Is my sister being ripped off? Question for all plumbers.....?

Question

My sister has been told by a plumber that you can not fit a bathroom onto existing wall tiles and whole bathroom will need to be retiled. Is this true? Also, how much, ballpark figure here, to fit a bog standard 3 piece bathroom with no pipework needing moved? Just your standard size (approx 6ft by 6ft) bathroom.

Bob,
Price quoted to install only not supply suite and fit tiles and laminated floor was £1,900.

Bob,
Sorry meant to add in East Kilbride, Scotland - and no she is not a tight Jock before anyone asks!!!!!

Answer 1

can possibly be done some tiles will have to go/ be replaced.the plumbers problem is that sometimes people moan because it looks like a bodge when you have finished.
where do you live? price including materials and new 3 piece?

Answer 2

I am sure of one thing the adjusting of pipework as you call it is very simple. You can buy flexible couplings from all plumber merchants. These are compression fit and are connected straight onto the cut off copper pipework that is connected to your taps at present. They come in both sizes that you require for bath and sink taps which are different size copper pipes.
The other part about fitting the bathroom is true normally because the bath is difficult to remove without damaging your tiling. Which is why plumbers/builders always say no, because what happens when they say they can and tiles become damaged,you will want him to re-tile for the original quote.

Answer 3

Try this website: www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=DiyB

You can put a new bathroom in but run the risk that it is smaller than your old one thus showing up the bare bits where there are no tile, cracking the existing tiles etc. also new pipes will be needed but only from the wall to the fittings not all the way.
If she decideds to keep the tiles, she should invest in a steamer, the tiles and suite will come up sparkling and then just go round with a wee grouting pen to freshen it up.
Try the website above for prices from people in the trade, but its always best to shop around.
Best o'luck, its always a right hassle getting jobs done at home esp. at xmas! Cheers!

Answer 4

I am not a plumber but even I know that you can't just take out one bathroom and just pop in another in its place. Pipes will have to be adjusted and the wall tiles will probably get damaged when the bathroom is taken out. The tiles may not match and they will certainly look old and shabby against the new bathroom suite. If your sister isn't happy with the plumber who came to see her, get her to get a couple of quotes from different plumbers. She will then be able to build up a better picture as to what needs to be done and what it will cost.

Answer 5

It is a rip off. You can fit onto old tiles and a Fair price for fitting new suite without any alterations to exsisting pipework would be about £250/300

Answer 6

no not true under normal circumstances. If you have 4x4 tiles in a tub area the bottom layer of tiles has to be removed and new drywall installed if you are careful you can reuse the old tiles. if you are replacing the fixtures ( tub faucets) this usually means removing the wall. if you are changing sinks that are attached to the wall no need to redo tile. some revamps require alot of removal some don't - costs run from cheap to very expensive -- normal 3 pc replacement is about $3000

Answer 7

My hubby is a plumber and yes the pipes will need to be adjusted to fit the new settings... also the tile when removed will likely be damaged because the plumber is not going to carefully remove them, he will most likely take a hammer to them to get to the pipes. Sorry, but your sisiter should look to more than one plumber because prices and opinions vary. Good luck!

Answer 8

Your question doesn't make much sense. What do you mean by fit a bathroom onto existing wall tiles?

Answer 9

what more can i say, just look at Patricia Gs answer, its complete in its entirety...ps i dont know her either lol