Tale of 2 Washrooms

03 December 2021 It was the day after many years of wanting to fix my house's toilets. The last time I had done anything to it was in 2015 and 2016 when I made a wardrobe unit. This time, I decided to document the journey. After almost 4 years of wanting to repair the toilets, I finally found a contractor who was willing to take on the challenge and help me bring my vision to life. The main difference between CPVC and PVC is the range of temperatures each can withstand. CPVC can handle temperatures up to 200°F, while PVC peaks at 140°F.

A little background on the building: it was constructed in 2003, and at that time, the builder chose to use concealed galvanized pipes (GI). Over the years, these pipes started corroding, so nowadays, no one uses them. Instead, they use Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC) pipes, which are stronger and don't corrode. This is a wise choice.

You might be wondering why not use (PVC) pipes, The main difference between CPVC and PVC is the range of temperatures each can withstand. CPVC can handle temperatures up to 200° Fahrenheit, while PVC peaks at 140° Fahrenheit.

So back to my tale of 2 toilets/The main difference between CPVC and PVC is the range of temperatures each can withstand. CPVC can handle temperatures up to 200° Fahrenheit, while PVC peaks at 140° Fahrenheit., I finally made a deal with one contractor who I felt was reasonable to an extent when compared to others in the market.  He quoted me his lumsump money where which includes the material and cost of labour.  You have to keep in my mind most people would choose this since finding the material, and bringing it and the possibility of the hustle and bustles of managing every aspect could be time-consuming but you have to make keep in mind this could actually drop your cost drasticallly,  So if you come across my blog and your planning to do renovation in any part of your house. Make sure you get the quote for doing the work and then ask quote to know how much will his efforts cost. Accordingly, then you can make the move which best suits me. 

I decided to take on the challenge of renovating my bathrooms while I was between jobs. I provided an initial amount of 1000 rupees to get things started, and then I began working on the project.

Bathroom 1 - The toilet is a traditional Indian-style toilet that has been in place since the building was constructed, without any modifications. The doors are made of wood plastic composite (WPC) and they are superior to the traditional Sintex doors that used to have aluminum frames, making them more durable.

I have found a reasonable shop that will provide me with brick, sand, and frames at a fair price. It is located in Turbhe, which is convenient for me because I live in Navi Mumbai. Turbhe is the go-to place to get a good deal on tiles and all the accessories. Keep in mind that in 2021, transporting bricks or sand will cost around 400 rupees.

   

Day 0 12/04/2021 - I ordered some sand, which people in Mumbai usually get from Gujarat because it has less salt. The cost of 1 bag of sand weighing 20 kgs is around 80 rupees. In addition to the sand, I ordered around 200 bricks, which cost around 8 rupees per brick. Since I was replacing the frames with granite frames, I also had to get the additional frames. I chose the cheapest granite, which costs around 60 rupees per square foot.

Since I ordered these materials on Saturday, I didn't have any help unloading them. I ordered 40 bags of sand, 10 bags of cement (preferably ACC cement), and 14 granite frames, which cost me around Rs. 11,562. The delivery was made in 2 transport vehicles.

Because I'm not used to doing this every day, I was quite exhausted and felt done for the day. Earlier in the week, I went to Kalamboli to look at some tiles and found one I liked that was priced at around Rs 65 per square foot. I was actually there helping a friend shop. As I went from shop to shop, I realized that this task was quite time-consuming, so I decided to use the same tile design for both of the bathrooms to reduce the confusion I was facing.

Earlier, I made a decision to install a small wash basin in the corridor. For this, the frames of the doors needed to be removed and granite added. To minimize disruption, I took on the task myself and made the workers' lives easier. You can see the progress in the attached screenshot.

Day 1- 12/06/2021  The long-awaited day finally arrived. The contractor arrived and began the work by removing the tiles. They first took out the two door frames. As shown in the pictures, one of the workers used a jackhammer to start removing the tiles. By the end of the day, they had managed to remove the walls with the tiles. As this toilet had an Indian-style toilet, it was a little deeper than the traditional (English) style toilet. During this process, they had to remove the door along with the frame. If you already have a WPC door and frame, it's best to refrain from removing it, as the builder might have reinforced it with concrete. Removing it could have an impact. In my understanding, having a granite frame after a few years, the lintel beams tend to give way and form cracks, which are not visible with these doors. Additionally, these doors are waterproof and lightweight.

Refrain from removing WPC doors, if you already installed

Day 2- 12/07/2021  Today, the task we decided on is to remove the flooring in washroom 1, as shown in the images. The corresponding wall also needs to be removed because we want to install a counter washbasin. Currently, there is a washbasin for people to wash their hands, but we want to make some changes. According to other tenants and the remnants of pipes in the wall, there were pipe connections that were added but never used because we requested no water connection in that area. As a result, the builder placed the washbasin in the hall, which was odd. We removed it in 2011.

As the worker used a jackhammer to remove the flooring tiles, it became evident that the flooring consists of two layers of bricks that need to be extracted to reach the foundation.

One side of the flooring was removed, and now the part of the Indian toilet needs to be removed, and the work continues.

As you can see, most of the GI pipes were rusted and had to be removed. One of the pipes had burst, so the main lines had to be closed. GI pipes can cause a lot of problems as the building ages. Nowadays, no one uses GI pipes because this is a thing of the past. After a day of hard work, the workers reached the slab level. This is one of the hardest parts of the job - the breaking.

As I was taking a picture, I noticed someone peering at what I was doing. You will see him in almost all my videos if you look closely.

                                             

Day 3 - 12/08/2021 Today, the remaining work on the wall needs to be completed, and then the plastering can begin.

As you can see, I have created a wireframe design of how the toilet should look. Traditionally, the toilet bowl was facing a different direction, but it was agreed upon.

Day 4- 12/09/2021  Today, a new worker was brought in. He is a farmer in his 75 years old, and he does the work during the off season. I was quite impressed by the quality and precision of his work as you can see in the image.

 

Meanwhile, the contractor, who is also a mason, got busy plastering the walls. After finishing the walls, the floors were also plastered. This included the cost of MR Fix It URP, which was 1350 rs with price variations.

 

                                       

Next on the agenda is cutting the positions of the pipes in the wall, which need to be concealed. Most of the pipes used were brand-named "Prince." I found a shop in Turbhe where I bought all the bath fittings and plumbing supplies. I will list all the contacts of the shops and places for you, in case it helps. 

Bathroom 1 

Bathroom 2