Bathroom renovation - which order?

[MarkVin]

Howdy,

I am new to the world of DIY and am going to take a stab at retiling my bathroom. I'll also be getting a new sink and toilet but will get profesionals to fit the toilet. There is currently a radiator that I want replaced with a towel warmer. The pipes for the radiator are also visible at the bottom and I want these hidden from view.

In which order do I do things? I assume I remove the sink and toilet , retile and fit the new suite but what about the towel warmer? If I fit it first then I'll have to tile around it (which is daunting) but if I tile the wall first then how do I install it without messing up the tiling?


Thanks in advance

 

[FoxtrotOscar]

You are quite happy to tile but need a pro to fit a toilet? This seems the wrong way round to me!

You'd tile first, leaving the tiles through which the pipes will go until last, then drill a hole with a diamond coated holesaw for the pipes, then fix towel warmer to wall using suitable fixing (tile-friendly drill bit and rawl plug through brick).

 

[ub7rm]

Having both had a go at tiling and fitting a toilet I whole heartedly agree that fitting a toilet is a lot easier.

 

[MarkVin]

Thanks for the comments. TBH, I'd be quite happy to have a bash at a toilet but I just assumed it was a tricky job and didn't want to come off as arrogant or misguided. I also want to swap out my bath and don't think it appears that difficult (despite being a DIY novice).

You'd tile first, leaving the tiles through which the pipes will go until last, then drill a hole with a diamond coated holesaw for the pipes, then fix towel warmer to wall using suitable fixing (tile-friendly drill bit and rawl plug through brick).

Bearing in mind the most I have done til now is change a lightbulb, I'm going to need some simpler instructions please lol. Having never fitted anything other than the aforementioned lightbulb, I have no idea where the pipes would go. I don't mind getting a pro in to do that if required but would still neeed to know which areas to leave untiled.

Also, as for the pipes at the bottom of the radiator that I want hiding out of view - how do you go about that and is it easy? BTW, it's attached to the chimney breast.


I've wanted to get into DIY for ages but the recent quotes for a bathroom renovation have been the final straw so here I am. With regards to bathroom installations, I've been getting ridiculous quotes of £1200 for labour alone by one-man bands just to remove/install a 3 piece suite. Even if we say it's a day to remove and a day to install (which I doubt) that's £600 a day labour when the average rate is £150-£200. Are these quotes normal or have I just been quoted by a bunch of rogues?

 

[muggles]

the average rate is £150-£200

Pffft, dream on. Granted, you're in Manchester where things are a bit cheaper, but £300/day labour is entirely reasonable. As for why they've said £1200 labour, we can't see the job so it's hard to comment but if you've had three different companies giving you that kind of price there's obviously more to it than meets the eye

Yes, you might possibly find someone daft enough to work for a £150 day rate, but pay peanuts and you'll get monkeys

 

[MarkVin]

Just a standard pull out and fit a 3 piece suite.I had two quotes.

 

[muggles]

If you had two quotes, and they were similar, it suggests that that was a fair price for doing the work you wanted

 

[MarkVin]

Well one just gave a quote, no timescale, the other said 2-3 days. But more to the point, I need a breakdown of the instructions provided

 

[Tay7]

Take some photos for us. Is it a straight swap + a towel rad?

 

[BigSnoopy01]

sumet like this

strip out
1st fix plumbing (pipes in walls to hide from site)
1st fix electrics (cables for lights, fan, mirror, plinth lights etc..)
sub flooring for type of flooring
plastering/ patching
tanking
tiling
grouting
2nd fix plumbing and electrics
clean
mastic up


you will need all sanitary on site before starting to measure pipe heights etc...

 

[HootingOwl]

You may want to start your foray into the world of diy with something less challenging than a bathroom. They are hard work if you want a professional result. I see countless DIY jobs that are truly horrendous when you look beyond the newness of the fittings. I could weep when I see two grands worth of gear that has been valiantly botched by a well-meaning dyer or handyman.

There are so many wrong turns you can make that will bite you in the bum down the line.

 

[MarkVin]

Sorry for the delay - Valentine's all all that. Here are pics of my bathroom - seems pretty easy, no?

Radiator

• MarkVin
• 15 Feb 2016

Radiator on chimney breast

• MarkVin
• 15 Feb 2016

Bath

• MarkVin
• 15 Feb 2016

Toilet

• MarkVin
• 15 Feb 2016

Chimney breast

• MarkVin
• 15 Feb 2016

Three piece suite

• MarkVin
• 15 Feb 2016

 

[Echo the husky]

Looks fine as it is, just level that toilet roll holder and it'll be good for another 15 years.

 

[flameport]

Sorry for the delay - Valentine's all all that. Here are pics of my bathroom - seems pretty easy, no?

For someone who hasn't done any DIY before, that bathroom is a whole world of disasters waiting to happen.
For the walls, what were you intending to do with the existing tiles?

Smaller, easier things should be attempted first, then you can experience just how easy/hard things really are.
Such as moving the pipes for that radiator so they both exit the floor vertically in the correct place, then fitting a towel radiator there and fixing it onto the existing tiled wall.
Or remove the toilet and the pedestal for the basin, sort out the flooring and put the pedestal and toilet back where they were.

 

[MarkVin]

What disasters? I was intending to hack off the existing tiles, get a guy in to replaster, and then retile. If it is such a big job then I'll be open to paying someone to do it but everyone I've talked to has said tiling is easy and to do it myself. If I pay a guy to do the bathroom then I'm doing the kitchen - just some areas between worktop and cupbaords/splashbacks etc so either way, I need to get ti grips with tiling like every guy of my dad's generation seemed to manage without hassle.