Installed my own shower

Finally, I saved up the $1,200 required to buy a new Prelude shower system by Decina, a 1000 by 1000mm one. :D

Trouble is, I waited 3 weeks before I figured my tradey was never going to get around to installing it for me. Not to be deterred, I decided to remove the old cast 900 by 900mm triangular fiberglass shower and set about installing the new shower myself. :)

Once I had removed the old shower, I had to install versilux wetwalls before inserting the tray and gluing the shower sheeting on. Even to do this job, I had to install noggins first. Before permanently affixing the wetwalls, I got a plumber to insert the tap connections and the new waste (I had already cut the hole through the 1/2 inch gyprock floor for it to go into, perfect fit too.)

Handling the glass wall and the glass shower door were cumbersome. I recommend to have someone available to help. My eldest son came in handy. :)

My father gave me a great tip for the silicone sealer which is terribly messy if you aren't careful. He said, "Carefully squeeze the sealer into the area you want it in, and then squirt a spray bottle filled with soapy water onto the sealer. Then you can run your finger to smooth the sealer and it won't spread all over the place."

It worked great, and now I have my own big shower complete with door rather than shower curtain. Only took a week for me to install myself. I am rapt in my new fancy shower and the whole family get to benefit. Best of all, I saved myself $900 in labour costs. :D
 
Well done Brenda, you never cease to amaze me (and I'm sure others). I am fairly useless when it comes to that sort of thing so I take my hat off to you. I'd be down the $900 for the labour.

Regards
Marty
 
kissfan said:
Well done Brenda, you never cease to amaze me (and I'm sure others). I am fairly useless when it comes to that sort of thing so I take my hat off to you. I'd be down the $900 for the labour.

Regards
Marty
If I'd done it, I would have saved the labour- but I would have been up for costs of $3K in about 3 months just to fix up everything I did wrong. Just like the bathroom I retiled some years ago :( :(

Well done Brenda.
 
geoffw said:
If I'd done it, I would have saved the labour- but I would have been up for costs of $3K in about 3 months just to fix up everything I did wrong. Just like the bathroom I retiled some years ago :( :(

Well done Brenda.
Haha, you busted me. I was being modest. The $3K you mentioned would be more my style too LOL.

Marty
 
Brenda, I love your posts, your achievements and your point of view. But saving $900 for a week's labour, or even fewer day's labour, is not for all of us.

How much per day's work did this equate to, or per hour? In imagining my future, free of salary, I'm not sure that doing reno is the answer. But my husband is good at it, and I can do the project management.

How much per hour do you think your PPOR renovation or your IP investment renovation earns, on average??
 
kissfan said:
Haha, you busted me. I was being modest. The $3K you mentioned would be more my style too LOL.
Actually, having said that- I have done a lot of things myself which I would never have seen myself doing. I've pushed my own limits somewhat, learnt a lot about myself in the process, and have surprised myself at what I have been able to achieve. I've never regarded myself as a hands on person, but as a result of trying a lot of things, and making a lot of mistakes, I'm getting a good idea of my limits- and I know what jobs I need to get somebody else to do.

The time I spend on something is important to me in terms of the costs. If I'm going to lose more in rent than I'd save by doing something, it's a no brainer. If I have to take time off work, I will put my hourly rate into the equation (I am a contractor).

But then, there are tasks which can be achieved outside of normal hours, or during public holiday breaks.

When I started painting stuff myself, I did not enjoy the process, just the finished result. But I learnt to appreciate the time to myself, in a process which forced my not to do too much else with my mind, and I ended up quite enjoying it.

And the satisfaction from looking at the results from work I've done myself is huge. It's hard to put a cost on that.
 
Actually, having said that- I have done a lot of things myself which I would never have seen myself doing.
.. like sanding floors???? I've been known to sand a small piece of decorative brushbox timber - but all the floors in a house? Nah, mate - I'll call Geoff to do that :p

Regards, ;)
 
Congratulations Brenda......It's a good feeling having completed a job well done.

One of the problems, primarily in country areas, is the difficulty in getting tradesmen out to do the work. Even in the towns. The competition is not as keen so work still gets put off depending on the tradesmen plan not the customer's needs.

I would enjoy the convenience of having the work done but I usually have to do it myself. I find I end up doing many things I would not have consdered in the past.

I now look at properties with a much keener eye towards renovation and how it can be done. I consider how complex the actual work will be for me to complete.

I suppose I end up ahead because of this 'critical' thinking but I have walked away from a few potential IPs that I still think about.

Regards Plumtree.
 
Hi Brenda

Well done. You have done a good job and are justifiably proud of the results, and of yourself.

Frontiers are challenged when we realise that if something is going to be done, we will have to do it.

Mind you, I am sure you have come across many botch jobs done by 'handypersons' as have I. But at one house I paid a carpenter / qualified builder megabucks and not one of the doors hangs square, the plumber didn't check the apprentice's work, etc but when you try and get them to come back and fix something either (a) you get charged as if they're repairing someone else's job, or (b) they don't come back at all.

So good on you for having a go and congratulations on a nice, new and modern shower.

Cheers

Kristine
 
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