Master Bathroom

In the master bathroom, we found that over the original lathe and plaster walls, someone had applied a layer of some very early type of sheetrock.  Then, I assume someone else, had added pressed metal sheets embossed to look like tile; the wall equivalent of a tin ceiling.  Over that we found a layer of hardboard glued down.  Finally, I guess as an act of desperation, yet another layer of sheetrock had been added.  In total, the walls were approximately 3 inches thick, and weighed over a ton, going by what we took to the dump!  Needless to say, we removed the lot.  Rebuilding the master bathroom is one of the biggest jobs we have tackled. 

On the left and right are the original bath & sink.  The bath was in reasonable condition except for a layer of WATER based green paint applied to its exterior!  The weight of the bath, along with the concrete described below, caused the floor to droop considerably.  One of the legs on the sink must have broken and been replaced by a piece of wood!  The sink itself was in poor condition with the porcelain completely crazed.  Looking underneath the sink you get some idea of the terrible condition in which we found the bathroom.   Despite all that, we sold both for a considerable sum; enough to pay for the new Jacuzzi bath and sink. 
After sorting out the walls, we had to remove approximately six inches of concrete that had been poured between and above the joists to create the bed for the floor tiles.  This was nearly another ton of waste! As mentioned above, this caused the floor to droop over two inches compared to the height at the outside wall! 
The one additional thing I would have liked is a separate shower, but doing that would have made the bathroom very cramped.  I have found that I enjoy the Jacuzzi far more than I expected, having been a confirmed shower man. 
Removing the concrete uncovered some nasty rot in the joists and studs.  This had to be cut away and replaced with new wood before continuing. 
To level the floor, I cut wedge shaped pieces of 2 inch wide lumber the width of the bathroom, and laid them on top of the old joists.  Each one had to be measured and cut individually.  Thank goodness for rotary laser levels. 
How about this maze of plumbing.  You can also see the "dangling" stud in the wall.  It was just cut off at the bottom for a pipe, leaving it totally unsupported except by the plaster and sheetrock on the wall.  We removed all the redundant pipework, and now it is supported properly. 
With the demolition out of the way, we started on the re-construction.  The exterior grade ¾" plywood sub-floor is in and waiting for the cement board to go down on top.  The second door into the bathroom is being sealed off as we frame up the wall for the end of the bath.  Our plumber has installed the new plumbing, and we have had the power and lighting re-wired with GFIs, including the outlet for the Jacuzzi tub.   
We had intended to retain the existing ceiling as it appeared quite sound.  Unfortunately, once I started to cut holes into the ceiling to prepare to have the lighting and extractor fan installed above the bath, it started to fall onto on my head!  Thus, I had to remove the rest, and then replace the entire ceiling. 
While I am happy to sheetrock walls, I do not have facilities to sheetrock a complete ceiling, so the bulk of this job was sub-contracted.  I just put up some of the smaller pieces, and did the taping of the joints and the finishing. 
We decided to frame up a new corner wall and install the sink at 45º.  I was also preparing to remove the old window and put in the replacement.  The radiator, visible bottom right, had been painted to match the exterior of the old bath.  Very tasteful! 
Reconstruction is coming along nicely, at last.  There was a lot of tiling!  While I do not mind doing tiling, I really hate doing the grouting.  It is also one of those jobs at which I am not very good; it never seems to look even.  Still; it had to be done. 
We are very happy with the results.  The sink at 45º works really well, and I am pleased with the custom radiator cover I built.  The walls are in glossy white tile with gray trim tiles.  The floor is in a semi-mat gray tile matching the wall trim.  The door has beautiful art deco leaded glass that we have retained.  The door is due new locks and handles. 
The bath, loo and sink are all by Jacuzzi, with the loo and sink based on original designs from 1927.  The faucets, towel rails and wall cabinet are from Bancroft by Kohler, and are, again, inspired by early 20th century designs. 
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Our c. 1860 House -

Upstairs Renovations

Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard