I started demo-ing the Studio’s bathroom all by myself and I actually did an okay job…until I uncovered a big problem…
Last week I walked into the Studio in my work clothes and my waterproof shoes with a drill in one hand and a pry bar in the other. I burst through the door, flung my arms out wide, and in my best Chip Gaines impression ever, I shouted “It’s DEMO Day!” The excitement was flowing…for about thirty seconds.
I stood in front of that 28″ doorway with my hands on my hips and realized something important. I don’t know how to demo a bathroom. But how hard can it be, right? I watched a few YouTube videos, read a few Home Depot tutorials, and decided to just go for it.
My First Attempt At Bathroom Demo
First I unscrewed the hinges that held the tiny little door on the frame and moved the door out of the way. Well that was easy. Then I wedged the pry bar under the door trim to pull it off. At first I tried to be careful so I could reuse the trim, but then I realized the new prehung door already had trim included, so I went full-on Mr. Gaines all over again and ripped it off. Turns out removing a door frame is pretty easy, too!
Next up was to open up the wall to make sure there was weren’t any random wires running through. I was pretty sure it would be empty, but to be safe, I carefully removed the wood panelling with just the pry bar. Luckily it’s all empty except for a water line at the very end. So looks like I’m all clear to widen that doorway. (Still have no idea how to do that, but I think I can figure it out.)
So Far, So Good…
Our plumber is coming on Wednesday to swap the toilet and reroute the sink plumbing, but I wanted to try to get a head start by removing lighting, mirrors, the sink counter, and pulling up the flooring that was accessible. I removed three planks and realized this was going to be super easy. But that’s when the problem showed up.
Before we bought the house, we noticed the toilet was leaking. They assured us that it was fixed before we moved in. It. Was. Not. Fixed. Sandwiched between the LVP and the 1970s original linoleum was the stinkiest water I’ve ever smelled. The baseboards were wet, the wall framing was wet, it was all wet. Wall to wall under the flooring was a thin layer of brown water. Good thing I wore those waterproof shoes.
What’s Next?
Uggghhh, this was not what I expected. Good thing the plumber is coming soon. In the meantime, I’m going to go ahead and start opening the doorway today and frame it out. When Nigel gets home from work we’ll install the new door. And I’ll silently seethe in disappointment that the “flippers” that remodeled our house may have done an even worse job than we thought. I’ll report back soon with an update! (PS: In case you missed it, here’s my design plan for the remodel.)
My Demo Day Dream Team
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