What 30 Years of Water Damage Looks Like...

Rotted wood threshold of Master Bath

What we found once the mud was removed!

Although the idea of gutting a home and starting from scratch has seemed overwhelming at times we are grateful to have been able to find any areas of concern and address them.  In the master bath we have discovered two issues during demolition.  As the workers were removing the majestic pink tile from the shower we knew that there were signs of water damage below the tile on the threshold.  What we didn't know however, was just how severe the damage truly was.  Once the mud was removed from the base of the shower we found out that there was some serious water damage occurring under the shower bed.  There are actually holes where the subfloor had weakened and then rotted away.  Awesome right?  At least now we know that our shower will be built on a solid foundation.  We also located some other water damage in the two guest baths near the tub area.  Fortunately, the water damage is no where as severe as in the master bath.  It won't be a problem to cut out any of the rotten subfloor and then replace it with new - perhaps slightly sturdier - subflooring.

Water damage near tub in guest bath.

Master Bath: Before

Another thing that has baffled the contractors is the subfloor the builder chose for the home.  In many places it's surprisingly thin and it doesn't utilize any tongue and groove planks.  Although there wasn't much water damage where the huge, raised, jetted tub once sat the contractor does not feel comfortable setting a tub on a subfloor that isn't substantial enough to hold it.  I'm grateful for this as I really don't want to take a trip down to the kitchen whenever I'm trying to relax in a bath!  So once we get the electrical and plumbing "rough-ins" in place an inspector can go through and approve everything.  Once we get the inspector's approval we can go ahead and start tiling the bathrooms!  So exciting! 

Master Bath: Currently!