A Helping Hand

Where to start? Should the floor or the wall be tiled first? Jim has done some of both. 

It isn't an easy job.  Tile is expensive and has to be handled with care.  It's a case of measuring twice and cutting once, which, of course, should be the rule with all construction projects and likely some other types of projects as well. 

Those blue thingys are levelers and fit in the spacers to make a nice even wall. 

Jim had his tile cutter set up on the patio for awhile, having to move it when rain is predicted. Now, he just walks up to the shop, cuts the tile and walks back down.  

A first peek.

Jim is working on the floor tile.  Both kinds of tiles are similar in color and design.  The floor tiles are matte and the wet room wall tiles are shiny. The floor of that room are different altogether. 

Jim is a very meticulous worker. It takes longer to get a job done. When it is done. It is done right.

Besides, it's a lot easier to protect tiles than clean them off. 

Bonita is here for a visit and a valuable helper.  It didn't help this day. I made pies, peach and pecan.

Jim has put up the railing bars around the edges for the "floating" ceiling, a grid set up with tiles so he can get the tile in place to finish that wall. 

 

Set In Concrete

Any project always takes more time and more money than expected. Jim is particular, which is a very good thing, because if you're going to make something lasting, it needs to be right the first time. This is the shower area with a bench and niche. Jim has the concrete board on here.

This is the vanity spot. Jim had his tool bench here, if you look at previous posts.  This doesn't need concrete board, but it has the kind of drywall that resists mold in damp areas.  Now he has to use the top of the pony wall as a small tool holding area.

This is the bathtub area complete with concrete board and ready for the water proofing membrane.

This little spot is where what Jim calls the linen closet goes. It probably will be some sort of storage since I lost two closets in this deal.

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Waterproofing is done on the floor.

The waterproofing stuff is "glued" onto the walls with "thin set."

 

Now, the walls are done, and fittings on. It's ready for tile.

Heating Up

I see that I've been about a month behind in keeping up with the basement progress. In my defense, I've been insanely busy, which me makes me too tired to do anything rational. We've been travelling quite a bit as well.

 We've almost given up on the garden. It's been hot, and we've been busy, gone and tired, as afore mentioned. Jim has been able to put in some longer working days. These photos were taken before we left late in July to take Barry on his '14 year old trip' with Gramma and Papa. 

On the left where the pile of tools and junk is a temporary shelf where the vanity will be. It butts up against the "pony wall", which will divide the "wet room" from the rest of the bathroom.

For those who don't know, a pony wall is a short wall in the middle of whatever. The wet room will be shut in by a glass wall and door and is where the tub and shower will be. The tub on the left the shower on the right.

The first photo is the preliminary framing up the pony wall.

  

I doubt that these next few photos are of interest to very  many people. Jim wanted photos of what all the piping looks like before it gets covered up. It seems to me a bit convoluted mess. Jim knows what he's doing, however.

Here is a photo of Jim's organizational system. 

Concrete board going up.

Niche to put things in. 

Shower "turn on", since I don't know the real name.

Next, this orange stuff goes on that hold the wire that heats up the floor. 

Around the drain.

Finished

Threading wire in between the bubbly bumps. That was tricky, since there was barely enough to go around. Jim had to reconfigure it a couple of times. 

After this, on to vacation.