Bathroom Remodel

Your bathroom is one of the most used places in your home, which is why you want your bathroom to be both functional and visually pleasing. If you want to remodel your bathroom, you will need a plumber to help with the job. 

A plumber will take care of numerous parts of a bathroom remodeling project. 

At M&E Plumbing, we are ready to assist you with all your bathroom remodeling plumbing needs. 

Just give us a call at 815-600-9215, and we can help you with your bathroom remodeling project. 

Are you tired of your old toilet? Does it no longer fit the look of your bathroom? Does it use too much water? No matter the reason for getting rid of your toilet, we can take care of replacing it for you. 

When it comes to replacing your toilet, the most affordable way is to keep the location the same and just replace the physical structure. 

If you want to change the location of the toilet in your bathroom, that also means changing all the supporting plumbing – the drainage line and the water supply line – to the new location. That will require more work and labor to achieve.

One easy way to change the appearance of your bathroom is by changing the faucets and fixtures for your sink and shower. 

When choosing new faucets and fixtures, choose a color or design that is cohesive across your bathroom for the most professional look. This is a simple upgrade you can make to your bathroom when remodeling.

If your bathroom is always cold, and you want to feel more comfortable in the morning, you can install underfloor heating. 

Underfloor heating, more commonly known as radiant heat, is a method that carries hot water through a network of tubing under the floor. If you are changing out the floor in your bathroom during the remodeling process, it is easy to install radiant heating at the same time. 

If you install radiant heating, you can also install a hydronic heated towel rack. A hydronic towel warmer uses hot water to provide heat, much like a radiator. 

Water from an existing hot water or radiant heat system is pumped through the warmer rails to provide even, energy-efficient heat that dries out your wet towels. This makes sure your towels are warm and cozy when you grab them off the rack after a shower or bath. 

Remodeling a bathroom can be an overwhelming task, as you are working in a limited amount of space and don’t want to move things around too much. When it comes to remodeling your bathroom, there are certain steps you should follow to ensure your bathroom remodeling process goes as smoothly as possible. 

Start with a proper plan. For a low-cost bathroom remodeling project, don’t change the layout of your bathroom; just change the details. 

Keeping the layout the same and your current plumbing in place can save you a lot of money during the remodeling process. 

If you don’t like your bathroom layout, you will want to create a new floor plan. When creating a new floorplan, map out where you want the plumbing and electrical wiring located.

Remember that moving the plumbing means changing the location of water pipes, drains, and vents. This may require changing the floor’s foundation and removing the bathroom wall to reposition plumbing and vents. 

Once you have the layout planned, start looking into the cost of different materials, such as fixtures, paint, and lighting. 

As you plan out your bathroom remodel, get your plumbing and electrical systems evaluated. 

If you have older pipes and you want to use newer water-saving features, such as a low-flow toilet, you are going to need to remove them. If you have polybutylene, old cast iron or galvanized metal pipes, replace them with PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) pipes. 

When installing new plumbing, you need to decide if you want the plumbing to be exposed or hidden; this is a stylistic decision. 

If the plumbing is old, the electrical wiring may also be old. It is a good idea to update both the plumbing and electrical at the same time. 

Once you plan and have contractors scheduled, it is time to demolish the old bathroom.  Be sure to disconnect the water supply to the toilet, sink, shower, and bathtub and turn off the room’s electricity. Don’t damage any fixtures you plan on reusing. 

As you take down the walls, remove the old sink and tub, and remove baseboards, towel racks, and lighting fixtures, be sure not to damage underlying wires or piping. Also, keep an eye out for mold and mildew growth that may need to be addressed. 

Once everything is out of the bathroom, now is the time to bring in your plumber. 

This is when your plumber will change the pipes, install new water lines, move any pipes and drains, and take care of any plumbing modifications, such as switching from one sink to two.

Once the plumbing is taken care of, and the walls are still open, it is time to rework the bathroom electrical wiring. 

Common bathroom electrical work upgrades include adding new outlets, adding more light switches, installing GFCI receptacles near water, and adding 20-amp circuits instead of 15-amp circuits. 

If you are adding grab bars to your bathroom, add blocking between the wall studs. You should also reinforce the wall near where the tub, shower, and toilet will be going.

Now that all the background work is done, it is time to close the walls and paint. You will want to paint before installing the new tile, bathtub, shower, sink, and toilet. 

It is time to start installing all the new stuff in the bathroom. Here is the order you should install everything in your bathroom:

• Tile
• Shower enclosure or bathtub
• Exhaust fan and lights
• Sink and toilet
• Light switch plates, shelving, and towel bars

Now your bathroom remodeling project should be complete!

Ready to remodel your bathroom? We can help you with all plumbing-related aspects of your bathroom remodel, from installing radiant heating in the floor to installing new fixtures. 

We have you covered! M&E Plumbing provides plumbing services to Grundy, Kendall, & Will Counties. Give us a call at 815-600-9215, or use our service request form to request a service call.