jk ... although I do have an actually buried splice in my backyard after I inadvertently found the power to the septic fan - did you know they don't locate those? I do now lol !
DIY home improvement projects
- Thread starter Pope
- Start date
Hmm ok I don't think I'm fully understanding where the leak is coming from.
I thought it was just in the corner where the glass meets the curb and tile.
If you need to find a leak from behind the wall or behind the shower, sounds like you have a bigger job than I realized.
Do you have access to the other side of the wall, behind your shower? If that happens to be a closet or bedroom or something, you might consider cutting into that wall. That would likely be easier to patch.
so help us out here @mschmitty17 , where do you believe this leak is coming from? we are all assuming it's from area #1 (which needs caulked either way btw).
Do you think it's leaking behind whatever fixture that is in #2? or behind the glass in #3? Or I guess a fitting behind the wall maybe like the backside of the shower valve?
That looks outstanding! Nice work.
Lately I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos about converting very large sheds into mini homes. Making the wife very nervous.
Yeah, attention to detail anymore is a coin toss. And if the stud guards were not used..........? I know new builds with gas inserts on the second floor where instead of black iron they were using the new flexible stainless gas line up the wall, and the drywall installers put multiple small holes in the paper thing stainless lines because no guards were used where the line went through the stud. Had to tear off entire walls to find the gas leaks.
Do you feel like the materials were pretty good quality?
I’ve thought about these kits before from Lowe’s or Menards, but worry they’ll end up being thin and cheap.
That definitely looks really nice.
I keep sending my wife Instagram videos of houseboat tours in South Florida. She's getting nervous.
So I think it's getting in the crevice (1) on the other side of the glass which is inside the shower. And then following that crevice to the outside of the shower. Number 2 is just a shampoo bottle I use to keep the sliding glass door shut because it doesn't want to stay shut sometimes lol but that's another issue.
Ok so those kits from what I found do not include the floor or the roofing materials so you're on your own there. The materials they did include I would call good. Walls are all 2x4 with 1/2" sheeting. They cut everything to fit on a pallet you can get dropped off at your house if you want. I ordered mine with a floor kit that includes the 2x4s and the floor sheeting that is OSB with some sort of waterproof coating. Over all building it wasn't too bad if you've got enough general construction knowledge like how to square up something you've built and how to lay shingles. If I had it to do over again I would would do a couple things a little different. First I'd go buy a few spare stud length 2x4s, I got one that was crooked as a dogs hind leg I couldn't use. Next if you build a 12' wall go get enough 12' 2x4s so that you don't have to splice them together. The kit doesn't come with anything longer than 8'. Last I would have painted the trim before installing it. It took like 6 hours to do that once it was on the shed.
20 years ago, in our first apartment in DSM, I was hanging a small picture on the wall. Just a little brad in the drywall, felt something hit behind and thought i was in a stud. Gave a good thwack and something started spraying out. Long story short, it was the coolant line for the A/C and they'd run it against the drywall.
Wasn't my money to fix it, but it was a very unfortunate incident.
ok, here's how I'd attack it.
1) caulk the exterior crack with something waterproof. silicone or some of that red devil stuff. you wont need much. If that works you're done, although I like to seal where the trim meets the shower and the wall as well - just seal the **** out of it, you'll have plenty of caulk.
2) If it's still coming through you may need to seal the inside. same thing, just need more of the sealant. clean it out and dry it as best you can. NOTE: prefab showers are usually meant to be able to funnel water appropriately without sealant - but if you DO apply it you need to also apply to every seam ABOVE it. Basically you don't want to trap water, so if you seal the bottom, you have to seal the top and corner seams too.
3) if that doesn't fix it - cut out a section of drywall and see what the problem is - this creates a lot more work. but you can take a lot of pictures and post them here and we can judge and laugh at you (and possibly give advice)
painting trim is DEFINITELY in that "last 20% of the project" I leave til later lol
Last edited:
I had to replace my sump pump a couple months ago. The original one still worked but... over time the discharge pipe had worked it's way loose from the wall and the float was stuck in the down position against the pit. I came home from being gone for the weekend and went downstairs to grab my work laptop packed up so I was ready to go for Monday. As soon as I hit the carpet in my socks I felt a squish. I tried to move it off of the pit and it worked just fine and sucked the pit dry. In the process of getting to work sucking the water up it vibrated back over to the wall and stuck the float in the up position and it ran long enough to burn the motor up. I found out with the insurance claim that the amount my homeowners insurance will cover is double if you have a back-up (I did not). I went out and got a full replacement along with a built in back-up. Took maybe 30 minutes to install but it took several weeks for servepro to get the cleanup done and I went over the max payout by a little bit because of the single sump pump that was there.
Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it! This is what it looks like from the inside of the shower (other side of the glass from the prior picture) if that changes anything.
Attachments
yeah for
If it was me, I'd probably clean up that mildew on the grout line (any standard cleaner and maybe like a toothbrush?) then cover with a little clear sealant. regrouting would be a PITA. since it's a tiled shower you can ignore the "seal all the seams above" advice I had in my other post. just inspect the grout lines for any major cracks and seal that lower edge near the glass.
you can buy grout sealer too - it's like thin clear crap you paint on. I believe every 1-2 years is recommended. might not be a bad idea if you've never done it. just read the instructions on the bottle.
Glass still looks sealed nicely, so that's a plus.
If it was me, I'd probably clean up that mildew on the grout line (any standard cleaner and maybe like a toothbrush?) then cover with a little clear sealant. regrouting would be a PITA. since it's a tiled shower you can ignore the "seal all the seams above" advice I had in my other post. just inspect the grout lines for any major cracks and seal that lower edge near the glass.
you can buy grout sealer too - it's like thin clear crap you paint on. I believe every 1-2 years is recommended. might not be a bad idea if you've never done it. just read the instructions on the bottle.
I can't tell if that's grout, caulk or a combo of both between the pan and the tile. That bottom stretch between them should be caulk, not grout. There is too much movement in a shower pan for grout and it will end up cracking. It looks like it's for sure getting under that bottom tile and into the wall.
Remove what you can on that bottom seam, caulk it and call it a day. If you want to make sure there isn't any more water getting through, put a couple dashes on the wall with a pencil at the end of the water stain. If the stain expands beyond the line, something is still leaking. If it stays put, you're good to go. If you get the leak stopped, replace what you wish on the wall and trim.
Some friendly advice. Put some oil based porch paint down at least on the ramp and maybe complete inside.
I use the type that has added "sand" type of grip material.
If the weather is dicey, having a secure footing is nice.
