Day 2 - Starting a shower room refurbishment

Yesterday I got in from work at 7pm to see what progress had been made through the day. Our fitter had completely removed everything from the room.   It was clear to see some rotten wood from our leak and this will need to be replaced.  Interestingly enough, the leak was a result of some poor workmanship by bathroom fitters who fitted our shower room before we had purchased the property.    A lot of bathroom fitters cut corners by using normal MDF in the shower area (as in our case).  This is such a big mistake because if the water does seep through the tiles, the MDF rots and you then have problems with leaks.  At My Plumber, we always use high quality materials including waterproof backing board onto which the tiles are fixed. This ensures that our bathrooms are even more watertight.  It also explains why people have no problems even 10 years on.

All the wall tiles are off and everything has been stripped out

We also had a problem with a supplier yesterday.  I had decided to try to use a new supplier for all our materials.  As the bathroom was for my own project, it was a good time to see how the supplier got on with my order. Unfortunately, some of the materials were missing yesterday from our order and this could have caused a delay for our fitter.   

In many circumstances, any delays could result in extra costs if the fitter is held up as a result of not having the materials ready.  Luckily, I am a Prince 2 qualified practitioner which, in plain terms, means I am a Project Manager:  I always have a backup plan!    In this case, I knew that all the materials were in stock with our other suppliers and have arranged for another tray to be delivered.

Tiles came off easily which has saved some time

So how is the shower room refit affecting me as a client?  On a practical side, I have noticed that having all my furniture covered with dust sheets and things have been moved around. It has meant that it has taken me longer to get myself ready in the morning. Irritatingly, I had to use the children's bathroom and the light above the mirror was not working which meant I could not get ready quickly as I normally do (I dread to think what my eyeliner looks like today!).   Which had a knock on effect with organising the children for school on an already tight schedule!    When you change your routine, it always takes a little longer to get things together.  I am not tearing my hair out though and feel very positive and excited about progress being made.   Also, the dust was not as bad as I thought it would be. 

I am looking forward to getting back home tonight as I know that the shower tray is now in. So it should already be starting to take shape.  I will keep you posted!