Well, last week we noticed a wet spot in our carpet in the living room. Turns out the shower in the master bath was leaking from broken tile and cracked grout which had been that way for a while. It was supposed to have been fixed before we bought the home as part of the inspection, but apparently the fixit guys had just slapped a new layer of white urethane over the top, which obviously didn't hold.
So, we get an estimate from a local guy who does good work, not the cheapest nor the most expensive. It's a shower only, no tub. $5,000. ZOMG! I do not have that kind of money lying around and I really just don't think it's worth that much, anyways.
So, fast-forward to today. I rented a demolition hammer with a spade bit and have removed all the tile from the walls, about to start on the floor and ceiling. Along the way, I found out some very interesting tidbits....
1. No cement backer-board behind the shower walls. Only 1/2" sheet rock. They didn't even do any taping and bedding.
2. No water barrier. No wonder it's coming through the wall into the living room. No sealant, no plastic, no nothing.
3. No shower pan. This is really going to suck... not sure what to do about it. I think it's supposed to have a shower pan, but if I don't put one in, is it going to make a big difference? I mean, I'll know more once I hammer into the floor tile, but it looks like it's just mortared in there, there're no metal lips coming up from the edges where I've got all the wall tile and sheet rock removed.
4. No shut off valves on the pipes. So that means I have to shut off the water to the whole house and cap off the pipes while I'm working on it. Adding in shut off valves would be awesome, but that means calling in a plumber and spending another coupla hundred which I don't have.
So, the plan for now is:
1. New cement backer board all around.
2. Rubberized spray or roll-on sealant.
3. MAYBE new shower pan (do I need one of these?)
4. Maybe skip the shut off valves
5. Tile the walls and floor.
6. Sealed and painted cement backer board on the ceiling.
7. Farm out an electrician to put in a light (always needed a light in this shower anyways)
8. New carpet in the living room in a few months, maybe.
9. Oh, and new shower doors... I kinda got a little... enthusiastic with the removal of the old ones when they got stuck. <coughcough>
<sigh>
Dangit... so much for the new Rem 870 and car alarm and stereo I wanted this month.
So, we get an estimate from a local guy who does good work, not the cheapest nor the most expensive. It's a shower only, no tub. $5,000. ZOMG! I do not have that kind of money lying around and I really just don't think it's worth that much, anyways.
So, fast-forward to today. I rented a demolition hammer with a spade bit and have removed all the tile from the walls, about to start on the floor and ceiling. Along the way, I found out some very interesting tidbits....
1. No cement backer-board behind the shower walls. Only 1/2" sheet rock. They didn't even do any taping and bedding.
2. No water barrier. No wonder it's coming through the wall into the living room. No sealant, no plastic, no nothing.
3. No shower pan. This is really going to suck... not sure what to do about it. I think it's supposed to have a shower pan, but if I don't put one in, is it going to make a big difference? I mean, I'll know more once I hammer into the floor tile, but it looks like it's just mortared in there, there're no metal lips coming up from the edges where I've got all the wall tile and sheet rock removed.
4. No shut off valves on the pipes. So that means I have to shut off the water to the whole house and cap off the pipes while I'm working on it. Adding in shut off valves would be awesome, but that means calling in a plumber and spending another coupla hundred which I don't have.
So, the plan for now is:
1. New cement backer board all around.
2. Rubberized spray or roll-on sealant.
3. MAYBE new shower pan (do I need one of these?)
4. Maybe skip the shut off valves
5. Tile the walls and floor.
6. Sealed and painted cement backer board on the ceiling.
7. Farm out an electrician to put in a light (always needed a light in this shower anyways)
8. New carpet in the living room in a few months, maybe.
9. Oh, and new shower doors... I kinda got a little... enthusiastic with the removal of the old ones when they got stuck. <coughcough>
<sigh>
Dangit... so much for the new Rem 870 and car alarm and stereo I wanted this month.