Big ignorant question-move all fixtures around in bath?

16 years ago

I get the impression that moving the location of everything in a bathroom is just not really doable, even if your willing to put up a fair amount(but not crazy) of money.

In existing small to moderate size homes it seems there are general layouts;

long and linear - where if your lucky the toilet is on the wall opposite the tub which allows for easy access. Often these are associated with ranch style homes,

or

boxy - where the toilet is parked right next to the tub AND on the same end of the tub fixtures so your constantly leaning over and fighting the toilet to turn the shower on before you get in. Often in cape cods or one and half's.

I really dislike that, but cape cods are prevalent here in my price range.

So....assuming you had some room to rearrange things, - is it really that hard to strip out the bathroom to the studs and move the plumbing around to rearrange things? Why is it so hard? Because of bends in pipes cause issues?

Or

could you at least move the tub fixtures to the opposite end from the toilet?

Can you tell I know very little about plumbing:) Don't be too hard on me!

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Comments (4)

serviceplumberman
16 years ago
Its not that its hard... but its costly. You have to think about it logically. If the house is on a slab you have to bust concrete to move the drains and the water. We loop the water through the slab to each bathroom to keep from running it overhead in the ceiling because it is sheetrocked. Just "moving" the fixtures in the tub would be a project in itself, and not something I would dive off in unless I was dead set on it. Complete remodels of a bathroom can range in price. You have to factor in the new sheetrock, paint and labor if you decide to completly gut the bathroom. If your wanting to to tackle it shop around and get some quotes from different contractors to see what price is good for you.
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marys1000
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks serviceplumberman - I refuse to buy on a slab so that's one issue down.
Its nice to know when evaluating a house that if there's room to re arrange things it can be done and I don't have to live with it forever, as long as I save for awhile and am willing to invest the money.
Different things annoy all of us, the tub/toilet thing is very high on my list.

I just hope that whatever I find to buy that they haven't recently remodeled the bathroom in the current layout, I'm not sure I would want to buy something that's been all redone knowing I would want to basically gut it.

I know that local and regional prices play into this but are we talking 5,000 or 15,000? for a small bathroom?
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serviceplumberman
16 years ago
Around here it between 6 and 8,ooo depending on how fancy they want it. Think my mom had hers down for around 5,ooo. But I did all the plumbing free of charge. Like you said it varies in different places...
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homebound
16 years ago
Drains require proper pitch as they connect to the drain plumbing so gravity can do it's thing. So moving drains around can be costly as things are opened up to get to them. So leave those alone if you don't want to spend a lot of money.

As for tub wall fixtures, that water is under pressure, so there's more flexibility to move them. Whether it's practical is another story, depending on your situation, what kind of wall repairs will be required, etc. If you move the tub fixtures, it's probably time to think about a new surround, new tile....or whatever.
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