Victory!

I have a working shower!

It looks beautiful.  Well, it looks barely adequate, probably, to a trained eye.  But to me it looks beautiful, and makes me swell up with pride (except that one spot, that I really could have gotten a little straighter, that is destined to drive me bonkers for as long as I own the house). 

Here's what I learned to do:
use a crowbar
use a chisel
use a drill (with regular bit, drywall bit, and hole saw!)
measure and cut drywall
shim
install drywall
caulk

I covet a shop vac.  It was my wedding gift to Neighbor and 517, which I promptly borrowed, and I really love it.  An incentive to get married, right there. 

I had lots of help but I also did lots by myself.  I learned a ton, and I gained a bunch of confidence.  I was telling Mr. NBT last night that it seems a little bit like childbirth -- now that it's over, I forget how painful and miserable it was while I was doing it, how it broke my spirit.  Now I'm interested in pulling up the linoleum to see what's under there.  And of course I still need to sand down the walls and paint the bathroom, but now I'm interested in tackling the trim, too, because it's going to seem so shabby compared to the rest of the place.  I can see how you can get going and never stop.   

Comments

[nicole]

Congratulations, that is fantastic and amazing. I've never attempted any type of home project like that. My husband does all that stuff but I can imagine the sense of accomplishment and pride. Right now he's wiring our basement for a home theatre. I'm just part of the painting crew.

I still get excited about home projects, home depot is a wonderful place and not just for men.

[turboglacier]

"My husband does all that stuff"

Right there is where I sometimes wish I had a different sexual orientation, so I too could have a husband, and wouldn't have to do "all that stuff" myself...

[Tillerman]

Tilerman's rules of DIY
1. It always takes 3 times longer than you think it will.
2. There's alway sone vital tool that would make the job easier but you don't have it.
3. You always break something you didn't mean to.
4. Now you've fixed that part it makes something else look worse.
5. There's always one more job to do.

[rob]

So where are the shower pics?

No, I didn't say something dirty, get your mind out of the gutter.

Pix please!

[AdriftAtSea]

Tillerman forgot one important rule.

6. It will always cost more than you budgeted for it.

[Pat]

Tillerman said it'll take three times longer... actually, I the correction factor we've always used for both time and money is more like 3.14159.