When a shower starts leaking, most people blame the grout or the caulk. In our experience remodeling bathrooms across Greater Boston, those are often not the real problem. The failure is in the shower pan — the waterproof assembly underneath the tile that you never see until we open it up. Here is what we typically find under the tile…

Short answer: There are three common ways to put a bathtub in a remodel: freestanding, built into a platform, or set in an alcove against three walls. The style you pick changes where the plumbing comes through, what the floor has to carry, and how much of the walls get tiled. It is easiest to decide before the rough plumbing…

Short answer: A washer and dryer need four things: hot and cold water, a drain, power, and, for most dryers, a vent to the outside. Adding a laundry room or moving one is mostly about getting those four to the new spot. That is easiest when the walls and floors are already open for other work, so if a remodel…

Short answer: The best time to add storage to a bathroom is while the walls are open. A shower niche, a recessed medicine cabinet or a linen closet moved into the room all live inside the wall, and each one is far easier to build during a remodel than after the tile and paint are done. Decide where they go…

Short answer: A bathroom exhaust fan does one job: it pulls warm, wet air out of the room and sends it outside before it settles on the ceiling, walls and grout. It only does that job if it moves enough air for the room, runs long enough after a shower, and is ducted to the outdoors rather than into the…

Short answer: A pocket door slides into the wall instead of swinging into the room, so it frees up the floor space a hinged door needs. In a small bathroom where the door hits the vanity, crowds the toilet or blocks a hallway, that can make the room work much better. The catch is the wall: it needs a stretch…

Short answer: Yes, you can usually do hardwood (or a wood-look floor) and tile in the same project, and it’s often easier than doing them separately because the transitions between rooms get planned once. As a general rule: tile in bathrooms and other wet areas, wood or wood-look floors in living spaces, and vinyl plank or tile in basements. The…

Short answer: For a whole-house renovation, start with your goals and a realistic budget range, then get the house assessed, then design, and only then get a detailed estimate based on the drawings. A rough estimate before design is useful because it keeps the design realistic. A detailed, line-by-line estimate isn’t possible until there’s a design to price. Most of…