Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - remodeling only bathroom, any advise?

We are about to loose the only toilet and tub in the house for a while. Any advice on order of doing projects to keep the toilet and tub working for as long as possible? We are gutting the entire bathroom, so far we have taken down the walls and half of the mortar bed on the floor (not under the toilet or tub). We have the tub in a plastic enclosure so that we can continue taking baths for now. Thanks for any advice!!

Make sure that you have planned the whole project. Buy all the materials plus a waste factor that can be returned if not used. Plan on worst case, ex bad plumbing. I did this over spring break a couple of years ago. We took nightly showers at my in-laws [5 miles away] and used the gas station facilities for the week. My wife said if we ever do it again she will stay in a hotel. It took me 5 days to get it back to working order. I did it all myself and it was 12 and 14 hour days plus a trip to the ER. Tim the Tool Man Taylor is a chapter of my life.

Doug

I have a question...we have two small bathrooms seperated by a wall....we are thinking of taking out the bath/shower, knocking out the wall in between, then removing the sink and toilet out of the other, and leaving the shower....then putting in a jacuzzi where the old bath/shower, wall and sink were, having one big bathroom....we are wondering if we can do the gutting ourselves, then hire a contractor to install everything, that it might save a lot of money.....were you professionals? thanks, lynda

Lynda, talk to several contractors BEFORE you start any of this. Some contractors may allow you to do the tear-out yourself, others won't touch it if you do. Is the wall between the 2 baths a bearing wall? Does it have plumbing or electrical in it?

Thank you for your advice on talking with contrs. first....we will....the wall is an inside wall, don't think its a weight-bearing, it's very small..., and there is one outlet in it, though no plumbing........I don't know how we will get the tub/shower out, or the new one in....the doors are so small.....maybe enlarge the doors to sliding double doors or something....thanks agains for your advice....lynda

Those are a couple of the problems you will run into. There will be others. (That's why we are here!)

When the house was built, the tub and shower were set into place and then the walls built around them. Almost every style of tub or shower can be had in what is called a remodel configuration. These are sized so that they can be manuvered through small doors etc., and some are in several sections that you put together once you have all of the pieces in the bathroom.

Whether that wall youwant to remove is bearing or not has nothing to do with it's size. It depends on which direction in runs in relation to the ceiling joists above it. If it is parallel to the joists, it's not bearing. If it runs in the opposite direction of the joists, treat it as a bearing wall.