am not going to replace the ceiling sheetrock instead I am going to rough it up and apply a skim coat of mud.
So anyhow that’s what I have been up too and I will try to keep everyone posted as I progress with this. I will also try not gripe to much about the builders and how stupid, skill lacking and ruler challenged they were.
Ken
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