Adventures in renovation or how I learned to love bunnies.

So, I had a few friends over sunday , who are handy type folks. They had generously agreed to help me remove the old shower, and install a new shower in my 160 year old home. Simple . right?
Well ..no , our first issue the old shower ( corner unit) was not installed properly plumbing leaked , and surprise! surprise! mold on the floor and wall . We broke out the bleach and some high hiding primer , settled that. next marking out the new shower (alcove unit) and building a support wall .

Our first obstacle moving the light switch and the outlet so we can build the support wall, that's when we discovered a live outlet on the wall behind the second wall the previous owner's built for the shower, and instead of wire nuts..the wires were soldered together and covered in electrical tape..which we discovered as we were pulling it off was starting to melt. we disconnected the random outlet and made sure the wires had no power and continued on our way. while putting up the wall , we discovered we had to move the light attached to a lath and plaster ceiling...you can imagine how that went ( this is where my handy man type friend began to recite his mantra..i love bunnies) I now have a rabbit hole in the ceiling , but since the bathroom is wonderland I will make it work. 

light moved..wall built..outlet and switch properly wired in new wall. lets cut a hole for the drain...oh wait it's right next to a floor joist ...somehow by miracle or sheer force of will he made it work. ( i think it's because he loves bunnies) base is installed.. now for the walls. let's mark and drill a hole for the faucet handle...so far so good.. try to put it all together ...new shower is farther out form the wall than the old shower...take the side wall out... cut hole in plywood to look at plumbing( beautifully done, and correct...unlike the wiring) we were able to move it forward enough to put a piece of 2x4 behind it thus creating the wiggle room we needed to attach the handle. and tada!! I have a shower.

This whole process took almost nine hours. the only easy part was reconnecting the drain in the basement. 

we still have to do the cosmetic stuff.. like sheetrock , trim , etc.. but I have a working shower and a properly wired light and outlet. and a new mantra for unexpected issues( i love bunnies) 

I am thankful for good friends (my handy man's wife is amazing ) and fun and interesting renovations. I am sure we will all love bunnies again as I have several more projects before the house is complete.