The new tub is basic contractor-grade, which is inexpensive, which is great, but apparently the cheapness is felt when the tub "rings like a bell" if you drop something on it (you know, for all the anvils you carry around when in the shower). My brilliant husband simply insulated it! Now it sounds like a very high-quality tub. We did pony up the extra $30 to get bone instead of white, which is totally worth it. That's a huge part of what makes it look higher end. I still don't understand though why on earth a slight beige tone makes it $30 more expensive. Oh well. It will match the rest of the color scheme beautifully.
Old:
New tub being insulated:
We used hardie backer around the tub, since we'll be tiling. Jack spent a long time fixing the framing; nothing was anywhere near square. I know it's never perfect, but this was bad. He pretty much re-framed it; now it's nearly perfect and much stronger.
Then we used greenboard for the rest of the bathroom (almost twice as much as regular drywall, but so worth it for a bathroom). The goal here is no mold problems, ever. We've had enough of mold to last a couple of lifetimes. :)
We're paying for a guy to mud the rest of the upstairs, but Jack did the bathroom himself so we could get started. He did a fantastic job, but it sure is time-consuming! Li'l J helped us too.
Starting too look like a real wall as he muds and I primer...
Jack also replaced the bathroom fan, the inside of which looked like this.
Not only was replacing it good for the fan itself, as it's the most useful right over the shower anyway, but the new position of the pipe frees up valuable attic space as well (it had been right in the middle).
Stay tuned for more progress in Part 2! :)
Cost:
Backerboard: $45
Bathtub: $104 (Retail $130, used 20% off coupon)
Bathroom fan: $30
Fan ductwork: $11
Greenboard: $25
Mudding tools: $13.50
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