This leaky toilet caused a lot more damage when it was left unchecked.
^^^Take a look at this mess^^^
If you’ve read some of my remodeling blogs you may think I’m just preaching to the choir when I talk about acting sooner than later when toilets, showers, faucets etc… start to fail. The land of home ownership is full of surprises and we find ourselves from one project to the next.
In my opinion (and aside from your roof), plumbing matters come first so if your toilet is acting strange you may want to put off the driveway sealing until next year… Make a List (or just print this out and stick it on your fridge…)! Life is busy, busy, busy and to most it seems that we eat, shower and sleep at home. When you’re getting ready for work in the morning it’s quite understandable that there really is no time to notice these things. All that said, I recommend taking 5 minutes to mark off a few random dates on your calendar throughout the year so things can be looked over whether it’s yourself or a professional.
Here is a list of things that you should check on a regular basis:
(Rant On)
- Dripping faucets
- Exposed shut off valves, pipes etc… (check for corrosion, dripping, condensation and so on)
- Drainage
- Water around base of toilet
- Water pooling under hot water heater
- Look in kitchen and bathroom cabinets that have exposed water lines
- Oh… and it’s December now, so for the love of god – Please unhook your hose from the bib!
(Rant Off)
In this specific situation the homeowner noticed that their toilet was rocking back and forth for quite a few years. Over time the floor around the toilet started to flex and become weak. At this point, a simple toilet replacement or new wax ring has been ruled out because this damage turned into a full gut and remodel.
Because the sub floor was in such bad shape, all of it has to be removed so why stop there… When replacing a bathroom floor the cabinets have to be removed and this particular shower facility has seen better days it becomes of interest to remove that and extend a new sub floor clean across the bathroom. Why would a homeowner want to do that? Now that we had a big issue from a leak on one side of the room it becomes best practice to provide peace of mind to give the room all new plumbing lines and faucets!
It’s not that the existing room was expected to go “un-remodeled” forever but everyone agreed that some prior action would’ve relieved the last minute rush and allowed for sufficient planning. During an emergency job, selections for fixtures, flooring, cabinets etc… can be limited to what’s on the shelf. Although you can find nice products in stock at local distributors and home centers it seems that jobs like this will often leave you passing up a few items that you want due to time restraints and shipping turnover.
If you have any questions or would like some additional tips please leave a comment below or feel free to call us.
Did you make it to the bottom of this page and realize it’s too late? We will offer a free estimate to provide our services and get your bathroom back to normal!