Nevada City Victorian Bathroom

This 1880s Victorian in Nevada City has a 7×9 ft primary bath. It had the original cast-iron tub, a hand-set tile shower on a cement-board substrate, original lath-and-plaster walls, galvanized supply, no exhaust venting at all — and plate-rail-style original moldings worth saving.

What we changed

• Removed the original moldings carefully during demolition and reinstalled them on the rebuilt walls
• Removed the tub, demolished the shower to the studs while keeping the original wall framing, and replaced the supply with PEX
• Built a walk-in shower with bonded sheet-membrane waterproofing, an encaustic tile floor, and small-format wall tile in a soft sage
• Ran a new exhaust vent to the exterior
• Installed a wall-hung walnut floating vanity that doesn't fight the home's character
• Specified solid-brass fixtures throughout

Permit and code points

Nevada City is incorporated, but it contracts its building services to the county: plans are approved by the City, then submitted to the Nevada County Building Department, which issues the permit. The City also requires confirmation of an installed sewer backflow prevention device on building permits (City of Nevada City forms and applications). Adding exhaust meant venting it outside the building, as code requires, and because the house predates 1994, California Civil Code §1101.4 requires noncompliant plumbing fixtures to be replaced as a condition of final permit approval.

Result

The bathroom now has modern supply, waterproofing and ventilation, while the saved moldings and period tile keep it consistent with an 1880s house.