AYN Advice

Washroom renovations

Question:

Our only bathroom, like our home, was built in the 1960's. The peach toilet, tub and sinks look awful and the toilet is nearly beyond repair. I want to redo it completely because the tiling is dated and looking abused. My husband says we should do only parts so that we won't be without facilities for long. What do you suggest?

Answer

It is nearly impossible to redo a washroom in stages. There is a bit of a domino effect that takes place:

  1. a) To replace the tub, you have to remove the wall tiles, and floor tiles will require repair at the least because new tubs are slightly wider than the old ones.
  2. b) To replace the flooring, you have to uninstall the toilet, vanity & sink.
  3. c) To change the vanity, you have to remove the sink and faucet, and there will likely be damage to at least one wall.
  4. d) To change the sink, you have to uninstall the faucet.
  5. e) To replace the shower/tub faucets, the wall tiles will have to be redone, or repaired at the very least.

Once you are doing work in a washroom, you should add ventilation; this involves cutting a hole in the ceiling, plastering, priming, and repainting. You will probably also want to improve the lighting, which means you are likely to have some damage to your wall and/or ceiling. So, as you can see, it is very difficult to keep a washroom project from snowballing into a complete renovation.

A good general contractor can renovate an average-sized washroom in ten days, from demolition to final touches. Because this is the only washroom, you can ask that the toilet be installed at the end of each day - the only day this cannot be done is the day the ceramic flooring is installed. This adds a few dollars to the price, but is still more economical than a hotel room. Bathing will have to be done somewhere else though, at least for the first week.