And so the improvements start, behind the walls. We've replaced the old plumbing here with new copper pipes, and put in a newer, more efficient mixer for the tub and shower area.

Once the stuff behind the walls is taken care of, one can start to think of the walls themselves. The spaces between the studs on the exterior wall are filled with faced fiberglass insulation for maximum energy efficiency, assuring that all open areas are properly stuffed. We're also starting to put up the new drywall, specially made for high humidity areas such as a bath.

Though the suspended ceiling has been removed, a low ceiling at the former height has been installed exclusively over the shower stall area. To the right, this houses the exhaust fan unit for the room, and the rest of the space has been converted into a convenient cabinet area. Why waste the potential storage space? One can also see that we've stared to put up beautiful blue Romanite panels where that old tile used to be.

Outside the tub and shower area, the Romanite continues as the wall covering just to a standard wainscot height. Above that, we've installed white pebbled fiberglass panels, for a pleasing, clean, contemporary look. That faded pink tub of old has been replaced with a new white unit, just below which one can see the plywood subfloor in preparation for the new floor tile installation. We have also replaced the older glass block window with a newer, more efficient unit.

As the fixtures are put into place, it once more looks like a real room. Beneath the glass block window, one can see that we have added safety grab bars to the tub area for security and peace of mind. Cabinets, shower fixtures... amazing what a few fixtures can do to complete a place, isn't it? And how different it looks indeed with the new walls, and how much more open now that the suspended ceiling is gone... all in all, a definite improvement.

One more peek at the room before we go...