Can I Fit My Own Bathroom?
If you’re not usually the DIY type but want to put as much of your remodelling budget as possible into luxury fixtures and fittings, rather than spending it on plumbers, builders, electricians, plasterers and tilers, you’ve probably said to yourself, ‘fitting my own bathroom – now there’s a good idea.’ But, beneath the surface, there’s probably a big part of you that’s asking, ‘Is it, though?’
Whilst installing your own bathroom is definitely possible, it’s always more straightforward to simply get quotes from individual tradespeople, if not a single contractor. So you will no doubt be contemplating compromising on your high-end bathtub, vanity unit and toilet and buying cheaper ones instead, just so you can afford to have a plumber, fitter and tiler come and do the remodel.
Well, the truth is, remodelling your own bathroom isn’t as hard as it looks. You could probably most of the jobs in the bathroom yourself, other than just the installation. It’s all a matter of working out what you’re confident to do (plus what it’s safe for you to do) and then allocating some of your budget toward paying professionals to do those jobs you know are just too much for you.
Can I do my own rewiring?
If you’re not a qualified, certified electrical engineer, this is the one area of your bathroom remodel you’re not going to be able to handle yourself and it’s really the first job you’ll need to do before anything else happens. We know just how keen you are to save money so you can have that beautiful marble tub, but paying a certified electrician to come and get the wiring, light fittings and (if you’re having them) plug sockets installed before the plasterboard goes in is absolutely essential. Unless, of course, the wiring has already been done and is in perfect condition, in which case: onto the next job!
Can I do my own plumbing?
Plumbing is a job for qualified experts and whether or not you can do your own is all a matter of what state of repair your home is in. If you’re buying a fixer-upper and you’ve never turned on a single tap in the house, it’s unlikely that you’ll want to install your own taps and toilet or start re-routing pipes as there may well be hidden problems lurking beneath the house that you haven’t even considered. If, however, it’s a simple case of plumbing in new taps, then hey presto! Check out this handy guide to fitting a wall-mounted basin that we put together earlier. Whilst bigger plumbing jobs (like rerouting pipes) is usually the second job you’ll do after rewiring, fitting the actual fixtures and fittings will come a bit later. First… plastering.
Can I do my own plastering?
Plastering a single, medium sized room will cost you anywhere between £400 and £550 in general, so this is one area where you can really start to save some money, if you have the right tools, some patience and a thorough, painstaking approach to DIY. You’ll need a good plastering trowel, plastering hawk, mud pan, sponge or sandpaper (for smoothing out unevenness after you finish), jointing knife, step ladder, bucket and dust sheets. Oh, and the plaster!
You need to strip the wallpaper off completely, wash down the walls thoroughly, scrim tape the plasterboard to stop the plaster from cracking due to movement, roller your walls with PVA to stop the plaster above it from cracking due to absorption by the brick, mix the plaster and then get plastering. Generally, you’ll do two coats, then flatten the plaster, do a trowel-over, a second trowel-over and then a final polish. Check out this handy video for a good overview.
Can I do my own tiling?
‘Doing my own tiling’ is the one bathroom remodelling job we, as proud have-a-go Joes and Josephines, always feel we’ll be able to do without any problem. Well, whilst it’s definitely one of the most straightforward, it nevertheless takes some skill and lots of attention to detail. If you’re not 100% confident, you could hire a professional tiler to do the most visible bits and the difficult edges and do the rest yourself.
Remember, once the tile is down, it’s going to be near impossible to reposition it, so getting it right first time is really important. Floor tiles are easier than wall tiles because wall tiles can slip (hence those matchsticks you always see between wall tiles as they’re being put up – though plastic tile spacers are much better!) And, though it’s more expensive, pre-mixed mortar is much easier to use. Buy yourself a good tile cutter for those perimeter tiles, make sure your measurements allow room for grouting and make sure your surfaces are flat so that the finished tiling isn’t bumpy and uneven.
Can I install my own bathtub?
Fitting your own tub is easy. Plumbing it in and sealing it is the bit that takes a bit more work, so you’d be advised to seek expert help there, but the rest you can easily do yourself. You’ll need an adjustable spanner, electric drill with hole cutter, hacksaw, pencil, pipe cutter, sealant gun, spirit level, standard screwdrivers and a tape measure. Place the bathtub on a level surface, take the fittings out of the box, remove any protective packaging from the tub, fit the handles (if it has them), attach the brackets to the bottom of the bath, fit the centre leg bracket and the leg itself and then make sure all the other legs are at the same height, using the spirit level, put the bath against the wall and there you go! If you’re plumbing in the taps, see our washbasin fitting guide on how to go about that (see plumbing section above), otherwise give your plumber a call, because your work here is done!
Can I install my own shower?
Fitting your own shower is tricky, because there’s a lot goes on behind the wall tiles and plasterwork, in terms of plumbing, so you will probably want to get an expert to do this. Fitting your own shower tray is easy by comparison, but talk to your plumber about which order they want to do things in before you get started. All you do is put the tray on its side and run a line of sanitary silicone sealant around the waste hole, put the waste outlet into the hole so it goes into the sealant, mix the mortar, apply a thin layer to the floor where the tray will go and then put the tray in place and bed it down into the mortar, using a spirit level so it doesn’t slope. That’s all there is to it!
Good luck with your DIY jobs and congrats on all the money you’ll save to buy some lovely high-end fixtures and fittings.