A bathroom is a small room with a lot going on behind the walls: drains, supply lines, wiring, a fan that has to vent outdoors, and a shower that has to stay watertight for years. When a bathroom wears out early, the trouble usually started behind the tile, not on it.
We remodel bathrooms from the studs out. That means we see the framing, the plumbing and the subfloor before we close anything up, and we waterproof the shower before any tile goes on.
Bathrooms We Remodel
- Primary bathrooms: larger showers, double vanities, soaking tubs and better lighting
- Hall and guest bathrooms: durable finishes for the bathroom everyone uses
- Powder rooms: a new vanity, toilet, lighting and tile in the room guests see first
- Basement bathrooms: new bathrooms built from an existing rough-in or planned as part of a finished basement
Behind the Tile
- A rubber pan liner under the shower floor and cement board on the shower walls, with a waterproofing coat over the board, before any tile goes on
- Floors checked for soft spots and rot, and repaired before new tile goes down
- An exhaust fan sized for the room and vented to the outside
- Plumbing and electrical work by licensed trades under their own permits, and inspected
Tub or walk-in shower?
It depends on who uses the room. A primary bathroom often trades a rarely used tub for a larger walk-in shower with a bench and a glass panel. A hall bathroom that children use usually keeps a tub. If the house has no other tub, keeping one somewhere is worth thinking about before you sell. A freestanding soaking tub, like the clawfoot tub above, fits a larger primary bathroom with the shower beside it.
Why waterproof behind the tile?
Because tile and grout are not waterproof on their own. Water works through grout lines over time, and in a shower that water has to stop somewhere before it reaches the framing and the subfloor. A shower pan liner below and a waterproofing coat over the cement board on the walls give it that stop, so the tile you see can last as long as the room does.
How Your Bathroom Gets Remodeled
- Design visit. We measure the room, look at what you want to change and talk through tile, vanities and fixtures.
- Written proposal. You get the layout, the selections and a firm price in writing.
- Permits and ordering. The building and trade permits are filed, and the tile, vanity and fixtures are ordered so they arrive before demolition.
- Demolition and rough-in. The room is taken down to the studs, then plumbing, wiring and the fan are installed and inspected.
- Waterproofing, tile and finish. The shower is waterproofed, tile is set, and the vanity, fixtures and trim go in, followed by the final inspection and cleanup.
