Just %$#*&@ peachy, thank you.
First I dropped the pipe cutter inside the wall as I was about to start cutting the last pipe. The only saving grace is that I am accessing the shower & tub from the other side of the wall.
And then, while removing not-so-gracefully the valve, I managed to knock out a tile which predictably fell outside the rag I had placed on the bottom of the tub and cracked into several pieces.
About the only smart thing I have done in this whole mess was to buy Sharkbite caps. I am taking a break, so the house has water again while no work is being done.
And mom does need to go potty. She gets mighty upset holding it too long and the chanclas come to play.
PS: No bleeding injuries or burns to the hands or anywhere else. So far.
My family has a standing rule when it comes to plumbing: leave. If I’m doing plumbing, the safest thing for them to do, is to go on a road trip. Don’t call, don’t text. Just go. I become the worst kind of SOB. And somebody is going to have their feelings destroyed. Fact.
I hate fixing plumbing.
I wil be attempting to replace a toilet, sink and vanity next month but at least these are all out in the open and the plumbing required is minimal. I had to do what you are doing in my first house, which was older than me and discovered all sorts of nice things when I opened the wall. 1″x2″s instead of 2″x4″s, pipe welds that looked like they were done in high school shop class and a shit ton of old magazines shoved in the walls for some reason. And not Playboys or anything, beat up Time and things like that. good luck.
Those sharkbite caps are a Godsend… I cannot tell you how many times they have paid for themselves.
Overall, this project seems to be going overall pretty well for you. A full day for an amateur to replace a shower valve is about right. Keep it up, you will get there…