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" I recently completed a remodeling project that I&amp;#039;d dreamed about for years. And like most dreams, this one started out innocently enough--and perhaps while I wasn&amp;#039;t thinking very clearly. My dream was to design and build an upstairs bathroom for our 12-year-old Cape. Oh sure, I would call in an electrician and plumber for the final hookups and for any work that I was reluctant (read: scared) to do myself, but I was determined to make this dream a reality. And I was going to complete the job on time and within our budget. At least that was the plan I proposed to my wife. Going against her usual supportive nature--but not her keen intuition--she voiced concern about my tackling a project of this magnitude. Okay, perhaps there had been a project or two that I&amp;#039;d started and not quite finished, but this would be different. This was my lifelong DIY dream. &amp;quot;Besides, how hard could it be to build a bathroom?&amp;quot; I asked with as much confidence as I could muster. I&amp;#039;d been using bathrooms for most of my life (except for those final two years of college) and considered myself something of an expert. &amp;quot;Some drywall, a toilet, a tub, a sink, a little tile,&amp;quot; I said. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;ll be a piece of cake.&amp;quot; My wife walked away shaking her head--not exactly a ringing endorsement, but neither was it a cease-and-desist order. I immediately went to work and began ordering fixtures and supplies. The following is a brief account of the many successes--and a few failures--I encountered along the way to making my dream come true. Chuck this carbide-grit holesaw in an SDS hammer drill and you can bore through a concrete block in 7 seconds. It also punches through fiber-cement siding, tile and stucco. A kit of six saws, two arbors and a spare drill bit costs about $196. The saws are sold at plumbing and electrical supply houses. magbit.com Off to a Sluggish Start The new bath is located directly above the downstairs bath, which greatly simplified the plumbing. I was able to tap into the existing water-supply pipes and connect to the first-floor bath&amp;#039;s vent stack and waste lines. However, the new bathroom is larger than the bath below and part of it extends over the kitchen, a fact I discovered after cutting through the subfloor to accommodate the new toilet trap. Through the hole I could see the kitchen countertop--and the perplexed look on my wife&amp;#039;s face. I forgot that the kitchen has a post-and-beam ceiling, not a conventional drywall ceiling, so there&amp;#039;s no space above it. Fortunately, the trap fit between two beams, so my gaffe was easily hidden by a plywood panel. The building code required that the bath have four new electrical circuits. That meant pulling four separate cables up from the basement, through the walls of the first-floor bath and into the second floor. If you&amp;#039;ve never snaked wires through floors and walls before, it&amp;#039;s a lot like trying to thread a needle while wearing oven mitts--and a blindfold. I could have hired an electrician--at $70 an hour--to pull the cables, and it probably would have taken 4 or 5 hours. But I decided to do it myself. After all, how long could it take? The answer: four days.  Crash Course on Plumbing Less than a month into the project, I was already behind schedule, over budget and bogged down with little details, such as whether I had just sealed my new $50 level inside the wall. Despite the slow start, however, I managed to complete most of the rough plumbing and wiring--without initiating a flood or fire--and was ready to nail down the plywood subfloor. But first, I hired a plumber to rough in the piping for a wall-mounted towel warmer. To appreciate what happened next, keep in mind that for several weeks, I&amp;#039;d been crawling around and balancing on the exposed floor joists, which support the drywall ceiling of the bath below. The plumber was on the job less than an hour when he slipped and crashed through the ceiling, knocking down an area of drywall only slightly smaller than the downstairs bath itself. Fortunately, he was unhurt, but I now had two bathrooms to work on. My dream was slipping away.  Case of the Missing Tub After Slappy the Plumber completed his pratfall plumbing work, the project moved swiftly toward completion. I hung all the drywall and tile backer-board, but called in a pro to tape and finish the joints--and patch the downstairs ceiling. I love taping drywall, but I&amp;#039;m not too proud to admit that I&amp;#039;m pretty lousy at it. Oh sure, the first layer of paper tape and joint compound comes out great, but the subsequent applications get progressively worse until there&amp;#039;s so much compound on the walls that the size of the room is significantly reduced. Once the drywall contractor was done, I applied two coats of primer and one coat of mildew-resistant paint to the ceiling and walls--procedures I completed without a hitch. I was moving on to the tile work when I realized that the kitchen-and-bath showroom hadn&amp;#039;t called regarding the delivery of the whirlpool tub I&amp;#039;d ordered three months before. &amp;quot;Oh, that model tub is manufactured in Canada,&amp;quot; the saleswoman said, as if that fact held some clue as to the delay. &amp;quot;There&amp;#039;s some sort of trucking strike or work stoppage up there,&amp;quot; she added. &amp;quot;Nothing&amp;#039;s crossing the border.&amp;quot; My construction schedule--such as it was--couldn&amp;#039;t accommodate a lengthy delay, but I remained calm at the thought of my tub sitting in a truck stop just outside Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. She then offered a small ray of hope: &amp;quot;I heard some trucks might start rolling next week if the forecasted blizzard doesn&amp;#039;t shut down the highway.&amp;quot; I found little comfort in the fact that she delivered all this news in a very cheerful, aren&amp;#039;t-I-being-helpful sort of voice. As it turned out, the expected blizzard didn&amp;#039;t amount to much, and the truckers, pleased with their new contract, rolled south. I had my tub in 12 days--only 10 weeks later than originally promised. While we&amp;#039;re on the subject of boring speed, Ridgid&amp;#039;s new wood-boring bits are designed to tear through wood up to six times faster than competing products. They come in sizes from 1/2 to 1 1/4 in. A six-bit set costs about $25 at The Home Depot. ridgid.com  Streaking--Almost-- to the Finish Line The final construction phase, which took nearly a month to complete, included installing fixtures and faucets, hanging the shower enclosure, trimming out the doors and windows, and mopping up all the little jobs that seem to go on forever. As the bath neared completion, I could see my dream becoming a reality right before my eyes. And, although this project took longer and cost more than I ever would have predicted, it was well worth it in the end. And, best of all, my wife loves the bath, and is especially pleased with the built-in whirlpool tub and the vanity that I made by installing a vessel sink on top of an antique dresser. After proudly showing off the features of the completed bathroom, I said, &amp;quot;You know, I&amp;#039;ve always dreamed of enlarging our bedroom. What do you think?&amp;quot; My wife turned away without saying a word, and headed downstairs to hide the checkbook.  Hiring Competent Contractors Sometimes, it&amp;#039;s best to put away your tools and hire a pro. But, finding a skilled contractor is no easy feat. Your odds will improve if you&amp;#039;re willing to do a little research and ask some insightful questions. Amy Johnston is a master construction manager in Burlington, Vt., who supervises the design and construction of new homes, and the renovation of historic buildings. For more than 20 years she has hired countless contractors in every construction trade. Johnston is also the author of an enlightening book titled What the Experts May Not Tell You About Building or Renovating Your Home (Warner Books, New York: 2004; $12.95). According to Johnston, there are six key steps to finding a competent contractor.  Create a Pool of Candidates  Make a list of potential contractors by talking to friends, colleagues, architects, building inspectors, loan officers and real estate brokers.  Think twice before hiring a friend or relative for the project.  Call the Better Business Bureau and check for complaints against any possible candidates. Make Contact  Call the contractors on your list to see who&amp;#039;s interested. Ask about their availability and if they&amp;#039;re licensed and insured in your state.  Discuss the remodeling project in broad terms; don&amp;#039;t divulge specific budget numbers yet.  If you intend to put the work out for competitive bid, narrow the list down to three to five contractors. Conduct Interviews  Meet individually with the contractors and ask each to bring a portfolio of past work.  Get references of clients whose jobs were similar to yours.  Ask about the contractor&amp;#039;s work crew. Are they on the payroll full time? You probably don&amp;#039;t want a &amp;quot;paper&amp;quot; contractor who hires help as he needs it.  What&amp;#039;s his opinion of the local permit process? Bad blood between the building inspector and contractor could affect your job.  Ask his impressions of your project. Does he foresee any problems? Call References Call the homeowners on the reference list and ask pertinent questions, such as:   What project did you work on with this contractor?  What was the original construction budget?  What was the final construction budget?   How was the quality of the work?  Was the job site kept clean and organized?  Was the project completed on time?  Were any liens filed on your property?  Would you work with this contractor again? Make Your Choice  Reduce all the information gathered so far into an easy-to-read, manageable format. Review the data and weigh impressions of each contractor.  Be wary of those who try to drive a wedge between you and others, such as the designer, architect or building inspector.  And remember, good contractors are usually busy, but they&amp;#039;re often worth waiting for. Check Qualifications Once you&amp;#039;ve settled on a particular contractor, it&amp;#039;s time to ask the following tough questions. (If need be, blame your loan officer.)  Does he carry workers&amp;#039; compensation insurance? (Ask to see proof.)  From which suppliers does he buy materials? Use this information to find out if his account is paid up. A contractor who pays his bills on time is usually financially solvent.  Has he ever been sued? If so, what were the circumstances? (Even the best contractors get sued so don&amp;#039;t automatically dismiss him.)  Has his firm ever declared bankruptcy? If yes, ask for specifics and be sure he has a compelling explanation.  Step-by-Step FLUSHING OUT A WATER HEATER If your water has a high mineral content, your water heater should be flushed regularly to remove sediment that can collect at the bottom of the tank. How often depends on the severity of the problem, but once a year is a good place to start. Caution: To prevent scalding, keep people and pets away while draining the tank. 1) If you have a gas heater, turn the dial on the burner control to Pilot. For oil-fired or electric heaters, turn off the disconnect switch, if there is one, or switch off the heater&amp;#039;s circuit breaker. Be careful: If an electric heating element turns on while not immersed in water, it&amp;#039;ll burn out.  2) Attach a hose to the heater drain valve. Place the other end near a floor drain, or bring it outside. You also can carry away the water in buckets.  3) Find the cold-water supply valve and shut it off.  4) Open the temperature-and-pressure (T &amp;amp;amp; P) relief valve at the heater top. (The T &amp;amp;amp; P valve must be piped to within 6 in. of the floor.)  5) Slowly open the drain valve. Hot water should immediately start flowing out. If the drain is clogged, temporarily close the T &amp;amp;amp; P valve and turn on the cold supply in an attempt to blast away the buildup. When hot water flows, shut the drain, close the cold supply, open the T &amp;amp;amp; P valve and reopen the drain. If this doesn&amp;#039;t flush the clog, call a plumber.  6) Once the tank is empty, close the T &amp;amp;amp; P valve and turn on the cold-water pipe to loosen any remaining sediment. When the water runs clear, close the drain and remove the hose. This is the time to replace the valve if it&amp;#039;s corroded or partially clogged.  7) Open a hot-water faucet at a sink or tub, then open the valve on the cold-water inlet pipe to refill the heater.  8) When the flowing water at the sink or tub quits blowing air, shut the faucet.  9) Turn the power back on. For gas heaters, turn the dial from Pilot to On. Veteran do-it-yourselfer Truini frames out his new whirlpool bath and answers the question,&amp;quot;How hard can it be?&amp;quot; PHOTOGRAPH BY ALYSON ALIANO             "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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