Bathroom Renovation Toronto
Water does not forgive shortcuts. A shower tiled over a subfloor that was already soft looks fine for two years and then a stain appears on the ceiling below. By then the repair includes the ceiling and the framing.
Toronto century homes keep their history behind the tile. A cast iron stack packed with lead. Plaster that has been damp since before you bought the place. We open the wall before committing to the finish.
We have been doing bathroom renovations in Toronto since 1997. Harvey quotes every job after walking it and checks it before it closes.
Three kinds of bathroom renovation
The refresh. Fixtures hold their positions. New tile, new vanity, new toilet, new lighting, new paint. The stack and the drains stay put. This is the fastest bathroom reno we do.
The rebuild. Same room, new plan. The tub comes out and a walk-in shower goes in. The vanity moves. The toilet shifts, which means opening the floor to relocate the closet flange. Everything goes back to bare studs and gets waterproofed from scratch.
The expansion. The bathroom grows into a closet or a hallway or a new ensuite is built off the primary bedroom. That is framing, new supply and drain runs, new venting and usually a building permit. In a century home it often means finding a path for a 3 inch drain.
What is included
- Design and layout, with 3D renderings before anything is ordered
- Demolition, disposal, subfloor repair and levelling
- Framing, blocking for grab bars, repair to notched joists
- Plumbing rough-in: supply, drains, venting, shower valve, tub filler
- Electrical: GFCI circuits, exhaust fan ducted outside, pot lights, vanity lighting
- Heated floors on a dedicated thermostat
- Waterproofing membrane, sloped substrate, properly set drain
- Tile, glass, vanity, counter, fixtures, drywall, paint
- Permits coordinated with your municipality
- All labour and materials supplied, one-year workmanship warranty
Waterproofing done properly
The waterproofing is the part of a bathroom remodel you never see and the part that decides whether the room lasts.
A shower needs four things working together. A substrate sloped so water runs to the drain instead of sitting in the corners. A continuous membrane over that slope and up the walls, sealed at every corner, seam and pipe penetration. A bonded-flange drain tied into the membrane, so water passing through the grout has somewhere to go. And blocking behind the tile for the bench, the niche and the fixtures.
Tile is a wear surface. Grout passes water. The membrane below has to be continuous and the drain has to accept water at membrane level.
A cheap quote skips this because nobody sees it once the tile is on. It saves a day of labour and can cost you the whole bathroom in year five. We waterproof every wet area the same way regardless of budget and we show you the membrane first.
Aging in place and tub-to-shower conversions
Most of our bathroom clients plan to stay in the house and that changes what makes sense to build.
A tub-to-shower conversion is our most common request. The tub goes out, a curbless or low-curb walk-in shower goes in and the room feels bigger without moving a wall. Done properly the subfloor is sloped at the shower and the membrane carries past the opening, because a curbless shower has no lip holding water back.
The rest is quiet work you do once, while the walls are open. Blocking behind the tile so a grab bar can go in later. A comfort-height toilet. An entry wide enough for a walker. Heated floors, which people keep because warm tile is easier on older feet.
If you are building an ensuite, get the door width and shower entry right now. Widening them later means moving framing.
Bathroom renovations across Toronto
We are a Toronto bathroom renovation contractor first. Scarborough sits inside the City of Toronto, so a bathroom renovation in Scarborough is permitted through the Scarborough district office and bathroom renovation work in Etobicoke goes through the Etobicoke York office.
Bathroom renovations in Ontario follow the same building code wherever the house sits, and the century-home problems repeat from the Beaches to Bloor West Village. See Toronto home renovation, the Beaches and Bloor West Village.
"In both instances, it was a pleasure to work with him. His professionalism and proactive attitude helped to calm our nerves throughout the experience." Greig G.
"We found in Harvey a person with tremendous knowledge about how houses work. He anticipated what needed to be done in the right order." David M.
Finished bathrooms are in the photo gallery.
Bathroom renovation FAQs
How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Toronto? Cost tracks scope. A refresh that keeps every fixture in place is the least expensive version. Moving a toilet or converting a tub to a walk-in shower means opening the floor and re-running drains. Tile, shower glass and heated floors move the finish budget. Harvey walks the bathroom and you get a written number.
How long does a bathroom renovation take? Design takes 2 to 4 weeks before anything is ordered. A single bathroom rebuild is usually a matter of weeks once material is on site. Two things stretch it: waterproofing and tile need cure time and older homes hide problems inside the walls.
Do I need a permit for a bathroom renovation in Toronto? You need a building permit if you add plumbing fixtures, change the structure or put a bathroom where there was none. Replacing fixtures in place usually does not require one. Electrical work needs an ESA inspection either way. We are licensed by the City of Toronto and coordinate the permit.
Can you convert my bathtub to a walk-in shower? Yes. A tub-to-shower conversion is one of the most common bathroom renovations we do in Toronto. The tub comes out, the drain moves or converts to a linear drain, the subfloor is prepared for slope and the wet area gets a fresh waterproofing membrane.
What does proper bathroom waterproofing involve? A properly waterproofed shower has a substrate sloped to the drain, a continuous membrane bonded over that slope and up the walls with sealed corners and pipe penetrations and a bonded-flange drain tied into the membrane. Ask any bathroom remodeler in Toronto to show you the membrane before tile goes on.
Get a free consultation
Send photos and tell us what you want the bathroom to do in ten years. Harvey will walk the scope with you and give you a range before you spend anything.
Book a free 15-minute call with Harvey or contact us. Call Harvey at (416) 489-4083.