[Riverwild]

Soooo...i am taking a shower last night before work, and I take a step back and feel the tub/shower unit "give". When I finished I lift up the bath mat and voila! There's a crack in the stupid thing!

This is a 40 yr. old tub/shower fiberglass combo unit that has already been patched. It's time to replace it! So I go online and find a lovely one piece shower only unit that will fit the space perfectly. It has a bench built in, a grab bar, shelves for stuff and it can be a "normal" shower fixture or fancy multi headed shower fixture ( you cut the holes depending on what you want)

My question is: What is under there?? I know regular shower units usually have a shower pad under them. Would a tub/shower unit have a long pad of the same stuff under it? Is it possible it sits on the studs? If it is a pad, does it have a drain separate from the actual drain that is hooked to the unit? It's over a crawl space, but I AIN'T going in! I'm just worried about being able to replace it myself.

The bathroom needs a lot of work and I figure if I have to replace the tub/shower unit, I may as well do the rest of it too. I am not looking for fancy. I want safe and sound. I am NEVER selling this house, so I want to replace the tub/shower unit with a walk in shower. I figure that ALL the wallboard is regular gypsum wallboard and NOT cement wallboard or greenboard, since whoever built it cut corners everywhere else! I will have to replace that all too. I may as well insulate better since the walls will be uncovered. I don't have a fan in there so I may as well replace the light fixtures and put in a fan. Can I run the vent from that to the stinkpipe or will that cause a problem? (I have a metal roof and I don't want to cut it!) Would I be better off with a wall unit fan that vents through the wall with no light attached? Can I run the power for that from an existing light so when you turn on the light, the fan comes on?

Flooring: I live within 20 feet of the lake. Mud/dirt/grass/flooding/etc.
I figure sheet vinyl flooring is the best bet, but does anyone have any experience with engineered hardwood? Is there a brand that holds up well under moist/wet conditions?

AARGH! I wasn't planning on doing the bathroom right now, and I cannot nor do I want a contractor to do the job cause I don't trust them! NOw I have to do a crash course!! Any suggestions/answers are truly appreciated!

[dmplaura]

Not sure RW, but we require before and after pictures of said renovation when it happens, plus I want to see this shower unit you found!

[DM]

Well, you weren't looking for answers from me, that's for sure RW! I don't know how to do any home maintenance. I hire to have my walls painted. I just wanted to pop in and say Hi and I do not envy you taking on that job. Bathrooms are so much work.

How do I know this?? We had a bedroom turned into a master bath a couple of yrs ago and the contractors worked forever. Good luck girlfriend and try not to work too hard.

hugs my friend..... Oh, and remember to keep well HYDRATED while working.

(wink)

[AfterMyNap]

Dudette, this is like asking fifth graders for investment advice!

For my nickel, I'd take pics of all the areas in question and make a day of visiting the good folks at Depot, Lowe's, Ace, etc. for ideas and perceptions, especially about the fan output.

They have all the little books that advise on materials in certain conditions along with the ever-important don'ts of the their applications.

Your house is old enough, are we also talking a full rewire? Is the plumbing in proper order? Those are two things that can ruin the most perfect bathroom if they're not perfect themselves.

Good luck with this, please don't overdo it on your poor body, and definitely call me BEFORE you pull the trigger on yourself!

[MSCherokee]

RW,

We are in the process of renovating my parents home so that we can one day move in and we're seriously behind! The first thing we did was renovate the bathrooms - wish I had the pics on my home PC. Anyhow, the house was built in 1972 and everything was original. In the master bathroom we replaced the tub/shower combo with the one piece walk-in shower unit - I believe our contractor got it at Lowe's. It has two benches, a built in bar and several shelves. I don't know the answer to most of your questions since the contractor did the work while we were at work.

We selected porcelain tile for the bathrooms. Sheet vinyl flooring would work just fine but we were warned against using the engineered hardwood or Pergo type flooring in the bathroom, laundry room or kitchen - we were told not to use it in areas where there's a lot of humidity or a chance of flooding - toilet overflowing, etc. as it will cause the flooring to buckle.

AMN's right, talk to someone at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. Heck, some stores offer free courses on things like how to tile.

Good luck and don't overdo it!

[Erin524]

If you're going to put in tile, I do suggest that you hire out for that one. (get estimates and get everything in writing, and have a done-by-date) Tile is really difficult to do, and you dont want pieces of it popping out or cracking.

[Girlie Girl]

RW you go girl!!! Good for you for tackling this project yourself. Before and after pics are a definite! I can't help you with advice...sorry. I was only allowed to paint my bathroom, nothing else. I agree with AMN check with the local hardware store for advice. Good luck!

[yeahbut]

WOW - that is quite a project you are taking on there girl!! No advice here either.... sorry. **Lets see does Lambchop know a good carpenter?** nope not really sorry....

You keep my number on speed - dial and when the times come you need someone to crawl under into the crawl space, I will call DM for ya!

Home Depot has an excellent bathroom department!

[tante]

Mscherokee has it right on the flooring, no Pergo/laminate type flooring in bathroom areas due to moisture problems and possible buckling or swelling.

Here is a link to an absolutely awesome forum specifically for bathroom builds and rebuilds. There are yeeeeeaars of Q & As there on everything from which toilets really flush it down to tiling (directions, subsystem/underlayment [pros and con]types of grouts), other flooring, to on line sources that are dependable, inexpensive, helpful, yada, yada.

Well, this is the link for all of the Home Forums, just click on bathrooms.
I don't think you have to register to search.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/

There are both novices seeking info, and experts sharing advice.
There are even start to finish photos with accompanying details...one from a woman who knew zip when she started, and with the help of that forum has a
great bathroom.

Can you tell I love that site?
It is part of a larger one, "The Garden Web Forums and That Home Site," and through it I was able to get a top of the line Siemens (sister to Bosch) FL washer and dryer together for $1100 delivered. , Usually the washer alone runs close to that.

Ok I'll hush now, I just love to be able to share good things, and if you want to remodel, this is a good thing...just be forwarned, many seem to have bottomless pocketbooks, but there is lots of room for being frugal also...my style normally.

[tkrik]

Originally Posted by Riverwild

This is a 40 yr. old tub/shower fiberglass combo unit that has already been patched. It's time to replace it! So I go online and find a lovely one piece shower only unit that will fit the space perfectly. It has a bench built in, a grab bar, shelves for stuff and it can be a "normal" shower fixture or fancy multi headed shower fixture ( you cut the holes depending on what you want)

Make sure that you will be able to get the unit in there. When I was working for a remodeling company we advised against these as when houses are built (at least here) the tubs/shower are put in before the walls go in. The units are too big to fit in after the walls are put in.

My question is: What is under there?? I know regular shower units usually have a shower pad under them. Would a tub/shower unit have a long pad of the same stuff under it? Is it possible it sits on the studs? If it is a pad, does it have a drain separate from the actual drain that is hooked to the unit? It's over a crawl space, but I AIN'T going in! I'm just worried about being able to replace it myself.

Not sure on this one. Most the homes that we worked on were single level with concrete flooring. However, there are several different styles of shower pans with holes for the drains in different places, i.e., center, right sided drain, left sided drain.

The bathroom needs a lot of work and I figure if I have to replace the tub/shower unit, I may as well do the rest of it too. I am not looking for fancy. I want safe and sound. I am NEVER selling this house, so I want to replace the tub/shower unit with a walk in shower. I figure that ALL the wallboard is regular gypsum wallboard and NOT cement wallboard or greenboard, since whoever built it cut corners everywhere else! I will have to replace that all too. I may as well insulate better since the walls will be uncovered.

Great idea!

I don't have a fan in there so I may as well replace the light fixtures and put in a fan. Can I run the vent from that to the stinkpipe or will that cause a problem? I would not recommend doing this. In fact, I don't think you can as there are codes against this. (I have a metal roof and I don't want to cut it!) Would I be better off with a wall unit fan that vents through the wall with no light attached? Can I run the power for that from an existing light so when you turn on the light, the fan comes on? Yes, DBF and I just did this in his rental house. When you turn the light on the fan goes on. It's just a matter of wiring.

Flooring: I live within 20 feet of the lake. Mud/dirt/grass/flooding/etc.
I figure sheet vinyl flooring is the best bet, but does anyone have any experience with engineered hardwood? Is there a brand that holds up well under moist/wet conditions?

I agree with MSCherokee and Tante. I would not put it in the bathroom for the reasons MSCherokee stated. I believe it is Armstrong that makes sheet vinyl that looks like wood if you really want that wood look.

AARGH! I wasn't planning on doing the bathroom right now, and I cannot nor do I want a contractor to do the job cause I don't trust them! NOw I have to do a crash course!! Any suggestions/answers are truly appreciated!

Home Depot has a great book on remodeling bathrooms. I think you can pick it up for about $15 or something like that.

Also, check out Consumer Reports as they rate all different products including flooring, shower/tub units, fans, etc. Since you will be living there for a long, long time (lol) you want any products that you put in there to last. I know you are my Thrifta Sista but don't be too thrifty with the products you pick.

Good luck with your remodel.