Like I said in an email to Kay, A simple bathroom in the size of 5'x8' with a tub, toilet, and 36" vanity, should cost somewhere in the range of 8-12,000 depending on what fixtures and options you want. You should always gut the whole bathroom down to the studs to make sure there is no mold or rotting going on from any leaks you may have had, hidden or visible. We do this whole job, with ceramic tile floor in about 5 days start to finish. If you tile the walls up 4' it will take a couple extra days but other than that we start on Monday and are finished on Friday.
Here is how it goes,
Monday: Tarp off work area and lay drop cloths and heavy moving blankets where anyone will walk. Shut down water. Gut the entire bathroom and remove all trash from site. Check floor and wall framing for water damage, shim where necessary. Install new plywood sub-floor, install rough plumbing and tub and shower valve, cap off plumbing, turn water back on and check for leaks.Set and level tub and or shower and put in wood backers for sink, towel bars and anything else that will hang from the wall. Electrician installs any new wiring, fan vent, lights and GFI outlet for sink. Clean up and vacuum.
Tues: All inspections by local or county inspectors, Plumbing, electrical, fire, and construction. all of this was scheduled before hand for this day. (very important to schedule inspections properly or you will get delays!)
After inspections you will drywall entire bathroom in MR drywall (Moisture resistent drywall) Any ceramic tile areas get a tile backer board such as Wonder Board or Hardi board. Tape and spackle and seal room with heat so spackle can dry.
Wed: More spackle, one coat in the morning and third and final coat at night.
Thurs: Sand all new spackle and paint entire bathroom with anti-molding primer. (Kilz is best), After it dries put on good quality paint (2 coats). Also all trim is pre-cut and primed and painted. Set ceramic tile floor.
Friday: Grout floor first thing and let dry, put plastic sheet over all tile, install trim on base and door, install vanity or sink, set med cabinet, set toilet, install trim on tub and or shower valve, install electrical fixtures and switches, also electric baseboard if electric is your heat, set all towel bars and paper holder. Turn on water and test everthing, minor paint touch-ups on trim, clean-up, remove plastic and seal tile. Bathroom done and can be used on Sat. morning. All final inspections by local or county inspectors are done on Monday.
There you go, a new bathroom complete in 5 days.
 

I am on chapter 5 of my book which is about the in’s and out's of construction. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Home Construction, including all the many scams and back door dealings that go on in this business. Hopefully I can save some homeowners some aggravation and money when going through the major process of building or renovating a home. It's suppose to be fun and interesting, but if you do not know how to deal with contractors and subs you can be in for the worst time of your life and possibly lose your life savings in the process.
The book starts with the planning stages and how to go about choosing Architects and Contractors, how the bidding process really works and what you will need to ask for in your bids (and what not to ask for!). How to deal with the inspectors and what they look for, and the many extras that pop up along the way and how not to get ripped off with them. There are so many scams I could probably write two books just on those, especially people caught in not only time and material, but flat rate nightmares too.
I have helped out so many people after the fact so I figure why not write a book and educate them before it happens.
If anyone is in the process of building, renovating, or basically just confused by a contractor or contract, let me know and I'll try and help you out.

 

> January 22, 2007
> OUR CIVILIZATION CRUMBLING 1/24-1/28/07
> Posted At : 3:10 PM | Posted By : BILLY
> Related Categories: Podcasts
> KSCO 1080 AM radio - Tuesday 1-23-2007, 6:00 p.m.
>
> The following is a KSCO commentary. Here is Kay Zwerling:
> Some months ago, I spoke about our civilization being on its way out. > Other thought provokers corroborate in a more erudite and academic way. > The following is called "How Long Do We Have?"
> About the time our original 13 states accepted their new Constitution in > 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor of the University of > Edinborough, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some > 2000 years earlier: "A democracy is always temporary in nature. It simply > cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue > to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves > generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority > always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the > public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally > collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a > dictatorship. I called it corruption, robbing from within.
> The average age of the world's greatest civilization from the beginning of > history has been about 200 years. During that 200 years, those nations > always progressed through the following sequence:
>>From bondage to spiritual faith,
>>From spiritual faith to great courage, From courage to liberty,
>>From liberty to abundance, From abundance to complacency,
>>From complacency to apathy,
>>From apathy to dependence,
>>From dependence back into bondage.
> Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, > Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 > Presidential election:
> Population of Counties won by Gore: 127 million
> Bush: 143 million
> States won by Gore: 19
> Bush: 29
> Murder rate per 100,000 residents in Counties won by Gore: 13.2
> Bush: 2.1
> Professor Olson adds, in aggregate the map of the territory Bush won was > mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great Country. > Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in > government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government > welfare."
> Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the complacency > and apathy phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some > 40% of the nation's population already having reached the government > dependency phase. If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to 20 million > invaders called illegals, and they vote, then say good-bye to the USA in > fewer than five years.
> It will always be a moral responsibility to take care of our infirmed and > the bona fide needy and elderly in our midst, and it will always be a > privilege to help those in need. It is the able-bodied who should not > avail themselves of federal funds simply because it is free. Those persons > should work like the rest of the citizens instead of being cared for by > the government. It is a wonderful feeling to have your own dignity and > self-respect.
> For KSCO and KOMY, this is Kay Zwerling.
> © Copyright 2007
 

Ok, I'm reaching but I'm helping, hopefully I will get a bid...I just listed on EBAY that weird piece of wood we found with the face on it.
Here is the link...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=ADME%3AB%3AAAQ%3AU...
 

Well, I finally finished my ABC poem. I wrote it for the ABCedarius contest that has been going on and I challenged myself by writing the whole thing having each line start and end with the same letter through the alphabet. This was absolutely mind boggling, especially trying to think of words that end in J and V and having the thing make sense in the process. After scrolling through dozens of pages of contests, I finally found it again and Tada! I was a day late, figures…Anyway, I think it cured my writers block and if anyone thinks there would be any interest in a contest for this form of poetry just say so and I will be happy to torture you all with it So here it is, enjoy

ID: 1201253   (Rated: E) Follow the ABC's to the End of the Earth  An ABC AlphA poem Running the Alphabet from both ends from start to finish by SamLBInj The Biker Poet

I was just watching CNN and they were interviewing a few very brave solders over in Iraq. I noticed they were wearing camouflage, but yet I was still able to see them, quite well as a matter of fact. Wouldn’t you think that a country as intelligent and resourceful as the good old USA, who has put a man on the moon (so we think anyway), could invent a camouflage uniform that was really camouflage? I mean, if I were a solder and was looking in a mirror I would be pretty happy if I could only see a floating head. I’m pretty confused by all this basically by the fact these solders are not hiding in some weeds, they are sneaking around little towns and inside houses. Do you think they are hiding behind house plants? Do you really think some Iraqi will be fooled into thinking he has a bush growing in the middle of his bed or growing out of his toilet? I think camouflage for these types of situations should be something more on the line of a shirt with a picture of a bunch of dirt bricks with a little framed photo of Ala like he would be a picture hanging on their wall. Then if they stand along some terrorist’s living room wall they would blend right into it. Make sense?
 

Just read this...

ID: 1197631   (Rated: 13+) Happy New Years Resolution?  How did you do with your New Years Resolution? by SamLBInj The Biker Poet

Merry Christmas!!!! I hope you all have the best Christmas ever!!

 

I went to the mall tonight to start my Christmas shopping, Oh joy, Oh joy.
I hate malls, mainly because they are full of people. I like to shop in stores with no people in them, but usually when I’m in there picking through the register the police show up and haul me away. Anyway I was quick, that was until the goofy clerk who put the stuffing in my build a bear tried to make me jump around and do tricks with the little heart you want to stick inside the bear before she would let me stuff it inside. Well, she doesn’t know me very well and she was pretty hot, about 28, 29 tops, and was wearing this skimpy, sort of see through top with no bra. I’m sure all the mommy’s their loved her! Anyway, instead of me jumping around, I got her to do it for me and boy she could jump. She pretty much slapped herself silly and quickly stopped when it had dawned on her that if her top was over her face what was covering her boobs? Well that’s my adventure today and now I really like malls, especially the build a bear store. Tomorrow I’m going to fight 4 hours traffic to drive 25 miles to get 15 more of those little cuddly critters.
 

My cable modem went down so I call the cable company, I get this message that says I have to put in my 15 digit account number, Ok, so I pull out my file and call them back because they hung up as I didn’t do it quick enough. I proceed to dink in all my numbers and then I’m electronically put on hold.
Five minutes later some guy answers and asks for my 15 digit account number. I ask him why he needs to know my 15 digit account number if I already put it in just to talk to him. He says he doesn’t know why they do that but if I want him to help me I have to tell him again, so I do.
As I was doing this I could hear him yelling hello? hello? So I keep pushing the damn buttons and pressing the little tic tac toe board. I sorta put my account number in 11 times to mess with this guy who wanted me to say them and not key them in as I was doing just because they made me do it twice.
I was so pissed at this stupid protocol that I started to try and make songs with the buttons, I think I got Jingles bells down but it was a little flat. Anyway, just as I was finished my modem started to work so I hung up on him. He called right back. I asked him how he knew who I was. He said by the account number I put in when I first called.
This is one of those times when you just stick your head out the window and scream…