This is the new plumbing for the clawfoot that we put in.  At the time this picture was taken, we thought that we were going to be able to relocate the tub that was in the basement.  Only later did we actually measure things out, and we found that it would be awfully cramped with a full size tub, which would make the door impossible to open all the way.  That forced us to have to purchase a shorter (and VERY expensive) new 54" clawfoot.  The standard (66") sizes are so plentiful that it’s easy to find a used one, but the small ones are pretty tough to find.

The most painful part was when we checked at Hippo Hardware, one of the great old house part resources in Portland, and were told that they had had a whole bunch of them from an old hotel that closed down, but they had just sold out of them.  They had a waiting list many people deep, and we couldn’t wait that long.  We were still renting our friend’s house and running out of cash quickly.  In the end, it was expensive but very easy to just buy a tub from VintageTub.com.

New plumbing ran to the bathroom.  Because of all the problems with the old plumbing, everything feeding into this area had to be replaced at the same time.  It looks easy now that it’s done, but it was a lot of work.

Prior to this house, Julio was convinced that plumbing was an art that he could never get the hang of.  The only previous experience he had was with some minor repairs, and he had to have his dad talk him through soldering the copper pipe.  But, hundreds of joints later, he’s starting to feel like he knows what he’s doing…