Removing the Subfloor

Sorry I don't have oodles of pictures for you today.  It was a short day, and a day of trying to figure out exactly how I was going to deal with the subfloor besides.  Do I knock down the wall or cut the subfloor boards off at the wall?  If I cut the boards off at the wall is it still supported by anything?  Are there other reasons I need to mess with this wall, like shower alcoves, plumbing runs, and medicine cabinets?  If I take that out what else has to come out first?

In the end I have decided to try to proceed with most of the walls still in place, and to replace only the broken board under the bathtub.  Here you see the subfloor at the end of the day:

 

Notice that if I am a bit sleepy when I open the door to the bathroom I can take the shortcut to the laundry room.  There is nothing substantial under that insulation.

I am leaving the original subfloor on the left and right because it will be under the cabinets and because I need it to hold up the walls.  I am making the transition at a joist so both the plywood and the diagonal one-by's can be nailed down.

About now you should be wondering how I am flush-cutting the ends at the wall.  I tried a chisel.  That worked well as long as the board wasn't bouncy.  Most of the boards were bouncy, and a chisel makes no progress when it bounces.  I tried hand saws.  That is VERY hard work at bad angles and you have to be careful not to cut wires underneath.  I tried a special flush-cut hand saw (short straight blade offset from the handle so you don't bash your hands.  It might have works if the manufacturer had bothered to sharpen it.  Finally, I tried...

The Dremel Multi-Max oscillating tool.  Yes, that little, dinky machine with a 3/4" wide flush cut blade is my best tool for this big, nasty job.  It literally work by vibrating.  It feels like a cross between the hair clippers and an electric toothbrush.  But the blade is this and the oscillating really does let it cut through wood.  It seems impossibly slow, but it is faster than both chiseling and hand-sawing, takes a lot less effort, and leaves a clean edge.  I can cut one board in about 5 minutes.

As you might have guessed by now today included a trip to Home Depot.  In addition to the Dremel I also got a load of plywood subflooring, 2x4's, and 2x6's.  It is just as well that I didn't finish the tear-out though: I forgot about screws and liquid glue.