As I described in my post “Dressing Room Redux,” we were hoping to upgrade washing, bathing, laundry and general sanitation facilities at the nursing home for elderly and disabled IDPs (internally displaced people) where I am volunteering here in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine. Thanks to generous cash donations from a few friends and family, we have already made significant improvements.

These photos are views from the corridor outside.

The scope of work already completed includes: replacing the drain pipes in the cellar, installing a new toilet and sink in the bathroom, removing the existing floor-top steel shower tray from the shower stall and replacing it with inset tile, installing new fixtures, replacing all the old wiring and plumbing, installing a new hot water heater, installing a new room heating radiator, patching damaged wall tile and painting the walls and floor.

These photos show the new sink and toilet in the bathroom.

Revamped shower stall

New wash stand and water heater.

The total cost of labor and materials for all this work was 68,000 UAH (about $1,800). We hired a local building contractor who has previously done work at the nursing home, and he gave us a very generous rate for his labor expenses.

“Under the hood” – contractor also installed sleek new drain pipe.