Removing garden tub/replacing vanity

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mrschessiepup
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2021 4:37 pm

It all started with replacing the toilet and now I want to update our master bath by removing the garden tub and replacing the vanity. My husband thinks I should hire this out saying I am getting in over my head. My plan is to cut the tub out with the sawzall up to the area where the drain and water lines are. Then I should be able to get under the tub to unscrew from the bottom/drain or if I can’t get underneath I can cut the fiberglass around the drain and then unscrew. Hopefully I should be able to cap it off without needing to go under the house. The water lines I will cap them off with shark bite end caps. The current vanity is about 36” and I would like to put in at least a 48” or bigger but still staying with a single bowl. To the right of vanity is a linen cupboard that I am also removing so I should have the room on either side for the larger vanity. Questions that I have are will I be able to cover up the drain hole area with the flooring assuming that my cap is below the floor or be able to set the new vanity over top of it (new vanity will have the toe kick so there should be some space under). And then what can I do with the capped off water lines? I will admit I have not removed the tub yet so I cannot see where the waterlines are, I am assuming they are coming through the wall and could cap them off also and they would be covered with the bigger vanity. Am I missing anything or any suggestions? Thank you for any help.
Mark440
Posts: 279
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:33 am
Location: Anna, Tx

I have no idea what has happened to any of the moderators...but I will give this a shot!

The water lines for my garden tub come up through the floor. Being i am replacing the garden tub with a *real* walk-in shower, I will have to relo them to a standup wall that will form one of the ends of the shower enclosure. If by chance you lines actually come through the wall, you may be able to cap them off very close to the wall and then push them back through the wall. You might need to wiggle them a bit to get them to stay behind the wall.

As for the drain, you might be able to maneuver a sawzall blade so that it cuts off the pipe below the subfloor. From there, you should be able to just glue a cap in place.

Be careful with the sawzall until you have a better feel for what is running where ! :mrgreen:
mrschessiepup
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2021 4:37 pm

Thank you for the reply! I actually decided earlier this week to just start pulling out the tub while the husband was gone. The water lines did come up through the floor and I was able to shut off the water valves and cap them with a shark bite end caps and tuck them back down under the floor. For the drain I ended up getting an internal pvc cutter and cut it down below the subfloor and capped it off with a drain end cap. My sawzall was too big for the area I was working in. Cut up a few pieces of the pink styrofoam to close up the holes, thankfully they were fairly small. Moving onto the flooring and vanity next. Hopefully taking the vanity/linen closet goes as smooth as this. One really good thing I have found is they covered the entire floor of the house with the sheet vinyl so we haven’t found any water damage (yet).

We thought about putting a shower in that area but thats definitely above my skill level. Maybe if we would be staying in this house for several years I would have hired someone to do it but we are getting close to retirement and will be moving in a couple years. Good luck with your remodel.
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