Handyman II (Saga of a bathroom)

We've been back in our house for over a week, but I finally got around to taking pictures. Witness the bathroom transformation:
What began as a horrible discovery upon removing our "new" linoleum (after it had been torn by Sears while delivering a washer/dryer) . . .

. . . quickly became worse upon further removal of old, wet linoleum layers. BLACK MOLD. Dun, dun, dun.

Luckily, a certain handyman came to the rescue.

After tearing up wet, moldy gunk; pulling up countless nails; and scrubbing his guts out, the floor looked like this (a huge improvement, you'll agree)

Then came the tub, which we never knew was so disgusting. Twelve layers of paint on one side, pockmarks, and lots of rust.
The handyman could have tackled the tub too, but we thought it would be smarter to not have the dust from several layers of lead paint deposited in or near our house, so we shipped it off to have it stripped and the inside resurfaced.

Then the handyman cleaned the floor some more.


When the tub came back, our friend Bill (Sharon's husband--those two do a lot for us) painted it shiny new to match our walls.


Then, we found that a previous owner had cut a joist running under the bathroom in half, meaning the toilet had no support and pipes would wiggle around, causing the leak in the first place. That was repaired and the rotting wood in that section of the floor cut out and replaced.

Then came the subfloor . . . . . . then the tile, the grout, more wall paint, and some of the appliances.

And finally, the really important piece of bathroom furniture for a pregnant woman (who had been running to Kristin's house during the day and a nearby gas station multiple times a night while at the house cleaning).

And we're back in business!

The washer/dryer that started it all (but we're sure glad now!).


And now, as would appear in movie credits, a special thanks to:
JOSH: for obvious reasons
Bill: fan procuring, tub painting
Mike: floor inspecting, house guarding
Susan and Jeff: temporary lodging providers
Kristin: bathroom lending
Friends: moral support

THE END