The Stand & Stare Phase

This is the point when I’ve finished most or all of the demolition and it’s time to start the rebuilding. I may spend hours over the next few weeks just standing in the room and staring. I’m trying to both envision the final product, while at the same time figuring out where to start.

This is a first for me in that I’m changing a rooms function, and it’s probably the most radical change you can make. I making a bathroom from scratch. I’ve done a lot of plumbing, but for the most part I have replaced what was already there. This time, I’m doing it all from scratch. I’m not worried about the supply lines, but the drains are what are giving me pause. I’ve never done drains from scratch and I will need to tie in to the 1985 cast iron drain.

Because a lot of the plumbing will be visible I want to get all the parts before I start the rough in. I should be picking up the marble vanity next week (fingers crossed). The tub has exposed supply and drains. The toilet is a high-tank and I’m going to put the supply 4 or 5 feet up on the wall so it’s a short run to the tank. That will be very visible. The vanity will sit on the sink legs I got and all of the supply and drains will be visible underneath. I’m going to do rigid, nickel plated, copper supply lines as opposed to the modern braided supply lines for the toilet, sink and tub. You will see everything, so it’s important that it all be nicely centered.

It’s all very doable, but it needs to be planned, otherwise I’m going to be staring at it for a long time and it will drive me nuts. In the upstairs bathroom I got the off-set for the high-tank supply line off by a half an inch. No one notices it but when I lay in the tub I see it and I notice. I noticed it an hour ago the same as I noticed it 2 years ago. If I were more ambitious and more wealthy, I might be tempted to spend $120 for a new supply line for the toilet. It bothers me that much. I don’t want to have any of those things happen with this next bathroom. I’m going to be doing a lot of Standing & Staring.