How to Build a Bathroom, Part II

In my last post I walked you through my bathroom project up to the point of installing the cement board for subfloor and shower backer. So we will start from there today! I want to mention that out of this entire project, this is where I got one step "wrong" and couldn't reverse it. I'll get to that shortly. For now, on to backerboards.

When applying tile to the floor and the shower walls, your substrait will not be the same for both. On the floor, you want to use OSB or plywood under the cement board to hold the weight of people walking on the floor. On the shower walls, you only need cement board as it is strong enough to hold the tile, plus you run the risk of walls swelling and tiles cracking if you have a wood product behind cement board. Wood will absorb water and swell, cement board will absorb water and remain the same size. I chose OSB as my floor substrait, and Hardiebacker cement board from Lowes. I used coarse-thread screws to attach my OSB to the floor joists, spaced 12-16 inches apart. At this step, you want to do one of two things to adhere the Hardiebacker to the OSB on the floor: either mix some of your thinset mortar that you will use for the tile and spread a thin layer over the OSB, or apply a healthy dose of construction adhesive between the two layers. I chose the second option, using Liquid Nails brand adhesive before screwing the Hardiebacker to the OSB. This is important because you want your floor substrait to be one single unit. As your house shifts over time, you want each surface to move independently and if your OSB and cement board are not firmly adhered you can get cracks in your tile down the road. Once you glue or cement those two layers together, run screws through the Hardiebacker and into the OSB, using the specialized cement board screws that are coated and threaded for this use. Also, make sure you leave an 1/8" space between your Hardiebacker pieces. More on that next.

Here you see my two oldest getting in on the Hardiebacker action. You also see the plastic sheeting I applied as a vapor barrier between the studs and the Hardiebacker. One important note is that you want to off-set your seams on adjacent walls. My walls were easy as the cement boards are typically 5'x3', and since that's the base dimension of my tile surround I ran the side pieces vertically and the back pieces horizontally. The seams naturally were off-set. Now, here is the "wrong" step I mentioned earlier. I made the mistake of placing my Hardiebacker first, then dropping in my shower base. I was so excited at how perfectly the base fit. I'm not kidding, I had less than 1/8" clearance for it to slide into place. However, what I was supposed to do was place the shower base and drop the Hardiebacker over the flange of the shower base. This ensures that if any water gets behind the tile it will run down the cement board to the shower. By the time I realized this I couldn't go back, because I had already completed the next step:

You can see in this picture the shower base with the flanges inside the Hardiebacker. You can also see the seams have a thin layer of mortar over them, thus my inability to reverse any steps. Anyway, the seams on floor and walls need to have a layer of thinset to connect your board, similar to the concept of midding wallboard. Just as with the Hardiebacker and the OSB, you want all walls/floors to behave as a single unit. Before apply thinset over the seam, make sure you apply an alkali-resistant mesh tape to reinforce the bond and prevent cracking. The 1/8" gap between boards that I mentioned before allows the cement to fully adhere your seams. Some experts recommend using the mortar in your corners, and a few recommend using silicone caulk. I used caulking, as it allows some give between your walls which I believe reduces the risk of tiles cracking down the road. Once your Hardiebacker is on, your seams are mortared, and your corners are caulked, you are ready to tile.

This was my first attempt at real tiling. Since I hadn't tiled and wasn't sure what to expect, I started with my floor since there was no danger of the tiles falling off the walls! I purchased dry cement mix because I heard it has better long-term results, and it's 1/3 the cost. I recommend mixing only enough to do small areas at a time on your first attempt, or you will end up with a lot of dry cement. We used 12" tiles and 1/4" spacers on floor and walls. to achieve our desired look. For a detailed look at how to tile, I recommend using YouTube as a resource, as I did! Lots of good material out there. If you want another how-to, maybe I'll tackle tile in more detail later. For now, we move to the shower surround.

The most difficult part of a tile shower surround is getting the tiles level and plumb. After doing my research, I settled on the method of tracing a level line from left to right at the top of where my first row of tiles would be. Since I didn't have the Hardiebacker over the shower flange, I had the added challenge of the bottom tile having a slight inward angle. The shower base is also made to angle to the drain, so don't trust anything other than a long level and drawn or chalked lines to guide your tile placement. I started by adhering my first row of tiles and allowing them to set. After they were set for an hour or two, I ran a vertical column of tiles, following a plumb line I traced for guidance. With your perfectly level bottom row and a plumb column for reference, you will find that you simply start troweling in areas of mortar and following your spacers up the wall.

We placed a double row of 1" accent tiles above the fifth row. I tiled up to this point with the 12"tiles, applied the accent tiles, then continued up the wall from there. If you find that your spacers are too small or too large for a particular space, remember that tiles may be slightly larger or slightly smaller than average, and use shims or other spacers to make up for the difference. The key is that your grout lines are straight from bottom to top.

Notice that the tile runs to the ceiling? I wanted to avoid drywall above the tile so I simply ran tile to the ceiling, applying my ceiling drywall before tiling the walls. I really like this look, it makes the shower look bigger and allowed me to place my shower head higher on the wall.

I'll wrap up this project in Part III!

How to Build a Bathroom, Part I

I have been wanting to do a "how-to" post now for some time. The occasion of building an entire bathroom from scratch provided the opportunity. As background for why I did this project, our home had one full bath and a "half bath" when we bought the place. The half bath consisted of a white room with unfinished walls, bare pipes in the walls and concrete floor. I attempted to get the bathroom in working order by installing a toilet on the existing plumbing, but after several backups I abandoned use entirely and the room became more of a catch-all for baskets of stuff when we hosted friends and needed a quick stash for stuff. Several months ago, during a visit to my family in Indiana, I talked with my dad a lot about options for making the bathroom workable. At that time we were intending a major kitchen overhaul, but through conversations and his encouragement, I decided to undertake the quick (HA!) project of getting the bathroom usable. So, we traveled home a couple days later and while Monica was at a First Communion retreat with our son, I tore apart the walls of the bathroom. The biggest advantage of this project is that the bathroom sits in a corner of our garage. This allowed easy access to 2 sides of the bathroom which were torn down, as well as the ability to expand several feet into the garage. For those of you with space-locked bathrooms, you are much less likely to expand the geographic footprint of your bathroom, but the renovation ideas will still apply. Here is the first photo I took. My only regret is that I didn't take an internal photo before knocking down the walls.

This was quite literally the easiest part of the project, the tearing down. I elected not to rent a dumpster, I recommend that for significant deconstruction that you do rent at least a small roll-off. My trash barrel was full to overflowing for weeks and I'm sure the neighbors were unhappy with my driveway's collection of drywall and concrete for a month or more.
At this point in the project my dad, youngest brother, and 90 year old grandfather (still active in mind and body!) came out to help with the progress. What a help they were, getting me through the major plumbing and floor joist construction. My brother literally knocked out most of the existing concrete while Dad and I were getting supplies.

Once the original concrete floor was completed we cut off and pulled the old pipe through to the basement.

Removing the cast iron pipe was NOT easy, we had to do some significant hammering with a 10lb sledge after using a carbide blade to cut the old pipe.

We ran the new PVC pipe from basement to bathroom. Old and new pipes were all 4", so it was simply a matter of tapping the PVC pipe through the original tunnel.

We cut the copper supply lines and converted them to pex with in-line shutoff valves. We have hot water heat, and the register had to be cut out and moved from the outside wall to the inside wall, as the room dimensions changed from 4'x4' to 5'x8' and the pipes would have ended up roughly under the sink. Soldering pipes is not difficult if you know the proper technique. Won't go into that today but if requested can do a how-to at another time.

We actually assembled the joist frame in the driveway and carried it into the garage mostly assembled. I used drywall screws instead of nails for 99% of this project. I prefer using screws as I can drill through-holes and make sure my lumber is exactly spaced. Screws are more expensive but are more forgiving if you need to do any "do-overs" on a particular step.

After getting the plumbing in and setting the floor joists, I cut my OSB subfloor and dry-fit it. I then set my shower base, toilet, and sink vanity base into place to get my spacing. I traced the outline of the toilet and sink base on the subfloor for reference. You can't actually see my traced outlines in this picture as I used an orange sharpie. What you are seeing are the pre-supplied lines, 16" on center, which is the spacing I used for all framing.

Once my rough spacing was complete I cut my plumbing access holes in the substrait. The PVC pipe you see going up to the attic is the vent pipe which gets reconnected to the copper pipe running through the roof. DO NOT forget this piece when doing plumbing. Vent pipes serve to exhaust sewer gas and prevent a vacuum in your pipes which can lead to water backup.

The next step was to place my wall studs. Since I was building around existing framing, I set a top plate against the garage ceiling joists, making sure that it was plumb with my bottom sill and ensuring that my joists were plumb. As I mentioned previously, my framing is all 16" on center. This is typical for construction but 24" is also used. I prefer using more studs than less even on non-loadbearing walls, as I have less fear of drywall bowing. For my corners I used scrap 2x4's to create my connection points for drywall and cement boards.

And, this is where I leave you for now. Next up you will see the process of setting cement boards for floor and shower tile. See you again soon!

Lent

I'm an extrovert. I'm a "people person". I am energized by interacting with others and learning about people, what makes them tick, etc. So, I have enjoyed Facebook since I joined 7ish years ago. I have always resisted the "Facebook Fast" during Lent, as I tell myself that I don't need it, it's cliche, and that the whole ordeal becomes a spectacle online as 1/3 of my friends are gone during the end of the winter freeze. However, this year I need some time to step back. I want to make sure that my interaction with friends is personal and genuine during these 40 days, so I'm going to focus on making personal contacts via calls and emails. I'll stay on Facebook messenger since I have more contacts on there than my personal email account, and I'll try to hop on the blog here once or twice a week as time allows. Calls and texts are always welcome, so feel free to contact me to catch up via any of the aforementioned communication vehicles. As of midnight tonight, I'm off the newsfeed and building more personal communications. See you at Easter!

Man or Muppet?

In one of my favorite family movies of recent times, The Muppets, two of the main characters sing themselves the question "am I a Man or a Muppet?" The song is hilariously poignant in the movie's setting, illustrating each man's search for his true identity. While in this setting the decision to be a Muppet is a charmingly positive choice for the younger brother, who has really been one all along, the phrase "am I a Man or a Muppet?" struck me recently as a metaphor for the way those of faith can be seen by those around us.


On one hand, we have the choice of being a Man (or woman of course, but there's no Wuppet alternative if you get my meaning) of faith. An individual who is seen by those around them as strong, steadfast in belief, kind to those they disagree with, compassionate to all, but admittedly fallen in nature and seeking forgiveness and redemption.

On the other hand, we can be a Muppet. Always light-hearted and humorous, but ultimately puppets lacking full individuality and depth. We can choose to be a Muppet-ized Christian; a caricature; more of a comedic reflection of the quaint points of Christianity that society can poke fun at but that no one really takes seriously. Muppets talk about the light points of life but never delve below the surface to ask "why?" on issues of importance. This Muppetized view of Christianity is held by many, embraced by many for themselves, and really serves to anesthetize Christianity of all its power and truth.

You see, to be a Man of Christianity, one has to be willing to say things that are contrary and that others don't want to hear. We have to be willing to be unpopular. Muppets of Christianity go along to get along, unwilling to cause a thoughtful frown of introspection for fear of losing that feel-good label. Imagine a Muppet talking about the danger of sexual sin (you know what I'm talking about, the stuff that "I wouldn't do, but I'm totally ok with them doing it"), corporate corruption or fraud, or the danger of a society that devalues human life and puts their own feelings ahead of the will of God? Nope, it takes men with conviction, charity and compassionate desire for the good of each person to say that. Instead, Muppets talk about the issues that no one really argues, because they are one-dimensional and easy to see through. Men have depth, seeking truth and being willing to talk about it even in the face of being ridiculed or trivialized.

The greatest Christians in history said and did things that were very unpopular. Pope Paul IV wrote Humanae Vitae and almost caused schism by those that thought the Catholic Church should embrace artificial contraception. Abraham Lincoln almost lost half the country by condemning slavery. Thomas More stood up to the king and was killed for it. John Paul II and Ronald Raegan tag-teamed communist Russia and the Berlin wall ultimately fell. In today's world of rampant immorality and scorn for Christian values, are you willing to be unpopular and stand for truth in the face of great lies? Are you willing to be that Man that many may scorn but many more will respect?

Or are you simply a Muppet?

Back again

Hello Friends!

After more than a year off and multiple requests to return to blogging, I figured that it was about time to share some more of my thoughts here. As many of you know, I graduated last May with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, obtained my RN in July, and currently work at Mercy Medical Center here in Canton, in the ICU. I love my job, and it stretches my in ways I would never have imagined. As the name of my blog suggests, the redirection of my career to nursing has definitely been a reinvention.

I am going to refrain from talking in-depth about all the goings-on of the 14 months since my last post, but if you'd like some additional snippets of that time please visit Life Without a Map for Monica's musings. In the meantime, here are a few highlights:

We spent a week in St. Augustine, FL, with great friends last June.
In July I passed boards and received my RN, and stood as best man for my brother at his wedding.
Started at Mercy's ICU in August.
Celebrated with Monica's sister at her September wedding.
Bought our new home in October!
Traveled to Washington, DC and Chicago for two different conferences as a committee member of the New Careers in Nursing Scholars' Network.
Tore my ACL the week before Christmas (while warming up for a basketball game).
Waiting for Fogarty child #5, due in February.

2013 was a great year! A few thoughts...

Tearing my ACL made me realize how much I take for granted my ability to be active. I will be having reconstructive surgery in mid-February, just before our baby is due. It's stressful thinking of the time crunch that this will present, but a combination of limited time off and surgery availability requires that we take that time. God is in control!

RN work is hard. No other way about it. Every nurse faces challenges in their respective departments, and the ICU is especially challenging. I have learned more in 5 months than I could possibly have imagined, and I know I will continue learning until the day I hang up my stethoscope and retire. There is never a day without stress, and that is natural part of taking care of people and holding their life in my hands with each medication push, drip change, vital analysis, assessment change, etc. Some days I walk away from my shift smiling, other days I can hardly wait to get to sleep just to forget the stress of the previous night. I try to visit our chapel before each shift because I know that I can't do this alone, and I still hold to my belief that Christ called me to this profession to act as His vessel in a the work of caring for others.

Our new home is fantastic. We have been truly blessed by a home that meets our needs. We got a fantastic deal on a home that needed lots of updates but has a full and dry basement and a large, tree-lined yard. We were blessed immediately after closing with a flood of help from family and friends, and within two weeks we had stripped the whole house of wallpaper, painted all the rooms, tore up carpet, and had new carpet laid just in time for move-in. We have dabbled with little projects here and there since then, but have spent most of our time enjoying our new life in the very Northeast corner of Canton. We are close to our parish and many of our friends, and it's a short 15-minute drive to work. God truly blessed us with this home.

I have much more to talk about and share, but I'll use that as motivation to return here soon. In the meantime, here is an excerpt from today's mass readings and a couple short thoughts:

"You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them. We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit." 1 John 4:4-6

Take heart today with the knowledge that if you strive to follow Christ, seek his ways, and love others as Christ loves the world, we have no need to fear the forces of the world. Don't allow frustration to take over when those you meet deny Christ. Continue to reflect truth!

America the Beautiful

I went to bed last night with a very heavy heart. It was apparent that Barack Obama would retain the presidency and that Mitt Romney would be relegated to election history. I woke up this morning to the news confirming what I already knew, and to a flurry of sad, despairing, and indignant posts on Facebook as friends took to the web in an attempt to verbalize their feelings over what seems like one big mistake by the American populace.

But, this post is not so much about my fears for the future as it is for my hopeful, glass-is-half-full side. If you haven't already read my previous posts regarding my fear surrounding Obama's multitude of bad policies, feel free to browse through my past posts. If you want a pretty accurate summary of my fears for the future, read my friend Mary's post at Let Love be Sincere. In the meantime, I just want to share a few thoughts on how I HOPE the next four years will go.

As a starting point, I want to point out that the past four years have seen an increasing political rift between individuals from different parties. I know that I have been a perpetrator of political polarization often enough on my own, mostly in reaction to policies mandated by the current administration. Regardless of all the lofty talk in the 2008 election, Mr. Obama has failed in his promise to bring a post-partisan, post-racial era to our country. I think that this should be a wake-up call to people on both sides of the political spectrum that the change starts with US. Why should anyone wait to change their attitude until the president they dislike is booted from office, or the man they want elected is voted into office, or until the incumbent is guaranteed four more years?

I love my country. I always have. What I love about it transcends my disagreements with my fellow citizens. And in turn, I hope that my fellow Americans feel the same way. I truly believe that what unites us is stronger than what divides us, and I'll explain:

I believe that both liberals and conservatives can agree that religious freedom should be respected. Whether you are Catholic, Jewish, Lutheran, Muslim, athiest, or none of the above, we should be allowed to practice religion as our faith dictates; it is not up to the state to dictate how we live our faith.

I believe that both conservatives and liberals are concerned with the financial future of our country. We often differ in our attitudes towards spending, taxing, wealth, etc...but we do not often differ in the fact that a) our children do not deserve the financial pit that awaits them with our current financial deficit, and b) we want to help the less fortunate of our country. The real question is: how do we agree to work together and solve the problems that we face? How do we eliminate the wasteful spending, allow individuals to make decisions about their own money, and reign in the debt so that our kids and grandkids won't have to go hungry so they can pay their taxes?

I believe that most Americans, whether liberal or conservative or somewhere else on the spectrum, agree that our healthcare system is very flawed in regulation, legislation, and insurance. We agree that we have the best healthcare delivery system in the world, but a combination of special interests, government-regulated pricing (Medicare price fixing IS a big problem), bad legislation that is counter-productive, etc is preventing us from truly offering good, affordable healthcare for all Americans. This isn't a Republican or Democrat issue, this is a human issue. We all loved Mother Teresa because she gave care and comfort to the poorest of the poor. If we could get past the political shouting, couldn't we come to a (lawyer-, accountant-, bureaucrat-free) solution to our healthcare problems and make sure that people get the healthcare that they need?

Finally, I believe that Americans from both sides of the aisle agree that we are a country built on freedom. It's time we remember that. We're too caught up on shouting why "I'm right and you're wrong", and we forget that sometimes the solution is not to push our political agenda but to allow freedom and personal responsibility to reign. Conservatives want to prove that liberals all want free contraception, free cell phones, free EVERYTHING. Democrats want to prove that Republicans are trying to outlaw contraceptives, take away Grandma's healthcare, take away EVERYTHING. If we thought for a moment, couldn't we come to the agreement that some women want contraceptives, and that's a choice they have to make and support on their own. Can't we agree that if I don't want to pay for your elective medications I shouldn't have to? There's no need to outlaw it, and there's no need to provide it for free. How about the fact that healthcare is crucial for all Americans and with REAL reform we really can help the elderly and those in need? No need to make it free and no need to punish people who can't afford to buy it, or maybe don't want to? Heck, I can only imagine that if we all just quieted our hearts for a moment over the Obamaphone craziness, we could find some common ground in that cellphones are a great way to provide a safety net for the less fortunate. Can't we agree that programs to give used cell phones to the poor, homeless, and underprivileged to use for emergencies is a good thing? We don't have to give them a data plan and a smart phone, but we don't have to ignore the value of communication either.

I guess what I'm getting at is that as much as I'm disappointed in Obama's reelection, it's not the end. It really should be the beginning for many of us to rise above our disappointment and create change for the better without waiting for our political savior. We need to stop the shrill partisan shouting, from both sides of the aisle. I have little hope that our political system will move much in the next four years, as we currently have no change in the executive or legislative balance of power. But our elected officials work for us. WE are the meaning of this country, not them. We will never agree on everything, but that's OK. We are American. America is a beautiful land of freedom, liberty, justice...and hopefully love somewhere in our hearts. Let's not forget that.

The Battle of the Bulge(-ing waistline)

I have poor self-discipline when it comes to diet and exercise. If there was a diagnosis for binge-and-purge dieting (actually, I think that exists), I would be institutionalized by now. I'm not proud to say it, but since I began the married life I have been a poor example of how to eat or not eat, exercise or not exercise. I'm so up and down with my regimen that Cedar Point should name a ride in my honor. I'm either eating fruit, veggie, and protein smoothies (and they taste healthy, not delicious) or I'm eating ice cream sundaes. I'm either running 3-4 miles a day for three or four months or I'm crashing on the couch with that sundae I mentioned.

Almost 7 years ago, with our first baby on the way and working a 2nd shift desk job, I was experiencing the effects of sympathy baby weight. I topped off at that point at a hair under 200lbs, and will never forget the Christmas pictures of Monica and me smiling at my family's house on Christmas morning, her with her expectant mother glow and me with my well-rounded cheeks. I committed to losing weight and, after entering my office's weight loss challenge, proceeded to diet and exercise my way to a trim 167lbs. Since then I have gone up and down, up and down, up and down. I am currently at my highest ever, topping the scales at 204.

I can make excuses all day about how I have four kids, how I'm in school school full-time; how everybody puts on some weight and I'm much smaller than most of America. I could say that I will weight until I (did you catch that?) finish school and then take advantage of my probable three 12-hour shifts weekly to focus on weight loss, but those are all excuses. Those are the things that should be motivating me to lose now. All that plus my secret desire to actually look like this again in Under Armour:

I want my four kids to see that their daddy wants to be in top shape so I can have more energy to play with them. I want to show my patients that I care about myself and I will certainly care about them. I need to eat right and exercise so I don't feel tired when I sit down to study. And I certainly can't wait until next summer or who knows what I might add to my adipose stash by then. I need to stop waiting for motivation to hit me in the face and get motivated NOW.

Thankfully, I have a good friend who also wants to shed a few pounds. We've made a commitment to encourage and push each other to lose a practical amount by Christmas, with a "mile marker" weight at Thanksgiving. So, I hope to be writing you all again in 3 months at the smaller 180lb mark. I've lost more before, I can do this now.