plumbing/framing question

[nickel plate]

have a new house that needs some work done before we move in. one of the projects is the 2nd floor bathroom that has a leaking stand up shower.

Might be more than you care to go into but don't you have a fit and finish guarantee of some sort on your new home? When I retired a few years ago out here in California, my company (Centex Homes) offered a ten year F&F warranty which pretty much made us property managers for those homes that turned into rentals.

 

[nickel plate]

Do you really want or need a tub? I make a very good living removing tubs and putting in walk in showers. A nice walk in shower will sell a house over the very best bathtub!!!!Eddie

Eddie,
You're absolutely correct, a walk in shower with a bench/seat is becoming a necessity for those of us who are getting up there in years. No more climbing in and out of a slippery shower/tub or the confines of a small corner shower.

 

[JimRB]

When we built our house I wanted a 66" bathtub. The only brand I could find was Kohler and my wife has issues witht he Kohler family and their horses. We did a 60" tun and it is too short for my 70" body. I wish i had done the 66" tub.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Is there a possible route down from the toilet that doesn't go through a joist? What I would be thinking is take the most direct route for the toilet, then run the drains for the sink and tub to where ever the toilet drain ends up. The tub and sink can use 1.5" pipe, which is going to be much easier to route than 3".

The other thing I would be thinking about is whether adding a joist and adjusting the spacing might solve it. In other words, think about what it would look like if you were building the house new, and about what it would take to get there from where you are. I just feel that cutting that big a hole in a joist is a hack thing to do.

On the other hand -- it's your house and you're going to live there. Cutting the joist is not going to make the house fall down, it might make the ceiling sag or the floor squeak. If it does, you're going to have to fix it. Fixing it might mean cutting open the ceiling downstairs and adding a joist. Whether you do that now or a year from now, it's the same amount of work. So there's something to be said for cutting the hole and taking a wait-and-see attitude about whether more reinforcement is necessary.

Before cutting anything I would have all the fittings laid out and carefully measured to insure that everything fits and you can get the slope you need. A big pipe like that will be fussy about where exactly it wants to run.

What I wouldn't do is a fancy tile job in the new bathroom with it being firmly supported. Tile on a floor that flexes will crack for sure.

 

[Dutch445]

Might be more than you care to go into but don't you have a fit and finish guarantee of some sort on your new home? When I retired a few years ago out here in California, my company (Centex Homes) offered a ten year F&F warranty which pretty much made us property managers for those homes that turned into rentals.

my mistake, new only means "new to me"
house was built in 2002.

 

[Dutch445]

Is there a possible route down from the
toilet that doesn't go through a joist? What I would be thinking is take the
most direct route for the toilet, then run the drains for the sink and tub to
where ever the toilet drain ends up. The tub and sink can use 1.5" pipe,
which is going to be much easier to route than 3".

The other thing I would be thinking about is whether adding a joist and
adjusting the spacing might solve it. In other words, think about what it
would look like if you were building the house new, and about what it would
take to get there from where you are. I just feel that cutting that big a hole
in a joist is a hack thing to do.

On the other hand -- it's your house and you're going to live there.
Cutting the joist is not going to make the house fall down, it might make the ceiling sag or the floor squeak. If it does, you're going to have to fix it. Fixing it might mean cutting open the ceiling downstairs and adding a joist. Whether you do that now or a year from now, it's the same amount of work. So there's something to be said for cutting the hole and taking a wait-and-see attitude about whether more reinforcement is necessary.

Before cutting anything I would have all the fittings laid out and carefully measured to insure that everything fits and you can get the slope you need. A big pipe like that will be fussy about where exactly it wants to run.

What I wouldn't do is a fancy tile job in the new bathroom with it being firmly supported. Tile on a floor that flexes will crack for sure.

i went over last nite doing some sheetrock touchup through the house, filling
nail holes etc, and took another quick look and there is no way to change the
stack location because it's in this 6" wall alongside the hallway, probably built
that way to house the stack, along with heat ducts.
then i looked up in the closet ceiling where i removed some rock, and it even
looks like it'd be a challenge to move the shower drain to where it would
need to be for a tub, puts it in an even tougher place so maybe this isn't
going to work out. i have a contractor coming tomorrow to offer his advice
on the subject, we'll see what he says. certainly have to remove the tiled
shower surround as that does leak, and i would want to waterproof that
entire floor area before i rebuild anyway, with whatever i go with for fixtures.

 

[Dutch445]

When we built our house I wanted a 66" bathtub. The only brand I could find was Kohler and my wife has issues witht he Kohler family and their horses. We did a 60" tun and it is too short for my 70" body. I wish i had done the 66" tub.

in one of my previous homes, we put an addition on the house on a small lake,
added 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. framed it for a 72" jetted tub, with tile
flange. it came out beautiful! and plenty of leg room. :thumbsup: