That is why we flood-test our shower pans.

What a flood test is

The drain is plugged and the shower floor is filled with water, so the pan floor and the lower part of its turned-up edges sit under standing water. Then the water level is watched, along with the space below and around the shower. If the level drops or moisture shows up where it shouldn’t, the pan has a leak, and it gets found while it is still cheap to reach.

Some builders add a few drops of dye to the water. A slow seep is hard to see when the water is clear; colored water shows up faster on the subfloor or on a ceiling below.

Where leaks show up most often

Most shower leaks start at a joint or an opening, not in the middle of a flat surface. These are the places leaks show up most often:

• The curb, especially its two ends where it meets the walls
• Low walls and knee walls next to the shower
• A built-in bench or seat
• Inside corners, where two walls or a wall and the floor meet
• The niche
• The valve hole behind the shower handle
• Around the drain

If you want to see how those layers go together, we walked through a walk-in shower layer by layer here: What’s Behind Shower Tile? A Walk-In Shower, Layer by Layer.

If you are planning a new shower

Ask your contractor three things:

1. What is the waterproof layer under the tile, and does it turn up the walls and over the curb?
2. Will the pan be flood-tested before tile goes on?
3. How are the niche, the bench and the valve hole sealed?

A clear answer to those three tells you more than any tile sample.

Sun Shore Construction is a licensed remodeling contractor serving Greater Boston.

More from our bathroom work: bathroom remodeling, how we work, and recent projects.

Three jobs, three tub styles

• Dedham: in the first bathroom, the contract covered new framing for the tub, a new shower valve, supply lines and drains for the tub and the walk-in shower, and a free-standing tub.
• Lincoln: a master bathroom rebuild with a walk-in shower and a jacuzzi tub, with new tile on the walls above the tub.
• Lexington: a new tub, with cement board above it, full waterproofing and new wall tile. The baseboard heater was shortened to fit the new tub.

Freestanding

A freestanding tub stands on its own, so you see all of it. That makes it the most visible piece in the bathroom, and the one that needs the most room around it.

• Plumbing. The filler and the drain have to line up with where the tub will sit. The supply lines come through the floor or a nearby wall, and the drain has to meet the tub’s drain opening. Both are easiest to place while the floor and walls are open.
• Floor. A filled tub with a person in it is heavy. Have the floor framing checked, especially if the tub goes in a new spot.
• Space. Leave room to clean all the way around it, and to open a door without hitting it.
• Walls. There’s less tile than around an alcove tub, but cement board and waterproofing still belong wherever water can reach the walls and floor.

Built-in (set into a platform)

A drop-in tub sits in a framed platform, which is then tiled or finished to match. The platform hides the tub’s sides and gives you a ledge for a candle or a bottle of shampoo.

• Framing. The platform has to be built before the tub is set, and it has to be strong enough to hold a full tub.
• Plumbing. The drain and valves can sit inside the platform, so plan a way to reach them later.
• Finish. The platform’s top and sides are tiled, so it adds to the tile and waterproofing work.
• Whirlpool tubs. A jacuzzi-style tub has a pump, which needs power and a way to reach it for service. Follow the maker’s instructions for the access panel. Lincoln’s contract included new tile on the walls above a jacuzzi tub.

Alcove

An alcove tub fits between three walls, usually with a shower above it. It’s the most common style, and the one that makes the most of a small bathroom.

• Plumbing. The valve and the shower head are on the wall at one end, and the drain is at the same end.
• Walls. Cement board and full waterproofing go above the tub, with tile over it. Lexington is an example: the contract covered the tub, the cement board above it, full waterproofing and the tile. How those layers go together is in what’s behind shower tile.
• Fit. Measure the opening before you choose the tub. In Lexington, the baseboard heater was shortened to fit the new tub, which is the kind of detail that shows up once the old tub is out.

Choosing between them

• Room size. Alcove for tight spaces, freestanding or built-in where there’s room to walk around.
• Shower or not. If it’s your only bathing spot, an alcove tub with a shower is the practical choice. If you have a separate walk-in shower, the tub can be a feature.
• Layout change. Moving a tub means moving its drain. If the plan changes the layout, see changing a bathroom layout for what that involves.
• Floor. Tile is the usual choice near a tub because it handles water; which floor goes where covers the options.
• Cleaning. A freestanding tub has to be cleaned on all sides. A built-in has a ledge that collects dust and water.

Permits

Moving a tub or adding one usually means plumbing work, and sometimes electrical work for a whirlpool pump, and those usually go through their own permits and inspections. More is in what needs a permit when you remodel in Massachusetts. Your town’s building department has the final word.

Planning checklist

• Choose the tub before the rough plumbing and floor framing are done
• Check where the drain and the supply lines will come through
• Ask whether the floor framing needs checking or reinforcing for a heavy tub
• Measure the opening for an alcove tub, including anything on the wall like a heater
• Leave room to clean around a freestanding tub and to reach a whirlpool pump
• Decide how far the tile and waterproofing go on the walls around the tub
• Bring the tub plan to the estimate visit so it’s priced with the rest of the work

FAQ

Can I swap an alcove tub for a freestanding one? Sometimes. The drain and supply lines usually have to move, and the walls that were tiled around the old tub may need to be redone, so it’s more than a swap.

Does a freestanding tub need a stronger floor? A full tub is heavy, so it’s worth having the floor framing checked before you buy, particularly on an upper floor or in a new location.

Can I add jets to a regular tub? Whirlpool tubs are a different product from a regular tub. They have a pump that needs power and a way to reach it for service, so choose one before the work starts, not after.

Does the tub need waterproofing around it? Where water can reach the walls or floor, yes. In Lexington, the contract listed cement board and full waterproofing above the tub.

Sun Shore Construction Team. Sun Shore Construction is a general contractor in Greater Boston, founded in November 2019. We’re licensed and insured, and we handle permits and inspections on the projects we take on.

Planning a bathroom remodel? Get a free in-home estimate: call us or fill out the form on sunshoreconstruction.com.

Two jobs where laundry was part of the remodel

• Walpole: a bathroom remodel and a new laundry room in the same contract. The laundry room work was framing, a washer drain and water supply, outlets for the washer and dryer, a light and switch, a hardwood floor, double doors, and drywall and paint. Floor choices near a washer are covered in which floor goes where.
• Newton: two bathrooms rebuilt to a new floor plan. The same contract covered the laundry area: it included a new washer valve and drain, a dedicated dryer outlet and dryer venting, alongside the new plumbing and wiring for the bathrooms. The full sequence is in changing a bathroom layout in Newton.

In both, the laundry work was part of the same contract as the bathroom work.

What a washer and dryer need

Water. Hot and cold supply lines with shutoff valves you can reach without pulling the machine out. A recessed washer box puts the valves and the drain in one tidy spot in the wall.

A drain. A washer pumps a lot of water out quickly, so the drain has to be laid out like any other plumbing fixture, with a trap and a vent. Where the nearest drain line runs often decides how easy a new laundry location is.

Power. The washer needs an outlet. An electric dryer usually needs its own dedicated circuit, and a gas dryer needs a gas line as well as an outlet. Check which kind of dryer you have, or plan to buy, before the wiring is laid out.

A vent to the outside. This is the part people forget. Massachusetts uses the 2021 International Residential Code for homes, and its chapter on exhaust systems is adopted without changes. Under it:

• Dryer exhaust has to go outdoors, in its own duct, not shared with a bathroom fan or anything else.
• The duct has to end outside the building, with a backdraft damper and no screen. Unless the dryer maker’s instructions say otherwise, it also has to stay away from windows, doors and soffit vents.
• The duct has a maximum length, and every bend counts against it. A laundry spot far from an outside wall can run out of length.
• The flexible piece behind the dryer can’t be hidden inside a wall or ceiling.

Condensing (ventless) dryers are the exception: they don’t need a vent to the outside, which can make an interior spot possible.

Choosing where it goes

• Near the bedrooms or the bathroom. This is where most laundry comes from, so it saves carrying baskets up and down stairs. The trade-off is that a leak upstairs does more damage, so consider a drain pan under the washer and shutoff valves that are easy to reach.
• Floors. Tile handles water best. Wood can work, as in Walpole, if you think about how quickly you’d notice a leak.
• Doors and space. Leave room to open the machine doors and to pull the machines out for service. Double doors or a wide opening help in a narrow room.
• Noise. A washer on spin can shake a floor. A solid floor and a door you can close make an upstairs laundry easier to live with.
• The vent route. Before settling on a spot, find out how the dryer duct would reach an outside wall.

Permits

Framing a new laundry room is building work, and the water, drain, power and gas behind it usually go through their own permits and inspections as well. More on what needs a permit is in what needs a permit when you remodel in Massachusetts. Your town’s building department has the final word.

Planning checklist

• Decide where the laundry goes before the plumbing and electrical are laid out
• Find the nearest drain line and the shortest route for the dryer vent to an outside wall
• Confirm electric or gas dryer, and front-load or top-load washer
• Plan reachable shutoff valves, and a drain pan if the laundry is above a finished room
• Pick a floor that suits a space near water
• Leave room for the machine doors and for pulling the machines out
• Bring the plan to the estimate visit so the laundry is priced with the rest of the work

FAQ

Can a laundry go on the second floor? Yes, if water, a drain, power and a vent route can reach it. Plan for leaks: a drain pan, reachable shutoff valves and a floor that tolerates water.

Can the dryer vent into the attic or the garage? No. The code requires dryer exhaust to end outside the building.

Do I need a vent if I buy a ventless dryer? Listed condensing (ventless) dryers are exempt from the outside-vent rule. They still need power and, depending on the model, a drain for the water they collect.

Is it easier to add laundry during a bathroom remodel? Usually, because the walls and floors are already open and the plumbing and wiring are being laid out anyway. In both jobs above, the laundry was in the same contract as the bathroom work.

Liang Yu works in marketing at Sun Shore Construction and has been with the team for three years.

Planning a remodel that includes a laundry? Get a free in-home estimate: call us or fill out the form on sunshoreconstruction.com.

Bathroom jobs where storage was part of the work

• Acton: a master bath remodel. The contract included a small closet built next to the shower. Our site photos show the shower niche framed in while the waterproofing went on, and the same niche finished in tile beside the new glass shower.
• Walpole: the bathroom’s linen closet used to open onto the hallway. The contract closed it off from the hallway and rebuilt it inside the bathroom, and the finished photos show it as open linen shelving next to the shower.
• Lincoln: a master bath where the contract included a new vanity and built-in cabinets to the design. A photo from the tiling stage shows the shower walls, a niche and a hexagon mosaic floor going in.
• Quincy: a walk-in shower replacement. The finished shower has a tiled niche on the side wall, across from the hand shower.
• Brookline: a smaller refresh. The mirror was replaced with a smaller one centered on the new vanity, and towel holders were moved or added above the toilet and above the radiator.

None of these is a big line item on its own, but each is far easier to build in while the walls are open than to add later.

Shower niches

A niche is a shelf recessed into the shower wall, so shampoo and soap stop crowding the tub edge or a hanging caddy.

• It’s built with the shower, not added later. The opening is framed between the studs, lined with the same backer board and waterproofing as the rest of the shower, then tiled. Once the wall is tiled, adding one means opening the shower wall again. More on what sits behind shower tile is in what’s behind shower tile, layer by layer.
• Pick the wall with care. An interior wall is usually the easier place. In a cold climate, a niche cut into an exterior wall takes the place of insulation, and some walls hold a drain, a vent or the shower valve.
• Put it where you can reach it. Within reach from where you stand, and generally out of the main spray so it doesn’t collect water all day.
• Line it up with the tile. A niche whose edges fall on the tile layout looks planned. One that cuts tiles at odd widths looks added.
• The bottom should shed water toward the shower, not hold a puddle at the back.

Linen storage

Towels and spare supplies need a home, and the hallway closet isn’t always the right place.

• Moving a closet into the bathroom is a framing job: one opening is closed, another is opened. It’s easiest when the bathroom is already being rebuilt, as in Walpole.
• Open shelves or a door. Open shelving is easy to reach and makes a small room feel larger. A closet with a door keeps things out of sight and out of the steam. Near a shower, open shelves sit in humid air, so a fan that actually clears the room matters more.
• Mind the door swing. A closet door has to open without hitting the toilet, the vanity or the entry door. In a tight bathroom, a pocket door can help; we wrote about that in pocket doors in a bathroom remodel.

Vanities, medicine cabinets and built-ins

• The vanity is the biggest storage piece in most bathrooms. Drawers usually work better than one deep cabinet under the sink, because things don’t get lost at the back.
• A recessed medicine cabinet sits inside the wall, so it doesn’t stick out over the sink. The wall behind the sink can hold pipes, vents or wiring, so check before planning one there.
• Built-in cabinets can fill a gap next to the vanity or a space beside the tub, and they’re planned with the rest of the room.

The small things

• Plan towel hooks and bars before the walls close, so there’s solid backing behind them.
• Put a hook near the shower and a place for a hand towel near the sink.
• If you’re changing the mirror or the vanity, decide whether the light and mirror should be centered on the new vanity.
• Leave somewhere for the toilet paper, the plunger and the cleaning supplies. They need a place too.

Planning checklist

• List what needs a home: towels, toiletries, cleaning supplies, spare paper
• Decide on a niche, and which wall it goes in, before demolition
• Decide whether linen storage stays in the hall or moves into the bathroom
• Choose the vanity with drawers and storage in mind, not only looks
• Mark hooks, bars and any recessed cabinet so the backing goes in before drywall and tile
• Bring the list to the estimate visit; more on what to prepare is in what happens at an in-home bathroom remodel estimate

FAQ

Can a niche be added to an existing tiled shower? Sometimes, but it means cutting into the tile and the waterproofing behind it and rebuilding that part of the wall. It’s much simpler during a full shower remodel.

Is one niche enough? For many households one niche with a shelf is enough. A shared shower, or one where people like to keep a lot of bottles, may call for a larger niche or a second one.

Open shelves or a closed linen closet? Open shelves are easier to reach and feel lighter. A closed closet keeps towels away from the steam and keeps clutter out of sight. It mostly comes down to the size of the room and how much you’re storing.

Do built-in cabinets need a permit? Cabinets on their own usually don’t, but a remodel that moves walls, plumbing or wiring usually does. Your town’s building department has the final word.

Eric Zhang is the owner of Sun Shore Construction, a general contractor in Greater Boston founded in November 2019. He has more than a decade of hands-on renovation experience.

Planning a bathroom remodel? Get a free in-home estimate: call us or fill out the form on sunshoreconstruction.com.

Bathroom jobs where we put in a new fan

A new exhaust fan was in the contract on several of our bathroom remodels:

• Dedham: a two-bathroom remodel; each bathroom got a new switch and exhaust fan.
• Lexington: a tub/shower remodel where the popcorn texture came off the ceiling and the damaged part was repaired, and a new switch and exhaust fan went in. Our site photo from before tiling shows the new fan in the ceiling while the cement board was going up around the tub.
• Walpole: a bathroom with a new walk-in shower; the electrical work included a new exhaust fan and a recessed light over the shower.
• Newton: two bathrooms rebuilt to a new floor plan, each with a new exhaust fan.

The fan rarely shows up in finished photos, and nobody chooses a remodeler because of it. But it’s one of the things that decides whether the new paint, grout and caulk still look new a few years later.

Signs the fan you have isn’t doing its job

• The mirror stays fogged long after you’re out of the shower.
• Paint is peeling or bubbling on the ceiling, especially above the shower.
• Dark spots keep coming back on the ceiling, in the corners or in the grout.
• Holding a single square of toilet paper up to the grille, it barely moves (or doesn’t move at all) while the fan is on.
• The fan is loud enough that people avoid turning it on.
• You can’t tell where the duct goes, or it seems to end in the attic.

None of these says for certain what’s wrong. A weak fan, a long or crushed duct, a stuck damper, or a fan that simply isn’t run long enough can all look the same from inside the bathroom. That’s why it’s worth checking the whole path of the air during a remodel, not just swapping the grille.

Where the air goes matters as much as the fan

The air has to end up outside the house. A fan that blows into the attic just moves the moisture somewhere you can’t see it, where it can condense on cold roof sheathing in a Massachusetts winter. The International Residential Code, which Massachusetts’ residential building code is based on, requires exhaust air to go outdoors, not into an attic, soffit or crawl space. Your town’s building inspector has the final word on how that applies to your house.

A few things make the duct work better:

• Short and direct. Every extra foot and every bend reduces how much air the fan actually moves.
• Smooth, full-size duct. A duct smaller than the fan’s outlet, or one that’s kinked or crushed, chokes the airflow.
• Insulated where it runs through a cold attic, so warm, wet air doesn’t condense inside the duct and drip back down.
• A proper exterior cap with a damper, so outside air and pests don’t come back in when the fan is off.

When the bathroom ceiling is open for a remodel, the duct route can be checked end to end and redone if it needs it. With the ceiling closed, that’s much harder to see.

Choosing a replacement fan

• Airflow for the room. Fans are rated by how much air they move. A larger bathroom, a separate toilet room or a long duct run all call for more. Ask your contractor to size it for your room and duct, not just match the old one.
• Noise. Fans also carry a sound rating. A quieter fan gets used; a loud one gets switched off.
• Controls. A timer or a humidity-sensing switch keeps the fan running after the shower without anyone having to remember. It’s one of the simplest improvements you can make.
• Fan-light combinations. A combined unit can tidy up the ceiling, but if the fixture is over the tub or shower, it has to be rated for that location.
• Location. Generally the fan works best near the shower or tub, where the moisture starts.

Planning checklist

• Find out where your current fan’s duct goes before the remodel starts
• Have the fan sized for the room and the duct run, not just matched to the old one
• Plan the controls: a timer or humidity switch
• If a light goes over the tub or shower, choose one rated for it
• Decide the fan and light locations before the ceiling is closed
• Bring it up at the estimate visit; more questions to ask are in what happens at an in-home bathroom remodel estimate

For a look at a full rebuild where the walls and ceilings were open, see what a two-bathroom rebuild in Newton involved.

FAQ

Can I just replace the fan without remodeling? Often, yes, if the existing duct is in good shape and goes outdoors. If the duct is undersized, crushed or ends in the attic, fixing it may mean opening the ceiling.

How long should the fan run after a shower? Long enough for the mirror to clear and the room to dry out, which is usually longer than people leave it on. A timer or humidity switch takes care of it.

Is a window enough? A window helps, but most people don’t open one in a Massachusetts winter. A fan that vents outdoors works in every season.

Does a fan help with mold? Removing moisture makes mold much less likely to take hold. It doesn’t fix mold that’s already there; that has to be cleaned or the material replaced.

Sun Shore Construction Team. Sun Shore Construction is a general contractor in Greater Boston, founded in November 2019. We’re licensed and insured, and we handle permits and inspections on the projects we take on.

Planning a bathroom remodel? Get a free in-home estimate: call us or fill out the form on sunshoreconstruction.com.

Three bathroom jobs where we put one in

Pocket doors came up on three of our bathroom remodels:

• Acton: a master bath remodel where a pocket door replaced the swinging entry door. The same project added a small closet next to the shower and a free-standing tub.
• Dedham: the first of two bathrooms was reframed for a walk-in shower, a tub and a pocket-door entry. In the hallway outside it, a new solid pocket door went in to the bedroom.
• Walpole: the bathroom got a pocket-door entry, and the linen closet was closed off from the hallway and rebuilt inside the bathroom as open shelving.

In all three, the bathroom walls were opened during demolition (our site photos show the rooms open to the framing), which is the stage where a pocket door frame can be built into the wall without extra demolition.

Why a swinging door is often the problem

A hinged door needs a clear arc of floor to open. In many older Greater Boston bathrooms, that arc overlaps the vanity, the toilet or the tub, or the door has to open out into a narrow hall. When a remodel adds a larger vanity, a walk-in shower or a free-standing tub, the door swing is often the thing that doesn’t fit anymore.

A pocket door removes that arc. The floor and wall space beside the opening become usable, which in a small room can be the difference between a cramped layout and one that works.

What a pocket door needs

A clear section of wall. The door slides into a cavity inside the wall, so the wall next to the opening needs to be free for roughly the width of the door. In a bathroom, that rules out the wall with the plumbing, and any stretch with switches, outlets, wiring or ductwork that can’t be moved.

Opening and reframing the wall. The pocket is built with a pocket-door frame in place of the regular studs on that side of the opening, with a header above. That means the drywall on that section comes off, and then gets replaced and finished.

A thought about that wall later. The framing around the pocket is thinner than a normal wall, so it’s not the place for heavy shelves, a medicine cabinet recessed into the wall, or towel bars screwed deep into the framing. Plan where those go before the wall closes.

The right door and hardware. A solid door feels more substantial and blocks more sound than a hollow one; in Dedham, the new door to the bedroom was a solid pocket door. For a bathroom, choose a privacy latch made for pocket doors, and a good track and rollers, since that’s the part you’d have to get to if anything goes wrong.

The trade-offs

• Sound and privacy. A pocket door doesn’t seal as tightly as a hinged door closing against a stop, so it blocks somewhat less sound.
• Repairs. If a roller or the track needs work, it’s inside the wall. A quality frame and hardware make that much less likely.
• Exterior walls. If the only spot for the pocket is an exterior wall, the pocket takes space that would otherwise hold insulation. An interior wall is the better place.
• Cost and scope. It adds framing, drywall and finishing compared with rehanging a standard door. If the wall is already open for the remodel, much of that work overlaps.

Other ways to fix a door that doesn’t fit

• Reverse the swing so the door opens out into the hall, if there’s room.
• A narrower door, if the opening can be changed and it still works for everyone who uses the room.
• A surface-mounted sliding (barn-style) door. It needs no pocket in the wall, but it needs clear wall space beside the opening and generally gives less privacy and sound control than a pocket door.

Planning checklist

• Measure the door swing against the new vanity, toilet and shower layout before finalizing the design
• Check which wall beside the opening is free of plumbing, wiring and ducts
• Prefer an interior wall for the pocket
• Choose a solid door if sound matters, and a pocket-door privacy latch
• Decide what goes on the pocket wall (if anything) before it’s closed up
• Bring it up at the estimate visit; more questions to ask are in what happens at an in-home bathroom remodel estimate

FAQ

Can a pocket door be added without a full remodel? It can, but the wall beside the opening still has to be opened, reframed and refinished. It’s simplest when the bathroom walls are already open.

Can a pocket door go next to the shower or the toilet’s plumbing wall? Not into a wall that holds supply lines or drains. The pocket has to go on the side of the opening where the wall is clear.

Are pocket doors less private? They seal a bit less tightly than hinged doors, so they block somewhat less sound. A solid door and a proper privacy latch help.

Do pocket doors break easily? The weak point is usually low-quality track and rollers. A good frame kit and hardware, installed level, hold up to daily use.

Eric Zhang is the owner of Sun Shore Construction, a general contractor in Greater Boston founded in November 2019. He has more than a decade of hands-on renovation experience.

Planning a bathroom remodel? Get a free in-home estimate: call us or fill out the form on sunshoreconstruction.com.

The main options, in plain terms

Solid hardwood. Real wood all the way through. It can be sanded and refinished several times over its life, which is why it lasts so long in older homes. It doesn’t like water or big swings in humidity, so most manufacturers don’t recommend it for bathrooms or below grade.

Engineered wood. A real wood top layer over a layered base. It looks like hardwood and is more stable when humidity changes. Depending on how thick the top layer is, it can be refinished fewer times or not at all. Some products are rated for basements; check the manufacturer’s instructions.

Laminate. A printed image of wood under a clear wear layer, on a fiberboard core. It’s durable against scratches, but it can’t be sanded or refinished, and water resistance varies a lot from product to product.

Vinyl plank. A wood-look plank made of vinyl or a composite core. Many products are sold as waterproof, which makes it a common choice for basements, where the floor sits on concrete.

Tile. Porcelain, ceramic or stone. It handles water better than anything else and is the standard choice for bathrooms. It needs a stiff, flat base underneath and, in a bathroom, the right backing layer.

Which floor goes where

Bathrooms: tile. In Lincoln, Dedham, Lexington, Walpole and Newton, the bathroom floors got new tile. In Dedham, the first bathroom had old carpet, which came out and was replaced with tile. In Newton, the bathroom floors were covered in cement board before tile went down. If you want a warm floor, an electric heating cable can go under the tile: in Lincoln, an uncoupling membrane with an in-floor heating cable was laid across the bathroom floor before the tile.

Basements: vinyl plank or tile. In Boxborough, the finished basement got vinyl plank flooring throughout. In Weston, the room set up as a gym got gym floor tile. Basement floors sit on concrete, so pick products the manufacturer rates for below-grade use, and deal with any moisture first. We covered that order in the stages of finishing a basement.

Living areas, bedrooms and hallways: hardwood or a wood-look floor. Many older Greater Boston houses already have hardwood in these rooms. In Dedham, where a hallway/bedroom wall was removed as part of the bathroom job, the hallway’s hardwood floor was repaired rather than replaced.

Laundry rooms: it depends. Tile is the safest choice around water. But it isn’t the only one: in Walpole, the new laundry room built next to the remodeled bathroom got a hardwood floor, while the bathroom got tile. If you choose wood near a washer, think about leaks and how quickly you’d notice one.

Doing two floor types in one project

Can hardwood and tile be done in one go? Yes. A few things make it go smoothly:

1. Order the work. Wet work and tile usually come before the wood floors are finished, so the wood isn’t exposed to mortar, grout and water. Any sanding and finishing of hardwood is typically one of the last steps.
2. Plan the height where they meet. Tile plus its backing and a wood floor rarely end up at exactly the same height. Decide early how the transition will be handled at each doorway, so you don’t end up with an awkward lip.
3. Choose the transitions on purpose. A threshold or transition strip at the doorway is normal. Pick its material and color along with the floors, not after.
4. Order materials early. Tile and flooring often take time to arrive. Having both on site before work starts keeps one floor from holding up the other.
5. Protect what’s finished. Once one floor is down, it needs to be covered while other work goes on around it.

Matching new and old wood floors

If you’re adding hardwood next to existing hardwood, matching is the hard part: species, board width, the direction of the boards, and the color after years of sunlight all matter. Repairing or weaving new boards into an existing floor, then refinishing the whole area so it reads as one floor, often looks better than a new floor butting into an old one.

Questions to settle before you choose

• Which rooms get water on the floor, even occasionally?
• Is any of it below grade, on concrete?
• Do you want to be able to refinish the floor in ten or twenty years?
• Where will two different floors meet, and what will the transition look like?
• Do you want heat under the tile in the bathroom?

FAQ

Can I put hardwood in a bathroom? It’s possible, but most manufacturers don’t recommend solid hardwood in a full bathroom, and tile is the standard choice for a reason. If you want the look of wood, wood-look porcelain tile is a common alternative.

Is laminate the same as engineered wood? No. Engineered wood has a real wood top layer. Laminate has a printed image of wood under a protective layer, and it can’t be refinished.

What affects the cost of new flooring? The material, the size and shape of the rooms, how much prep the subfloor needs, removing the old floor, stairs, and the number of transitions between rooms.

Should the floors go in before or after the cabinets and vanities? It depends on the floor type and the product’s instructions. Settle it with your contractor before work starts, since it affects both the schedule and what happens if a vanity is changed later.

Liang Yu works in marketing at Sun Shore Construction and has been with the team for three years.

Planning new floors? Get a free in-home estimate: call us or fill out the form on sunshoreconstruction.com.

Most of the frustration people run into on large renovations comes from doing these steps in the wrong order: drawing a house the budget can’t build, or pricing a project nobody has fully defined.

Why “estimate or design first?” is a hard question

The two depend on each other. A contractor can’t give you a detailed estimate for “redo the whole first floor and add a bathroom upstairs,” because there are dozens of decisions inside that sentence. But a designer working without any sense of cost can easily produce a plan that has to be cut back after it’s priced, and redrawing costs time and money.

The way out is to separate a rough range from a detailed estimate:

• A rough range comes from a walkthrough and a description of what you want. It tells you whether the project as you imagine it is in the right neighborhood for your budget, and which parts drive the cost.
• A detailed estimate comes from drawings and selections. It lists the scope and materials item by item, and it’s what a contract is built on.

The order that avoids redesign

1. Write down your goals and priorities. Which rooms, and why: more space, a better kitchen layout, a bathroom that works for the next twenty years, an aging house that needs its systems brought up to date. Rank them. On a whole-house project, the ranking is what you’ll use when the budget forces choices.
2. Have the house assessed. Before anyone designs, someone needs to look at the structure and the systems: the foundation and framing, the electrical panel and wiring, the plumbing, the heating and cooling, and signs of water problems. In older Massachusetts houses especially, what’s already there often shapes what’s practical.
3. Get a rough range. With your goals and the assessment, a contractor can tell you roughly where the project lands and which items are the big drivers.
4. Design. Now the design can be done to a budget that’s grounded in the actual house.
5. Get a detailed estimate from the drawings and selections. Compare it against the rough range. If it’s higher, the priority list from step 1 tells you what to change.
6. Permits, then construction.

Three common ways to organize it

There’s no single right route. The three you’ll usually see:

Designer or architect first, then contractors. You hire a designer or architect, get full drawings, then ask contractors to price them. You get a design shaped entirely around what you want, and estimates you can compare on the same drawings. The risk is designing beyond the budget if cost isn’t discussed early. Involving a contractor for a rough range during design helps.

One company designs and builds. A single company handles design and construction. Cost and buildability are part of the design conversation from the start, and you have one point of contact. Because there’s no separate set of drawings to bid out, comparing prices between companies is harder.

Contractor walkthrough first, then design. You start with a contractor walkthrough and a rough range, then bring in design for the parts that need it. This works well when much of the project is replacing finishes and fixtures in the existing layout, and less well when walls, structure or additions are involved.

When you’ll need drawings

Some work can be priced and permitted from a clear written scope. Other work needs drawings, and sometimes an engineer:

• Removing or moving walls that may be load-bearing
• Additions, dormers or any change to the footprint or roofline
• Changing how a space is used, such as finishing a basement into a bedroom
• Significant changes to stairs, windows or exterior openings

Your local building department decides what drawings it needs for a permit. Ask early, because preparing drawings takes time and affects the schedule.

Phasing: can it be done in stages?

Often, yes, and it’s sometimes the better choice if you’re living in the house. A few principles keep phasing from creating rework:

• Systems before finishes. If the electrical panel, plumbing or heating needs replacing, plan that before new finishes go in, so new walls aren’t opened again later.
• Structure before rooms. Any structural work, such as removing a wall or reinforcing a floor, should come before finishing the rooms around it.
• Think about where you’ll live during each phase. Keeping one working bathroom and some form of kitchen makes staying in the house realistic.
• Plan the whole thing, build in parts. Designing the full house once, even if you build it over several phases, keeps each phase consistent with the next.

Permits and contracts in Massachusetts

For a pre-existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units, Massachusetts law requires the contractor to be registered as a home improvement contractor, requires a detailed written contract, and makes getting the permits the contractor’s job. Homeowners who pull their own permits are excluded from the state guaranty fund. We went through those rules in how to check a Massachusetts home improvement contractor before you sign, and covered which work needs a permit in what needs a permit when you remodel in Massachusetts.

Where we fit

Sun Shore Construction is a general contractor, and whole-house renovations are part of what we take on, along with bathrooms, kitchens, basements, flooring, painting, doors and windows, and additions. We handle the permits with your town where they’re needed.

A planning checklist

• Goals for each room, ranked
• A budget range, with room set aside for what’s found behind the walls
• An assessment of structure, electrical, plumbing, heating and water issues
• A rough range before design, a detailed estimate after
• A decision on who designs: an architect or designer, a design-build company, or a contractor for simpler scopes
• Early questions to the building department about drawings
• A phasing plan, if you’re staying in the house

FAQ

Can I get an estimate without plans? A rough range, yes, from a walkthrough and a clear description. A detailed estimate needs drawings or at least a written scope and selections.

Do I need an architect for a whole-house renovation? Not always. Projects that change structure, add space or change the roofline usually need drawings and sometimes an engineer. Projects that mostly replace finishes in the existing layout often don’t.

Can I live in the house during a whole-house renovation? Sometimes, if the work is phased so you always have a working bathroom and some kitchen. Projects that open up most of the house at once usually aren’t practical to live through.

What should come first, the kitchen or the bathrooms? Systems and structure come first. After that, the order usually follows your priorities and which rooms you need to keep using while the work goes on.

Sun Shore Construction Team. Sun Shore Construction is a general contractor in Greater Boston, founded in November 2019. We’re licensed and insured, and we handle permits and inspections on the projects we take on.

Planning a renovation? Get a free in-home estimate: call us or fill out the form on sunshoreconstruction.com.

What a full bathroom remodel usually includes

It helps to know the scope before the visit, because the estimate is built from it. A full remodel of an existing bathroom typically involves:

• Demolition: removing the tub or shower, tile, vanity, toilet and fixtures, and usually the drywall, down to the framing in the areas being rebuilt.
• Repairs to what’s underneath: replacing damaged subfloor or framing that shows up once things are opened.
• Plumbing: new shower valve, drains and supply lines, and moving them if fixtures change position.
• Electrical and ventilation: outlets, lighting, switches and an exhaust fan that actually vents outside.
• Insulation on exterior walls while they’re open.
• Waterproofing in the shower area before any tile goes up.
• Tile, drywall and paint.
• Fixtures and finishes: vanity, toilet, mirror, shower glass, hardware and trim.
• Permits and inspections for the plumbing, electrical and building work.

To see what those layers look like, there’s a walk-through of a shower layer by layer and the full sequence on a two-bathroom rebuild in Newton.

Not every project includes every item. Replacing a tub with a walk-in shower in the same spot is a smaller job than moving the toilet to the other wall. That difference is exactly what the visit is meant to pin down.

What the contractor looks at during the visit

A useful estimate visit is mostly looking and asking. Expect the contractor to check:

• The size and shape of the room, including ceiling height, the window and the door swing.
• Where the drains and supply lines are. Keeping fixtures where they are is simpler than moving them. Moving a toilet or a shower drain depends on which way the floor joists run and what’s below.
• The floor. Soft spots near the toilet or tub, cracked tile, or a floor that isn’t level can point to water damage or framing that needs repair.
• Signs of past leaks, including on the ceiling of the room below.
• Ventilation. Whether there’s an exhaust fan, and whether it actually vents outside or just into the attic.
• Electrical. Where the outlets are, whether there’s enough light, and what it would take to add a fan, a heated floor or a lighted mirror.
• The rest of the house. Where the water shutoffs are, how materials get to the bathroom (stairs, narrow halls), and the age of the house. Older New England houses often have plumbing, wiring or framing that has been changed several times over the decades.

Some of what matters can’t be seen until the walls are open. A good contractor will tell you which parts of the estimate depend on what they find during demolition, and how changes are handled if something unexpected turns up.

How to prepare

You don’t need finished plans. You do need a clear idea of what you want. Before the visit:

1. Make two lists: what you want to change, and what you want to keep. “Keep the tub, replace everything else” and “turn the tub into a walk-in shower” are very different projects.
2. Write down what bothers you about the room now. Not enough storage, a fan that doesn’t clear the steam, a cold floor, a step-in tub that’s hard to use. These shape the design more than any photo.
3. Collect a few photos of bathrooms you like. A handful is enough. Note what you like in each: the tile, the vanity, the shower glass.
4. Decide who needs to be there. If two people are making the decision, both should be at the visit. It saves a second round of questions later.
5. Clear the vanity and the area around the toilet and tub so the floor and fixtures can be seen.
6. Know where your water shutoff and electrical panel are, if you can.
7. Think about timing. If this is the only bathroom in the house, say so. It changes how the work is planned.

What drives the cost

Every bathroom is different, so the useful question isn’t “what does it cost” but “what changes the cost.” The main factors are:

• Layout changes. Moving the toilet, shower or sink means moving drains and supply lines.
• How much tile, and what kind. Floor only, shower walls only, or full-height walls; large-format, mosaic or natural stone each take different amounts of labor.
• The shower. A walk-in shower with a glass panel and a niche is more work than a standard tub-shower.
• Fixtures and vanity. Stock items versus special-order or custom pieces, which also affect lead time.
• What’s behind the walls and under the floor. Damaged subfloor or framing has to be repaired before anything new goes in.
• Electrical and ventilation upgrades, such as a new fan duct, added lighting or a heated floor.
• Permits and inspections for the plumbing, electrical and building work.

What you should get afterward

After the visit, you should get a written estimate that describes the work and materials, not just a single line that says “remodel bathroom.” In Massachusetts, the eventual contract for this kind of work has to include a detailed description of the work and materials, a start date and a scheduled completion date, and the price and a payment schedule, and the law caps any deposit paid before work starts. We covered those requirements in how to check a Massachusetts home improvement contractor before you sign. For how long the work itself takes once it starts, see how long a bathroom remodel takes.

Questions worth asking during the visit

• Which parts of this estimate could change once the walls and floor are open?
• Who will pull the permits? (In Massachusetts, it’s the contractor’s job.)
• How do you waterproof the shower?
• What do I need to choose, and by when, so materials arrive on time?
• Will I be able to use the bathroom at any point during the work?

FAQ

Do I need to pick tile and fixtures before the estimate? No. A general direction is enough at the first visit: tile or not, glass or curtain, stock or custom vanity. Specific selections come later and are written into the contract.

Can the estimate change after demolition? It can, if the contractor finds damage that couldn’t be seen before. That’s why it’s worth asking up front how hidden conditions are handled and written up.

Should I measure the room myself? It doesn’t hurt, but the contractor will measure. More useful is knowing what you want to change.

Is it worth getting more than one estimate? Often, yes. When you compare them, compare the scope and materials line by line, not just the bottom number.

Liang Yu works in marketing at Sun Shore Construction and has been with the team for three years.

Planning a bathroom remodel? Get a free in-home estimate: call us or fill out the form on sunshoreconstruction.com.

Who the registration rule covers

Massachusetts General Laws chapter 142A covers “residential contracting”: renovation, repair, remodeling, demolition or an addition on a pre-existing, owner-occupied building with one to four dwelling units, plus structures next to it. Section 9 says no contractor or subcontractor may do, offer or agree to do that work unless registered with the state’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.

If you own and live in a single-family home, a two-family or a triple-decker and you’re planning a bathroom, kitchen or basement project, this law is about you.

Step 1: Confirm the registration

Ask for the contractor’s home improvement contractor (HIC) registration number, then look it up yourself with the state rather than relying on a photo of a card. The law requires that number to be printed in the contract, so a contractor who won’t give it to you before signing is a reason to stop.

Registration tells you the business is on file with the state. It isn’t a rating of workmanship, so it’s the first check, not the only one.

Step 2: Read the contract against what the law requires

Above the small-job threshold in chapter 142A section 2, which any real remodel will exceed, the law requires a written contract that includes, among other things:

• the full names and street addresses of the parties (no P.O. box only), the contractor’s registration number, and the date the contract was signed
• a start date and a date the work is scheduled to be substantially complete
• a detailed description of the work and the materials to be used
• the total price and a payment schedule stating each payment in dollars, including any finance charges
• the signatures of everyone involved, and a copy for you at signing
• clear notices about contractor registration, your three-day cancellation right where it applies, warranties, and any lien or security interest on your home
• in bold type directly above the signature line: “Do not sign this contract if there are any blank spaces”

The law also says no work may start before the contract is signed and you have your copy.

Step 3: Check the deposit

Under section 2, a deposit required before work starts can’t be more than the greater of one-third of the total contract price, or the actual cost of special-order or custom-made materials that have to be ordered in advance. The final payment can’t be demanded until the work is finished to the satisfaction of both sides.

Step 4: Ask who is pulling the permits

The contract has to tell you which permits are needed and that getting them is the contractor’s job. It also has to tell you that homeowners who pull their own permits are excluded from the state guaranty fund set up under the same chapter. If someone suggests you pull the permit yourself to “save time,” you’d be giving up that protection.

For work that touches the structure of the house, also ask who will be the license holder on the building permit. Your local building department can tell you what your project needs.

Warning signs

Each of these runs against something chapter 142A requires:

• No registration number, or a reluctance to give it. The number has to be in the contract.
• No start date or completion date. Both are required items.
• A one-line scope. “Remodel bathroom” doesn’t describe the work and materials in the detail the law asks for.
• A large deposit with nothing special-ordered. The deposit limit is tied to one-third of the price or to special-order materials.
• Pressure to start before you’ve signed, or before you have a copy. The law says work can’t begin until both happen.
• “You pull the permit, it’s faster.” Homeowners who pull their own permits lose access to the state guaranty fund.
• Blank spaces on the contract. The contract itself has to warn you not to sign with blanks.

A quick checklist before you sign

• Registration number in hand and looked up with the state
• Start date and substantial-completion date written in
• Scope and materials described in detail, not “remodel bathroom”
• Total price plus a dollar-by-dollar payment schedule
• Deposit within the one-third / special-order limit
• Permits listed, with the contractor responsible for pulling them
• No blank spaces anywhere

FAQ

Does this apply if I’m a landlord and don’t live in the building? Chapter 142A is written around owner-occupied buildings with one to four units. If you don’t live there, the registration and contract rules in this chapter may not apply in the same way; check with the state before relying on them.

Is a verbal agreement okay for a small job? Section 2 exempts only very small jobs from the written-contract requirement. For a bathroom, kitchen or basement project, expect a written contract.

Can the contractor ask for half up front? Only if half is no more than the greater of one-third of the price or the actual cost of special-order materials. For most remodels, that means a deposit above one-third needs to be backed by special-order items.

What if I want to cancel right after signing? The contract must tell you about your three-day cancellation right where the law gives you one. Read that notice; it explains how to cancel.

Sun Shore Construction Team. Sun Shore Construction is a general contractor in Greater Boston, founded in November 2019. We’re licensed and insured, and we handle permits and inspections on the projects we take on.

Planning a project? Get a free in-home estimate: call us or fill out the form on sunshoreconstruction.com.