Bathroom Remodel On A Budget In A 1929 Era House

Even though I say a bathroom remodel in a house built in 1929 is not for the faint of heart, it is very rewarding. I guess it depends on how much remodeling you have to do. As you start a project like this everyone has the very best laid plans. It was my son’s bathroom and it needed a lot of work. A housbuilt in of this era has it’s own unique set of obstacles and the budget was tight as well.

Not For The Faint Of Heart

This is what we started out with. The window in the bathtub was a big problem for my daughter in law. The bathtub surround was also cracked and difficult to take care of. Someone tried to remodel a few years ago and they did not use great materials. The bathroom is small. So we had to really consider everything being done. The walls in the bathroom are plaster. Plaster has it’s own set of difficulties. Like most people the budget was a consideration, but even if you are doing it your self there are considerable cost.  We put a plan into place and got started.

A Bathroom Remodel in A 1920 Era House

Demolition was the first thing to be done and so it began. The window was taken out and the surround and bathtub removed. That left the studs. I actually looked better right away. There was something refreshing about removing the window and that old surround.

Nothing ever goes as planned though.  I have to tell you a part of the story.  My husband told my son to remove the knobs to the water faucets. Well he did just as he was told.  An hour later my daughter in law turned on the washing machine.

Things do Not Always Go As Planned

Water starting spraying out everywhere in this tight confined space.  My son did not realize he had taken the seal out of the faucets.  To make matters worse, there was no shut off valve.  This is an old house.  Then to make it even worse we could not find the main valve outside where the meter is supposed to be. The city tried to tell us where it was but our search was futile.  They no longer read the meter manually, so the cover had long been buried. After about 20 minutes the water department showed up and found the shut off valve in about 3 minutes.  Of course he did have a metal detector with him. So everyone and everything was soaked.

Back On Track

So after the little water snafu everyone needed a break. The first day took 10 hours to tear everything down to the studs. We ran into a lot of problems getting the seals to reset in the faucets.  What probably would have taken a plumber 10 minutes to fix took us hours. We never did get the plumbing back together that night. Everyone agreed that if all did not go well tomorrow with plumbing we might need to call a professional.  We started on a Friday and planned to be a little farther along than we were.  Of course that is how it always goes. Saturday morning we started back up pretty early.

Friday

• Got all the walls torn down and tossed outside.
• Removed the surround.
• Took the bathtub out.
• Plumbing was ready to be installed.

 

 

 

Saturday

Saturday was another full day. A bathroom remodel is a lot like any other remodel. For us the plumbing was a really big issue. After countless hours at the plumbing store we finally got the right parts for the bathroom drain. Then after countless hours of trying to get just the right angel in this incredibly small space we got the tub fit into to the spot! The pipes were converted to pvc and a lot had to be retro fitted.  So Saturday was another full 9 hour day. Everyone made the decision to knock off earlier this time.

1. Plumbing back in place, including faucets, drain, and drain pipes reconnected.
2. Frame out the studs.
3. Put the new bathtub in place.
4. Put the new surround in place.
5. Frame out the spot for the new transom window.
6. Got the transom window in place.

Honestly to get to this point was a miracle. We were so excited to see the surround and bathtub in place. It took all day Saturday to get to this point and by the way, the seals in the faucet after setting overnight did not leak! We did not have anymore water catastrophes. Thank goodness.

We were really tired at the end of this day, so we called it quits and planned on finishing Sunday.  We live 3 hours from my son’s house so the job needed to be almost complete on Sunday.

The Finish Line

Sunday really involved trimming out the surround and window. It also involved double checking plumbing for leaks other things to tweak the bathroom. here is the completed job.

 

 I just can not believe the transformation.  The window out of the bathtub was major.  The whole project was major, but so worth the effort.

The total cost were probably around 800$ after all was said and done.  That is a lot less than a contractor.

I said in the beginning that this project was not for the faint of heart, but all projects run into problems. Especially when you are dealing with a house from 1929. This was just the beginning of a long list to be completed in this house. I would love for you to follow along with some of our other projects.  Subscribe to my email and you will never miss and upcoming project.