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Cottage Life handyman Wayne Lennox talks about materials, design features, and building tips for your very own outdoor shower.
Don’t ignore loose caulk!
In a nutshell, caulk is used in a tub or shower enclosure to keep water from creeping up, under or around the tiles at joints between tile and the tub or shower pan, or on joints where walls meet. Leaky caulk is not to be ignored! I have often seen tiled bathrooms where the two or three bottom rows of tiles were loosened by water which crept up under the tiles from the bottom! The repair can be time-consuming and expensive. And you might not be able to use the enclosure again for a week or more while things “dry out”!
Almost all Americans use household cleaning products — from dish detergents to bathroom cleaners and floor polish to scouring pads. Most of us are exposed to cleaners on a daily basis, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [source: Davies]. Even if we don’t use cleaners, it’s likely we’re regularly come into contact with them at work, school or elsewhere.
Unfortunately, cleaners often contain harsh chemicals that can be harmful to our health and planet. Health effects associated with cleaning products include asthma, contact dermatitis, burns to the skin and eyes and inflammation or fluid in the lungs. Long-term repercussions may include reproductive problems, cancer, heart disease and other health issues.
Even if your water is purified by your water company, by the time it comes through your faucet, it may have accumulated bacteria and lead from the pipes through which it is carried.
Some cities, like Boston, still have lead pipes in service lines. Some PVC pipes made before 1977 may leach vinyl chloride, a carcinogen, into water as well, as was discovered in Troy, Kansas in 1998. Within your own home, you may have lead pipes or pipes soldered with lead.
A standard (6×8′) bathroom can be gutted and replaced with new fixtures, fittings, tiles etc for less than $10,000, including labor, and it will look great. Obviously this will vary tremendously depending on personal choices made in materials, fixtures and labor costs in your area. I have done four bathrooms (new tiled floors, bath, toilet, sinks and wall tiles etc) in one apartment building for $12,000 total – but everything was cheap – including the labor! On the other side of the spectrum, I have installed a very well appointed bathroom for $46,000. In this case all appliances were top-of-the-line and the ceramics were imported marble. In fact the counter tops, wall and floor tile made up more than half of the bill.
As an approximation I would say $5-$10K will get you a ‘nice’ replacement bathroom on a budget. An extra $5 or $10K will allow you to splash out on better fixtures, ceramics, molding and finish.
Keep in mind that you will probably not recoup more than $10K on a bathroom in terms of property value, no matter how flashy the fixtures or shiny the tiles are.
New bathrooms will not be too much more. You will need to pay to run waste pipes, vents and electrical cable for lighting. Additional costs will of course be incurred for jetted tubs (need their own fuse) and active ventilation (need power and exhaust pipes). Generally though these costs will be labor and so add only a few hundred dollars to the bill.
If you have weak floors these will need to be reinforced (and level) before installing tubs and trays.
If you want to expand or change the layout of a bathroom, this should not be a major blow to the budget. Moving a wall is only a day’s job. Keep in mind that the most difficult (and therefore expensive)item to move is the toilet. The 3′ or 4′ pipe needs to be pitched to pass code, and adding a new pipe or moving an existing one is a major project.
Contractors often run into problems doing any job. These can be legitimate (and usually expensive!) unforeseen structural or circumstantial problems that have to be dealt with to finish the work. Never take their (our) word for it, however! Always ask to see what the problem is and if you think they are exagerating the situation or are in any way suspicious of their description, get a second opinion. As a rule of thumb, it is always best to add an extra 10% to an estimate, just in case. This way you should avoid nasty surprises.
1. Build a clothesline
Next to your refrigerator, your dryer is likely the biggest energy-guzzling appliance in your house. And while we wouldn’t ask you to store your food in a vintage icebox, an old-fashioned clothesline is actually a pretty good idea. (If that sounds too retro, think of it as a “solar dryer” instead.)
You can buy a pulley kit like the one pictured here at the hardware store. Or you can order the components online. But it’s easy to make a traditional clothesline yourself, using 4×4 or 6×6 pressure-treated posts for the uprights and 2×8s for the cross arms (which don’t need to be pressure-treated). Simply notch the posts to receive the cross arms, set them in concrete, and run the lines on eye hooks between them. A 4- or 5-foot cross arm should give you enough room for five lengths of line, nicely spaced.
Lumber: $42
Hardware: $10
100 feet of line + 100 wood clothespins: $17
Total: $69
Pest control is a difficult task. Learning how to get rid of fleas, ants, mice, rats, crickets, roaches, and bees is no walk in the park. Even bug zappers offer a false sense of security; do it yourself pest control may not always be the best option, especially when termites have invaded your structure, potentially wrecking the foundation of your home. Learn more about pest control in these articles, and find out how to best find a pest management solution for your own home. Read more…
A new tile backsplash can quickly and beautifully update the look of kitchen countertops. And, if you have never done this job before, you may be happy to learn that it is a relatively easy do-it-yourself project. Because a backsplash does not need to be as impervious to moisture as a kitchen countertop, and does not receive the same level of wear and tear, the tiles can be adhered to the wall with mastic, which is much easier to use than mortar, the typical adhesive for countertop tile. This article explains how to do it.
After a year of trying to ignore the yellow-and-blue floral wallpaper the previous owners had in the kitchen, you decide you can’t take another year looking at it. Yes indeed, this wall covering must come down.
The problem: How do you remove the wallpaper without damaging the wall — or yourself? There are several options, including steaming or spraying with chemicals, but you’ll have to decide which one will work best for you and your wallpaper. Read more…
A home’s value can be increased with well-thought out kitchen and bathroom renovation projects that improve not only the appearance, but also the function of the two busiest rooms in the house. In many cases, the bathroom and kitchen may be connected and certain remodeling jobs in one room are going to affect the other room in some way.
When the two rooms do join, floors are typically the same material and design. Since both rooms have the same slip hazards as well as the potential for laying water, having the same floor type can help eliminate the hazards in both rooms. Different bathroom or kitchen designs may be desired to visually separate the rooms during kitchen and bathroom remodeling, but having the same material may be a good thing.
Wall colors of the two rooms should complement each other as opposed to being a stark contrast, but if the rooms are totally divided, opposing colors can be used if desired. Using the same contractor for kitchen and bathroom remodeling can possibly save money since one person will be buying the materials for both jobs and can possibly get a reduced overall price on fixtures.
Mechanical Upgrades Done At Same Time
By using the same contractor for plumbing and electrical work on kitchen and bathroom remodeling jobs, can definitely reduce the cost as they can run wiring and plumbing work for both rooms at the same time. If done with two different people, you will be charged double for the same work.
Coordinating countertops and wall coverings can also help coordinate your home renovation when kitchen and bathroom fitting projects are done at the same time. Additionally, both rooms will be torn up about the same amount of time instead of having each room in disarray at different times. Although the bathroom is usually the smallest room in the house, coordinating it to your kitchen can add to the value of your home.
When planning your kitchen and bathroom remodeling always consider the possibility that at some time in the future, you may want to sell the house and the project needs to add value and not detract from it. Odd color tile or countertops may be within your tastes, which are fine as long as you own the house, but think about what potential buyers may think of your choices in the future. If, during your kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects you stick to the basics, you will not go wrong.
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