Tim and Joel vs. the new shower
by Tim Faircloth on Jul 28, 2009, 9:28 am
Some time ago, my buddy Joel bought a house with the intention of fixing it up and selling it for a modest profit. We are both convinced that we could take is $50,000 house and turn it into an $85,000 with a little elbow grease and know-how.
In some respect, the thing has become a money pit — the previous owner didn’t know how to properly install flooring or molding, and would often use cheap materials or quick fixes to cover up a problem. Granted, neither Joel nor I had done anything on this grand a scale before, but we were determined to learn and do it right. I usually help with the bigger parts of the project even though I probably won’t see any profits from the sale myself… but what are friends for, eh?
Anyway, our latest project was installing a new shower and surround. I don’t have any pictures for you, but I’ll try to paint you a picture.
Initial Setup
When Joel bought the house, the bathroom had drywall, tile floor, and a cast iron tub with a tiled surround. The tile on the walls of the shower were mismatched and broken, the tub was on (slightly) unlevel because the floor underneath it was slowly rotting, and a hole in the floor next to the tub had been somewhat filled in with tile (which didn’t work out too well).
Immediate steps
The day the sale of the house closed, Joel invited me and several other folks over to take out the tile around the tub so it could be replaced. After several months of attempting to re-tile, put in a surround, and numerous other solutions, Joel was left with a tub surrounded by bare walls covered in plastic so he could shower… it was “a work in progress”.
Recent progress
Finally, he decided to scrap the tub and put in a one-piece surround/tub combination. Needless to say, he needed my help to move the old tub out and the new surround in. Additionally, we decided to replace the old cast iron/copper supply lines and drainage pipes with PVC since I was fairly confidant about my plumber-foo.
Problems arise
- Iron tubs are heavy.
- If you get a 30-inch-wide surround, it will magically expand when you get home so you won’t be able to get it through a 36-inch door without taking off the frame.
- It’s much easier to tear down a wall and then rebuild it than it is to attempt moving a huge piece of bathroom furniture through a hallway. Trust me on that one.
- Modern tubs and surrounds are made of fiberglass, so they’re pretty light (Joel and I could easily move it around), but the unfinished side is a deadly spike-trap for the cocky handyman that forgot to wear long sleeves or wear gloves.
- Even if you have your plumbing design well thought out, expect to spend at least an hour at Lowes re-thinking your design and laying pieces out on the floor of the plumbing aisle.
- Also, leave time to make a few trips back to Lowes because you will find that you got the wrong part, need something else, or break something.
- PVC cement is a pain in the ass… when you have time for it to set, it’ll immediately set so damned tight you can’t budge it with a pipe wrench, but if you want it to set quickly it’ll take 30 minutes to form a tacky seal that you can easily overpower while putting the fixtures on.
- Measure twice, measure twice more, cut once, then be prepared to curse because it still doesn’t fit right.
- Getting the surround level is the least frustrating part of the job. That should tell you how frustrating the rest of it is.
Conclusion
After working for two days from 5pm until 2am, we finally got the surround in. The fixtures are just a tad off-center, but all-in-all I think we did a decent job, and we both have a new respect for plumbers and contractors everywhere.
A few words on education...
by Tim Faircloth on Jul 28, 2009, 8:46 am
The object of liberal training is not learning, but discipline and the enlightenment of the mind. The educated man is to be discoverd by his point of view, by the temper of his mind, by his attitude towards life and his fair way of thinking. He can see, he can discriminate, he can combine ideas and perceive whither they lead; he has insight and comprehension. His mind is a practised instrument of appreciation. He is more apt to contribute light than heat to a discussion, and will oftener than another show the power of uniting the elements of a difficult subject in a whole view; he has the knowledge of the world which no one can have who knows only his own generation or only his own task.
What we should seek to impart in our colleges, therefore, is not so much learning itself as the spirit of learning. You can impart that to young men; and you can impart it to them in the three or four years at your disposal. It consists in the power to distinguish good reasoning from bad, in the power to digest and interpret evidence, in a habit of catholic observation and a preference for the nonpartisan point of view, in addition to clear and logical processes of thought and yet an indistinctive desire to interpret rather than to stick in the letter of the reasoning, in a taste for knowledge and a deep respect for the integrity of the human mind. It is citizenship of the world of knowledge, but not ownership of it.
Woodrow Wilson
The Spirit of Learning, 1909
Say hello, Gracie
by Tim Faircloth on Jul 27, 2009, 12:24 am
I would like you all to meet the newest member of the Faircloth/Moody family in Americus, Gracie.
Last week Erica decided she missed having two cats in the house so we went off to the Humane Society and got this beautiful, playful, loving, 1-year-old calico. Tomtom is still a tad suspicious of the new furball in her territory, but they haven’t killed each other yet.
Celebrity Deaths
by Tim Faircloth on Jul 9, 2009, 8:38 am
I find it sad that, with the death of Michael Jackson, the death of Billy Mays was completely overlooked. Rest in peace, Billy. The angels’ gowns are now brighter now that you have convinced them to use Oxyclean.
On that note, I also find it sad that my first knowledge of MJ was through this song