South MPLS Basement Blog - Bathroom & shower project

Big-Foot

Hi folks..

I thought I would share one of my various projects in my total renovation project. The house is almost 100 years old and in very tough shape with the last remodel having been done roughly 60 years ago.

This thread is about the basement bathroom.

I took it from a crumbling dark, musty mold pit to a much higher level (I think).
I am not a contractor, but a technologist with an engineering background. Many of the things I have done in this house are overkill I am certain, and most likely there are many things that you may have done differently.

Oh well that's the way it works.. So if you can make it through the slideshow here, you'll get some idea about what I have been up against. Maybe even get some ideas for your own bathroom remodel ...

http://photobucket.com/albums/m612/r...616/SlideShows

Some sneak peeks:






Regards - Randy

sdsester

Very very nice and although I only plowed through half the slide show so far it is great photojournalism too! I am looking forward to seeing the rest of it. Congrats! I really like the tasteful way you worked in the glass block and the tile border caught me eye as a nice touch too!

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Bud Cline

You must read a lot faster than I do. You would have to, to be able to read all that high-speed stuff then view the photo also. I quit looking after the first twelve (or so) photos. Just way too annoying for me.

Slow down the graphics changes then let me know - I would like to see it all.

Big-Foot

Thanks guys...

Bud, I checked with Photobucket and they say that the slideshow speed is not adjustable.

I think you can view the pictures one at a time from this link below although not sure. I also think that there is a pause button in the slideshow, but since I am on an iPad things may be different..

Try this link please..

http://s1134.photobucket.com/albums/...filter=noflash

Regards - Randy

Hammer450R

Looks great but no waterproofing? Shower pan?

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Big-Foot

Thanks.. Not sure what you mean about waterproofing.. What about the shower pan?

Regards - Randy

Hammer450R

Well concrete isnt water proof, was there a rubber membrane of some sort in the floor?

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Hammer450R

And please don't get me wrong your craftsmanship is top shelf and you should be very proud.

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Big-Foot

Oh okay - I see what you mean now.. Believe me with all the concrete work I've had to do in the basement (re-facing many blocks and tuck-pointing all of them), I was and am well aware of the porosity of concrete. I guess what's not clear because I failed to point it out was that the shower pan was leveled, contoured for drainage and skimmed with a water-proof mixture of hydraulic patching cement and vinyl cement. Hard as a rock and impervious to moisture.



Thanks for the kudos. I've been rebuilding the entire house now for just over two years in what little spare time my employer seems to think I need.

Regards - Randy

P.S. the rest of the basement blog can be seen here - although woefully out of date and incomplete..

http://www.gt-forty.com/GT-Forty/Blog/Blog.html

Hammer450R

Oh good...just in the pics you can see the old tile marks which to me looks like nothing was done on the floor, especially when you fabbed a piece for the drain. Also its a good idea to run the waterproofing up the walls also.

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Big-Foot

Yep I agree on the water proofing all the way up. Actually i have heavy (I forget the mil thickness now) poly from the pan all the way up and across the ceiling too under the cement board. At the base it was caulked with clear silicone RTV.

I've taken over 4 thousand pictures of the renovation journey so far. Sometimes I don't make the right choices for either the blog or slideshows..

I'll post another one on the conversion of the old coal bin into a wine cellar.. That was absolutely the ugliest areas of the whole house..

Thanks again!

Regards - Randy

Bud Cline

Silly me...Once I figured out I wasn't obligated to the pace of their slide show it was easy enough to navigate after all. I was in too big of a hurry before and now I feel really dumb.

Big-Foot

Glad you were able to see the slide show Bud..

After all, some of your tips offered up on this forum helped give me the courage to do the tile job. It was my very first time tiling and even tiled the ceiling of he shower.. So thank you!

Regards - Randy

Bud Cline

My pleasure.
I am one of the few tile installers around here that will tile a ceiling or even think about tackling such a thing. Years ago when all tile was 4-1/4" most all showers had tile ceilings but when tiles started getting much bigger I guess the majority of installers lost their nerve. There isn't much to it if you understand the science behind how it works and how it lasts and during installation hydraulics has everything to do with a successful project.

Your project looks really good.