Weekend warriors tackle challenging bathroom remodel

The Thaxtons' 1964 bathroom, left, was old and worn. Money saved by doing it themselves allowed the couple to purchase high-end products, right. (courtesy photos)

By Kay Reynolds
The Virginian-Pilot

From Monday through Friday, Deb and Tim Thaxton work at regular jobs. Deb is a communications and marketing director for a local mental health company. Tim is the "IT guy" for S.B. Ballard Construction Co.

But on Saturday and Sunday, they pick up their tools, don their capes and become the weekend warriors. "When you can save thousands on a project, why not do it yourself," Deb said.

That's how the Thaxtons began their first project. "We wanted to save money," she said. "Tim is extremely handy and has every tool imaginable. I'm a good helper. I can paint and do other things."

By the time they began work on their first bathroom project, the couple installed windows and crown molding; they also re-landscaped the front yard and built a shed in the backyard.

Projects show no sign of ending. Right now, the Thaxtons are building a patio area in the backyard.

The biggest challenge of the bathroom project was the time. "It took every night and every weekend for four months," Deb said. "We gutted it. You could see the holes through our house."

But the couple kept at it until completion. The goal? To finish up before beach weather set in. Even a weekend warrior needs a break now and then.

The bath project in Deb's own words:

Just after college football season ended, my husband Tim and I embarked on what we thought would be a two-month project. Four months later, we were exhausted and pleased with our weeknight and weekend warrior skills.

Our 1964 master bathroom had all original elements that were stained, chipped and made a small space quite dingy.

Our new date-night routine was coming home from work on Friday, changing clothes, going to Home Depot and Lowe's and then grabbing something to eat before coming home. At one point, I felt like our paychecks should have just been endorsed to Home Depot, because the bulk of our supplies came from there.

Tim and I decided to start gutting the bathroom by taking a sledgehammer to the numerous tiles in shades of brown that lined the shower stall, the floor and three quarters of the wall. As we started the process, choked on the dust and tried to carefully carry the empty boxes of debris through our ranch style house, we realized we had our work cut out for us. We had the intention to save the drywall underneath, but realized that the mortar used in the early 1960s was resilient and wouldn't come off without a fight. At this time, we also decided to remove the 18-inch drop down ceiling in the bathroom and expand the shower stall opening to let in extra light.

Once we had taken the bathroom down to studs and floorboards, the real work began. Tim had to wire for new outlets around the room. Previously, there was one that was attached to the original light fixture. In addition, he crawled on his belly in the attic to run wire for an exhaust fan. While he and a friend tackled hanging drywall, I spent the winter months in the garage after work and on weekends painting trim, wainscotting and crown molding. We were fortunate to have the crown molding recycled from my parents' lake house remodel, but the stained wood needed quite a few coats of white.

I was constantly impressed with Tim's handyman skills. Although he needed some new tools, we were able to do everything ourselves with one exception. We hired a plumber to solder the shower pipes from two into one. Finding a leak after the fact was a concern and thus justified the money spent there.

Tim was able to tile the shower over several weekends and after work. We had bought the wrong mortar at first which led to some delays. I realize that no matter how much time you estimate a project will take, double it. The same goes with cost of the project.

Although for two Generation Xers there was no instant gratification of having a completely remodeled bathroom in a week, we were proud of all our accomplishments and ability to work together. Because we did all the work ourselves, we were able to save substantial money which allowed us to put in high end products, including a Kohler toilet and sink, clear glass shower door and granite tile floors.

As we prepare to remodel the larger bathroom in the house, we feel confident that we have learned from our mistakes and will be pleased with the finished product.