So the other project that's going on here at 3202 is the renovation of the main bathroom -- the one on the 2nd floor. Heather is the lead on this one, and I've been remiss about the photos so far.

So why? Well, not much has been done in this bathroom since it's 1939 creation date. The tub/shower fixtures barely worked, and needed the kind of replacement that would have to remove part of the wall. The floor was cracked. But most of all, the wall tile is pink. "But wait," you say, "In the photos, the tile is white." That is correct. Folks who lived here before us didn't like the pink tile either -- so they painted it. Yes, painted it. A worthy sentiment indeed, but not a lasting solution. Inside the tub/shower area, well, lets just leave it as peeling and getting worse.

So we decided to rip it all out.

Heather's been hard at work with wall demolition, and last weekend it was time for the floor. In the photo you can see the wall to the outside, the squre hole where the vanity cabinet used to be, and the floor.

Here's Heather using snips to cut the metal lathe at the bottom of the mortar floor.

And here is the subfloor. 1939 is a bit too early for plywood, so this is how they worked it. On the joists (the wood running top to bottom in the photo) they hammered in a ledge that the boards (running left to right) rest upon. Atop this they poured the mortar for the base, and installed the tile on that. The mortar base was in bad condition, hence the cracked tile floor. Oh, and that's part of the plumbing in the middle there.

In case you're wondering just how thick that floor is. It makes for a great number of contractor bags, each holding a little bit of the floor.

We demolished half of the floor to keep the bathroom functional for one more week. Next weekend we'll tear up the rest. After the new plumbing, then we'll build up the floor and tile it anew. Photos, of course, will be forthcoming.