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M

Marvo

Today was day 1 of my downstairs bathroom renovation.

  • Remove accessories like towel rail, shelves, mirror, panel heater, toilet roll sculpture etc.
  • Remove basin, cistern and toilet and bath.
  • Drain plumbing, disconnect redundant pipes and cap open pipes, make wiring safe.
  • Break down brick surround that supported the bath with a jack hammer and break up & remove half a cube of concrete that the bottom of the bath rested on.
  • Chisel open external wall and remove several drain pipes.
  • Remove wall tiles with jack hammer.
  • Remove floor tiles with jack hammer.
  • Carefully remove the old adhesive from the walls and floor back to original plaster level using SDS drill in chipper mode.
  • Collapse in a heap on the couch.
  • Persuade wifey to assist in removing shoes and helping with the hobble to the upstairs shower to get clean.
 
OP
M

Marvo

I'm so shagged this evening I'm actually feeling light headed. I've got no appitite and didn't eat dinner, I think my knees are permanently damaged and I can't stand up straight. I haven't worked that hard in decades and I'm sitting here in pain, typing with one finger (that's still intermittantly bleeding from the knuckle) wondering why in the hell anyone in their right mind would do this as a full time job....
 
OP
M

Marvo

Lessons learned so far;

  1. Broken tiles are sharp, I need gloves.
  2. I also need kneepads or a kneeling pad of some sort.
  3. Painkillers are better located nearer the job to avoid having to hobble upstairs for them.
  4. A larger supply of band aids is required with a wider rang of sizes in it.
  5. A closed door and a 100mm axial extract fan does nothing to prevent the entire house getting covered in dust.

I may add more learned lessons later when the pain subsides and the bleeding slows to a trickle and I can think a bit clearer.
 
OP
B

Blunt Tool

I’ve noticed that when I am doing work in my own house I hardly stop even for 5 minutes to have a coffee, and can’t relax, don’t know why!
 
OP
M

Marvo

I’ve noticed that when I am doing work in my own house I hardly stop even for 5 minutes to have a coffee, and can’t relax, don’t know why!
I was like that this morning but as the day rolled on I was taking longer and more frequent breaks. Every break had a good excuse like excessive bleeding, knees in pain, sweat and grit running off my forehead into my eyes and onto my glasses giving visibility problems, the dog needing some attention and loving, I could have swore the doorbell/phone just rang.....there were lots of good excuses.
 
OP
O

One Day

I’ve noticed that when I am doing work in my own house I hardly stop even for 5 minutes to have a coffee, and can’t relax, don’t know why!

I am the exact opposite! Especially if the wife and kids are home, I really struggle to get on with anything.
 
OP
M

Marvo

This is the main cause of the unplanned breaks, he's nosey and constantly moans because he can't see what's going on when the door is closed.

6.jpg
 
OP
F

Flintstone

I think you'll find the rip out you have done today is the hardest of all the job usually. It's a job I don't do unless I really must
 
OP
M

Marvo

I think you'll find the rip out you have done today is the hardest of all the job usually. It's a job I don't do unless I really must
Can't say I blame you. With 20-20 hindsight I would have got labourers in to do it....
 

Boggs

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OP
O

Old Mod

Marvo, please keep the posts coming,
It’s the funniest thing I’ve read in such a long time, and I can feel your pain with every single tap of your bleeding fingers! :p
 
OP
M

Marvo

Day 2.....sigh...

  • Trip to the local rubbish dump to get rid of yesterdays rubble.
  • Purchase band aids, Tramedol, kneepads and gloves (and a sausage & egg McMuffin) on the way back home.
  • Measure, layout and mark all locations for shower drain, shower taps and plumbing, basin taps and plumbing, glass shower screen etc.
  • Excavate through the screed and into slab to allow 800mm Wirquin shower drain pan to be positioned.
  • Chase 50mm shower drain into floor and open wall to allow it to drain into external gulley.
  • Carefully plane gradual slope towards drain pan into shower floor using jackhammer.
  • Cut back plaster and brickwork around window to prevent finished tile level covering the entire wooden window frame.
  • Chase walls for plumbing pipes.
  • Smooth all walls and floor with a diamond cup-wheel disk to remove high spots.
  • Early finish.
 
OP
M

Marvo

Day 3

  • Cemented all the holes in the floor.
  • By 9.30am I'd had enough and decided to go fishing instead.
Lessons learned;
Fishing is far more pleasurable than building work.

10.jpg

4th from the left, even after several Tremadol I'm still aching so much I'm struggling to hold up the 88 kilo yellowfin tuna.
 
OP
S

Spare Tool

Day 3

  • Cemented all the holes in the floor.
  • By 9.30am I'd had enough and decided to go fishing instead.
Lessons learned;
Fishing is far more pleasurable than building work.

View attachment 102370

4th from the left, even after several Tremadol I'm still aching so much I'm struggling to hold up the 88 kilo yellowfin tuna.
200lb WOW... It looks like the guy on the lefts fish had a little argument with a shark on the way in?
 

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