Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

Hey All,

Got a question for you all. For those of you who have or do live in a one bath house/condo/coop, how did you completely update your bathroom in a timely manor? We want to update our bath in 2008 (hopefully after our tax return). We decided our bathroom would be cheaper than our kitchen and our bathroom could use more work. I personally want to gut the bathroom and put up brand new sheetrock (the sheetrock there is so bumpy and my DH who is a carpenter agrees it was never taped properly). I also want a new ceiling rocked as well as a new tub/shower with tile all the way to the ceiling, new vanity, new toliet, new med. cabinet, etc.

Here are my questions:
My DH is a carpenter, and could do a lot of work himself, but he doesn't have too much time (could only spend maybe 3 hours a day).

How expensive do you think it would run us? Could it be done for under 3-4K if we did some stuff ourselves?

How long would it take? (pics in album of current bath). Not too big.

Could we really live through the renovation or stay with my folks who aren't far away?

Can I leave the workers in my condo while we are at work?

Thanks

Message edited 6/22/2007 11:34:17 AM.

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

but where did you live or did you live through the renovations if you had a 1 bath?

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

We were lucky, we did it before we moved in and still lived in our apartment.

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

My BIL re-did his by himself. He took a week off from work and completed it in that week. I believe they just lived through it (and his wife was PG). I think he just installed the toilet ASAP and went to her parents house to shower and whatnot. Her parents live about 5 minutes from them.

DH and I opted to stay at my parents house b/c I was not living through that mess!

P.S. BIL re-did their bath for under $5,000.

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

Hmm, see my DH being a union carpenter, taking a week off is out of the question (he makes hourly pay, not salary). Unless he was laid off for a while could he do it. Also, he doesn't know plumbing. I'm so torn.

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

We are currently in the process of renovating our bath (plus adding another bath and redoing the whole house ) but luckily we are not living there. I think if DH is doing the work himself that price range is doable depending on what you plan on putting in there. You can go crazy buying stuff because there is so much to choose from. We originally planned on a regular tub and decent but inexpensive hardware, instead we spent over $800 on a jacuzzi tub and almost $500 on just hardware for the tub and sink

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

def. not redo the waste lines. We live in a condo and there is no basement. We could leave the linolim tile down until we are ready to yank it out and put down ceramic tile. We would gut all the walls & ceilings and re-insulate and sheetrock over & tape. One of my Sister's boyfriends friends is a plumber, but again union, and might not be off at the same time. I'm ready to pay somebody to do it all if its going to be that tricky (I mean pay somebody to just do the insulating, sheetrock, tape, install new tub & tile on the tub to the ceiling. We could do the tile on the floor. Again, its not that big of a bathroom.

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

Well, personally, I vote for just staying with your parents. That way your DH doesn't have to rush through anything and if he has help great, if not he doesn't have to feel rushed to get things done. I think that if your DH is able to do it himself then why spend the extra money? I know it'd probably be more convenient but, with the money you save could go towards the kitchen!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

thanks. I think that's what we may do. Stay with my parents for a week. At least in a week he can get the majority of the stuff done.

In order to save costs, I want to try and salvage our new medicine cabinet (ie that will be the same), our new shower rock our new towel racks, etc. So I know its not much, but every bit helps.

Message edited 6/22/2007 12:40:07 PM.

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

Sounds like the plumbing's really the wildcard for you then. Maybe the friend could estimate how much work/time is involved in that part of it ahead of time.

As long as you have the back-up option of staying with your parents in case complications pop up, there doesn't seem to be any reason not to go for it!

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

the thing about having three guys in a regular sized bath is there really isn't enough room. Most of the time one of them will not be able to fit in there.
My DH has reno'd many one bath homes.
Your best bet would be staying with your parents, or showering & using the bathrooms in your community clubhouse.
You could demo, all the sheetrock & tile & remove the vanity all while leaving the toilet hooked up. If you're not putting in a new floor the toilet can just get swapped out at the end.

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

Re: Bathroom Renevations in a 1 bath house

i know someone who recently did this. he did a lot of the work himself, but it took about 3 wks. they stayed with family during the renovation.