Partial bathroom renovation: replacing what needs replacing

Toilets, basins and taps can usually be swapped without touching the walls, as long as the new items use the same waste and supply positions. A close-coupled toilet with a different footprint may leave a gap in the floor finish, and a wall-hung basin needs solid fixings behind the tiles. Ask the fitter to check the outlet position and fixing points before you buy.

A new shower valve, a new tray or a new bath can also be done alone, but they sit at the edge of the waterproof zone. Removing a bath or tray often damages the bottom row of tiles and can reveal a wet floor underneath. If the tiles are not available any more, a feature panel or a contrasting band is often a better answer than a near-match that looks wrong.

Wall panels over existing tiles, new flooring, a new vanity unit and a new fan or light are the other common partial jobs. Each is quicker than a full refit, but check what the new layer is fixed to: panels and tiles bonded to failing tiles fail with them.

Some things point to a bigger job: tiles that sound hollow when tapped, grout that stays dark, a soft spot in the floor near the toilet or bath, staining on the ceiling below, or a smell of damp in the room. These are usually signs of water getting behind the surface. Putting a new suite in front of that problem hides it for a while and makes it more expensive later.

A good fitter tells you when they think a partial refit is the wrong choice, and explains why. It is reasonable to ask them to lift a panel, remove the bath side or check the floor with a moisture meter before quoting.

Replacing items like-for-like does not usually need Building Regulations approval. The electrical rules still matter: in England, adding a light or moving a switch inside the special location around a bath or shower is notifiable, even though the work is small, while replacing an existing light fitting like-for-like is not. If you are keeping an existing extractor fan, Approved Document F says it should be kept or replaced during refurbishment, and a replacement fan wired to the existing cable does not need to be notified.

If your house was built after 1999, the ground-floor toilet may have been designed for visitors who use a wheelchair. The Planning Portal advises that a refit should not make it less accessible, and that altering it may need a Building Regulations application.

Source: planningportal.co.uk

• exactly which items are removed and which stay
• whether new items use the existing waste and supply positions
• how damaged tiles, flooring or plaster around the old items are repaired
• how any surprises found behind the bath or under the toilet are priced
• who supplies each item and whether it has been checked against your water pressure
• any electrical work, and whether it is notifiable
• whether the old items are taken away

The most common mistake is buying a suite before anyone has measured. A basin that is a few centimetres deeper can stop a door opening, and a toilet with a different outlet height may need a new connector that does not fit the space. The second is underestimating how the old finishes will look next to the new ones: fresh silicone and new chrome make old grout and tired paint more visible.

It also helps to be clear about which jobs are happening now and which later. If you plan to retile in a year or two, it may be worth moving pipework now rather than paying for it twice.

Tell us which items you want to replace, what the room is like and when you would like the work done, and confirm your phone number and email address. The request is offered without your details to bathroom fitters in your area, and one fitter can buy it. Nobody else is offered it after that. Before the fitter gets your details, we email you its name, address and phone number. It is free for you, no fitter is obliged to take the request, and unsold requests are withdrawn after 21 days. Offrano does not check workmanship, only that the buyer is a registered business.