I Spy with My General Contractor’s Eye…

Is your bathroom remodeling giving you major bathroom renovation regrets? Despite having a bathroom remodeled a few years ago, it looks like it hasn't been updated in a decade. And let's not even talk about those awkward layouts that make you feel like a circus performer just trying to use the facilities. If even airplane washrooms seem better designed than your bathroom, it's time for a bathroom renovation & bathroom remodel upgrade that will make you never want to leave.

Let’s discuss in this Bathroom Blog Series “I Spy with My General Contractor’s Eye” info on:

Materials, tile, grout, bathroom fixtures, lighting, durability, and location. Tight houses with limited areas for a powder room will be slightly touched within this blog. Also, it will provide some information on bathroom remodeling contractors and bathroom shower remodel.

I Spy … Materials

I feel we should start with a First Place Renovation Truism of Material Choices that was outlined in another of our Blog Series I Spy with My General Contractor's Eye ... Kitchen where we discussed the following example:

When styling an outfit, a $5,000 item with a $15 accessory will make the item look like it is worth $1,000.

Conversely, a $1,000 item with an expensive-looking and well-crafted accessory, will make that outfit look fashionable and richer!

So in the end, budget for the best and most suitable product you can afford. This is aptly applicable for a bathroom; tiles, grout, bathroom fixtures (taps, shower faucets, sinks, toilets), bathtubs, shower doors, lighting/electrical, waterproofing, and layouts!

This is also true for bathroom accessories such as toilet paper holders, towel bars, and hand towel holders.

So let’s discuss materials and most specifically tiles.

I Spy … Bathroom Tiles

There are a number of bathroom tile types to choose from and this can be somewhat daunting.

Should we go with natural tiles, cheap and cheerful ceramic tiles, or porcelain tiles? What size should we use rectangular, square, large format square or rectangular, small format square or rectangular tiles on a mesh or in a loose fit, hexagon?

Never mind this dizzying choice but what about the next phase of the bathroom journey: solid colour or pattern tiles, tiles with veins, matte finish, gloss finish, tiles that have a repeating pattern and are bought in sets, etc.

What should the finish be matte, or gloss, honed or unhoned? Now to throw a wrench into the decision-making process, can tiles be used for the floor or wall or a combination of both?

Hmmm, that seems like a lot doesn’t it, or is there more tile decisions and knowledge that is required to complete your selection task.

Well, you are correct as there are two more things that one should consider: what thickness are the tiles, are they consistent throughout all of the boxes that you purchase; secondly, if you need to order more are they all the same or will they vary from dye lot to dye lot?

Okay, now one more thing, and we are almost done, and that is floor and wall tile layouts. This may influence the shape of the tile and how both sets of tile, floor, and wall, are going to interact and work with each other.

Phew, I am exhausted just writing this, never mind having to synthesize this information quickly into an appropriate decision for your bathroom!

Some items should be on your list whilst others are left for the professionals to worry about. I think for me the priorities would be the following: material, style, colour for both wall and floor, then tile layout.

The other issues are more important for your general contractor and tiler but being informed on how they approach the layout, tile thickness, tile size irregularities, and dye lots are things that are unfortunately in your wheelhouse.

As you breathe a sigh of relief you now feel you can leave the tile aisle until someone says, what about grout?

I Spy … Grout

This section is much smaller and easier than ordering and picking tile. This is based firstly on colour, then type depending on your material choice, and then finally maintenance (I will leave this to the end to discuss a little bit more in detail). Ok, now what am I going to need to know about grout?

Well let’s look at the two main ones that are most commonly used are sanded and unsanded grouts.

Sanded grout is used most often and it has a cement component that decreases its shrinkage potential versus unsanded grout. It is more durable than unsanded grout and is used for smaller grout lines, ⅛”. Sanded grout is usually used for floor tiles. If your grout lines are larger than ⅜’, then you will still use sanded grout but it is known as a wide joint mixture that contains more cement and other aggregate materials that stops it from shrinking.

Where unsanded grout works best is with vertical tile applications i.e walls! Due to the nature of wall tiles being stacked closer together than floor tiles, shrinkage is not as big of an issue as compared to floor tile assembly. Also, wall tiles don’t have pressure on them as they are not walked upon like floor tiles and as such it is unlikely to crack.

One last note with these two grouts is that when working with natural materials such as marble sanded grout can mark and damage the tiles. So unsanded grout is a better material to use for this application.

I Spy … Bathroom Fixtures

Oh, now we can have a little more fun as we have pushed through the tile decision-making process and we can finally discuss finishes, taps/faucets, shower fixtures, toilets, sinks, and tubs!

To make this transition from tile to fixtures, the question may be what factors should one consider when making these decisions.

Well, we need to review the palette of and determine how the bathroom fixtures finish choice will interact with the tiles (oh you thought we were finished with tiles!

Well, a few more items that will come up over the next few sections and then we can forget about tiles!).

How do we finish off with finishes? There are few finishes that are commonplace and we will stick with these in our quick decision analysis. Ok deep breath, and here goes:

Polished chrome finish, matte black finish, brushed nickel finish, oil-rubbed bronze, and polished brass!

Is it an exhaustive list? Not really but it covers probably 97.5% of all purchases.

What are some issues with different manufacturers and types of taps/faucets? For me, I prefer a tap/faucet that is easy to use and repair if required. So I seek out well-known brands that stock the cartridge at your local plumbing or big box store.

With respect to shower faucets, there are two other items that are important and should be considered. These are pressure balance vs temperature-controlled thermostatic mechanisms within these faucets.

Pressure balancing is pretty straightforward and deals with maintaining the shower water pressure when some other fixtures are also demanding water too at the same time. The best example of this is a toilet flushed and demanding a surge of cold water to fill the tank. This drop in water pressure in a non-pressure balanced shower faucet will result in a greater hot water mix in your shower. Yes, that is a pain point moment! For this example, the pressure-balanced shower faucet will adjust and the pressure mechanism will shut the cold or hot water flow off completely.

Whereas a thermostatic valve measures the temperature of the water mixture and will adjust accordingly to the temperature set. In the previous example, the thermostatic valve will sense the change in temperature and will constantly adjust the mix to maintain the previously chosen temperature.

Which one do you choose? This is a good question and it is about the price point. The thermostatic valve in my opinion is superior to the pressure balance. But this superiority comes with a higher price point.

Toilets are a little less stressful than showers, taps, etc. when it comes to making a purchase. But it is important to review a couple of things; these are size, one vs two-piece, and wall-mounted units.

Again, the price point is an issue as well as size. Style is a consideration too. The price point for a two-piece toilet is the lowest of the group. Depending on the brand, the one-piece, and a wall-mounted toilet could be close to the same price.

Depending on what our style is, the modern look of a wall-mounted toilet along with the layout/size of the room are considerations. Also, a smaller toilet in length or width can assist its layout. There are some rules that one should follow and I usually look at the 15-15-15 rule: the centre line from off the wall is about 15” (12” to 14” to the centre of the drain/toilet), and then 15” on both sides of the toilet. Here is a great visual for you to see how to work with these items from Hammerpedia .

The sink is another fun choice and yet is pretty easy. The style choices are under-mounted, drop-in, and vessel sink. The under-mount is a little more high-end as a custom countertop is made with the sink’s dimensions in mind and the sides are polished. This sink is mounted under the vanity’s countertop. A drop-in sink is mounted by cutting a hole in the countertop and the sink will drop right into the hole. The lip of the sink will hide the cuts. The vessel sink is mounted on top of the sink and only a hole is drilled into the countertop the size of the drain pipe. All of the options are style and price point-related. There are only two areas to be concerned about overflow and depth. By code, it is best to have an overflow in case of a drain blockage. With respect to the sink depth, I ran into this recently where the drain heights due to the flood level (a very plumbing-related issue that sometimes comes up. It did for me in a laundry room where the drains were too high and this limited the depth of the sink).

The final part of this section is tubs. Who doesn’t love a good tub, who doesn’t want to lie in a tub after a long day or on a cold night, or a therapeutic soak?

There are some styles to look at when choosing a tub: a standalone soaker, a built-in soaker, a combination of soaker and air tub, and a basic three-sided tub. Again, the soaker tub whether in a combination or standalone or built-in soaker is style-related. I am not a fan of air tubs. I think that they are used for a period of time and then later on the use falls off. I always try to deter my clients from putting them in.

There are service and access issues that do have to be addressed when designing the bathroom with a soaker tub. Another issue with a soaker and standalone is warmth bleed out, (especially if it is acrylic or fiberglass. Metal-type tubs will retain heat the best but the price point and weight are a big consideration). Non-metal tubs will likely not hold heated water for a long period of time. To maintain temperature, we always recommend insulation underneath tubs (unfortunately soaker tubs are unable to have insulation added to them to assist in temperature maintenance).

I am a big believer in paying up for custom shower doors and having them professionally installed. Regardless there are always maintenance issues with shower doors but in the scheme of things they are not usually a replacement issue. They are silicone-based to either mold or over time lessening adhesion. The other issues that are commonplace are door sweeps having a short shelf life before they will need to be replaced. These are pretty easy fixes and are not based on manufacture or being a custom-designed door.

The reason I like them is that they are templated to your space and are not based on a big box store set size. Therefore you are not limited to the size of your shower with a custom shower door system. Also, you can choose your materials, door swings, door location, etc. Another consolidation to bear in mind with the big box shower door system is hardware and their limited handle choices.

I have in the past had clients who insisted on a store-bought shower system and they regretted the decision once a problem arose with mid to low-end quality parts. The service of the system is not the best either as the local big box store will provide you with the 1-800 number and wish you well as you leave the store.

I Spy … Lighting/Electrical

I think good lighting design anywhere and everywhere in a house is important. However, I like lighting to be simple in a bathroom. The simplest and sometimes the most effective lighting source is a ceiling-mounted light. Depending on the price point and which bathroom is being renovated there are a few different preferences that should be discussed with your renovator.

Firstly, I will be very open with my biased preference and that is, if possible, install pot lights in selected areas such as the shower/tub and over the toilet. I do like ceiling-mounted light fixtures but there is sometimes a limitation as they can not be installed over a shower. Also, I like the simplicity of either above mirror lighting or side-mounted sconces. Sometimes lighted mirrors are a good addition to a bathroom.

A few other issues are worth noting. These are fans and humidity sensor switches. I love a quiet fan that is sized properly for your bathroom. Also as humidity control is tantamount in any bathroom, the properly sized fan is only as good as the run time! That is why I believe that a humidity sensor switch is the best way to proceed with the dehumidification of a bathroom!

Just a quick word to the wise, always follow code with it comes to receptacles (plugs)! Make sure that they are ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) and are functioning properly.

I Spy … Waterproofing

This is a great new feature that has come out over the last few years and has its benefits. I like the simplicity of the installation. I like that it gives you the carefree worry of not coming home to a bucket in your living room due to a shower leaking!

All of this hinges on the installer and how thorough they are, their experience, and whether they are certified in a particular waterproofing membrane system. The system has to be followed correctly with the right products and the right adhesives.

Showers are the focus of all waterproofing. There are a few ways that this is accomplished. There are foam boards that are used for the slope to the drain. There are fluid waterproofing membranes that are painted on with a roller brush. There are orange plastic sheets and mats that are adhered to the subfloor with an adhesive. There are special proprietary foam panels that contain waterproofing sheeting that is screwed on the wall framing and then all seams are taped. All of the products work and are useful in their applications.

Is one better than the other? We have used the fluid-applied membrane successfully and we would use it again and it is shower specific. We have used the Ditra by Schluter with the associated floor heating system, Kerdi Boards, and Kerdi wrap. This system is fabulous and we have had tremendous success with it.

Every contractor has their own waterproofing tricks and standards that they feel work for them. We have our way too! Is our better than any other system? I can’t comment on it but I can comment on our experience to date that in the last 5 years, we have not had a leak!

We start with a very clean subfloor that is rinsed and vacuumed clean and let to dry. We then add our adhesive and then apply a sheet of kerdi membrane on the floor. After it is dried, we then add our drypac for the drain slope. Thereafter we add another sheet of kerdi membrane and attach it to our Schluter drain.

The reason we add the membrane to the subfloor prior to adding drypac, is that we feel if there is a way for any water to penetrate the top layer of Kerdi, we have a backup and failsafe method of stopping any water migrating to the subfloor and beyond. Are we confident that the top layer of the waterproofing membrane is enough, yes we are at 99.9%. But we like to be 100% of no leaks! So we continue to use this shower assembly. Until we find a better way or have a leak, we will maintain this methodology!

I Spy Layout

Now we are into the last leg of the Blog! It feels like the bathroom is ready for tiling and we are ready to either soak in the tub or have a long shower! But we are not ready yet as there are a few items to review and be concerned with prior to either activity.

We have not discussed square, plumb, slope, level and bathroom fixture locations! Oh those ones are not necessary are they? Maybe they are and maybe they aren’t. But I think if you are at this point of the Blog and you feel that all of your t’s are crossed you might as well await and dot the i’s. These small tips will make you, your contractor and especially your tiler happy!

So let’s get to it.

Here are our tips that we like to work with when all of our bathroom renovations. Firstly, we like to have the interior designer/architect layout the room for us PRIOR to starting any work. We usually have a few suggestions or ideas prior to either of them have had their proverbial kick at the cat.

We like to know the type of shower, is the shower curbless and the bathroom will be a “wet shower” (Yes this will be a new blog post soon!), where they are locating the water lines, what the plumbing fixtures will be used such as jets or a rain head, where the lighting is located, is the vanity a wall hung unit or does it rest on the floor, is the toilet wall hung,

Is there a tub, what type of tub, what type of tile is being used (see above section I Spy … Tile), is there a recurring pattern, is there a classic style of layout, will there be a lot of wastage due to the size of the tile and room, are the accessory locations marked and is blocking required.

How will the room be ventilated? (is there is a flat roof above the bathroom can the exhaust be vented through the roof, how will it be insulated, will this create a thermal bridge?).

Is the floor to be heated, is there a shower bench, is it a steam shower (this leads to a whole bunch of things that will require to be undertaken to make it function properly and will likely be a short Blog I Spy with my General Contractor’s Eye ... Steam Showers).

And finally checking all studs for level, plumb and squareness especially in areas where tiles will be installed (we like to use engineered wood studs - lsl’s [laminated strand lumber] - in this area so that the walls are perfectly plumb, in line and the corners are square. This helps the drywaller and tiler immensely!).

Almost ready to soak in that tub? Well not quite yet as there are a couple of more things to review before we move on to the next section. We haven’t discussed plumbing rough-ins, joists that may be in the way of the toilet, what room is underneath the bathroom so as to not have an unsightly or ruinous bulkhead or column into the middle of a room.

There are quicker ways to fix some of these items in the planning stage. The first thing I recommend is to review the plans so that they are lined up one floor on top of each other - hopefully with light see-through paper or if your architect or designer can do a three-dimensional model where the floor plates are stacked above each other that will work too. This exercise allows you, the architect, designer, general contractor, and the framing subtrade to review the structural layouts, the rooms underneath where the plumbing runs shall run through and determine whether tweaks to the design, point loads, etc are available to lessen bulkhead and column in areas.

Sometimes, the toilet is sitting exactly where you want in on your plans but there is structural framing in the way. This makes it impossible to keep the toilet where you wanted it to sit. The review of plans helps you alleviate these issues. As you can see this is perfect when you are redoing the whole house or when you are building an addition or a new home. However, during a renovation, this sometimes is not the case where you know where the framing is going to be located.

During a bathroom-only renovation and where the room’s layout is being changed, this is a bit more problematic. Again a thorough review of the current bathroom configuration is required and some assumptions for framing and current plumbing arrangements are necessary.

The process is a bit more involved. However, you should have an understanding of this process and what it entails. The first issue is to determine which way the joists are running. It is rare in a room that they run both ways but it does occur. Mostly though the joists will run north-south or east-west. Now let me explain this lingo before we move on as the joist will not run magnetic north or sunrise east or sunset west. These conceptions refer to either the front of the house to the back of the house or the side of the house to the other side of the house framing.

Upon reviewing onsite conditions and a determination of which way the joists are running, the general contractor can assume a 16’ on centre layout. They will ascertain the original framing layout of the room. It is recommended that if the framing is east-west (side to side), the general contractor shall assume that the framing started from the front to back and then from back to front. The same is true for a north-south (front to back) framing pattern This way both framing orientations are reviewed and a clearer approximation of where joists may fall are detailed. Thereafter a review of the architectural drawings and where all plumbing fixtures are to be located is then recorded. The whole team is aware of any issues upfront due to framing restrictions.

Now that we have the framing pattern out of the way, the next thing that should be reviewed is where the plumbing stack is located. Most of the time the plumbing stack is next to the toilet and will be buried in a partition wall below the room or an exterior wall. If there is a significant change to the toilet’s location, the current plumbing stack may be compromised for its continued use. That is, if the room below windows or has some architectural detail that you are trying to save or was recently renovated, then a bulkhead may not be appropriate. However, a straight run down to the basement may work, again depending on what is underneath the bathroom.

This needs to be reviewed during the planning stage and then reviewed again during the demo stage to determine if all the earlier assumptions were accurate and whether any further changes shall be required.

The last part of layouts specifically for renovations is the door and outside the room floor height. Now I know that some of you are math adverse but this is pretty simple math. After demo you will either be at subfloor or underlayment level or maybe the whole subfloor has been removed. You are then able to review what is the flooring in the hallway and what is the flooring’s height.

Where math comes in is working backward from the top of the finished floor down to the subfloor. Usually, the difference between the finished floor from the hallway to the top of the subfloor is ¾”. Now here’s where your math skills come into play as you have to subtract from this number the tile thickness, and Schluter Ditra plus the adhesive.

Once you have all these numbers in place you can now determine if a threshold will be required from your bathroom to the hallway. If tiles, plus adhesive plus Schluter is greater than ¾” then a threshold will be required. If it is substantially less you will then need to build the floor height up with either a layer of underlayment (a concrete board or plywood) or Planipatch or self-leveling compound. Otherwise, you can add more adhesive to the tiles to match the height.

On the other hand, if the difference is higher on the bathroom side and you don’t want a threshold, you may have to pan the floor, or redoing all of your joists. Regardless a structural engineer will have to be called in to review this and provide a construction detail. Please note that floor panning is not for the faint of heart and it is a definite skill set that the general contractor should have some experience with this application.

Quickly, floor panning consists of removing the subfloor attaching 2x material horizontally to both sides of the joist cavities, at least ¾” below the top of the joist, running level with the top of the joists, and finally attaching a ¾” plywood subfloor to the next 2x material. This will allow for an additional ¾” of space for you to maintain a top of finish floor from the bathroom to the hallway. Some general contractors will frame the 2x materials 2 ¼” below the top of the joist, add the subfloor, and allow for 1 ½” of drypack or a concrete compound to stiffen the floor as well. This method is also useful in-floor radiant or hydronic heating (this work must be calculated by the mechanical heating contractor and engineer. The concrete mass must be large or thick enough for it to hold the heat for a period of time).

I Spy … Durability

This is a very short section and deals with three things:

Grout
Tile type
Air extraction

For grout as we outlined hereinabove usually is sanded or unsanded compounds. However, there is a third grout that is more expensive and is more durable. This is epoxy grout. It is made of epoxy, it is long-lasting and requires no sealing, and is resistant to mold and stains. Epoxy grout is used in kitchens, and steam rooms as it is waterproof. I recommend its use in high traffic areas such as in front foyers as well as mudrooms too.

Ceramic tile is the most fragile in my opinion due it brittleness and is prone to chipping. Now, why does that matter? Ceramic tiles have a thin coating and a dark brown-like compound makes up the remaining parts of the tile. When the coating is chipped it will show the brown compound that resides underneath. It is hard to match the ceramic glazing and the tile will have to be replaced. Regardless over time, significant chips will date a bathroom and the durability suffers.

Although the price point is higher with porcelain and natural stone, the material being the same throughout the tile allows for a repair if the tile is chipped. Also, porcelain tile is much harder than ceramic and as such may not chip as easily as ceramic.

With a natural stone such as marble, it is very similar to porcelain in that it is exactly the same throughout the thickness of the tile. Additionally, epoxies can be made that are nearly identical in colour that any marring, cracking, or chips can be easily filled or hidden.

One more thing I like about marble is that it can be cleaned, buffed, and resealed after a few years and will look almost again. This is not the case with both ceramic or porcelain. Again, durability and the related price point are things to consider when choosing a tile.

Now onto air extraction and the humble bathroom exhaust fan! It is humbling and numbing when a cheap fan is installed in your bathroom. It is loud and unsatisfying to soak in a tub (yes we all want to get in at the end of this Blog!!) while it is running. This issue along with under-sizing a fan are two of my personal considerations that I outline immediately with clients.

Firstly I want the sound to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible. Secondly, I want the fan to be sized correctly so that it removes the proper amount of humid air that is created by the shower tub, etc. (There are web pages where you enter in the cubic feet of your bathroom - length x width x height - and it calculates the CFM required for your fan). Finally, I want a humidity sensor as a switch on the bathroom fan. That way if you forget to turn the fan on or think that you should turn it off, it will continue running until all of the humidity is removed.

As you can see, upfront proper planning is important for a successful bathroom renovation.

Please call us today with any questions you may have and let us provide you with our expertise in bathroom construction!

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First Place Homes is a Passive House Institute certified Tradesperson. With over 25 years of experience in all aspects of home renovations, we are your experts in conventional renovation and Passive House construction.

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