Framing requirements of
a bathroom can only be decided after planning all the
features that you want to install in it. Make a list
of new walls to be added, old ones to be demolished
and partition walls to be introduced for increased
privacy and defining separate areas in the bathroom as
toilet area, sink area and shower area. There may be
new window openings, shower stalls, vapor barriers,
insulation systems and whirlpool tub decks that you
may be planning for your bathroom retreat and needed
to be included in the list.
The joists on the floor can
serve as anchors for partition walls that can be built from
scratch or framed and fastened on the floor and later secured to
the wall. After finishing framing of the partition walls, make
sure to add horizontal cross braces to fasten a toilet tissue
holder or a grab bar.
Windows in bathrooms are always
welcome and can range from skylight in the roofs to bay windows to
casements, awing, bows and double-hung windows but if they are too
big, they may cause a problem with your privacy requirements and
you may prefer no or smaller windows instead of that gaping hole
that makes you feel conscious every time using the toilet or
bathroom. You may need to add siding and re-frame the window to
diminish its size. For a shower stall, measure its base dimension
and mark its outline on the sub-floor and mark the area from the
drainage system. Then frame it; use green-board for drywalling
around it and use felt strips with framing studs for better
fitting of the stall.
A whirlpool tub deck is framed starting from the deck and it is
better to have a built-in access panel for the tub's motor that
you will be thankful for when you want to service it. Deck the
plywood on top and sides of the box, apply the mortar bed before
setting the tub in the hole that has been cut out and fill in the
space between deck and tub's lips with spacer blocks. Set it all
with mortar. Protect the exterior walls with vapor barrier as a
protection against moisture and insulate them for greater comfort
and energy conservation, which can be done just after electrical
fittings. The easiest and most common insulation system used is
that of fiber glass while many builders use clear plastic vapor
barrier that is fastened to wall and ceiling framing. There are
some building codes that forbid the use of plastic ones, however.
Bathrooms should have exhaust fans and windows to help evaporate
moisture.
