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Master Bath
In this house the 'Master Bath' refers to Nancy's. That's just the way it is.
Actually, that's the bathroom in the original part of the house and until this
renovation it was the smaller of the two full baths upstairs. It had been
updated once, maybe twice before but this time was a bit larger in scope.
We planned ahead some here. This bathroom shared a wall with the old kitchen
and when that was converted to a walk in closet, a new wall was
erected about three feet to the closet side of the old shared wall.
The first actual step in the renovation was to accept the fact there
would only be one upstairs bathroom for a fairly lengthy period. Once we
agreed on that, the bathroom was gutted and the old wall adjoining the closet
nee kitchen was removed. The extra three feet was absolutely necessary to
accommodate the jet spa that was planned and still be able to use standard depth
cabinetry. Because this old bathroom had
been subject to its share of leaks over the years, the floors, both top and subfloor,
were also removed, which made for a very interesting room. To make sure the
floor would support the weight of the spa additional 2x6s were added between
the existing floor joists, carried at one end by doubled 2x6s on jack posts and
at the other on the original outer block cellar wall. A sub floor of exterior
3/4" plywood was then put down.
A new heat duct was run since the old one had been in the wall that was removed.
New water and drain lines were put in place, the drain by removing the existing
cast iron pipe and tapping into an unused clean out in the cellar floor. All
new wiring was done, all 20 amp and all ground fault interrupter protected.
An exhaust fan was ducted from above the toilet to the outside wall; the interior walls
as well as exterior walls were fully insulated as of course was the ceiling.
A 32x38 double casement window was installed at the top of the exterior wall
for light and summer ventilation.
The layout boasts a Maax corner spa with glass shower surround. The toilet
is diagonally placed in the corner behind the door and there is a 6' counter
with a 7' high linen cabinet at one end. The wall space above the counter has
two mirror faced medicine cabinets with mirror tiles above and between as well as a
five position light bar. There is a light in the
ceiling in the center of the room, another above the spa and a heat lamp just
outside the spa. The floor is a tile style laminate over 1/4" Luan sealed with
three coats of Zip-Guard water based urethane. We have used this finish
extensively on oak trim and think it's great; low odor, no killer fumes,
goes on easily and holds up well. The laminate has so far also held up fine;
we were a bit hesitant at first about using laminate in a high humidity area.
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One neat little feature is a toilet paper and magazine holder built into the wall
as shown here. This provides the necessities without taking up space.
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Jan 31, 2004
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