If your home is old enough for a bathroom renovation, you could want to go ahead and entirely digestive tract it. I started my shower room remodel last month with a complete demolition. If I had not, a number of troubles would have been inaccessible for repair work ... or even obscure. Right here's what I located when I opened up the walls and also ceiling of my 1981 condominium below in the Quad Cities.
Fix plumbing shocks
Below's another thing I discovered. I'm not a plumbing professional, yet I see an issue right here. Picture if that section of typical drainpipe line for our back-to-back sinks obtained obstructed. Now envision running a snake in there from one sink. Do you assume it would certainly make the turn? Probably not. We transformed it out as well as counter the two.
Repair termite damage
When I opened up the outside wall surface, I found termite damage in two places: the king stud, jack stud, and cripple on the tub side of the window as well as the jack stud on the other side of the window. The good news is that the damages was done long ago. As long as I have actually lived below, the proprietors' association has actually stayed up to date with termite treatment and also tracking, but I recognize there was a period when they really did not. For this reason the damages I located.
Change decayed subflooring
Along with the termite-damaged wall, I also located rotten subflooring near the bathtub. This was mainly from obtaining too wet, as well as I believed it due to the fact that ceramic tiles had actually started appearing because area.
Offset no or little insulation
I understood we had insulation in our wall surfaces. I thought it was R-11 fiberglass batts since our upstairs next-door neighbor's icemaker had a negative leak a couple of years back, taking out fifty percent of our utility room ceiling and part of the wall. The common wall had R-11 batts. I figured the remainder of the wall surfaces did, as well. I recognized they had insulation since I have actually checked behind switch as well as receptacle plates.
I got a little shock when I took the drywall off of that outside shower room wall surface and also saw this:
This is really a good idea, in such a way, due to the fact that it indicates I'll get more renovation compared to I believed I was getting.
Seal up the air leakages
Yes, our 1981 apartment is leaking. I learnt about the big bathtub openings and other plumbing penetrations due to the fact that I've seen them from the basement. I really did not know that the wall surfaces were sheathed with asphalt-impregnated fiber board (Celotex) that provided great deals of air leakage pathways. Once more, viewing the bright side, that implies I'll have the ability to make more renovation than I would certainly thought.
I can't wait to do a blower door examination when it's all done. Sadly, I will not be able to separate out the renovation due just to my shower room work. The proprietors' organization just had the whole flooring secured with spray foam insulation. I'm presuming our overall air leakage will be around half of what it was.
Install an exhaust fan and also repair ductwork
Did I discuss our condominium was built in the 80's? The master bathroom has a home window, so normally, it didn't require an exhaust fan, right? Incorrect. I have actually overcome a year of information on temperature as well as loved one moisture in that shower room without an exhaust follower. Currently I'm placing one in and will gather a lot more information. Keep tuned for the results.
But even if your restroom currently has a follower, I would certainly bet it does not relocate sufficient air. The normal bathroom fan stirs half its rated air circulation. If your bathroom follower isn't easily accessible from the attic room, opening up the ceiling is the only way to get at the duct and also repair it. What you see in that photo below is common for bathroom follower ducts: drooping flex duct that makes too many turns. (That's not my brand-new fan, by the way.).
Fix other potentially unknown repair needs.
A number of years http://dunlapconstructioninc.com ago we needed to do some pipes benefit the tub in the hall shower room. When the plumbing professionals had the wall surface opened up, I asked them to place valves know the cold and hot water lines to make sure that if any individual needed to deal with that plumbing in the future, they would not need to switch off the water to the entire building.
So they place in the shutoffs. When I opened the wall surface, I saw them as well as took this picture:.
I 'd make use of that shower a few times throughout the years and also always asked yourself why the pressure was so low. Now I understand. The plumbing professionals installed the shutoffs yet then really did not open them completely. Those red manages need to be straight in accordance with the pipelines. Wonderful!
I additionally located that our ceiling had two layers of drywall. We have a smooth ceiling throughout our apartment, yet the initial ceiling was stippled. Luckily, it had not been a popcorn ceiling, which could contain asbestos.
And I uncovered the initial, horrible wallpaper.
If you're renovating a restroom, there a lot of good needs to go all the way and intestine it totally. That's what I'm doing. We're nearly all set to start closing it back in, so stay tuned for more stories from the shower room.