Why I Started the Massive Bathroom Project

Well, the home has been good to me for awhile.  But as of late, I've had a bit of a problem.  My bathtub has not always been the best draining tub, but it still got the job done.  I wasn't standing in water at the end of a shower, but it wasn't all gone, either.

Well, I would soon find out why.  My family came over to visit recently, and during that visit, my bathtub decided that it was done draining.  A plumber came in and told me it was due to an old drum trap.  Basically, these old traps would collect dirt and sediment, and, well, over the course of 83 years, I guess too much dirt had accumulated.  He showed me the trap which had a lid for removal, but wouldn't ya know it, the lid was stuck.  He said that wasn't uncommon.

My sister said she would forego a shower for a day.  I can't figure out why?

A large amount of dirt would be pulled back when I plunged.  The water would slowly drain out after that.

Notice the large drum trap in the bottom right.  That lid was sealed shut!!!

But the real kicker is that he gave insight into another interesting feature of my home.  You see, when I step into my tub, I have a nice cushy feeling below my feet.  Being ignorant of tubs, I figured that it was just the tub seal having separated from the tub base.  I was kind of right...and kind of wrong.

While there, he had me step into the tub.  He asked if I heard that.  Nope.  He told me to move around.  Well, wouldn't ya know it, I heard water moving under my feet!  It was squishing at my every move!!!  I have now lived here for five months, and I had never noticed it before!  It's because EVERY time I stepped into the tub the water was already running!  I simply couldn't here the real reason for the cushion below my toes.  It turns out that like so many other homeowners, my previous owners had opted to install a tub liner over their original cast iron tub.

While they look nice, they are quite expensive and can be prone to leaks, I was told.  Basically, if not sealed 100% perfectly, tiny water droplets make it through the caulk.  Over time, these droplets band together and form small puddles.  These small puddles start working away at the tub glue, and in even more time, the glue becomes worthless, and the liner actually separates from the tub.  But the problem is that water has nowhere to go.  It's trapped between the tub liner and the old tub drain which is clamped down tight to prevent seals.  You literally have dirty water that can't go anywhere.  NOT good!

So with that knowledge, I have now begun the process of tackling my 1939 bathroom.  It's going to be a big project, but hey, I'm single and what else am I going to do, right?!

The plumber introduced the idea of refinishing my bathtub.  I had never heard or even considered that before, but the more I look at tub liners vs. the cost of tub refinishing, the more I am falling in love with tub refinishing!  The original tub is basically sanded down and painted like new!  Could it really be that easy?!  The price difference is about $2000 for the liner compared to $300 for the tub.

I think you know which way I am leaning...

Let the massive project begin.

Side Note:  I would later learn that after the plumber installed the new drain AND made a monstrous hole in my kitchen ceiling that that had in fact not fixed the leak.  He then had to snake the sink drain.  And why didn't we try that in the first place, I asked.  Well, he said there was only a 50/50 chance of that working.  I quickly quipped, "If you held a gun to your head that had a 50/50 chance of going off, would you pull the trigger?  50% is HUGE!!!"  He was speechless at my quick response and tried to comfort me in knowing that my old plumbing was now new.  Yeah, sure it was...but it didn't need to be!  Sigh.  A man now trying to justify his mistakes.  That was an expensive $400 project that didn't need to take place...and I now have a hole in my kitchen ceiling!

The new drain with no drum trap.  I am looking down into my kitchen.

The large hole in my kitchen.

The plumber simply wanted to cover up this massive hole with an "easy-access cover."  Um, NO.

What is more, he said that he wanted to just put a cover over it for ease of access in the future.  I asked him if the problem was fixed.  He said absolutely.  I asked him why I needed an easy-access cover then.  If I could get 83 years out of it like the previous one, then I would very much like for my kitchen to have no ugly cover on the ceiling.  He was again taken aback, saying that he would have to bring out his drywall guy, and I think he was shocked to here me say, "That sounds good to  me."  It was like pulling teeth here!!!  He really seemed to be trying to take shortcuts, and I didn't like it.  I mean, he WAS professional, desperately wanted to keep his BBB rating clean, and seemed to know plumbing, but I asked him if he would want a cover in HIS kitchen!  It was a no-brainer.

After much tense verbal sparring (nothing obscene), he agreed to cover the hole (a week later).  I didn't feel like I won at all...I just felt like THAT was the right thing to do.  So after a probably wasted $300, I now have a modern drain that can be snaked in the future...that I probably didn't need.  Oh, the joys of home-ownership sometimes!  Oh well, you live and move on.

The hole has been patched.

Re-Doing an Ugly Deck...My Favorite Post

If you own a wood deck, then you absolutely need to read this post.  I'll be honest, this is one of my favorites I've ever done.  I am still in shock when I look at the Before and After pictures.  It's simply hard to fathom.

Ok, so when I bought this foreclosure, it came with a decent-sized wood deck just outside the patio door.  It's actually kind of funny because it is VERY private!  Not only do I have a large privacy fence that wraps all the way around the backyard, but I also have a privacy deck!!!  Speculation is that the previous owners used to have a hot tub on the deck.  That's the only feasible reason that makes sense in my head, because it's kind of ridiculous!!!

The large deck...and the even bigger deck walls!

It wasn't really much to look at.

The view as you walk into the backyard.

This does not scream hosting party.

I  had considered removing the privacy walls from the deck, but I figured I would just keep them on.  The problem was that the deck was in terrible, terrible shape.  The wood hadn't been painted or stained in years, and it had that dismal grey appearance.

Well, lucky for me, I happened to stumble upon one of my best purchases ever a couple of weeks ago.  I was walking around the Habitat for Humanity ReStore when I noticed a LARGE box of paint and stain.  It turns out Lowe's had donated several items to this particular store, and this box was one of them.  I asked how much they were charging, and they told me just $1 a gallon!!!

Well, I found some wood stain in there!  And I mean I found LOTS of wood stain in there!!!  It had to be rather funny-looking, but I gobbled up every gallon I could find.  I was filling up a couple of carts trying to make sure I found every one.  A ccouple of people noticed, and out of courtesy, I asked if they were interested, and I ended up sharing a couple gallons with others, but the majority was mine!  I was thrilled!

If you can believe it, I walked out of there with 18 gallons of stain.  And it only cost me $30.

 

One of my best deals ever found.

Once back at home, I searched for the same product on the Lowe's website and found these gallons going for $24.97 apiece!!!  I had just purchased $749 of stain for $30!!!  That puts such a smile on my face!

Thank you, Lowe's!  And thank you, Habitat!!!

Well, now that I had the stain, I figured I might as well get the deck prepared for it!  So I borrowed my dad's powerwasher in order to clean the deck.  At least this is what was recommended by me reading some suggestions on the internet.  But I was nowhere prepared for what would happen before my very eyes.

It's still hard for me to believe!  But as I would take that powerwasher over the wood, the exterior rot would melt away, exposing a BEAUTIFUL solid wood underneath!  It was incredible!!!  With every pass of the wand, my deck was being transformed!!!  The old was becoming new before my very eyes!!!

I was magically bringing back my deck!

This doesn't even make sense in my head!

Would you look at that?!  It's going from dead...to new again!

I had the will to carry out this entire project to completion no matter how hot!

Of course, that only made me want to continue the project all the more!  The problem was that I chose one of the hottest days of the year.  The temperatures sored into the 90's with the heat index in the triple digits.  There was no wind, and the sun was nearly unbearable.  I was happy to have some mist catching me, but it was just burdensome today.  HOT HOT HOT.

But I pressed on, just fascinated with what was taking place with my deck.  What is more, this was just a simple electric presssure washer from Black and Decker!  It wasn't commercial-grade by any means, and it had no gas engine!  But wow, was I getting my money's worth today!

I would alternate between walls and floors.  The floors didn't clear up quite so well, as some had had some mold and mildew stains, but they changed colors nonetheless.  But wow, what a ton of surface area this deck had!  Outside walls, inside walls, crevices, floors.  Ugh.

Moving inside to the very mossy floors.

The walls are done!

The difference is phenomenal!!!

I ended up pressure-washing for 8 hours!!!  That was a lot to ask of the little guy, but she held up to her end of the deal.  The deck was gorgeous.  I'm not joking when I say it looked brand new!!!  I had taken a dilapidated old deck and made it look like a $3000 deck in one day.  Frankly, I quite liked the deck as it was before the stain!  The original color of the wood looked great!!!

My "new" deck!!!  She looked even better after she dried!

Looks like it was just installed!

Absolutely no comparison.

The inside is now warm and inviting!

Beautiful "new" floors!

But I knew I had to stain it to protect it from looking like this again, so I started that long chore.  The color was a redwood stain, and although I didn't like it as much as the original wood, it sure made this deck look great.

Starting to stain the deck.

I like the original color better, but that's ok!  She needs protected!

The finished deck!!!

Of course, no post is complete without pictures of the Before and After right next to each other, so...here you go!

Before...

During...

After!!!

I tell you, words barely capture the feeling of satisfaction on this project.  I had taken a very unattractive deck and made it look brand new!  And all it took was two days...a little bit of sweat...lots of patience...and $18.  [Actually, I have to be honest.  I ended up selling 15 gallons of the stain after realizing I had plenty.  I kept back a few gallons for me for future use, but I sold 15 gallons at $10 a gallon.  So if you can believe it, I was actually PAID $132 to re-do my own deck!!!]

It's hard not to smile writing that.  :)

How to Hide Poop

Every once in awhile I will get a project that is not for my houses at all.  And those are often equally as rewarding.  My friends own a horse ranch that rescues abused horses and pairs them with children (Refuge Ranch).  I have volunteered my help out there numerous times, and today was no different.  I was asked to oversee the construction of a wall to hide poop.  Yup, you read that correctly.

The owner of the ranch told me that she didn't like seeing poop when she pulled up the drive, and she didn't like the idea of her volunteers and children and families seeing poop, either.  She wanted it hidden!

Well, fine by me!

The project was pretty simple.  We used a small tractor to dig three large holes to hold railroad ties.  Once those were set, the only chore was to nail up boards straight-and-level!  Too easy!

And last, the volunteers were asked to stain the wood.  Seriously, with so many hands at work, this project was complete in no time at all!  It was amazing to watch that board get stained!

The new wall to hide manure!

The reason for the wall!

A fun little project with a purpose.

A very satisfying day.