Common Bathroom Renovation Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them

A bathroom renovation goes wrong in predictable ways, and the predictable ways are worth listing because each has a question that prevents it. These are the ones that come up on the island, in rough order of cost.

Tiling over the problem

New tiles over old ones in a shower, or over a wet area that was never waterproofed, hides the fault for a season and then presents it with interest. The question: what is behind the old tiles, and is the wet area being opened and waterproofed?

A floor with no fall

A shower floor laid flat, or with a fall that does not reach the drain, leaves water standing in a corner every day. The question: how is the fall being formed, and towards what?

A level threshold promised before the slab was measured

A level walk-in floor needs depth; a thin slab or a landing in a split-level house often has none. The honest answer is a tray or a small step, and a company that says so before the design is drawn is the one to keep. The question: how much floor depth is there?

Moving the toilet because the drawing looked better

The toilet wants a short direct route to the stack, and in a stone house or an apartment moving it is masonry or a shared-stack conversation. The question: what does the room gain, and what does the move cost? Ask for both layouts priced.

Glass ordered before the tiles were on

Frameless glass is measured to the millimetre against the finished surfaces. Ordered from the drawing, it arrives a few millimetres wrong and is cut or replaced. The question: when is the glass measured?

The polished tile underfoot

Beautiful on the wall, a hazard on a wet floor. The question, asked by name: what is the grip of this floor finish when wet?

Deciding late

A concealed cistern, a shower valve, a mirror light and a niche all need their frames and cables in the wall at first fix. Decided after the wall is closed, they cost the wall. The question: what has to be decided before first fix, and by when?

The wrong finish by the sea, the wrong cleaner on the stone

Polished chrome pits in salt air; an acidic cleaner marks a stone floor. The question: what is specified for the coast, and what are the care instructions, in writing?

Ventilation that was a window

A room with a small window and no fan holds its moisture, and in an old house the stone takes it. The question: how does this room clear its air?

Snagging on the last day

A bathroom reveals its faults after a few weeks of use, not on the afternoon it is finished. The question: when is the snagging visit?

The checklist puts every one of these questions in the order they come up.