Price Analysis for New Shower

There are two reasons that I like to do things myself. The first reason is that I am cheap. The second reason is that to be quite honest, I don't like paying what contractors charge, which translates into I am cheap. I also like to get my supplies at the lowest prices possible. Below is a spreadsheet detailing what I spent in the remodeling of my shower. I came in under $700 which I think is pretty commendable.

The shower pan along with most of the other supplies came from Lowes. Things are a little more expensive there but I am paying for convenience. The whole body jet set I got from Ebay through a company called Senry. I am an engineer involved in the distribution of solenoid valves so I have a little insight into the quality of these types of products. I can honestly tell you the casting and parts used in these Senry faucets are extremely high quality. They use better materials than your standard Moen or Kohler faucets. Hey I like to save money, but I don't cut corners. You can find their products at http://www.senry.com.

The rainfall shower head came from Overstock.com. Trust me when I say that it also is heavy duty, works well, and for $20 you can't go wrong.

The tile was from home depot. I caught a pallet of wall tile being taken out of inventory and liquidated at $0.88/ea. It matched the tone I was going for so I grabbed them right there on the spot. You can be flexible and still come out with what you want, so hunt for the deals. I had a mosaic picked out that cost $14.00/ft. I ended up going cheaper with another one that was $4.00/ft. It saved me $90. Again I got the same look, but knocked almost $100 off my budget.

I will review some of these products again periodically just to give you a good idea of how they are holding up but for now, on to the next project.

Master Bath Shower Project Summary

There is nothing more satisfying than completing a project, except for maybe having a record of what you did. Thanks to the world of digital cameras and blogging it is easier than ever to relive a project and to see how far you have come. My shower took a lot longer than I expected but it was completely worth it. Nothing is more relaxing than having all the sprayers going. I look forward to waking up in the morning just so I can shower.

Here is a summary of the work I did:

1. Ripped the old shower out along with the walls, ceiling, old pan, and subfloor.

2. Put in a new GFCI outlet and switch to run the fan/light combo.

3. Installed the fan/light combo and replaced the ceiling.

4. Took out the old plumbing and replaced it with a new mixer, body jets, and rainfall shower head.

5. Installed a new subfloor.

6. Installed the new swanstone shower pan.

7. Put up hardibacker.

8. Tiled the walls.

Here are some before and after shots:

In the next post I will outline the total cost of the remodel along with the sources of most of the products used.

How to Tile Shower Walls

Once the Hardibacker was up it was finally time to get to the tiling. This is the fun part and my wife (8 months pregnant) decided to join me.

A few things to note before getting started:

1. Do not use Mastic, use a thinset and stay away from the premixed stuff.
2. You want to dampen the cement board prior to troweling thinset on. If you do not, the cement board will draw the moisture out of the thinset too quickly, making for a brittle set that is susceptible to cracking.
3. Pick out the right trowel for your thinset and tile size, also pay attention to spacing recommendations and use the right spacers. I recommend 1/8” or less spacing so that you can use unsanded grout (easier to seal).
4. Remember you are not going to grout at the corners, you are going to caulk so try to maintain an even spacing.

5. GET THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB. I suggest you spend a little money to rent or buy the correct tools as they will make it that much easier. I have put together a few must haves here:

• Tile Saw or Tile Cutter


• Notched Trowel


• Grout Float
  
  I used 9x12 ceramic wall tiles. According to the directions on the thinset a ¼” V-notch is called for. The first thing I did was to measure up 11 ½” from the bottom of the cement backer board. This gave me a ½” overlap over the shower pan’s tile lip. I then used a level and a sharpie marker to draw a horizontal line all the way around the shower stall. I used this line as a guide for the top of the first row so that all tiles will be level.

The first night I mixed up enough thinset to do the bottom row. I moistened the Hardibacker with a sponge and then troweled on a glob of thinset. I used my v-notched trowel to spread the thinset and then set the tile into it. You want to push the tile into the thinset while giving it a little twist back and forth to get it well set. Then pull it off and make sure 95% of the tile is covered with thinset. This shows that you will get good tile coverage and therefore strong adhesion.

I used spacers in between the tiles and shims under the tile to make sure they stayed in place while they were setting up. I left the first row to set over night since this would be the support for the rest of the tiles.

Over the next few nights my wife and I, along with some help from our dog (chihuahuas love home improvement), laid tile on the rest of the shower following the same procedure as we did for the first row. Simplified, here it is below:

1. Measure up 12 inches from top of the last row. Mark line with a level as guide for next row.
2. Spread thinset between last row of tile and marked line with v-notched trowel.
3. Set tile into thinset using spacers all around.
4. Repeat for next row up.

After finishing the tile, we let it set for 48 hours before grouting. In the next post I will discuss grouting.

I know it is hard to get a feel for how exactly to tile by reading the procedure and looking at pictures. I did quite a bit of reading before I began. Again, if you ar not comfortable with the process I would do a little more reading.

Installing Hardibacker for the Tiled Walls

The next step in tiling the shower is to put the cement board up. You can find all you need in the tile section of your local home improvement store. I was able to use 1/4" thick hardibacker and I love it. I also picked up a scorer while I was there to aid me in the cutting of the hardi backer. Putting up cement board is just like putting up drywall. You cut it to fit, and then screw it to the studs. I left a 1/8" gap between panels. I also used a hole saw to cut the holes where my shower head and handles would come through. I found that a saber saw also worked well on he hardibacker allowing me to cut an oval for the body jets that I was installing.

The first problem I encountered is that I needed the cement board to finish flush with the tile lip of my shower pan so that I could come back and tile over it later. I used shims again behind the hardibacker to bring them out to the desired thickness. Here you can see a quick sketch of how it should look when mounted.

The space between the hardibacker and the stud is what I needed to fill with shims. Once this was done and the boards were screwed into the studs through the shims, I used 100% silicone caulk to seal the seems between the hardibacker panels. Here you can see all of the hardibacker installed.

How to Install the Shower Pan

Well I am back from a week of vacation spending time with my wife and new son. It was very relaxing. This is the next step in installing a tiled shower stall.



Once I had the solid plywood subfloor screwed down it was time to put the shower pan in. The first step is to connect the drain to the pan. You can follow the directions from the manufacturer but basically you put a bead of 100% silicone caulk on both sides where the drain will seal against the pan. You then place the two halves of the drain on either side of the pan and screw them together. This will allow a flange to tighten against the pan on both sides with the silicone completing the seal.



The next step is to make sure the drain in the shower pan will sit nicely into the waste pipe in your floor. I just placed it in the shower stall and dry-fitted it. Since my shower drain was self-sealing I did not have to worry about any further installation details.



I removed the shower pan, spread a layer of thinset morter with a notched trowel just as if I was laying tile and then set the shower pan into it. The drain fit nicely into the waste pipe as it did when I dry-fitted it. I then used the wrench provided with the drain to tighten its gasket around the waste pipe, completing the seal. I walked around on the shower pan to set it in the morter and then left it to set for a day before moving on. Here it is installed.



This is probably one of the most critical parts of putting in a new shower. When you think of the volume of water that has to be processed through this pan and drain on a daily basis and what can happen if there is a leak it is scary. I myself turned the water on accidentally before hooking the drain up and had water pouring from the ceiling on the first floor. It could have been a real disaster.

If you have any reservation about this step I would suggest ordering the new video by Randy Davis. I have found them to be very high quality and you get a 2 month money back guarantee. Check it out HERE.

Next we will talk about moving to the walls.

A Tiled Shower's Floor

This is the third post in a series about how to tile a shower. To see the rest of the posts you can always click on the "Tiled Shower" link in the GoTo menu at the top. Here is the link:

http://diyda.blogspot.com/search/label/Tiled%20Shower

With the shower completely demolished to the studs I was able to measure for the correct shower pan. At the bottom of the shower stall, I measured from stud to stud and found that a 32" by 32" pan would fit perfectly. If you have a pre-existing shower stall the odds are it was built to a standard size. After doing some hunting around on the internet I found that swanstone made a composite pan that would work nicely for my project. $110 later it was on its way to my house. Swanstone can be found at http://www.swanstone.com and the link to the shower pan that I used is here: http://www.swanstone.com/products/showerWallsFloors/singleThreshold/index.php

In the meantime I went about making a solid base for the pan. The previous owner had decided to just nail down whatever left over plywood they could find as a subfloor and this had not been as sturdy as I would have liked. In order to remedy this I went to Lowes and found a 3/4" thick piece of plywood that was 48"x48". I cut this into a 32"x 32" square and then test fitted it in the floor. Seeing that it worked well I measured the shower stall for the center of the drain and transferred this measurement to the piece of plywood. Once I had the center of the drain I used a compass to draw a 6" diameter hole which I would cut out with a jigsaw. This made for one solid piece of subfloor that I leveled with a few shims and then screwed down.

A note on the subfloor: You want to make sure this is level in all directions. If it is not, then the water will not drain into the center of the pan and out of the shower. This will leave you with left over moisture in the shower stall that can lead to mildew and mold. Use shims to level before screwing the floor down.

In the next post, I will outline the steps taken to install the shower pan.

Demolishing the Old Shower

The first step in replacing the shower was to demolish the old one. This proved to be pretty simple as it was just a flexible surround that was held to the wall with a few screws. After removing the screws I simply rolled it up and threw it in the back of the truck. The next step was to remove all the drywall that was behind it. Again, this was an easy job. I scored it with a box knife where I wanted to end and then knocked the rest of it in with a hammer. I picked it all up and moved it out of the room.

The previous shower pan was not an easy task as it was glued with construction adhesive to the plywood subfloor. It was in bad shape so I decided to break it out of there too. Using my pry bar and a hammer I slowly began tearing it away from the plywood. Most of the top ply came with it so I knew I would need to replace the subfloor in that area.

The last step was to take out the ceiling. This is a job that may or may not need to be done in your bathroom. I decided that I wanted to put in an exhaust fan/light combo so I needed some space to work. I took it out just like the drywall, by scoring, cutting, and then pounding it out with a hammer. Here is a picture of the finishied demo work along with the old plumbing.

How to Tile a Shower

When I decided to replace my shower I knew exactly what I wanted. Nothing short of a spectacular tiled shower with rainfall shower head and body jets would do. However, it is extremely expensive to have done so I decided it was time for a little DIY tile work.

I had already tiled several floors in the house so I was pretty comfortable with the tiling process. What I wasn’t comfortable with was the amount of water that would be testing my DIY tile job on a daily basis. Now I am not one to shy away from any project so I decided I just needed some more knowledge. I turned to the internet. After doing a few searches on how to tile a shower, how to tile a shower floor and how to tile a shower wall I found that the wall was not too bad, but the floor was going to be a little more work than I could take on. I decided not to tile the shower floor. Instead, I bought a nice shower pan from Swanstone with a tile lip on it.

Over the next few posts I will go over the whole job from start to finish with quite a few pictures. Hopefully it will help give someone else the confidence to take on a project such as this. To begin, here is a before and after shot of the master bath.

5 Home Improvement Projects That Will Raise Your Home's Value

In talking about recouping home improvement costs there is one room that should be held above all others: Kitchen. The kitchen is the single best place to remodel in order to raise the value of your home. Want proof? A study done by remodel magazine states that for small kitchen renovations, the return is close to 92.9 percent of what you put in. Another remodeling must is bathrooms. Bathroom remodels on average return 90.1 percent of their cost.

Projects that take place in these two areas of the home can be some of the most difficult and hardest to handle for DIYers. That being said, let’s focus in on 5 doable projects that will give you that return that you are looking for come closing time..

1. Tile the Floors:

When it comes to kitchens and baths, tile is one of the most durable materials to use for the floors. There are many styles of tile to choose from ranging from $10.00/sf stone to $1.50/sf ceramic. The trend lately is to stick with natural looking materials in neutral tones. This is a classic look however that will never go out of style.

Most people should have no problem tiling themselves. It is as easy as removing the old flooring, screwing down a plywood sub-floor, spreading mastic, laying the tiles, and then grouting after they set up. You also want to be sure to seal them when in kitchens and baths. There are many do it yourself workshops and tutorials available for this.

2. Paint the Cabinets:

Are your cabinets old or ugly? If you are staying in your house for more than 5 years look at replacing them. However, if your stay will be shorter than that the best way to add value is to paint the cabinets. Re-facing is expensive and does not always yield good results. Again, stick with a neutral color such as off-whites or grays.

3. Replace the Appliances:

Nothing can turn a new buyer off like old, dingy appliances. Many buyers will slash thousands off of their offer just to replace the appliances. Check out the various scratch and dent resources in your area. Sears always has a nearby scratch and dent facility with many appliances at 50%-70% off. The new buyers do not need to know how much you paid for the appliances, just that they are new.

4. Install a glass door on the shower:

In the past years, bathrooms have become 30% larger than they used to be. Previously, they were used strictly as utilitarian spaces. They have now become lavish lounges in which homeowners will often relax. If you have an older house you may not have the space that the new buyers are looking for. One solution is to put in a frameless glass door as opposed to a shower curtain. Shower curtains stop the eye while glass doors allow the eye to pass through, making the bathroom appear larger than it is.

5. Paint:

Perhaps the easiest and most effective way to make your house look more inviting is to put a fresh coat of paint up. Color is a very personal preference and paint fades quickly. Think about repainting the entire house with fresh, new, neutral colors. This will make for a more move-in-ready feel.

Conclusion:
The key to improving your homes value is by anticipating what new buyers will want and giving it to them. Take the work out of it. Any time new buyers anticipate having to work on something, they will drop the price of their offer. You want to provide them with a warm, clean, neutral, move-in-ready environment.

How To Sweat a Copper Pipe

You will have to have a hot water line leading to the dishwasher. If you do not already have a Tee in the hot water supply underneath your sink this might involve a little sweat-soldering of copper pipes. This is not too hard to do once you have seen it done correctly. I will try to explain it and then place a link for a comprehensive 7 minute vidoe demonstration.

The first step will be to sand the ends of the copper tubing being joined. You can do this with an emery cloth or buy a wire brush made for this purpose. Make sure they are clean and bright after sanding. Then smear flux all over the mating surfaces. This will clean the surface and allow the solder to flow and bond to the metal. Your next step will be to fit the two ends together and light up your torch. You want the inner flame of the torch to touch the copper tubing. The solder will flow from the colder section to the hotter section. Once the pipe is hot enough, you will probably see it smoking and when you touch the solder to it the solder will just melt. Touch the solder to the joint and allow it to flow into and around the joint until it drips out the bottom. Take the heat and solder away and then use a heavy rag to smooth the joint.

We did most of the soldering on top of ceramic tiles on a work bench away from the sink. In this way we ony had one joint to solder while in a tight space. Below you can see the new tee, valve, and threaded connection that we soldered together for the supply line. You should have a valve dedicated to your dishwasher.

Notice, the piece of tile behind the connection. This is what we used to keep from catching anything on fire. You can also use a metal sheet or fire-retardent blanket. Below is a link to the video demonstration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH5Uy8Uf1xs

How big is your bathroom?

Bathroom Makeover by:
Jonathon Hardcastle

According to contractors, the room that is undergoing the greatest amount of transformation in new construction and remodeling is the bathroom. In fact, since the 1930s, the average master bath has tripled in size and the huge bathrooms build in houses today have even an oversized closet inside. The change in bathroom space is attributed to the fact that people are now spending more time in their bathrooms when they wish to relax while taking a bath. Experts point out, that the weekend spa mentality has developed into a new lifestyle trend with which Americans feel comfortable and want to experience on a daily basis without leaving the comfort of their own home. Since the bathroom space has increased, the new updated version calls for an addition of bathroom furniture, which can make any bathroom feel less sterilized and bring in the feeling of comfort that used to be associated with other rooms of the house, like the bedroom or living-room. Moreover, the additional furniture pieces provide extra storage space; something that is definitely needed nowadays by both women and men. To cover the demand, many bathroom cabinet manufacturers offer now sinks set in furniture pieces, which are designed specifically for bathroom use. Options now range from modern glass and steel pieces, to old renaissance dressers and armoires. Moreover, people tend to mix and match furniture and trim their uncovered surfaces in order to make them blend with the flooring, connecting the bathroom to the rest of the house. But apart from the amount of space available and selecting the right type of furniture, today's bathroom-users also want to create a bathroom in which they can relax and rejuvenate. These moments of relaxation can be enhanced with simple additions, like a bathroom stool near the tub or in the shower, or if the space permits it with an ottoman for some precious relaxing times. Furthermore, the right type of lighting can be installed quickly altering the feeling one has while taking a bath. Again candles, small regular lamps on the vanity or shelves can transform the bathroom and give it the feeling of tranquility. Extremely important apart from the furniture selected is the bathroom's flooring. Tile or wood can enhance the overall appearance of the bathroom and their designs can be matched to blend with the house's other rooms. Also, the color of the walls or the wallpaper selected to be placed have to match the rest of the area, like the floor, the sink and the bathtub creating a unified outcome. If you decide to go with the wallpaper option, be extremely cautious as it has to be installed really well in order not to fall off the walls as you steam your bath. Finally, keep your bathroom organized and clean. Numerous scattered items give a feeling of clutter and do not help you enjoy this room of your house. Furthermore, select towels and bathrobes that are soft and fluffy. It is better if their colors and design matches the rest of the bathroom, but most importantly they have to be replenished with new ones almost every year so you will continue feeling the same snugly sensation every time you exit the shower.

About The Author

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for http://homeimprovementstation.com/ - In addition, Jonathon also writes articles for http://irealestatecentral.com/ and http://4homelife.net/

Trim and Some Finishing Touches

I got quite a bit of work done last night on the master bathroom renovation. I was able to touch up some of the grout work along the edges where the baseboard trim would not hide it, I nailed in the trim and then caulked the edges. I also resealed and caulked the tiled shower. I started to install the trim plates and the shower handle. The new body jets are looking pretty inviting. Altogether the shower is impressive. It is all tile with a mosaic 3/4 of the way up and will be equipped with two body jets and a rainfall shower head. This is quite an upgrade to the boring surround that was in there before. I was also able to caulk around the fixtures and paint the ceiling. Here are a few pictures of the progress.