The most dramatic change in the bathroom during Week 4 of the renovation occurred in the northwest corner. We went from this . . .

to this . . .

I can’t wait to see what it looks like at the end of Week 5!

The subflooring has been covered with cement board in preparation for porcelain tile. The floor area under the windows on the northeast side is being filled in with a self-leveling liquid, as it is significantly lower than the rest of the room. Here is Theo exploring the area:

This half of the bathroom was originally a sleeping porch, measuring about 7½’ x 8′ and accessed by a door (no longer there) on the west wall. When we bought the house in 1981, this room had exterior siding on the two interior walls you see in the photo above. The sloping cement floor and ill-fitting windows rendered the room unusable, one of the reasons we incorporated it into a larger bathroom during the first remodel in 1985. (Oh, how I wish I had taken “before” pictures!)

Now that all of the open spaces in the walls and floor have been covered up, it’s safe to let Theo have a good look around:

I hope you’ll come back next week for a good look yourself!

At the end of Week 1, some of the plumbing lines are in and most of the electrical work is done.

More lath and plaster, original to our 1913 home, was uncovered at the northwest end . . .

. . . in preparation for the shower. That rectangular frame is for a product niche.

At the opposite end of the room,  the west wall has been framed for a pocket door:

We’re using the bathroom’s original five-panel door, I’m happy to say. The door used to swing to the inside, toward the north wall. Converting to a pocket door is really going to open up that side of the bathroom.

It’s a little hard to see in the next photo, but the south wall is now wired for three sconces:

The biggest challenge so far has been keeping our little black cat Theo away from the site. At the moment there are openings in the walls and, over where the tub used to be, a large open space between the subfloor and the downstairs ceiling. Theo is insatiably curious and would like nothing better than to investigate every nook and cranny in the bathroom. She is tiny — she weighs just 6 pounds — and can wiggle into extremely small spaces. This is the cat that’s already used up one of her nine lives by going down the hot air vent in the kitchen and coming up the one in the living room — via the furnace.