bathroom renovation/repair

[Popsicle_toes]

Bought a dump, the bathroom floor had apparently rotted, they added a layer of plywood and lino, rotted again, so they added another layer and wood laminate. (Bathtub actually had one more layer of plywood under it) When the repair was done, there was a nail driven into the supply line to the toilet, so..... Foolishly had friends who owed me money pull and replace part of the flooring, although not the tub. wound up with another mess.. the beautifully handmade vanity is partially apart. The contractor I am hiring to fix my mess and the 4 or 5 layers under the tub says we need 2 layers of plywood because he can't place a 2x 4 over the heating vent and the floor would sag there. already planning on a replumb on the bathtub because the pipes won't be the right length. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. On a very, very tight budget as it is. Oh, and since he added 9 inch tiles as a tub surround, those have to come out, probably have to replace the sheetrock behind it with waterproof sheetrock

[Yanita]

Hi Doni,

LOL, at one time or another all of us that have bought pre owned mobiles feel like we bought a dump. Sometimes the repairs can be over whelming. For what it's worth I promise you we can get you through this...

Good money was thrown away on the bathroom floor repairs as you have well learned. Never place good wood over bad, the repair and I use that term loosely will never last and generally creates more problems.

Since you are going to replumb, good decision, then should gut your bathroom to the floor joist and the wall studs. This will allow you to see everything in its current condition. Since you have had leaks there is bound to be some damage somewhere.

Joist can be replaced as can studs, and if not completely replaced they can be sistered.

As for the vanity I am not sure if you are being smart or your truely mean there is an antique vanity in there. Either way, this is removable and should be. This will allow for a much nicer subfloor installation.

As for 2 layers of plywood subfloor...ummm, thinking not. Trust me, there are enough folks here with creative thought processes that will figure out that 2x4. If possible would/could you post a pic. This will allow for step by step instructions.

Yes, the tub and shower unit will need to come out and be replaced. To fix the leak and possible other damage and get that floor done right. Generally we recommend a green board behind the surround. Generally 3 sheets will get you done there.

We do not recommend tiles as a shower surround, mobile homes flex with seasonal changes depending on your foundation and area. We also only recommend a vinyl bathroom floor.

Ok, you said you are on a tight budget. Do you have a Habitat for Humanity Restore available to you. They typically have some nice stuff, at least ours does for cheap money. Lowe's and Home Depot both sell vinyl remnants for cheap that generally fit any mobile home bathroom.

Oh, and might I suggest that you go to the BOOKS/PARTS link above and order our Repair Manual. You can either get the manual or order the download. This will be useful during your remodel and many other repairs that you might have.

Welcome to the site and we look forward to helping you.

Yanita

[Greg]

Hi & welcome. We all know what tight budgets are. I would reccomend totally gutting the room, right down to the studs & floor joists. Yes it may sound expensive, but in all reality is it the most cost efficent way to do the job.
You can see the results of what happens when the job is not done right and if you stop to think about it, the cost is at least twice what it would have been had it been done right the first time. Greg

[Brenda OH reregister]

This may sound a little out there, so comment away experienced rehabbers lol.....

We had redone the bathroom floor, and I was feeling flex in the flooring at the duct, so I put strip of 3/4 inch plywood on on each side of the duct opening inside the duct strip about 3 inches wide, pushed it and the duct up against the subfloor, then screwed through the top subfloor, through the duct, into the piece of wood inside the duct. this sandwiched the duct metal between the two pieces of the plywood, and stiffened the floor there. I put the duct cover back on, and still seemed to have good air flow.

I forgot to mention, this duct opening was about 2 feet in front of the toilet, and it was hard not to step on the duct covering while moving around the bathroom.

Brenda (OH)

[Brenda OH reregister]

I should have added, strip was 3 inches by about 8 or 10 inches, whatever the inside dimension of the duct was

Brenda (OH)

[Popsicle_toes]

the previous owner was apparently really good at cabinet carpentry, that part will definitely be going back in. It's solid wood, beautifully stained. upper cabinet in place as well. Floors were apparently not his strong point, there is a 2nd layer of plywood throughout the entire house, skipping only the bedrooms. The smallest bedroom had to have the floor removed, because it had gotten wet and not only ruined, but warped! My family called it the roller coaster room

I actually bought the book download before I found the house. I liked the bones here, but hadn't seen the problem with the floor until after we pulled up the nasty carpet that was down. Probably won't pull the floor in the living room/kitchen part, partly because he put in beautiful solid wood wainscoating that still needs stained and dropping it by an inch would be an even more major project at this point.
I get quite a bit at Restore, they are great, also Freecycle has been a wonderful resource. Both toilets had tiny cracks in the bowls, and the one had the nasty plastic tank, which was replaced with a free eljer water saver toilet.

It is a dump at this point, will eventually be Doni's Dominion!

I will try to post a picture of the part of the bathroom floor that is making the problem. The fact that the hall next to it has the extra layer of wood makes putting in the extra layer in the bath more thinkable

[Yanita]

Hi,

Well I guess the choice is yours, we have explained the reason as to why not to put good wood over bad, and at this time you do not know what is under the other floors.

With 2 layers of wood on your floors do you still have the 2 inch gap under your interior doors when they are closed. Or do you have vents in the bottoms of the doors or above the doors. The reason I ask is, if not this could impede the proper function of your heat/ac unit.

Yanita

[Popsicle_toes]

ahhh.. I didn't explain well enough! the rotten wood except under the bathtub is gone.. replaced 3 layers of rot with 1 layer of plywood except over the ductwork.. daughter's idiot boyfriend actually cut through the duct work trying to fix it and left worse mess than to start, so we are pulling that piece of slightly damaged and replacing with plywood, then he wants to put plywood across the top of what was already replaced so it doesn't sag over the duct work. The door had already been shortened to allow the air to go through properly.
Also added 2x4 and 2x6 bracing on any of the joists that looked in the least bit damaged by the leak from the nail in the water supply line. We are pulling the tub, all the rotten wood under it, bracing any of the joists there that are damaged. I'm a big one for not covering any rot, because it will eventually rot the good too!

[Yanita]

Hi,

Thanks for the clarification and the pics. If you do all your floor repairs correctly now then you won't have to worry so much latter on!

Glad your doors were raised/cut to allow for the air return. At least the previous owner did that right.

Yanita

[Popsicle_toes]

that's part of the frustration.. he didn't finish any one project and there are dozens of half done ones, from wallpaper to wainscoating, partial repair of sheetrock, etc.

[Yanita]

LOL Doni,

Welcome to my world and state of living for the past 2 1/2 years!
You will get thru it. Do your homework on the repairs and knock them out one at a time. LOL, our homes are only so big so I figure sooner or latter I will get to the other end!

Yanita

[oldfart]

Aye DONI as has been mentioned many times before..there are no shortcuts on properly done repairs. I took a weeks vacation to remodel my bathroom and at present have less than 50% of the work done. Mind ye..this is a 7ft.x8ft. bathroom! They build entire homes in less time than this! As I peeled off layer upon layer of poor repairs the work got harder and harder. In the end I ripped everything down to the bare floor-joists and gutted the walls and even tore out the underbelly, all plumbing and electrical. My friend...I could tell ye tales ye wouldn't believe. The work has been hard and when I finally got a new plywood floor in and hooked up the toilet I celebrated by slamming down the lids on the "porta-pottie buckets" (empty drywall mud buckets..) and sitting them out at the curb with a "DO NOT OPEN!" sign on them! Take the time to do the job right 1 time. Yup..it's gonn'a take longer than you ever thought. I've been working on "The Oldfarts Dump" for about 5yrs. now. A full remodel from end to end in an old 1970s.w. that isn't worth a pittance. But..it's mine and it's payed for and it's energy efficient. Now buckle down an gitter done.