Attaching the base to the wall

Attaching the base to the wall Installing the plastic attachment clips

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board Put down a protective cover during construction

You dont want the wall board to rest on the base. Too hold it up about 1/4" I put a large paint stir stick on the ledge as a shim

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board You dont want the wall board to rest on the base. Too hold it up about 1/4" I put a large paint stir stick on the ledge as a shim

While the rough opening is 60" the space between the top flanges is about 3/8" less. A 60" piece of wall board is too long to fit at the bottom so you have to trim the corners

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board While the rough opening is 60" the space between the top flanges is about 3/8" less. A 60" piece of wall board is too long to fit at the bottom so you have to trim the corners

Lay the board down and trim the corners. Working with this board is the same as drywall; score and break but it's much tougher

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board Lay the board down and trim the corners. Working with this board is the same as drywall; score and break but it's much tougher

I used 1-1/4" coated corrosion proof screws to mount the board. This board is tough so you have to push very hard to drive the screw

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board I used 1-1/4" coated corrosion proof screws to mount the board. This board is tough so you have to push very hard to drive the screw

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board I used 1-1/4" coated corrosion proof screws to mount the board

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board I had to trim the drywall 3' up from the first board

The amount I had to trim off was so small scoring and breaking it didn't work so I used my Sonicrafter tool to cut the line

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board The amount I had to trim off was so small scoring and breaking it didn't work so I used my Sonicrafter tool to cut the line

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board You can see why I put the corrugated sheet down for proctection

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board The first 2 sheets are up

Installing fiber cement hardie backer board I'm going to install another 2x4 stud as a backer where the old drywall will meet the new cement board

The old whirlpool tub had its own circuit. Instead of just abandoning it I decided to make use of it and run it to the garage for more outlets. I measured, drilled a hole in the stud space and pushed a fish tape into the hole

Running the electrical whip to the garage The old whirlpool tub had its own circuit. Instead of just abandoning it I decided to make use of it and run it to the garage for more outlets. I measured, drilled a hole in the stud space and pushed a fish tape into the hole

Running the electrical whip to the garage This is what you want to see. The fish tape in the right spot

Running the electrical whip to the garage I pulled the wires through the hole into the garage for future outlets

Now that the wire is out of the way I'm going to have to install a stud where the drywall and the cement board meet on this side too

Running the electrical whip to the garage Now that the wire is out of the way I'm going to have to install a stud where the drywall and the cement board meet on this side too

Time to take the inside trim off because I'm going to be laying the cement board on the floor soon. The floor always goes under the trim. Since I'm going to put in all new trim it's a waste of time to undercut the old casing

Removing the door casing Time to take the inside trim off because I'm going to be laying the cement board on the floor soon. The floor always goes under the trim. Since I'm going to put in all new trim it's a waste of time to undercut the old casing

Removing the door casing I use a flat bar and a scraper to pry the casing away from the doorframe and wall

Here's a trick to keep the flatbar from crushing the wall or door frame. Insert a flat paint scraper under the pry point of the flatbar

Removing the door casing Here's a trick to keep the flatbar from crushing the wall or door frame. Insert a flat paint scraper under the pry point of the flatbar

I used a level and pencil to outline the area to be cut out for a new piece of drywall. It will be 16" wide because it's between 2 studs. I decided to make it 24" tall, a nice even number

Piecing in the drywall behind the sink I used a level and pencil to outline the area to be cut out for a new piece of drywall. It will be 16" wide because it's between 2 studs. I decided to make it 24" tall, a nice even number

After I scored the line with a razor knife I cut the piece out with my Sonicrafter. The surrounding studs make it impossible to bend and break off the drywall without making a mess of it

Piecing in the drywall behind the sink After I scored the line with a razor knife I cut the piece out with my Sonicrafter. The surrounding studs make it impossible to bend and break off the drywall without making a mess of it

I cut out a 16x24 piece of drywall. I carefully measured the distance from the side and top edge to find the center of the holes. I used 2 hole saws to cut the holes

Piecing in the drywall behind the sink I cut out a 16x24 piece of drywall. I carefully measured the distance from the side and top edge to find the center of the holes. I used 2 hole saws to cut the holes

Places where utilities go through a stud should have a steel plate inserted. The reasoning is that studs are hammered and drilled into on a regular basis to hang things on the walls and to fasten baseboard trim with a nail gun at the floor

Piecing in the drywall behind the sink Places where utilities go through a stud should have a steel plate inserted. The reasoning is that studs are hammered and drilled into on a regular basis to hang things on the walls and to fasten baseboard trim with a nail gun at the floor

Piecing in the drywall behind the sink With a little edge trimming the piece went right in

I'm going to patch the hole in the wall for the old whirlpool control. I like to have some kind of backer to keep the patch from pushing back into the wall. I happened to have an old bracket for a bifold door laying around. I screwed it in with a couple of drywall screws

Patching and taping I'm going to patch the hole in the wall for the old whirlpool control. I like to have some kind of backer to keep the patch from pushing back into the wall. I happened to have an old bracket for a bifold door laying around. I screwed it in with a couple of drywall screws

Patching and taping I smeared some construction glue on the parts to hold them to the bracket

Patching and taping Here's the final patch.

Patching and taping This corner was all messed up. I cut it out square and luckily had a lot of wood behind to fasten my patch to

Patching and taping Drove a bunch of screws in. The wall board to the right was not tight to the studs so I screwed it in too

Patching and taping First layer of mud and self adheasive drywall tape on the whirlpool hole patch

Patching and taping First layer of mud and self adheasive drywall tape on the corner patch

Patching and taping I used good old paper tape and joint compound for the big wall patch

I removed the oak transition threshold strip. Now I have to cut the door frame so I can slip the underlayment and tile under it

Trimming the door frame I removed the oak transition threshold strip. Now I have to cut the door frame so I can slip the underlayment and tile under it

Trimming the door frame I got the correct level by stacking the underlayment and a piece of tile. I used my sonicrafter to cut the door frame

Trimming the door frame A tap with a chisel and the block comes off

Trimming the door frame This is what the underlayment looks like slipped under the door frame

The rough width of the room is 5'. I couldn't get a 5' piece of board to lay down because the thickness of the drywall makes the room narrower.

Fitting the underlayment The rough width of the room is 5'. I couldn't get a 5' piece of board to lay down because the thickness of the drywall makes the room narrower.

I had to cut off an inch to make it fit. The board doesn't have to fit tight to the 2x4 sole plate. It's better if it floats to take into account expansion and contraction

Fitting the underlayment I had to cut off an inch to make it fit. The board doesn't have to fit tight to the 2x4 sole plate. It's better if it floats to take into account expansion and contraction

Fitting the underlayment The boad has to be moved a bit to the left and under the door frame

Fitting the underlayment I pried the board over with a flat bar against a scraper so the wall didn't get crushed

Fitting the underlayment I tapped on the piece of plywood to push the board under the door frame

Fitting the underlayment Lay out the cutout for the vent with a square

Fitting the underlayment Score the lines with a knife

Fitting the underlayment I used my Hackzall to make the right and left cuts

Fitting the underlayment I was able to break off the end

Fitting the underlayment Mark the wall at the end of the vent so you know how far to cut. When you put the board down you won't see the vent

It was a sure thing to use my Skilsaw with a masonry blade to make my cuts rather than wreck another board. Trying to break off 1 or 2 inches isn't going to work on this stuff

Fitting the underlayment It was a sure thing to use my Skilsaw with a masonry blade to make my cuts rather than wreck another board. Trying to break off 1 or 2 inches isn't going to work on this stuff

Make sure you do this outside. There was so much dust I wore a mask. I subsequently found that they make special blades for cutting Hardie board that don't make a lot of dust. I guess I'm not the only person who had a problem

Fitting the underlayment Make sure you do this outside. There was so much dust I wore a mask. I subsequently found that they make special blades for cutting Hardie board that don't make a lot of dust. I guess I'm not the only person who had a problem

I want to find the center of the toilet drain and water supply. I laid the new board down so it was centered in the room and against the closest line. I lined my T square up with the center of the drain to get the first distance.

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes I want to find the center of the toilet drain and water supply. I laid the new board down so it was centered in the room and against the closest line. I lined my T square up with the center of the drain to get the first distance.

I stuck a tape under the top board till it touched the bottom board. 15-1/2 will be my distance from the far edge

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes I stuck a tape under the top board till it touched the bottom board. 15-1/2 will be my distance from the far edge

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes Using the T square for one dimension and the tape measure at 15-1/2 from the edge I have my center.

The toilet flange cutout is 7". I used a compass to draw the circle. If you don't have a compass you could also use a circular saw blade as a template

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes The toilet flange cutout is 7". I used a compass to draw the circle. If you don't have a compass you could also use a circular saw blade as a template

Here's how I got the center on the water supply. I eyeballed the center of the pipe. `It's 3-1/2 from the top and 10 from the edge. It doesn't look like 10 because the pipe moved to the right

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes Here's how I got the center on the water supply. I eyeballed the center of the pipe. `It's 3-1/2 from the top and 10 from the edge. It doesn't look like 10 because the pipe moved to the right

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes I transferred the measurements to the other side of the board

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes I used a 1" hole saw to cut the water supply hole

I used my Sonicrafter with a tile cutting blade to cut out the toilet flange hole. The Hardie backer folks say you can simply score the hole and beat it out with a hammer. I wasn't taking any chances

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes I used my Sonicrafter with a tile cutting blade to cut out the toilet flange hole. The Hardie backer folks say you can simply score the hole and beat it out with a hammer. I wasn't taking any chances

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes You just keep going around in a circle and eventually it cuts all the way through

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes I scraped the floor so the board lays flat. You'd be surprised what junk you might have missed.

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes Next vacuum up any loose dirt``

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes After scraping and vacuuming the board is ready to go down. This is the moment of truth

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes Lowering the board with the long side down allowed it to slip over the copper pipe

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes The sheet won't lay down because I'm off by a little on the top

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes I widened out the hole with a rasp

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes Now it fits fine. The extra space will simply get filled with thinset when I tile

You want to make sure you leave around 1/8" `space for caulk between the underlayment board and the shower base.

Laying out the toilet flange and water supply holes You want to make sure you leave around 1/8" `space for caulk between the underlayment board and the shower base.

The mark I put on the bottom of the wall showing the end of the vent is coming in handy

Layout and score the line with a knife

I cut the long lines with my Hackzall and broke off the board by hand

I cut and screwed in a filler at the bottom of the right wall

Nailing down the underlayment I used 1-1/4" galvanized roofing nails every 8" to fasten the 1/2" cement board to the floor

Nailing down the underlayment The underlayment is now down

I already put the new Moen shower valve in so now I can close the wall. Locate the center for the shower valve hole. Measure from the right to the center of the valve stem which is 15". Makes sense because the shower base is 30"

Putting on the left side wall I already put the new Moen shower valve in so now I can close the wall. Locate the center for the shower valve hole. Measure from the right to the center of the valve stem which is 15". Makes sense because the shower base is 30"

Putting on the left side wall Measure 15" over from the right side of the board and draw a vertical line using a drywall T square

Get your vertical distance by measuring from the upper lip of the shower base with the shim laying on top to the valve stem. In this case it's 43-1/2"

Putting on the left side wall Get your vertical distance by measuring from the upper lip of the shower base with the shim laying on top to the valve stem. In this case it's 43-1/2"

Putting on the left side wall Measure 43-1/2 up from the bottom of the board along your last line and you have your center

I used a 2-1/4 hole saw for metal which really isn't the best for drilling in concrete board because it get hot and dulls the blade. A diamond saw would be the best.

Putting on the left side wall I used a 2-1/4 hole saw for metal which really isn't the best for drilling in concrete board because it get hot and dulls the blade. A diamond saw would be the best.

I put the newly cut sidwall in place and discovered I had to trim the drywall on the left side. It wasn't much so I used a razor knife and my rasp

Putting on the left side wall I put the newly cut sidwall in place and discovered I had to trim the drywall on the left side. It wasn't much so I used a razor knife and my rasp

Putting on the left side wall I put the board in place and drove one screw to hold it up. I like to mark the stud lines so my screws go in the center

I hung a tape measure from the top and put a screw in every 10". You really have to push to get them to drive flush with the board. Sometimes the board comes up while you're driving the screw. Just back it out and drive it back to fix it

Putting on the left side wall I hung a tape measure from the top and put a screw in every 10". You really have to push to get them to drive flush with the board. Sometimes the board comes up while you're driving the screw. Just back it out and drive it back to fix it

Putting on the left side wall I cut and pieced in the top board and the small filler `on the bottm left

Putting on the left side wall Here's the piece for the bottom left

Putting on the left side wall I drove some 1-5/8 drywall screws into the edge of the drywall where it meets the cement board