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Given the situation, even a gut job should not take over a week, more like 4-5 days. Also, the shower/tub area alone could be made function in maybe 3 to 4 days or even sooner. It depends on the layout and scope of work.
(1) Make sure you work out ALL the details of the project before the project starts. You will have to make a ton of decisions- tiles, plumbing fixtures, tile layout, gaps between tiles, grout color, paint color....the list goes on and on.
(2) Given the situation, have the contractor commit to 6 continuous days/ 12 hrs a day of work. Review contractor's progress the the end of each day from the very first day.
(3) ALL materials should be already at the site before work starts. Buy 50% more tiles/materials etc. than the estimate (assuming there is no restocking fees and the items are easy to return).
(4) Use in-stock materials as much as possible. Special Order items can take weeks to arrive, should the first item you bought turn out to be defective.
(5) As RhysNJ suggested, make arrangements at a cheap local motel and tell your family to expect to shower there for 2 weeks.
(6) Start the project as early as possible, it will take longer for things to dry as temperatures outside cool down. I think you might have already missed the window for this year (Sorry!).
(7) If it is 1-to-1 replacement, you might not need a permit. If you do need a permit, check with the town how long they take to do the inspections. If you do need permit/inspections, use a contractor who is familiar with the town building department and has done jobs in the town before.
Best of Luck!
Last edited by 4NJseasons; 09-30-2014 at 08:01 PM..
Reason: typo, clarified etc.
Our bathroom is falling apart, molds and leak. We only have 1.5 bathrooms so that means we can't take baths for atleast 2 weeks. Vacation and getaway is not an option while having things done at home.
Please help. What do you suggest? Thanks!
When my brother bought a very old home a while back he faced the same situation as you. At his contractor's suggestion, they installed what amounted to a temporary shower in the basement. It was a fairly inexpensive (<$200) fiberglass/plastic three sided enclosure with a curtain. They certainly could not take long showers, as the drain pipe the shower was connected to was not large enough to accommodate a high volume of water, but they were able to take what amounted to camp showers, and it worked for them while the main bath and additional baths were installed (They were also adding a fairly large addition.) The shower in the basement was removed before the inspector came for final bath room plumbing inspection, (and frankly I do not think the town ever knew the temporary shower was ever installed and removed, as it would never have passed inspection/code as a perm. fixture.)
Our bathroom is falling apart, molds and leak. We only have 1.5 bathrooms so that means we can't take baths for atleast 2 weeks. Vacation and getaway is not an option while having things done at home.
Please help. What do you suggest? Thanks!
I stay over my parents for a week while I had my only bathroom the house remodeled. I gutted the bathroom as much as I could and still used it (gutting it down to the studs, but didn't remove the tub). I went home every night while I helped to finish demolish the bathroom and rebuild it. I was able to have the new walls and tile finished within a week. I used the bathroom until I could schedule to get the tub resurfaced a few weeks later.
My advise, have everything ready for the job before you start it, new toilets, sink, vanity, tile and if replacing Tub all ordered, delivered and on hand to complete the job. This way you minimize the amount of time your without a bathroom.
Since you have another bathroom, there's really no reason why you can't get by with sponge baths and washing your hair in the bathroom / Kitchen sink for a week.
My house only has 1 bathroom and we had it gutted and updated 2 years ago. It was a big pain in the ass! Due to failing town inspections, town inspectors only available a few days during the week, contractors not coming at all or showing up late, plumbing fixtures having to be ordered, our renovation took 3-4 weeks.
My wife and 2 kids had to stay at my parents' house.
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