We are renovating our bathroom ourselves. The entire room is going back to bare studs and having all new plumbing and electrical, wallboard, fixtures and tile.
We searched for people who have documented a project like this, and there are very few. Most people who say “we are renovating our bathroom” mean “we are paying people to renovate our bathroom”.
This series of posts will document us doing the entire job ourselves, including plans, costs, mistakes and all.
The list of posts will grow from here, as a master directory:
Kirby’s Nuts and Bolts
1: The Before Pictures
2: The Plan
3: Water shutoffs
4: Toilet purchase
5: Lighting purchase
6: Shower valve purchase
7: Tub purchase
8: Tile purchase
9: Day 1
10: Day 2
11: Day 3
12: Day 4
13: Day 5
14: Day 6
15: Day 7
16: Day 8
17: Day 9
18: Day 10
19: Day 11+
20: Tiling Day 1
21: Tiling Day 2
22: Tiling Day 3 and 4
23: Grout
24: Painting
Jennifer’s Reflections
1:The Kitchen…er…I mean Bathroom Renovation
2:DIY Renovations
3:My Job as a Drywall Contractor
COSTS TO DATE:
$ 20.14 – Sweat Shutoffs (McDiarmid Lumber)
$ 60.45 – Compression Shutoffs and large roll of solder (McDiarmid Lumber)
$588.00 – Toto Drake II Toilet w/seat (W.C. Potts)
$ 94.07 – 3-light Lollan Lighting Fixture (Canadian Tire)
$281.59 – Moen 3285 Tub Faucet (HomeDepot.ca)
$200.48 – Briggs Pendant V Tub (Rona)
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– $311.85 – 165 tiles (Rona)
– $11.69 – Grout float (Rona)
– $3.99 – Mortar trowel (1/4 square notch) (Rona)
– $9.38 – 1/4″ tile spacers (bought the wrong kind, have to get 1/8″) (Rona)
– $20.99 – White Ultracolor+ Grout 10lb (Rona)
– $39.99 – White Ultraflex II Mortar 50lb (Rona)
– $7.98 – Grout Haze cleanup (Rona)
– $2.09 – Grout sponge (Rona)
– $5.48 – Electrical boxes (Rona)
- $6.99 – 3″ silicone coupling (To mate the old and new toilet pipes) (Rona)
– $11.49 3′ of 3″ ABS drain pipe (for the toilet drain) (Rona)
– $1.49 – Wax toilet ring
$485.31 – Subtotal with taxes
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– $4.59 P-Trap
– $8.79 1 1/2 inch rubber coupling
– $14.99 3 inch rubber coupling (for soil pipe)
– $3.39 ABS cement (for joining pipes)
– $4.49 3 inch ABS elbow (under the toilet)
– $22.99 Drain Waste Overflow for tub (separate plug and chain type)
$66.35 – Subtotal with Taxes
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– $13.96 – (2) 2 inch couplings for the drain pipe (McDiarmid)
– $3.39 – ABS drain tee for the drain pipe
– $7.59 – Tub Drain Remover tool (I saw it in the aisle and thought I’d get one to assist in installing the new drain)
– $6.49 – 3 feet of 2 inch ABS pipe for the drain
$35.00 – subtotal with taxes
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$2.90 – ABS 2 inch to 1 1/4 inch trap adaptor (McDiarmid)
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$27.10 – Cast Iron Soil Pipe cutter rental (Home Depot)
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$5.92 – ABS Toilet Flange (McDiarmid)
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– $6.99 – Plastic Wood (for filling subfloor screw holes)(McDiarmid)
– $15.38 – Drywall screws to last (hopefully) the entire job
– $9.99 – Floor screws
$3625 – Subtotal with taxes
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$11.66 – 6 studs for blocking (Home Depot, because lumber stinks at McDiarmid)
– $7.38 – 2 tubes of acoustic caulk
– &7.99 – 1 roll of Tuck Tape
$17.22 subtotal with taxes
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– $63.64 – R20 insulation (20 batts)
– $16.98 – Work light
– $3.09 – 50 watt “Rough Duty” bulbs
$93.76 subtotal with taxes
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– $3.70 – All the copper elbows and couplings
– $3.29 – Brass elbow for the shower pipe to screw into
– $1.29 – 1/2 inch copper sweat to brass thread adaptor (the faucet pipe screws into the Moentrol, not solders, for some reason)
– $2.49 – New decorative cover for the shower pipe (one was damaged in transit)
– $8.79 – New right angle shutoff for the toilet
– $21.79 – Sink faucet install kit that includes shutoffs and braised steel hoses
– $6.99 – Braided steel toilet hose
– $3.85 – 11 copper pipe straps
$58.45 with taxes
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– $20.99 – Dimpler
– $1.99 – Knife blades (cement board and drywall are hard on blades, buy extras)
– $3.96 – spare drywall bits for the dimpler
$30.18 with taxes
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$20 — Durock fiber seaming tape
$70 — 5 sheets of moisture resistant drywall
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– $20.99 – Tile Nippers
– $79.99 – Tile Saw
$113.10 – Total with taxes
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$55.99 – Bosch Diamond Saw Blade, with taxes
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– $19.98 – Broan Humidistat
– $39.99 – Bag of Mortar
– $11.34 – 6 tiles (saw the sign, went home and discussed with Jennifer)
– $75.60 – 40 tiles (came back to buy more)
$164.54 — Subtotal with Taxes
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– $42.53 – Zinsser Perm-White Mould and Mildew Proof Interior Paint (4L)
– $10.39 – 2 large rolls of low-stick masking tape
– $21.76 – Door trim
– $16.77 – 3 tubes of Mono Ultra Silicone Caulk
– $34.71 – Grout Sealer (1 pint)
$126.16 – subtotal with taxes
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TOTAL TO DATE with TAXES: $2686.92
ESTIMATE FROM CONTRACTOR (without even looking at the bathroom, most basic appliances and finishes): $10,000
SAVINGS TO DATE: $7313.08
INJURIES: Minor scrapes and cuts to my delicate computer-guy hands. Sore muscles.
MISTAKES OF NOTE: 5
- Poor soldering of plumbing shutoffs (burning solder) (replaced with compression fittings)
- Poor drywall placement at start (torn out and redone)
- Faucet too far back from finished wall surface (shimmed forward)
- Tub spout pipe too short (replaced)
- Cut holes in tiles for tub spout incorrectly (re-cut)