Our first [major] home renovation project has been the 1/2 bathroom on the first floor, the primary guest bath. Yes, there has been lots of plumbing work, sporadic electrical, and lots of small jobs, but this is our first overhaul. And of course, it was pretty bad. Here is a photo from the real estate listing. As always, click the photo for a larger view.
Despite its condition, demolition is always the fun part, or at least the easier part. You can rip stuff out and see results fairly quickly. The problem is that you may not always like what you find underneath! This was definitely the case here.
We first discovered a somewhat deteriorated subfloor. The previous “handyman” had simply attached a piece of plywood to rotting boards, mitigating the problem instead of properly relaying new pine. Thankfully, neither of us could just put new flooring on top and pretend like the problem didn’t exist. This is where OCD comes in handy.
Unfortunately, to replace the subfloor, we had to raise the main corner post just slightly to remove the plywood. And this is where it gets interesting… We found that a primary load-bearing post, running about 10 feet tall had been about 80% eaten by some wood-boring bug a long time ago. There wasn’t much left. 
And so began the journey to find a white oak post to replace it. We searched all over the area for 4×6 (real dimensions) at least 10 feet long. We stumbled upon Ferguson Sawmill near Fredericksburg and they were awesome. They had three beautifully milled white oak posts, each about 13 feet long. We grabbed two and with help from the Colonel, got one put perfectly into place. We’re saving the other one as backup for the next time we open up a wall and find mayhem…
With the primary post replaced, the subfloor repaired, and the plumbing switched out from copper to PVC, it was now time for a layer of durock – a stable cement board that we can easily lay a new tile finish on. Next will be the wallpaper removal, plaster repair, and new tile. The fixtures, hardware, tile, and lighting are already ordered – we are so close! Stay tuned for an update next week.