bathroom remod help

[JimM]

Hello all , had to make a new account.

I have a old Windsor 1966 trailer. 12 x 50 or 60 somthing
3 bed room 1 bath ... 2 of the bedrooms were very small
so removed the closents between the rooms to make one room.

now i have been thinking of doing some changes in the bathroom.

moving the wall to make more room for larger tub.
moving the toilet so your not hugging the tub.

The floor seams to be solid .. no toilet rocking or anything.
but would be ripping this up for the toilet move and to prep the
floor for new tiles.

my underside of the trailer is perfect still, all the blackboard is in place like original so I don't want to cut this up if i dont have to.

questions are ...

what will i be looking at when removeing the flooring.
.... joist size's and so on ...

from the measurement the toilet should be inbetween the
steel beams under the floor correct ?

new tub and tiled wall
... use green sheetrock or go with
the new dura rock ? will the dura rock be to heavy for the walls
and floor joists ?

(side note ... i have a queen water bed in the master bedroom, been there for 16 yrs now and no problems)

[Greg]

Jim, From the age of the home I would guess that you have either 2x6 or 2x8 joists. You may get lucky since you only need a few inches for a full size tub you might be able to just run the waste plumbing sideways along the joist. Sheetrock, use either greenboard or dura rock, I dont think the weight is that different. Greg

[oldfart]

Jim I don't know how you posted that diagram of the bathroom but here's a tip-o-the-hat to you for doing that! Excellent! Now on to the questions. Jim the first thing I wonder about is looking at where yer gonna mount the new toilet...that's not in the heat-duct run is it? It seems to be puddy much centered in the room so make sure. The floor joists in my old (1970 s.w.) run lengthwise with the home and are spaced "about" 20in. apart....2x6's. I'm sure others may be different. Just note where the heat-run is and keep out of that area. Other than that..moving the wall is easy enough. In order to reroute the plumbing it's a heckuva lot easier if ya just rip out the whole floor and go from there. Either types of drywall should work...I used greenboard. Also..since once you move the wall you're probably going to get to replace the ceiling to cover up the area where the old wall was. Now's the time to do any re-wiring, install lighting and exhaust fans!! One other thought. If you're gonna make it bigger...make it lots bigger! I wish I had made mine 4ft. wider! JMHO...Audie..the Oldfart...

[Jim from Canada]

First, you need a building permit. You will be dealing with plumbing that needs proper venting, and electrical that will need GFI's, fan, light and a motor for your whirlpool. Can your electrical system handle the load of the pump?
The wall moving part is a breeze. Moving the vent stack may be a bit of difficulty, but not bad.
If you have OSB or Particle board floors, it may be a good idea to change it to plywood. You can put a membrane on the floor like Kerdi to protect it (not advisable to put vinyl over Kerdi as then you have 2 non porous coverings together, that will lead to mold). Doing the whole job from above will mean you will have to cut out sections of floor for access. If your sheet rock goes over the existing wall on the ceilng and around the wall on the wall (i.e. , the place was drywalled before the partition walls were installed), it would be best to tear it out and attach the new partition wall to the wall studs and ceiling joists. This way you can create proper corners for your sheet goods and avoid future cracks.
This is a fair sized job. Make sure you make the room large enough while you are at it. As Audie said, doing it and having regrets sucks. Get help from a qualified electrician and maybe a plumber, at least for the rough in.
Personally, I would use concrete board on the area around the tub at the very least. Mold and water resistant drywall for the rest. Make sure of your tub measurement before construction, make allowance for the concrete board. Kerdi/Ditra makes and excellent membrane product for walls around the tub.

Jim