7.1.2018

Today, Jim worked on installing the shower walls.  He first realized that the hole that came predrilled for the mixing valve and handle was too small.  He figured out the size he would need and drilled a hole in a piece of wood for a template.

 

Then he transferred that to the shower wall...

He used his vibrating tool to expand the hole size...

And then his die grinder to smooth everything....

Trying it out for size...perfect!

 

 He wanted to make sure the mounting plate had a firm backing - you can see how it screws in to an area that doesn't have plastic around it.  So Jim had some acrylic that he cut and predrilled to fit behind the plate and give it stability when everything is in place.

Jim needed to put shims behind the side walls to move it 3/8" away from our walls.  His scraps from the soffit boards was just about the perfect size - he just had to trim them a bit.  Thankfully, Jim was smart and preplanned this because there is plywood behind the walls for easy attachment.

 

Installing the shim down the side...

Making sure everything lined up correctly - and it did!

Then Jim was able to put the top shim on the other side...

Installing the back wall is next - Jim predrilled the top attachment holes...

Then put a bead of silicone caulk down...

Setting the back wall in place...

Attaching it to the wall - the back wall is done!

You can see that the side walls have foam blocking to give the wall stability.

Jim needed to put shims in the areas where the foam would hit so that there would be a tight fit.

The next step is to make blocking for attaching the shower doors.  Here Jim is testing his blocking for proper fit...

Putting a couple screws in to hold it in place...

Then testing it out...

A ton of progress on a short day!  The shower is really taking place.  There were a lot of challenges going into this to make it all work and Jim got the hard parts figured out!

The heat wave is hitting this part of the country and we are seeing unusually hot temperatures.  Inside the apartment at home is pretty toasty too!  The carriage house is much cooler - the metal shop is in the 60s, the wood shop comfortable, and the apartment is a bit warm but nothing intolerable!

 

High 93/Low 69 - hot!