I am a homeowner re-plumbing the bathroom to replace polybutelene and also want to replace our shower stall tile and plastic shower pan with new tile [U]floor[/U] and walls. The ceiling is already open underneath the shower stall. So I already have access to the drain from below. Link to drain pic: [url]http://daveprojects.shutterfly.com/pictures/9[/url] Should I attempt to remove the plastic shower pan and leave the existing drain intact, or is it better to just cut out the existing pan and drain from the drain pipe? If I should install a new drain, where do I center the drain in relation to the back wall and the curb. I assume I should center it between the expected finished tiled back wall and the expected finished inside edge of the curb, but I don't know how wide my curb will be yet. I also need to decide how to make the shower pan. I have seen the schluter kits and the pre-formed tile ready plastic pans. The plastic pans seem to dictate dividing the shower floor into 4 triangular shapes. The schluter kit uses a 4.5" wide curb, and I think a self made curb would be the same (3.5" for the 2 x 4 + 1/2" backer board on both sides). Shower stall will be 48" wide x 34" deep (front to back). I'm assuming that I should choose the drain location first, and then, I should center the shower head and shower valve along the same center line. Correct? It I could lock down my center line location today, I could install the rough in for the shower head and valve today. If not, I'll have to stub it out and install later.

There is a smell in one of my bathrooms that is particularly strong inside the vanity under the sink. I don't know if it is sewer gas or not, but I'm guessing it is. It doesn't really smell like sewage, though. It is stronger sometimes than others. The only other time I smelled this same smell was when I had tile being replaced in another bathroom and the toilet was completely removed at the time. Does this sound like it could be sewer gas? Next question: If it is sewer gas, could it be that the PVC pipes under the sink have a leak? Is there a way for me to check this? There is quite a bit of putty in a couple of places (at the seams), so I wondered if that might mean someone was trying to fix a leak or if that is normal. If replacing the pipes is a good idea, I would like to try to do that myself with some guidance. Thanks.