Glass
Scale builds on a glass shower panel as each splash dries. A fixed panel with fewer seams and a squeegee by the door keep it clearer.
Bigger bathroom projects in Waterloo
Waterloo bathroom renovation
From our Oakville office, Waterloo is roughly 65 km away, and most of the drive is Highway 401. We take on larger bathroom jobs there, such as full guts and ensuites, and book them further ahead.
Can I renovate my bathroom for $10,000?
You can refresh a bathroom for $10,000, but a full gut with a new shower and moved pipes usually needs more. The money lasts when the tub, toilet and drains stay put. It goes fast once tile comes off, a membrane goes in or a drain moves. Since we drive in from Oakville, a small refresh may suit a Waterloo trade better.
Waterloo rules
City permits and licences that touch a bathroom
| Permit office | City of Waterloo Building Department. |
|---|---|
| Permit needed | Adding or changing plumbing. That includes new fixtures set on an existing rough-in. |
| No permit | Putting in the same type of fixture in the same place as the old one. |
| Drawings | Floor plans drawn to scale and dated, with each plumbing fixture marked. |
| Heritage | Homes in the MacGregor/Albert Heritage Conservation District need a heritage permit for most outside changes. Interior work does not, though a new fan vent or window on a street wall is worth raising first. |
| Wiring | Our electrician notifies the ESA, and an inspector checks the fan and heated floor circuits. |
Waterloo water
Hard water and the bathroom you are about to build
Waterloo Region uses both wells and the Grand River, and the Region describes its groundwater as hard. In a bathroom, those minerals show up in four places.
Shower heads and taps
Minerals collect in the small holes of a rain head. Fittings with soft rubber nozzles can be rubbed clean with a thumb.
Grout and tile
Light grout lines can turn grey under a mineral film. A stain-resistant grout wipes down more easily, and we price it as its own line.
The softener
The Region suggests softening only the hot water, and it offers a rebate for that plumbing change. Our plumber can make the switch while your water is off.
Toilet parts
Scale can build up on fill valves and flappers. We pick a toilet whose inside parts are easy to buy and swap later.
Booking a distant job
How we line up a Waterloo bathroom before day one
Far from the office, good planning saves the most days. This is what we settle first.
- A measured plan and a written quote that prices every part separately
- The permit issued before the old tile comes off
- Tile, fixtures and the shower membrane on site before demolition
- A check of the softener, so new glass and fixtures start on treated hot water
- Plumber and electrician days set around each inspection
- One crew lead who runs the job each day and takes your calls
- Dust walls and floor cover, so the rest of the house stays in use
Rental homes
Bathrooms in licensed Waterloo rentals
Waterloo asks owners of low-rise rentals, such as houses, townhouses and basement units, to hold a long-term rental licence for leases over 30 days.
The licence application includes an electrical inspection by a licensed electrician from the last 12 months. A bathroom redo that adds circuits is a handy time to get it done.
Building a new basement unit needs a building permit before work begins. Its bathroom is drawn and inspected as part of that permit.
Waterloo's page on extra units caps them at two, placed in the basement or at main floor level. A new bathroom that serves one is drawn as part of that unit's permit.
A licensed rental also faces inspections. We hand you the permit drawings, the ESA paperwork and photos of the flood test in one folder.
Our larger jobs
Full guts and ensuites worth the drive
The Waterloo jobs we take are mostly whole-room work: tile to the studs, a new shower and often a moved drain.
Every shower gets a waterproof membrane that we flood-test before tile. That step matters even more when we are an hour away. The flood test also shows any weak seam before the tile hides it.
Licensed plumbers and electricians are part of our crew, so each trade shows up on the day we planned.
A bathroom far from our office gets more planning, never less care.
Nearer our office
More bathroom pages toward Oakville
The photos show sample bathrooms to spark ideas. None is from a Waterloo project of ours.
Sources we checked for this page
- City of Waterloo, check if you need a building permit
- City of Waterloo, interior renovations and basements
- City of Waterloo, get a long term rental licence
- City of Waterloo, rental housing licensing bylaw
- City of Waterloo, build an aru on the main floor or basement
- Electrical Safety Authority website
- Region of Waterloo, water softeners
- Region of Waterloo, about water
- City of Waterloo, check if you need a heritage permit