Alright, time for an update and more pics!
Sunday, 8/17, in order to prepare for the plumbing rough-in inspection, I wanted to pull the soldered caps off the tub and install screw-on caps like the rest of the plumbing. I have operated a torch before, but it was to brown the outside of a prime rib. This is my very first attempt at soldering, here we go!
The cold water line came off just fine and I installed the new cap easily. However, the hot water line was a different story. I had to run to Lowe's and get a pipe cutter as I could not get the water out of the line to remove the old cap. Then, when trying to solder on the new cap, the water continued to dribble. The solution: bread! That's right, after much research online, I read that wadding up a piece of bread and shoving it down the line to "clog" the dripping would solve the issue. And, it did! I left the cap off for a second afterwards so that I could flush the bread out, which of course the water pressure did with ease. New caps:
Monday, 8/18, it's time to get finalized for the plumbing and HVAC rough-in inspections. I figured they'd be there first thing (I figured wrong). Plumbing showed up about 12:15. Very nice guy. He came in, looked around, said "Looks good." We talked for a minute about the shower pan and my plans there. He passed me for rough-in on all plumbing except shower pan and tub (both of which must wait until I get further along the process). But, I'm free to close-up the walls with sheetrock/Hardie board and move along.
However, not so fast! About 12:30, the HVAC guy shows up. "What did you seal the vent lines with?" And, the truth, I sealed them with the sealant tube/caulking stuff. "That's not going to work." Are you ph**cking kidding me? I have my insulation in and ready to go! I have to open it up and install duct tape approved for UL-181. Not just any duct tape, it must be the special, expensive stuff. No worries, fine, let's just get it down. I failed HVAC rough-in, so there's no drywall in my immediate future.
New UL-181 tape:
Tuesday, 8/19, pick-up wife and kid from airport and stay home with kid while wife works. Minimal progress.
Wednesday, 8/20, wife goes to work and kid goes to first day of pre-K. After walking her to class, I return home to await the follow-up HVAC inspection. Different guy arrives about 9 AM, takes a look at my tape, and says I'm good to go. Time for ceilings and walls!
Starting with the space above the vanity:
Thursday, 8/21, after working on the vanity area for most of Wednesday, I move to the ceiling. Continuing with the ceiling above the tub and shower (note the cut-out for the exhaust vent and the plethora of GREEN stickers on the window):
After installing two panels onto the ceiling (there is still about a 6 inch gap to cover, but the tub is in the way), I move to working on the shower/tub area. Here is the plumbing for the shower.
Because I estimate that a spa system like this will be rather noisy, especially since it shares a wall with the bedroom, I decide to insulate behind the water lines:
Also, take a look at the shower drain. It's a 13-inch square hole left by the builders. To strengthen that area, I decide to concrete some of this in so that I can add support to the center of the shower.
Before:
After:
Friday, 8/22, I continue working on the shower area by installing the Hardie board. It took FOREVER to measure and cut the center board where all of the faucets and water sprays are located. I used some diamond hole saws (ordered three from Amazon.com in various sizes) and will use these for cutting the tile too when that time comes around.
Lastly, here is the shower pan location and "footprint" of the shower:
I continued work over the weekend, but haven't uploaded pics yet. However, I finished the walls 100% and set the shower base. Next task, tape walls and then build tub deck. Long weekend coming up, let's see what I can get done! (Oh, in case you're curious, everything in these pics I did by myself...working during the week is hard to find buddies to help!)
