Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Mexico!

Marie and I will be joining Phil, Fernanda, and Amy in Mexico for Christmas this year. They leave on the 20th and we fly down to meet them in Mexico City on the 23rd. I will be updating whenever possible with pictures and stories of our adventures as we enjoy two weeks away from the cold white north. While we are gone friends will keep an eye on our place so we need not worry - keeping the road cleared of snow, checking our solar panels, etc. Hopefully we all have a safe, happy and memorable holiday - my wish to all of you as well! gws

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Our Retirement Home Party Twenty-Nine (Master Bathroom Part 1)

One of the most challenging jobs so far in the finishing of the interior of the house has been the construction of the shower enclosure in the master bathroom. Before beginning we first had to change the location of the drain hole - here my trusty reciprocating saw was a great help - and then plumb it into the main drain line. We had to be careful here as the PEX piping for the radiant flooring surrounds this wood insert. After that we strengthened the walls where the Durock cement board would go, then built a 2x4 curb 5 inches high around the two sides where the glass and door will eventually sit. At the same time we finished connecting the hot and cold water pipes through the wall to the main water supply at the right height for the taps. Next within the framed enclosure we used a combination of products from Mark E Industries of Florida that they claim to be 'goof proof'! These tools - their pre-pitch, kirb-perfectquick-pitch and string-a-level systems - we bought to help us simplify some of the most difficult and time consuming tasks in building a shower. And simplification we needed! From the following photos it looked easy but believe me it wasn't! Two weeks later after much frustration, bad language and stomping off outside to cool off we are now ready for tiling. Happy December to all!  gws


new hole for drain in 2x6 

36 x 60 inch curb

laying out pre-pitch sticks

mixing cement for pre-pitch

vinyl liner over new sloped cement and curb

Marie installing pex for water lines

putting up Durock cement boards and niches for bottles

quick pitch ready for cement

quick pitch and curb cemented


and this is where I am at the moment....