Planning mistakes
Common Bathroom Remodeling Mistakes
Most bathroom remodel regrets come from decisions made too late or details skipped behind the walls. Here are the common ones and how to avoid each.
The mistakes that cause the most trouble
The costliest bathroom remodeling mistakes are the ones hidden once the tile goes up: gaps in waterproofing, a fan too small for the room, missing blocking for grab bars, and plumbing or outlets in the wrong place. Close behind are sequencing errors, like ordering shower glass before tile is finished, and planning errors, like no budget contingency or a door that hits the vanity. Every one of them is easier to prevent on paper than to fix after the walls close.
Behind the walls
1. Treating waterproofing as a detail
Tile and grout are not waterproof. A shower needs a continuous membrane system behind and under the tile, with the corners, seams, niches, benches and valve penetrations sealed and the pan flood-tested before tile. Most shower failures trace back to one of those spots. Our shower waterproofing basics explains what should be there.
2. An undersized or badly placed exhaust fan
A fan picked by habit, not by room size, leaves moisture on the walls and mirror. In long, humid Dallas summers that shows up as mildew, peeling paint and swollen cabinets. Size the fan to the room, put it near the shower, and make sure it vents outside, not into the attic.
3. No blocking for grab bars or heavy fixtures
Adding wood backing in the walls costs very little while they're open. Without it, a grab bar, floating vanity, wall-hung toilet or heavy mirror later means cutting into finished tile.
4. A niche on an exterior wall
A niche removes insulation from the wall it's cut into. On an outside wall, that puts a cold spot and possible condensation behind your shower. Keep niches on interior walls, and keep supply lines off exterior walls where you can, since North Texas gets occasional hard freezes.
5. Skipping movement protection on slab floors
North Texas slabs move with the clay soil. Tile laid without a crack-isolation membrane and movement joints at walls and changes of plane tends to crack. Large-format tile is even less forgiving.
Sequencing and ordering
6. Ordering shower glass before tile is finished
Frameless glass is cut to fit the finished tile, which is never perfectly plumb. Glass ordered from framing measurements often doesn't fit. Template after tile, and plan for a gap of a week or more while it's fabricated.
7. Choosing products after demolition
Late selections leave the room open while you wait. Pick the tile, vanity, valve and trim, lighting and even towel bars before work starts. A single backordered item can hold every trade that follows it.
8. Buying a valve without matching trim
Shower valves and the handles that cover them usually have to come from the same maker and series. Buy them together.
Layout and daily use
9. Ignoring door swing
A door that hits the vanity, toilet or someone standing at the sink is a daily annoyance. Draw every swing on the plan, including the shower door and vanity drawers. A pocket door or an out-swinging door can fix a tight room.
10. Outlets in the wrong spots
One outlet at the far end of a double vanity means cords across the counter. Put an outlet near each sink, consider one inside a drawer or medicine cabinet, and think about a heated-floor thermostat, a toilet seat with power, or a lighted mirror before rough-in.
11. Lighting only from overhead
A single ceiling light casts shadows on your face at the mirror. Layer it: light at face height on both sides of the mirror, general light for the room, and a wet-rated light in the shower.
12. A shower head aimed at the opening
In walk-in and doorless showers, a head pointed toward the entry puts water on the bathroom floor. Place heads so the spray lands away from the opening.
13. Designing only for today
A curbless or low-curb shower, a bench, blocking and a comfort-height toilet cost little to include now and a lot to add later. Our accessible bathroom remodeling page covers these features in more depth.
Materials and money
14. Choosing tile without seeing it wet
Some tiles get slippery or change color when wet. Splash water on a sample before you commit, especially for shower floors. Look at it in the room's actual light too, since showroom lighting is very different. Our tile installation page covers what we check before setting tile.
15. Dark glass fixtures and hard water
Moderately hard water across the Dallas area leaves mineral spots on glass and dark finishes. A protective glass coating and a squeegee habit help. Very dark fixtures and clear glass show spots most.
16. No contingency
Opening a bathroom often turns up something: a slow leak, rotted subfloor in an older pier-and-beam home, or old supply lines. Set aside a contingency in your budget for surprises you can't see yet, and decide in advance how you'll handle them.
17. Skipping the permit
Most Dallas-area cities require a permit when plumbing or electrical work is altered. Skipping it can cause trouble at resale. Highland Park and University Park handle their own permitting, so check with your city.
For how a full remodel is planned from start to finish, see our complete bathroom remodeling page.
Planning a bathroom project? Call and tell us what you have in mind. We'll talk through scope and arrange a visit. Open daily 7 AM to 10 PM.
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If this guide raised questions about your own project, call us and we'll talk it through. You can also read how we handle full bathroom remodeling.
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