If you’re planning a bathroom renovation, the biggest cost you can avoid has nothing to do with fixtures or finishes. It comes down to bathroom renovation prep — being ready when your plumber shows up. I want to walk you through a job we’re finishing right now, a century farmhouse near Kerwood, just outside Strathroy. It’s a perfect example of how prep, or the lack of it, changes what a renovation costs.
I’m Aron Oretan, owner of Triton Home Service. A carpenter contractor is handling the build on this job, and we’re the plumbing trade coming in around their schedule. Here’s what we found, and what it’s costing.
A Century Home’s Basement Tells Its Own Prep Story
This farmhouse has a low basement, more of a crawl space than a proper basement, and it told us exactly how past renovations had gone. There was old galvanized water line and redundant copper piping just left in place. There were dead water heaters pushed off to the side, because over the decades, nobody wanted to carry a dead water heater up a rickety old staircase and out of that crawl space. When one died, it got disconnected and shoved aside instead.
We had to cut out that galvanized line, the redundant copper, and the old cast iron the homeowner didn’t want to reconnect to. We also had to repipe the water softener while we were down there. None of this was on anyone’s radar going in, which is exactly why bathroom renovation prep has to start below the bathroom, not just inside it.
A Water Softener That Was Never Set Right
While we were in the basement, we found the water softener wasn’t set to the correct hardness level. The homeowner told us the husband thought he could taste salt in the water. If you ever think you taste salt from your water softener, that’s usually a sign the unit isn’t set properly, not a reason to just live with it or turn it down on your own. We still need to go back, take a raw water sample, test the hardness, and set the softener correctly. That’s a separate job on its own, and a good reminder that a water softener isn’t something you set once and forget. It needs to match your actual water hardness.
Why Bathroom Renovation Prep Decides How Many Trips You Need
When we came back to finish the second-floor bathroom, this is where prep, or the lack of it, really showed up. The homeowner had the tub. They didn’t have the tub drain finalized, and they hadn’t ordered a vanity yet.
We installed the tub and toilet on that visit. But because the vanity wasn’t on site, we have to make a separate trip back just to install it. On top of that, the homeowner decided partway through that they wanted a specific colour drain assembly, not the standard chrome we carry on the truck as a matter of course. That meant a second extra trip: back to the supplier, order the part, pick it up, and come back another day.
A finishing visit should normally be one trip, in and out. This job turned into three, and it’s a direct result of missing bathroom renovation prep, not bad luck. We don’t mind coming back as many times as a homeowner needs. But every extra trip costs money in labour and drive time, even for something as small as a drain colour. To the homeowner’s credit, they knew going in that the extra trips would cost more, and they chose it anyway. They have small children, the renovation had already dragged on a long time for reasons that had nothing to do with us, and they wanted that tub working. That’s a completely reasonable trade-off to make, as long as you’re making it with your eyes open.
What a General Contractor Actually Does for You
This job also highlights something homeowners often don’t fully appreciate: the value of a general contractor. A GC coordinates every trade on a job, electrician, carpenter, drywall, tile, plumbing, so the homeowner isn’t the one juggling schedules and decisions between all of them. That coordination usually costs about a 10 percent markup, and a lot of homeowners think that markup isn’t worth it.
Here’s what that markup actually buys you. If a fixture gets missed or isn’t ordered in time, that often falls back on the GC to sort out, sometimes at their own cost, not yours. And trades tend to prioritize a GC’s jobs a little higher, because we know we’ll see that GC again next week or next month on another project. When we work directly for a homeowner, we do the same quality of work, but that repeat-business pull isn’t there in the same way.
At Triton, we’re a plumbing and HVAC contractor, not a general contractor. The only time we act like one is when a job is essentially all plumbing, including digging or back fill tied to the plumbing scope. For a full renovation like this Kerwood bathroom, with a carpenter contractor and multiple trades involved, a GC’s coordination has real value, even if it doesn’t always feel like it on the invoice.
The Bathroom Renovation Prep Checklist Before You Book
Before you book a finishing appointment with any trade, have every fixture, finish, and colour decided and on site, not just ordered. That single step is the core of bathroom renovation prep, and it’s what keeps a renovation to one trip instead of three.
If you’re planning a bathroom renovation and want to talk through what needs to be ready before we show up, you can look at our full range of plumbing services or book a visit directly.
For guidance on hiring a contractor and understanding renovation contracts, the Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s renovation resource hub is a solid place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does bathroom renovation prep actually involve?
It means having every fixture, finish, and colour decided and physically on site before your plumber’s finishing visit, not just ordered or planned. That’s what keeps a job to one trip instead of several.
Why does a finishing visit sometimes take more than one trip?
If fixtures like a vanity aren’t on site, or a homeowner requests a non-standard finish or colour partway through, the plumber has to make a separate trip to source and install that item, adding cost for labour and travel.
Is it normal for old galvanized or cast iron pipe to still be in a century home’s basement?
Yes. Many older homes have redundant or abandoned pipe and even old equipment left in place from past repairs, especially in basements or crawl spaces that are difficult to access.
How do I know if my water softener is set correctly?
If your water tastes like salt, that’s usually a sign the softener isn’t set to the correct hardness level for your water supply, not something you should just adjust around. A raw water hardness test is the right way to confirm the correct setting.
Is hiring a general contractor worth the markup on a renovation?
Often, yes. A GC coordinates every trade on the job, absorbs some of the risk when something is missed or delayed, and typically gets faster scheduling priority from trades who expect repeat work.
Does Triton Home Service work as a general contractor?
Rarely. Triton operates as the plumbing and HVAC contractor on a job. We only take on a general contractor role when a project is essentially all plumbing work, including any digging or back fill tied to that scope.
Aron Oretan is the owner of Triton Home Service, a Licensed Red Seal Plumber and Steamfitter with 26 years in the trade, serving London, St. Thomas, and Oxford County.
