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2ajsmama

'Temporarily' finish bath?

13 years ago

I'm wondering if this is worth it for a month or so. You all know we've been working on the house for nearly 3 years, living with 1 full bath (also have a toilet but no sink - no supply lines run - in powder room). I got sidetracked by a porch reno last month (really hadn't planned on that this year). I wanted to finish the master bath before DS starts Jr High end of August since he and DH will now be getting up at the same time and DS is going to *have* to start showering more often.

But I forgot that 2 of my siblings (each has 1 kid, and DB brings his DW though often my sister travels w/o her DH) always come to visit my parents for a week or so at the end of July. So sis and her DD will be staying with us again since my parents don't have room for 5 additional people. It will probably be about a week, they (or at least sis) will move to my parents' house once DB and his family leave but I don't know when that will be. DN wants to have a sleepover with my DD, so if she's not tired of being here, she'll stay an extra night or 2 after her mom moves 10 miles up the road.

We did it last summer, it wasn't too bad, DN is only 4, so no issue with showers in the morning (her mom bathes her at night), in fact with jet lag the both of them will sleep late and stay up late, so no problems with DH getting ready for work. I'm flexible with shower times, in fact I often don't get a chance to shower every day (much as I'd like to), I'm hoping sis will take the girls to my parents' to play with 3-yr old DN (DB's DD) so I can work and then I can shower late in the day, we usually have big family dinners almost every night so I'd drive up with DH (sis would take the Explorer).

So, should we just live that 1 week with a single shower, or lay some self-stick vinyl tile in the master bath so we can use the (fully functional) shower there w/o getting subfloor wet, maybe set the toilet (though pulling it out and resetting it after we get tile in would be a pain)? Maybe even try to get a sink in the PR w/i the next 3 weeks? I haven't picked countertop for master vanity yet, and want to add 3" to each end, rewire lights so they're centered over sinks, etc. so I'm not really ready to put sinks in master yet (though I have sinks and faucets, and all the plumbing is in place).

To complicate matters, BIL might come at some point too, we don't know yet if he will just spend a couple of nights at my parents' b4 he and sis take their DD to visit other grandparents in LI, or if he might come at same time or shortly after they arrive at our house. Seems he's being "encouraged" to take some additional vacation during transition time b/t current project (wrapping up) and new project (August). Does adding 1 more adult (though jet lagged and on vacation) change the bathroom situation?

Last May we had DH's 3 sisters here and even though they were on vacation there was a line for the bathroom in the mornings (after DH left for work but I was still trying to get kids off to school) and when the adults all decided to go to bed after staying up chatting. We can be a little smarter about it this summer and DH and I can brush our teeth early, and/or leave backup toothbrushes and toothpaste in the kitchen. So I don't know if we really need that sink in the PR yet (would like to wait til plumber is coming to install Roman tub faucet after we tile deck). The only issue might be the shower if BIL comes too and he, sis, and I all have to get ready (e.g., for a family field trip to museum or something) at the same time?

Comments (8)

  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Boy that is alot of visitors coming and going. I would do whatever is the easiest for you.
    One idea is just to place down and tape heavy duty plastic that you get at Home depot for the visit and maybe even throw an old rug on top of that for the couple of weeks.

  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yeah, maybe some thick plastic taped up onto the threshold of the shower and onto the walls would be better than vinyl tiles. We have to add plywood and backer board to the subfloor before we put in the radiant heat and tile, and I'm not sure what I want on the walls - tile or beadboard, but I was thinking something more than just paint on the lower walls. Plus I want to cut out part of the wall near the shower so I can install an outlet (or hardwire) for an electric towel warmer (DH soaks his towel and it smells musty unless it's dried by heat), so it's easier to hide the work with something other than drywall (I'm not really good at taping and patching so it's invisible). I was also thinking tile or a good clearcoat on wood beadboard would hold up better than the matte paint we've used elsewhere in the house. I'm not a fan of semi-gloss paint on walls.

    Actually, I have so much to do and so many decisions yet to make (about walls, tub deck, countertop, lighting) that I don't know if we'll be able to finish this by Labor Day if we don't start til mid-August (after we come back from the beach)! I'll have to start another post showing my floor tile, sinks, and faucets (Delta Victorian in ORB) and ask for help so I can order the other finish materials we need ASAP!

  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am always amazed at all the complications you seem to have. Very amusing.

    Your son can shower before he goes to bed if the new bathroom isn't done before school starts, and you and your extended family can fight over the bathroom for the week they're visiting. Millions of families get along with just one bathroom.

    Maybe you can enlist one of the visitors as an assistant bathroom installer, or at least have one of them run the kitchen while you do the work.

    There. That's my simple solution.

    Sherry

  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yeah, Sherry, nothing's easy. It's not amusing when you have to live with it though. When we were trying to finish the house enough to get the CO, my 3 siblings came to visit - younger DB brought his DD. My kids were already "living" with my parents, DH was commuting to his job here from our old house 100 miles away, and I was here about half time working on the house/supervising subs. It was 4th of July w/e that year, we had no running water (electrician didn't hook up well pump) and no HVAC, no phone though we had electricity. My DB and I installed the tile in the general bath using buckets of water hauled from my uncle's house 1/2 mile up the road for the wet saw and for mixing thinset. Then we went to his house to try to clean up but they'd all gone to bed and locked up. So we slept on the plywood subfloors in the BRs in the unfinished house (DB was supposed to sleep in my parents' sunroom, I was supposed to sleep at uncle's). Not comfortable, but what can you do at 1am?

    My other siblings aren't handy, so can't ask for help. Maybe I can at least get them to babysit so I can get more done here, but I was just planning on finishing more woodwork, *maybe* if we can get the vanity removed b4 then (and sit it in the corner of our MBR where I have a "mini-workshop" set up for finishing doors right now) I can do the wiring, install the plywood and concrete backerboard on the floor, and get someone with tools to move the PEX supply line that's in the way of the new vanity location (and put supply lines in for PR sink while we're at it).

    Hmmm, cousin just had baby this w/e, wonder if I can get her DH over soon to start rough-in. He's the one who did my porch reno, he's not a trim carpenter/cabinetmaker like my other cousin, but he could help with subfloor, plumbing (I think he has PEX tools) and electrical (if I need new framing for new light locations).

    Oh, and I hope we don't have to get the hay in while they're here! If we can get 1 good w/e we'll have the 1st cutting in b4 then. Last year it was 4th of July. Maybe this year too.

  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The great thing about having a big family is accommodations are usually a bit complicated anyway and they "get" that it's just part of life. In the end, it's worth the little inconveniences in order to see everyone, right?

    I would not spend wasted money for a weeks visit; if laying down a plastic tarp doesn't work out, I'd just go with having the one bathroom and leave it at that. Your family certainly knows what you're situation is and if they're willing to deal with it, you should probably just leave it as is and focus on other things to prepare for the visit.

  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It only takes a few minutes to actually shower; if everyone agrees to be brief and finish dressing and combing/drying their hair at another mirror, it should work out . I could blow dry my hair anywhere if I had to, a table mirror would suffice. The extra toilet in the pr means no one has to wait in case of an emergency, lol....

    so I would not bother with the extra work, lay down the rules and provide
    areas with mirrors.

  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks - I really didn't want to rush the job, putting down plastic should work so DH and I (and maybe our kids if I can keep them from splashing the wall - we do have builder's flat white paint in there) can use that shower. It would save the expense and hassle of putting down vinyl just to pull it up again a few weeks later.

    The sinks seem to be the issue - we found with my SILs that once someone went into the bathroom to take a shower, she'd do her hair, brush teeth, do makeup and it would be at least 30-40 min before anyone else could get in. Even with 2 sinks, at night they seemed to go in to use the facilities and keep the door locked til they were done with washing face, brushing teeth and a line would form, I didn't want to say anything to them about maybe unlocking the door after they washed their hands so someone else could use the other sink (75" long vanity) at the same time if all she needed was to wash her face, brush teeth. With just sis here no big deal, we'll brush our teeth downstairs or early, and she can have the upstairs bath for the whole makeup removal/cleansing/moisturizing routine. I'll see if we can get a sink (don't have one picked out yet) in the PR, if not no big deal, they can just use the hand sanitizer or the kitchen sink to wash up like they did last year (and we've been doing all this time). I will have to get a mirror in the PR though so Dsis can do her hair - I don't like having hairspray on the antique BR furniture in DD's room.

  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Putting in the toilet and then pulling it out later would not be difficult at all. And instead of self-stick tile, you might consider a remnant piece of sheet vinyl.