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How hard is it to move my sink, tub, or toilet during a bathroom renovation?

When you’re dreaming up new plans for your bathroom, it can be limiting to imagine the new space with all of your fixtures in the exact same spot. Part of the reason why people want their bathroom remodeled is to create a brand new, customized space that suits their style as well as their practical needs. Rather than limit your new design plans with the existing fixtures kept in the same spots, you can consider new placements for your bathtub, sink, and toilet – but you’ll need to keep a few things in mind.

Just because it’s possible, doesn’t mean it’s easy

You can move your sink, tub, and toilet around in your bathroom renovation, but bear in mind that doing so will require a reworking of your plumbing, and that’s no small job. In order for a plumber and/or general contractor to adjust the location of existing pipes and drains, some major demolition and reconstruction work may be necessary. If your existing bathroom was built on a concrete slab, the concrete will need to be broken up to install new drains; a substantial project in itself.

For bathrooms located on the second (or higher) floor of a home, the job of rearranging the plumbing becomes even more complicated. In order to make piping changes for a second-floor bathroom, the ceiling on the first floor may need to be demolished to make room for the new plumbing and drains. That ceiling will then, of course, need to be reconstructed.

More than just plumbing

New placements for your plumbing can be difficult to carry out, and they may not be the only rearrangement needed if you’re placing your fixtures in new locations. Let’s say you move your sink to a new spot in the bathroom. The mirror above the sink may not receive proper light based on the bathroom’s existing lighting setup. Installing new light fixtures could then necessitate a change in your bathroom’s electrical wiring.

What about swapping fixture locations?

You can potentially rearrange fixtures and still make use of the existing plumbing. For instance, you can have your toilet and your sink swap places. However, there’s more to this job than meets the eye. You have cold water running to the existing toilet area, which fills the tank in the back. That cold water line can be used for a sink, but where will the hot water come from? Additionally, the local watershed needs to be considered, as the pipe that carries toilet waste will still need to be moved to link up with the new location of the toilet.

Added cost considerations

Ultimately, you can move your sink, tub, and toilet in a bathroom renovation, but doing so will require a reworking of your plumbing and electrical systems, and that will be an added cost to the project. That cost comes on top of the expenses of demolition, installing flooring, putting up drywall, and so on.

Depending on your budget, you may be able to complete a full rearrangement of your fixtures, but if you’re working with a more limited budget, you might want to focus on new bathroom pieces and flooring, rather than moving the pipes around.

If you are considering renovating, or new bathroom construction, contact A. McKenna Plumbing in Oakville, Ontario. Our Oakville Plumbers can install fixtures in new locations, or update the current fixtures you have now.