Over the past year or so we have worked on the enclosed porch, replacing some dated, leaky doors and windows.  With the help of a fellow woodworker/plumber we added a new bathroom to the basement of the house.  This year we want to tackle updating the rest of the basement.

One of the selling points of the home was what the realtor called a recreation room.  A rather old term, but none the less an apt description. This room is huge, it measures 24 feet by 30 feet.   It came with the ubiquitous dark paneling that was so in vogue in the 1950′s.  Also included in this “Rec” room, was another staple of the 50′s, a built in bar.  The floor was covered with an unidentifiable colored carpet.  Best bet was that at some point it was yellow.  Now it was a color someplace between dirty yellow and brown.  Despite the paneling and questionable colored carpeting, this room was a gem.  It has so much potential.  The question however, was what would be the best use of the space.  The pictures below are of the room as it was when my daughter and her kids moved in.  As the lighting was terrible, the pictures are dark but you get the idea.  The pictures pan from left to right around the room.

Doing what many professional designers suggest, we did nothing with this room for the first year that she was in the house. This allowed for everyone to come to grips with exactly how the room was really used, not what everyone thought it would be used for. It’s real easy to sit there and pontificate on how you think a space will be used, it’s entirely another thing to actually know how it’s used. To understand how best to use the room we looked at several areas of the room. 

We needed to determine if there was enough lighting in the room. This one was a no brainer, NO there wasn’t enough lighting.  Being a child of the 50′s, yes I’m really that old, I don’t recall the world being dark and dreary, but based on the lighting in this house and many others of the era, it must of been.  In this entire room, all 720 square feet of it, was light from a total of 4 single bulb ceiling fixtures, and two single bulb wall sconces. Considering how humid it gets down in the basement in the summers, I’m surprised that there were not mushrooms growing down there.

The same types of lighting were present or maybe a better word would be missing,  throughout the house. Each of the bedrooms had an “updated” ceiling fixtures.  These ” builder grade” fixtures were installed in the house as part of the  ”let’s sell the house upgrades”.  It didn’t take much imagination to see those 12″ square ceiling fixtures that many homes of this era had. The upgraded fixtures were better looking than their predecessors, but really didn’t provide much more illumination.   During the move in stage, these were all removed and replaced with ceiling fans that included lighting packages.   

The initial game plan for the recreation room, also known as the family room, involved removing the bar and the wall behind it.  We weren’t 100% sure what we wanted to do with the rest of the room, but the past year had proven that the “bar” was not needed, nor was it used.  In fact most of the time, the bar did nothing more that act as holding area for things that couldn’t find their way back where they belonged. Funny how that happens when you have kids in a house.

We are sure that if this old bar could talk, it would have plenty of tales of good times and family fun it witnessed.  But now it was  large unused piece of architecture, and it had to go.  As we started to disassemble the bar, we soon found a couple of surprises.  We knew that there was electrical power in the wall behind the bar, and I had made plans to disconnect it before we took the wall down, but we hadn’t counted on their being power inside the bar itself.  

The work of tearing out the old bar was halted temporarily while I traced the electrical wiring down and then safely removed it.  Most of the wiring went back into junction boxes that were located inside the adjacent utility room.  While in most jurisdictions the use of electrical junction boxes is allowed, I prefer not use them.  The person or persons who did the initial wiring in this basement apparently felt otherwise, or the cost of junction boxes were a LOT less than the cost of wire back when this was installed. When I traced one of the circuit from behind the bar back into the utility room, I ran into a junction box, no problem, except that this junction box was connected to another junction box located 12″ away. One junction box made sense, but the second one, who knows.   I removed the wiring all the way back the second junction box, the first box and all of its associated wiring were removed and put aside for recycling.

The national wiring code Stipulates the number of wires that are allowed in any electrical box.  For detailed information on the this subject, please go to our electrical reference page. Local jurisdictions may amend the national code, by adding further requirements, so it is advised that you contact your local electrical inspector or codes enforcement bureau if you have questions. 

The national code allows a total of 10, 14 gauge conductors in the size electrical boxes that I removed.  Each of these boxes held a maximum of 6 conductors, so I have no idea why there were so many.  Unless the electrical got a good price on the boxes. 

To dissemble the bar itself, I used a special tool, Kid power. I never realized how much fun two young boys could have with a sledge hammer.  After equipping them with gloves and safety glasses, I turned them loose on knocking the bar apart. 20 minutes and a lot of laughter later the bar, was a pile of broken lumber on the floor of the basement. As part of the deal to allowing them to tear the bar apart, they helped carry the debris out to my trailer.  

The wall behind the bar, was removed using the same tools. Ok, I did use a couple of pry bars, and a reciprocating saw, but most of the wall was knocked down with the sledge hammer and some well placed karate  kicks. The boys had so much fun with the bar and wall, that they were disappointed when I stopped them from tearing anything else out.

So now with the bar and supporting wall removed and the area cleaned up, it was time to set back and really decide how best to use this large open space. After a lot of discussion, some serious, some ridiculous like an indoor pool, we came up with a master plan on to use this space.  More on that later.   

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The book entitled “Measure Twice, Cut Once” was an autobiography on Norm’s life as a carpenter and eventually a star on the PBS show. In the preface of the book, Russell Morash, the executive director of the TOH show wrote about how impressed he was when he first met Norm.  Not only was his workmanship outstanding, but Morash was also impressed with how frugal Norm was with the materials on hand for the project. While a lot of job sites are littered with scraps from the project, according to Morash, Norm appeared to use ever piece of material available to him.   

To tell you the truth, I don’t recall much about the book, other than it was very enjoyable and worth the read.  But I do recall the preface.  Here we have a very skilled craftsman who is also very frugal, quite a testament to Norm.

So why am I telling you this story? It’s not to document the fact that yours truly actually reads, nor is it to try and get you to read Norm’s book, although it’s really a good book, but rather to celebrate the sentiment that was so well expressed in the preface, we can all be good woodworkers and do it in a frugal manner. That’s a concept that I am afraid many of us have lost sight of, including yours truly.

If you have been following my latest escapades, you know that I am in the mist of replacing 13 windows in our daughter’s home. And that after installing the first “trial” window, I discovered that I had to replace the entire trim package for the window.  This was due to the fact that the new windows are dimensionally a different size then the old double hung windows. Add to this the fact that most of the old trim work broke as I tried to remove it for the window.

My first inclination was to go to the local DIY center and purchase the pre milled pieces I needed.  A move that wasn’t very frugal… here’s why.  All molding is sold per linear foot. The pre milled “stool” that matched that in the

Figure 1 Profile of Window Stool

house sold for $4.20 per linear foot.    The first window required 3 1/2 feet of this molding. That equates to $14.70 plus the governor’s share (tax) which would add $1.03 to the price.  And then I would still have to trim this $15.73 piece of molding because the new pre milled sill is too wide for my application.

I would also need to replace the stop bead for all of the windows.  The pre milled stop bead lists for $.86/ linear foot.  The math of a single window would go something like this for the Stop Bead. Each window would require 12.5 linear feet of the stop bead, so that 12.5 X $.86, plus the governor’s share which in my case is 7%. We have $11.50 per window.  Add this to the cost of the stool, we have a whopping $27.20 per window. 

If I were doing only one window, this added $27 wouldn’t amount to much to the project, but we have a total of 13 windows to do, so instead of $27, we are looking an added $353.60.  That’s more than the cost of an additional window.  As a “frugal” woodworker, I couldn’t do it.

Taking a page from Norm’s book, Sorry about the pun, I decided to mill all of the trim for the windows.  At the local DIY store I found 4/4 poplar, a 12″ wide piece sold for $3.87 per board foot. Thus a 12 foot piece cost $49.69 including tax.  Out of this single piece of poplar I was able to make the trim for 6 windows.  In case you’re interested in the math, that’s $49.69 vs. $163.20 for six windows.  Kinda hard to argue with the math.

Making the stool was a four step process.  The first step was to use my router equipped with a 1/4″ round over bit.  I used the router to round over both edges of the entire 12′ length of poplar. Then I turned the piece over and applied the same round over treatment to the bottom of the stool blank.  Then using my portable table saw, I ripped 2 3/8″ from both edges.  Then taking a cue from the original stool material, I changed the angle of the blade on my table saw at 15°, to cut the angle of the undercut on  the stool. (See profile picture above). The final step was to bring the blade back to zero degrees and cut the back edge of angle of the undercut.  And I had a stool for the window. 

Figure 2 Window Stop Bead

To make the stop bead the process was even easier, using the same router and bit, I cut the profile along the top edge of the poplar, then ripped it 5/8″ width. 

Of course I still had to cut the stool so that it fit into window correctly, but I would have had to do that no matter what.   The same can be said about the stop bead, I had to cut it to length and then miter the ends.  But again, that would have to be done even with the pre milled stuff.  Yes, it added time to the project, about a total of 15 minutes. But I think that saving over $225, is worth 15 minutes of my time. 

The same idea was used on the outside of the windows.  When we had removed the old ugly storm windows and the mountains of caulk, we were left with some very ugly exposed faces of the blind stop. They were discolored and stained from the caulk, and years of exposure to the elements.  I tried cleaning them off, no joy.  It was either sand each and every one of the blind stops, or cover them.  We elected to cover them. 

But I didn’t want to just cover the stops with more wood that I would have to maintain year after year.  Instead we decided to use the same material we had on the breezeway,( http://www.sawdustonthefloor.com/?p=5677)  a wonderful product called Azek. The Azek is sold either as dimensional lumber ( 1 x stock) or as pre milled trim.  The pre milled trim sells for over a $1.00 per linear foot, whereas a 1×12, 12 feet long sells for $54.00 at the local DIY centers.  The trim pieces I needed were only 1/2″ thick by 3/4″, so cutting them out of the piece of 1 x12 only makes sense.  Even allowing for the kerf of the table saw blade, I was able to make 18 pieces of 12′ long pieces of trim.  More than enough for all the windows. 

The process was very similar to making the stops; in fact it was the same process, the only difference being the setting on the tablesaw for the width of the rip cut.

So now all of the windows have been installed and trimmed out. The seams have been caulked, to eliminate air infiltration.  While I was working on the outside of the windows I also took the time to examine the old caulk around the windows.  Where it was cracked or weather checked, I pulled it out and replaced it.  All that remains is to take the old windows to the local recycling center, no sense in filling the land fill with them. The rest of the construction debris will also have to be taken away, then it’s time for a cold glass of Ice tea. 

What this project taught me was that changing the windows wasn’t that hard, in fact changing the windows was easy.  The trim work took some time to do right.  I also re learned the lessons from Norm’s book; it’s not hard to be frugal.

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Well apparently the guy who installed the storm windows on my daughter’s home, never heard that philosophy because the storm windows on her house are held in place with beads of caulk that are at least 1″ thick.  In my last posting I commented that it took me less than 30 minutes to remove the double hung windows, well double that amount of time to remove the storm windows, and it shouldn’t have taken that long or even better difficult.  On some of the storm windows I found that there were four very small wood screws that attached the storm window to the outside of the blind bead.  These screws were covered in caulk, and were way too small to have any real affect on keeping the storm windows attached to the house. I am not really sure why they were even installed. There was also a reasonable caulk bead around the outer edge of the storm window and the window frame.  This was expected and really didn’t pose a problem.  The issue was that on the inside of the storm, there was this massive amount of caulk that ran vertically down both sides of the storm, starting about 2/3′s of the height of the lower window.  Why it was there in the first place was a mystery, but why it only went that short distance was a bigger mystery.  It didn’t make any sense at all….

What I should have had to do was simply remove the four screws, cut the caulk seam between the storm window and the frame, and then remove the storm window.  Instead, I had to cut through this massive amount of caulk before I could separate the storm window from the house.  I tried cutting it with a utility knife; the only thing that accomplished was me breaking off a couple of blades.  I finally resulted in using my 5 in 1 tool( or 6 in 1 as some are) and a hammer.  I got the 5 in 1 jammed into the caulk, and then used the hammer to drive the tool through the caulk. Once I was able to break the bond, the storm windows came out with no more fight. But I then had to go back and remove the remaining caulk, which resulted in more work with the 5 in 1 and the hammer.  

After getting the storm out, I spent several additional minutes cleaning up the old caulk and reattaching some of the aluminum that had previously been installed around the windows.  Some of it was loose and some I had loosened when I removed the caulk buildup.   Some aluminum nails and my hammer took care of the loose trim.  The sharp edge of the 5 in 1 tool plus a wood chisel took care of the remnants of the caulk build up.

It was finally time to install the new window. All that was required from me was to install the bottom trim piece. The bottom trim piece fits into a groove in the bottom of the new window.  I had to get help putting this piece in, as it kept falling out as I lifted the window to put it into the opening.  The top cap piece is “U” shaped and simply sets over the top of the new window. This top cap piece allows you to extend the height of the new window once you have it mounted into the opening.  After this according to the manufacturer the window simply needed to be placed into the opening, starting by placing the bottom of the window into the space between the back of the sill and the blind bead.  Then the window should be tilted up into the opening.  Guess what, the window didn’t fit.  The width and height were ok; it was the thickness of the window.  It didn’t fit between the sill and the blind bead.  My new window was thicker than the original windows.  After pondering my options for several minutes, I grabbed my pry bar and began removing the trim and window sill.  I worked slowly trying not to damage any of the wood, figuring that I could simply cut the window sill down on my table saw and the reinstall it and the trim work.   I was wrong on that idea, but more on that later.

With the sill removed, it was now a very simple matter to lift the window into the opening, and miracle of miracles, it fit. The only remaining task was to secure the window into the opening.  The manufacturer had supplied four stainless steel screws that were to be driven through the sides of the new window into the window frame.  Before driving the screws, I first used a level and tape measure to verify that the window was centered in the opening, and that the window was in fact square and plumb.  To check plumb, I verified that the diagonal measurement was the same, going from the top right to the bottom left corner, as it was going from the top left to the lower right corner.  If these were the same, the window was square, if not I had adjust the window until the measurements are the same. To make this measurement easier I use a simple but very functional tool, called the Square Check for Tape Measures from Rockler.  It ensures that I have the end of the tape measure correctly placed for this very critical measurement. 

I also took the time to use my digital level to further verify that everything was correct.  With the lower window not in its locked position, I placed the level on the top rail of the window.  If this also indicated that the window was level, I could then secure the window to the frame.  Just as a side note here, the top rail of the lower window and the bottom rail of the upper window are known as the meeting rail.  If you use the level to verify that everything is level, it is very important that you do not have the window locked into place when you take the reading.  By locking the window into place, you can force it to be square even if the window itself is not square.

Another important thing I learned here was to drive the screws by hand, do not use your power screw guns or impact drivers.  They can force the window back out of square or worse distort the window.  Instead I simply used another simple tool to help me drive the screws by hand.  I applied a coating of Screw Lube to the threads of the screws before I drove them into the frames.

So now it’s time to reinstall the stop bead and the trim, but because this window was thicker than the original window, none of the original trim or case work would fit.  A trip to the local DIY store, produced a premade window sill and stop bead.  I also purchased some pre primed trim because I had been informed by my daughter that “since I already had the casing off” she would be just as happy if I replaced it also.   Installing the new sill required some work with my table saw and other hand tools to get it to fit correctly, the same was also true of the stop bead. But neither task was really that involved. 

We can talk about that the next time we get together here.  But the important thing I found out here was that I was able to get the old window removed and the new window installed without any major heartache, and that this work could be done within a reasonable amount of time.  So I spent the rest of the day taking measurements for the remaining twelve windows in the house, and placed an order for them.  They are due in within a couple of weeks, just in time for one of the weeks I have scheduled as time off from my normal job. 

I don’t think we will change anything about the windows themselves, but I think we need to re evaluate the sill and associated case work. The cost per foot of the pre milled stuff is definitely not cost effective.  At my local DIY center a piece of pre milled sill sales for $4.30 per linear foot and the stop bead retails for $1.18 per liner foot. Considering that I have another twelve windows to do, my rough calculation of the stop bead alone would be over $160.00, the sill would be some place north of $140.00, and I still have to do work on them after I get them to my shop.  I’m looking at purchasing some 1 x 6 poplar, which sells for $1.12 per foot, a much more reasonable price point. All it would take is a little work with a router and the table saw to turn the poplar into the trim pieces I need, and after all I am a woodworker, so that seems like a more reasonable approach.  While the windows are being built I think I will take the time to look at what router bits I can use for the case work.  Later……

For more information on or to purchase any of the products discussed in this post, please click on the highlighted links and images in the post.

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I have replaced several windows in our home, but our home had a shingle face, so replacing those windows wasn’t really difficult.  Remove some of shingles that surround the window, remove the old window, and then reinstall the new window.  If the size of the opening needed to be enlarged or made smaller, one simply changed the framing for the opening, and either cut the shingles back or added more as needed.  But with a brick faced house, you can’t simply change the size of the opening.  It is what it is; you’re stuck with the size of the opening.  Because changing the size of the opening would require that you not only change the framing on the inside wall, but that you also change the brick work on the outside wall.  Remember that homes that have a brick face, really have two walls. The inside wall that is made from conventional 2 x4 or 2 x6 framing lumber. This wall is normally covered with plywood or Oriented Strand Board ( OSB).   The brick face is then added on the outside of this wall.  So changing an opening in one would logically require that you change the opening in both.  The framing changes I can handle, the brick work, no thank you.

We had also considered the idea of having a contractor install the windows, but after some checking prices and reading some of the horror stories from people who have hired contractors to do the work,…. we decided that this wasn’t an option for us.  Talking about prices we had received some verbal quotes that we could get most of the windows replaced for $200.00 per window.  But when I went to several suppliers and asked for quotes for the same size windows, the prices ranged from $165.00 to $185.00 per window.  Kinda of made us wonder what kind of workmanship we could get for $15.00 to $35.00.  The house also had some very old, very badly installed combination storm windows that we knew we wanted removed when the new windows were installed. The cost to do this was an add on to the $200.00 installed price.  Replacing the molding around the windows, you guessed it… an add on. 

To solve my lack of knowledge, I did what most of us do today, I went on line and did some research.  What I found out was that this wasn’t as big of a problem as I suspected. I found out that I could remove the old windows, leaving the existing window frame in place and then install the new window inside that opening.  I also found out that I could order custom sized windows that would fit exactly into that existing window box.  I even found a downloadable PDF document that showed me how to remove the old window.   This internet thing is really pretty neat.   So with all of this new found information, was I ready to go forth and order all of the windows and have at it?  Nope, my daughter’s home and I have a special relationship, where every project I under take to improve it, the house always finds a way to make it much more difficult than it should be.  So I came up with a compromise solution.  The only room in the house that has only one window is the upstairs bathroom. Yes, the same bathroom that I spent last week end changing a light switch! So my plan was to order that single window, change it out, using the downloaded instructions and see how that went. Based on how difficult that one window was, and how long it took to change it, I could come up with a game plan for the rest of the house. 

To order the window, I first needed to provide accurate measurements of the opening.  The manufacturer of the window we chose provided some excellent tips on how and where to take the measurements.  You will need to provide the manufacturer with both the width and height of your opening.  To obtain the width, you want to measure the maximum width of the window box.  Remember your new window will fit inside the old window box. This measurement needs be taken at a minimum of three places in the opening.  Don’t assume that the window is plumb or square.  I took measurements at the bottom, center and top of the opening; I recorded the smallest of these measurements. For the height of the window you want to take the measurement again at three places, measuring from the highest part of the window sill to the top of the opening.  The window sill will slant away from the front of the window, so be careful to ensure that you take the measurement at the highest point, otherwise your new window may not fit.  And as with the width, record the smallest measurement.

The measurements in hand, I placed an order for this single window, praying that I did the measurements right, because the manufacturer was going to make this window to my measurements, right or wrong. To my relief, the window was going to be made a 1/4″ smaller in both directions from my measurements.  This allows for the fact that the old window box may not be plumb or square thus providing a place for shims if needed. 

After a 10 day wait, this window arrived and I was ready to go.  I had allotted a whole weekend to replace this window, just because I had no idea of what I would run into. And I wanted time to close up the hole I was about to make in the house. 

Before we talk about removing the window, we need to talk window terminology.   Starting at the front of the window, there is a “Stop Bead”.  You will find the stop bead on both sides and the top of the window.  In some installations the stop bead will be held in with screws and finish washers, or in my case with 4 penny nails.  You will use a putty knife, small pry bar or a 5 in 1 tool to remove the stop bead.  If the window has been painted, you will need to score the joint of the stop bead to break the paint away.  Next you find the upper and lower windows. The first window is considered to be the lower window, and the upper is farthest away from the front of the window.  Attached to both of these windows you will find either a cable or rope that attaches the window to a set of weights or pulleys that keep the window in place when you open it. To keep these two windows aligned vertically you will find a second bead, known as the parting bead or an aluminum track that the two windows ride in.  Behind the upper window is a final bead, known as the blind stop.   This bead runs along both sides and the top of the window.

To remove the old window, you need to remove the stop bead on the sides and top of the window.  In most installations the same stop bead can be used with the new window, so take your time removing it.  Once you have the stop bead removed, it’s time to remove the lower window.  In my case I had an aluminum track running vertically along the outer edges of my windows.  With my 5 in 1 tool, I compressed the aluminum track along one side of the window, while at the same time gently pulling the window toward me.  After working the 5 in 1 tool down about half of the height of the window, the window came out of the opening.  The only thing connecting the window to the window box was the cable for the pulley. Disconnecting it was a simple matter of lifting the end of the cable off of a hook on the side of the window.  When you do this  be careful, once released the pulley will retract quickly. If your window uses weights instead of a pulley, you will have the same arrangement.  Only difference is the weight will tend to fall within the weight pocket, instead of the pulley winding in. 

To remove the upper window, you compress the inner edge of the aluminum track, releasing the upper window in the same manner as the lower one was removed.  The upper window will have the same type of pulley or weights as the lower, and are removed the same way. The next step was to remove the aluminum track.  I inserted the 5 in 1 tool into the edge of the track and pulled it out of a set of channels milled into the sides of the window.

The old window was removed.  Total time; a little over 20 minutes, not even enough time for my coffee to get cold.  Before I can install the new window, I also need to remove the old combination storm window.  There are no instructions for doing this on the internet.  I think these windows predate the internet by several decades, so I think I’m on my own on those. I saw lots of paint, lots of caulk and the hint of some screw heads. Oh joy. I have to think carefully about the words I choose to use to describe the joy of removing the storm windows, so maybe you better come back next time to see how that went, and hopefully we can talk about installing the new windows.

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Installing the switch was really no big deal; I turned the power off to the circuit, removed the old standard on/off switch, and installed the new automatic switch.  Turning the power back on and testing the circuit, I realized that I had other problems. The two lights, one on each side of the medicine cabinet were intermittent, sometimes they worked, and sometimes they didn’t. The switch worked fine, it powered up the circuit when someone entered the room, and then powers down when the switch no longer senses movement in the room, just as it was advertised to do.  The problem was the lights itself; it was an old fluorescent light fixture.  I mean really old. When I took it apart to troubleshoot it I found amongst other things, old cloth wiring, a snap it “starter” and a very hot transformer.  Right there and then it was decided that the light fixtures had to go. 

If you are a prior reader of this blog, then you know where this is headed, this was just the start of another monster project.  And if you’re new, welcome, and please sit back and see how a simple project morphed into another weekend project.

A closer look at the two lights revealed another surprise, the lights were part of the medicine cabinet, not two separate fixtures like I first suspected. Electrical power came into the top of the medicine cabinet and then was split to the two light fixtures. I am getting frustrated, my daughter was overjoyed.  She hated the current medicine cabinet. So we went from replacing a switch, to replacing the switch and the lights that it controlled plus the medicine cabinet that the lights surrounded.

Off to the local DIY center went my wife and daughter to find not only a new light fixture but an accompanying medicine cabinet.   The light they found, but couldn’t find any medicine cabinets that looked right.  After kicking around the problem over lunch, it was decided that I would simply remove the old medicine cabinet and lights, install a single light centered over the sink, sheet rock the opening from the old medicine cabinet/lights, and install a mirror instead of the medicine cabinet over the sink.  Problem solved, I could take care of this in a couple of hours.  Or so I thought.

Turning off the power to the bathroom once again, I carefully disconnected the power to the medicine cabinet/lights. Then I removed the four screws that secured the medicine cabinet into the wall. As I started to remove the medicine cabinet I noticed that the wall tiles were coming off the wall with the cabinet.  This was not part of the game plan, I guarantee you.  I stopped pulling, but it was too late, the tiles had already cracked.  After uttering more words that I shouldn’t have, I explained the situation to both my wife and daughter.

Removing the medicine cabinet was breaking the ceramic tiles that surround the lower portion of medicine cabinet. We didn’t have any replacement tiles.  These tiles were several years old, perhaps decades old. The majority of the wall tiles are black, the edge or trim tiles are, I kid you not, a bright yellow.  I guess at some time, perhaps when dinosaurs ruled the earth, this color combination was in style, but not today. So when I finished explaining the problem, I wasn’t surprised to hear both my wife and daughter explain that this was a good thing, they could finally get rid of those very ugly tiles.

The game plan now has morphed from a simple light switch replacement to the replacement of the switch, plus the light that it controlled, plus the removal of the medicine cabinet, followed by some sheet rock work, and now removal of the wall tiles. The removal of the tiles will also require the replacement of the sheetrock that is behind the tiles.

So with a hammer and pry bar, I spent the rest of the day, removing tile and sheet rock from the wall that house the bathroom sink.  When we got to the outside wall, that contains a soon to be replaced window and more wall tiles, it was decided that those tiles should also be removed. As we removed those tiles and sheetrock, we got another surprise, no insulation behind the sheetrock. This new surprise necessitated another trip to the DIY center to purchase a roll of insulation. Speaking of trips to the DIY store, my trip to procure the sheetrock, had a very pleasant surprise.  They now stock what is labeled as “Ultralite Sheetrock”. This ½” thick sheetrock is about 70% lighter in weight than the conventional sheetrock.  The price delta between this lighter weight sheetrock and the conventional rock was only about $.20 per sheet.  Since I was buying only a few sheets, costs weren’t really a consideration, but even if I were purchasing many sheets, the reduced weight would overrule the added costs every time. The Ultralite sheetrock, worked the same as conventional rock, standard sheetrock screws and construction adhesive were used to secure the rock to the wall.  This was another opportunity for me to use my Makita impact driver.  This light weight tool was the perfect choice for driving the sheetrock screws.

Some online research revealed that the addition of insulation behind the walls of a brick home was not in vogue when this home was built.  Apparently the cost of energy wasn’t a big issue back then, but it sure is now.  Since we already had the sheetrock removed, it would have been almost criminal to not add the insulation to the wall. 

The bathroom is now back into operation, the switch, light, medicine cabinet and tiles have all been dealt with.  The new sheetrock has been installed and the first coat of “mud” has been applied.   My trailer is again full of debris from the bathroom, which will soon require another trip to the land fill. 

All of this work because two little boys can’t remember to turn off a light when they leave the bathroom. And my daughter’s house seems to always want to make my life just a little more difficult or at least that’s the way it seems to me.   On the positive side, the bathroom looks better; the beautiful black and yellow tiles are history, and the automatic light switch works. 

On the other hand, it just seems to me that there should be an option someplace between reworking the bathroom and teaching two boys to turn off a light. If I wasn’t busy removing tiles and reworking the bathroom, I think I would take the time to ponder that idea further.

Related posts:

1. Home Improvement: Tiling the Shower in the New Bathroom
2. Home Improvement: Adding a new Bathroom
3. Home Improvement Projects: Sheet Rocking the New Bathroom