Remodeling a Small Bathroom in a Log Home Part 2: Designing a Copper Bathtub

The shower attached to the small bathroom, as discussed in the previous installment, has been removed and the space opened up to its original 6 by 6 space.

The narrow door as seen in this photo is only 19 inches wide and leads to the bathroom. The walls have been stripped of the cheesy press-board paneling.

This room originally served as a bathroom for the tavern and is situated in a corner of the veranda game room. As layers of paneling were stripped away one could see on the floor where the toilet and sink once set. The ceiling of the small room has been removed to expose the game room ceiling which slopes from 12 foot down to 10 foot.

Concepts for the bathroom were sketched out with a view looking toward the two existing doors. The idea is to mimic the look and feel of the current bathroom as seen in the photos in Part I of this series. Next a small model of the bathroom was made to as to give a better visual of the space and the elements that were to be used.

In the new shower area the log walls on two sides will be exposed and refinished. The two internal walls will be insulated and finished using a combination of plaster, stone and pecky cypress.

Instead of using a bathtub or a shower stall the shower room needed something more unique befitting a rustic log home. One option was to go with a claw foot tub. having a stark white tub in this rustic space rubs me the wrong way.
I took a look at copper bathtubs but these generally start at $4000 to $5000. The same applies to wood bathtubs so I decided to build my own copper bathtub. I have several 3 foot by 8 foot sheets of 12 gauge copper in the workshop as well as the rest of the materials.

I designed the copper bathtub using the same dimensions as a standard claw foot bathtub. The box for the tub will be made using 3/4 inch plywood and slightly tapered as in a normal tub yet will be rectangular instead of curved. The finished tub will somewhat resemble a large dry sink.

The interior of the tub will be first lined with a pliable PVC liner normally used for creating shower pans. This will provide a slight cushion for the copper. The copper tub portion will be created separately and dropped into the superstructure. The exterior of the tub will be finished using pecky cypress and a teak rail will be used to finish the top edge. I will be sharing photos of the process.

Using foam board, my Berol markers, and some thin copper sheeting I had, I sat at my drafting table and created a small model of the bathroom and shower area as well as a small copper tub. The model gave me the chance to work out some of the dimensions and play with some concepts.

So far the shower room has been stripped and the next step will be to insulate and run the necessary electrical for lighting as well as prepare the sub-flooring which will be ’tiled’ with small river stones.

Laying out the pattern onto the plywood for the tub has begun. Once cut and assembled the layout and cuts for the copper sheet will begin. Cutting and bending the copper with precision will be will be done with a sheet-metal break.

Stay tuned for Part III as the demolition begins.

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