Improper plumbing & trying to remodel bathroom/laundry

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Thanks. I prefer liquids since we have a front-load dryer.

We very rarely use anything with bleach-- tend to stick to color protect Tide and Downy Mountain Spring fabric softener.

I think I have the plumbing layout somewhat settled (although I will have to check for stud and joist locations).

I'm still trying to decide on a tub/shower surround since the one I wanted is no longer available. Only a few of the Sterling models can have holes cut in the walls for a window (each can have windows cut at specific heights-- fortunately the window is about 48" high and the highest minimum height for the window is 40").

My options are left-hand drain versions of Advantage 6103, Accord 7114, All Pro 6104, or Performa 7104.
I believe I eliminated the Accord because it has ugly tiny fake tiles which would be a total pita to keep clean (the fewer nooks and crannies to clean the better). All Pro has big ugly tiles so probably not going with that one.

I think I'm leaning toward the Advantage sine the Performa is only 29" wide, requires caulk, and is more expensive. (Don't mind me spitballing here. Just trying to remember what I wanted).

I'm considering getting a flexible overflow drain. I saw some that use the twist-on fittings the way sink P-traps work, but I think that would be a bad idea-- If it's going to be hidden, I want it glued and tight.

I'm confusing myself because I see overflow kits that come with the covers and stoppers-- but I don't really like some of those covers and I'm not using the right search terms to find the drain part that fits in the shoe.

I'd like to get something without visible screws on the overflow plate. There is a Watco one with flexible drain that doesn't require screws-- the drain cover has a retaining ring. I think Watco has several different types though, so I could conceivably get a PVC kit that glues together that uses the retaining ring. But then I would be stuck with only Watco overflow plates.
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Just remember the tub has to fit thru the door, you can gain 2" by removing door frame.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq4fJIBF_oI[/ame]
 
Just remember the tub has to fit thru the door, you can gain 2" by removing door frame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq4fJIBF_oI

There currently is no real door frame-- the hallway is about 34.5" but we are going to take down a wall and try to widen it.

The tubs I'm looking at are about 30" wide so they will fit even without taking walls out (back door is 36" wide).

I want a modular kit with a tub plus 3 wall pieces. The Advantage kit is 60" x 30" x 72".

Sterling wants people to use their expensive window kit, but I will probably get something larger and less expensive. Their window kit is $169.86 at lowes and $127.39 at faucet.com and build.com (Lowes will price match allegedly). It's basically some plastic that fits in the window sill (sides & bottom-- not the top). I think they said it's 8" deep. But I wonder if I can find something just as effective that is cheaper.

Hmmm. That turbo-drain thing looks pretty neat. I wonder how it connects to PVC though-- it looks like it is ABS or some other type. And does it just fit on existing overflow kits?

Editing to add: I went to the Youtube link and it looks like they might not be continuing the product? I'm not sure.
 
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There currently is no real door frame-- the hallway is about 34.5" but we are going to take down a wall and try to widen it.

The tubs I'm looking at are about 30" wide so they will fit even without taking walls out (back door is 36" wide).

I want a modular kit with a tub plus 3 wall pieces. The Advantage kit is 60" x 30" x 72".

Sterling wants people to use their expensive window kit, but I will probably get something larger and less expensive. Their window kit is $169.86 at lowes and $127.39 at faucet.com and build.com (Lowes will price match allegedly). It's basically some plastic that fits in the window sill (sides & bottom-- not the top). I think they said it's 8" deep. But I wonder if I can find something just as effective that is cheaper.

Hmmm. That turbo-drain thing looks pretty neat. I wonder how it connects to PVC though-- it looks like it is ABS or some other type. And does it just fit on existing overflow kits?

Editing to add: I went to the Youtube link and it looks like they might not be continuing the product? I'm not sure.

I see them on walk in tubs American Standard may have locked them up.
 
I see them on walk in tubs American Standard may have locked them up.
Maybe they just aren't available in the US? I don't know. Couldn't find any info about them other than people commenting on Youtube about how the url didn't work but now the url is gone. I'm guessing the company folded. But it looks like the general idea is that they have a 2-inch p-trap directly from the drain instead of having it underneath where the drain and overflow meet. I wonder if that follows code. I also wonder if it is possible to find a PVC tub shoe that goes straight down-- or finding the right sized female threaded PVC piece and a gasket to go under the tub. I wonder if going to a 2-inch p-trap would change the flow much.
 
I found a price so, never mind, forget I brought it up.:rofl:
https://mbtubs.com/products/3x-walk-in-bath-turbo-drain
LOL. Yeah. And really, the design is simple enough that I could probably jerry-rig my own version of it out of PVC. I wonder if the reason that the P trap is under the overflow normally is because it is closer to the wall or if it is because it makes the overflow drain faster. A slow overflow drain would not stop the overflowing.

And I wonder how much of a difference it makes when bumping the size of the trap up to 2" from 1-1/2".

I'm seriously thinking of getting something like this to explore under the house so I don't have to worry about spiders, mosquitoes, snakes, and having my brother's dog lick my nose off.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QR986M2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
 
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point-3 Megapixel??????? Don't waste your money.
Yeah, although the footage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Someone uploaded a video of it in action. It moved around pretty well. Video was pretty jerky.

I wonder how hard it would be to attach a better camera to a remote control thing like that. Like, maybe get a flashlight on it and just use the controls and replace the camera. lol.

Meanwhile, I've been looking back over this thread to see things I forgot. The window I was thinking about getting is no longer available, but I found this:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/REDI2SET-W...in-x-36-in-Actual-21-25-in-x-34-75-in/3520810

My existing window (I re-measured it) is about 22.75w x 34.75H with the frames in place. The glass pane thing is frameless so I'm not sure how I would set it in. I suppose I could look at the instructions. LOL.

It's a little bit smaller from side to side by about an inch. I wonder if I would have to tear out the top and bottom though.

Editing to add that I read the install instructions and found that I can use something like this http://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-22-Gauge-Brick-Tie-100-Pack-BT-R100/100375148 for a wood framed window. I should probably seal stuff up when the window is out. I highly doubt that they had proper sealant around the windows when they built it. They didn't take the windows out when they put on the new siding and trimmed the exterior.
 
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The brick ties would have had to be installed as the bricks were being laid. I don't think they can be effectively retrofitted.
Make sure you have all the rough-in carpentry done before you measure for the new window.
 
The brick ties would have had to be installed as the bricks were being laid. I don't think they can be effectively retrofitted.
Make sure you have all the rough-in carpentry done before you measure for the new window.

I'm not sure I understand. It is a pre-built glass block window with vent. Basically it says to get the rough-size of the window set up and then put the window in with shims/blocks on top and bottom to hold it in place (leaving a certain amount of gap all the way around) and then pipe or push in mortar. Once the mortar is set enough to support the window in place, remove blocks and fill the gaps with mortar-- only difference it said with a wood window was that brick ties would be needed to make the mortar stick.

I think I would seal the wood and/or use waterproof paint or something on it before nailing in the wall ties all the way around and then following the regular instructions.

The window I linked has an "actual size" and "rough size" measurements. Top to bottom is the right actual size but side to side is about an inch shy of actual size. I wonder if I should just use vinyl instead of wood to frame it out once I remove the wood framing.

I hope I'm making sense.

I really need to research more about windows, removing old frames and framing out replacements. I'm hoping it won't affect anything on the exterior (although I do plan to liberally use some caulk all the way around both inside and outside).
 
Zane, remember, to much caulk is as bad as not enough...
Gotcha. Don't want it peeling off. :)

And I'm debating whether to go for the pre-made window or see if I can make one myself in a system that uses a special caulk instead of mortar. I'll have to compare the prices of materials and such and figure out how to do it and how many blocks I would need of what size and so forth.

I see they make blocks that are 8x8 and some that are 8x4 and so forth. I wonder if I could just make an approximate sized window with a hopper vent and then adjust framing to fit.

I'm going to consult someone who has experience with this though-- probably will see if anyone local has ever done glass blocks and such.

Editing to add: I should probably create a separate thread about the window to avoid confusion.
 
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I'll have to post pics later, but I stuck my phone under the house with the video camera on and tried to get a look at the joists and the subfloor.
There were some sturdy weeds that got in the way so I couldn't just move smoothly across-- had to pull the camera out and put it back in between the stupid weeds-- and I ended up with dog tongue up my nose because my brother's mutt decided that he had to lick my arms and face. LOL.
It looks like the joists are not going to be in the way of the tub drain. Not sure on the toilet.
Subfloor appears to be some sort of wooden slats/boards. Looks kinda like 2x4s but probably isn't. It's the kind of subfloor I saw in the air circulation space under the air conditioner. I wonder if that will make things more difficult when I go to work on the project. I was thinking it was going to be some sort of plywood. So, this means I might not be able to open the floor up like I'd thought. But, they are probably sturdier than plywood. There are also a few very pretty nice old routered boards on the east wall. The whole wall used to have those boards, but when we came back the tenants had ripped most of them out. I'm hoping to find a use for them somewhere.
I should probably not be posting while this tired. LOL.
 
OK, I was wrong about the floor. On my phone's screen it looked like boards. When I see it on the computer it looks like plywood.
Here you can see under the existing shower-- floor has water damage.
tumblr_omzq68hmHU1qkwd9ao3_1280.jpg

tumblr_omzq68hmHU1qkwd9ao4_1280.jpg


At least I have a couple of thick pretty boards on the walls
tumblr_omzq68hmHU1qkwd9ao5_1280.jpg


I tried to measure but had a hard time getting the tape to hold steady while taking a picture and I'm not tall enough to be able to read it while standing on top of the stepstool. The board has some sort of interesting edge detail.
tumblr_omzq68hmHU1qkwd9ao1_1280.jpg
 
Most likely it is tongue & groove paneling. The boards that I have are about 3/4 inch thick. YMMV.

edit: that stain around your drain pipe is not a good sign. Is it fresh?
 
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Thanks. I really like that tongue-and-groove board. Too bad the tenants stole most of it. We got back from overseas and found that the board had almost all been cut and pulled off. I'm pretty sure they used it in their house.

I believe that stain is old. That shower has not been used in over 16 years. It's the one with no P-trap and that whole area always reeked of sewer gas until I covered up the shower drain. I should probably go under there at some point and gently poke it to see if it feels wet. I don't like that it looks like there might be some staining around the hot water pipe and there do not appear to be any shutoffs under the house for those water pipes (before we went overseas, my father added shutoffs to all of the water supply pipes under the house just in case but most of them were gone when we got back). Since I plan to take out that shower and wall, I'm thinking of getting the go ahead from Mom to let me pull the paneling on the opposite side and check to see if it is leaking.
 
I still haven't gotten around to putting the camera back under to get better shots yet, but I've been thinking about the floors. For the bathroom I plan to use vinyl sheet, but I'm debating what to use for the laundry area. I want something that won't tear or get ruined if we have to move the washer and dryer for maintenance. And when I had linoleum, it kept getting rubbed by the back door and eventually ripped (part of that is because something wasn't done right on the installation so the wood sill part under the door rotted and I think the plywood swelled up a bit- plus nothing is square on this house).

Now, I could do what some friends did and install flooring throughout the room but leaving a space where the door swings in and get vinyl plank that matches the kitchen-- or get cheaper vinyl plank than for the kitchen-- but I'm concerned about that getting scratched.

I read somewhere that people sometimes paint their floors. I know this is done on concrete porches and in garages, but I wonder how that would work on plywood floors. It seems like the cheapest and simplest solution. My concern is finding a durable paint that is easy to clean but that is not too slippery to walk on in socks or slippers- but that isn't too abrasive. Any ideas?
 
I put the camera back under. Shots came out too fuzzy to be of much use. My arm found a few spiderwebs. I had an itty bitty spider waving at my face when I was reaching under, but I didn't get a good shot of him/her-- cute little bugger though.
Shots aren't worth posting, but it looks like the subfloor is dark/damaged under the washing machine-- so the water damage spans over the joist.
tumblr_on6nl9JMiS1qkwd9ao2_1280.jpg

Metal pipe is defunct. Pipe in the right with dark T is the shower drain. In the middle its the water supply and drain for the washing machine.

Meanwhile, I was talking to Neal about the back door and it prompted me to get more pics. Looks like the door needs to be replaced and the frame probably needs some work now. The door currently won't stay closed unless I prop something against it.

Pics are in this post since I'm too lazy to post them all here.

So, right now, here is my list of things that need to be done:
  • Tear down west & north walls of bathroom (leaving part of the wall intact).
  • Remove shower stall, toilet, and part of south wall of bathroom
  • Replace/repair subfloor in hallway & current bathroom
  • Replace exterior door & frame + install new cat door
  • Bump doorway to laundry room over to the east a couple of inches to allow for trim around it (and to give it more room for the knob).
  • Move washer & dryer out of the way
  • Replace/repair subfloor in current laundry room
  • Remove crappy paneling from walls in the entire area
  • Take down ceiling fan & remove crappy ceiling tiles
  • Paint ceiling (if the ceiling boards are in good enough shape-- if not, will put something up there)
  • Install vent fan/light combo where ceiling fan used to be and run ductwork in attic & change current single toggle switch to double rockers to control vent-light (perhaps move switch from west wall to north wall)
  • Rough in plumbing and electrical (will slightly move some existing water supply lines and electrical wires, and add some new things-- like GFCI with rocker switch for vanity light).
  • Replace crappy metal windows with new doubleglazed vinyl windows
  • Cut hole for new vent or the dryer, seal up & cover old vent hole
  • Install insulation and vapor barrier in exterior walls
  • Install vinyl sheet in bathroom then cover
  • Cover/protect flooring for tub/shower install.
  • Install new wall panels (re-use some old and maybe get some new stuff if there is not enough) & molding/trim for walls, ceiling, & windows
  • Install toilet & lavatory
  • Install door to bathroom (knob will be on left side while facing bathroom from hallway)
  • Install ceiling fan in new laundry area (after preparing the ceiling with support box)
  • Finish flooring for laundry room & hallway area (trying to decide best flooring)
  • Make/buy shelves or cabinets to go above washer & dryer for storage and put them in place
  • Replace dryer heating element to get it functional again
  • Put furniture sliders under washer & dryer pedestals to ease movement for maintenance & put appliances in place
  • Make & install fold-down table on south wall of laundry room
  • Modify partially built lower cabinet to hold bin for lint (found it just sitting in the workshop and I want to repurpose it)
  • Finish bathroom with towel bars, toilet paper holder, shower curtain rods & curtains-- and other little touches.

It's a lot of work, but I'm going to get some help from friends. One of my friends owes us some $ & I asked him how he would feel about knocking off some of the debt by helping and he said he would help us for free. I'm going to be helping him fix up his burned house.

Hopefully I didn't miss anything on the list-- and I'm trying to decide if I should finish the laundry room before the bathroom so we can have it operational again as soon as possible-- or at least get it functional first.

Any suggestions/revisions?
 
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