Challenges of installing a bathtub

Installing this tub hit Neal like a ton of bricks, or pipes.. haha

A white alcove tub that needs to be installed

To catch up on the bathroom renovation check out

Week 1- Girls bathroom Moodboard

Week 2- Bathroom demolition for beginners

Week 3 – We completed the bathroom renovation

And I say that because I literally had no part in this. We all under estimated how hard it would be to do the plumbing and installation of the tub in an older home with floors that are not level. It took Neal 2 days to install the plumbing and tub. In a family with 2 working adults, the weekends are so key to make progress. We had big plans to start tiling the floor, but we couldn’t.

The problem with installing the tub: 

  • The floor was not level
  • The drains would not align when the tub was levelled
  • When the drains aligned, the tub was not levelled
The bathtub pipes did not line up

Neal and Asma tried to troubleshoot this by adding shims under the bottom of the tub to level it a bit more. In the end, they were ¼” off. I came by to give them a vote of confidence and tell them to keep going forward. In the grand scheme of it, the bathroom is going to be beautiful and no one will be able to tell. 

Once the tub and plumbing was installed, they installed the Kerdi board. This is like drywall for the bathroom. Neal said he believes that plumbing and tub were the most difficult part of the whole challenge and I don’t disagree. 

tub that needs backerboard installed
New tub and backerboard installed in the tub

To be honest, we are really going to have to work hard to get to the finish line. So much progress to be made in week 5 and 6! Now we have an additional curve ball thrown at us. Neal’s colleague (a physician) tested positive for COVID. Neal is vaccinated. And while the risk of transmission is low, my husband is a high risk patient with a pre-existing health condition.

Neal and I were brainstorming how we can work together:

  • One person cuts tiles in the garage. The other person lays them
  • I go over while they are working (and Peppa the Pig will babysit the kids while my husband works from home)

Wish us luck!!!!!! And make sure to head over to instagram to follow along on our adventure!

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