Bathroom renovation step by step: how the work runs from strip-out to handover

A bathroom renovation always follows the same order. First you survey and measure, then you design and order, then the old room is stripped out, pipes and wiring go in, walls and floor are built up, the wet areas are waterproofed, the tiles go on and the fittings come last. Skip a step or swap two around and you end up breaking open new tiles. Below you will find what happens at each stage, what to look out for yourself and which Dutch rules apply.

Step 1: survey and measuring

Every bathroom starts with a visit to your home. At Parus, Stas does this himself. We check where the waste pipe is and how it runs, how the water and heating pipes are routed, and how the floor is built. A timber joist floor needs a different approach from a concrete one, and many older Randstad homes have timber floors upstairs.

We also look at what you cannot see. A hollow-sounding tile means the adhesive has let go. A brown stain on the ceiling below means the old shower has leaked. And if the property was built before 1994, it is wise to allow for asbestos in old sealant, vinyl flooring or boards behind a bath.

• Position, diameter and fall of the waste pipe.
• Condition of water and heating pipes and where the boiler or heat pump sits.
• Build-up and flatness of the floor.
• Existing extraction and where it vents outside.
• Electrics: circuits, residual current device and sockets.

Step 2: design, choices and ordering

With the measurements we fix the layout. Where does the shower go, where the toilet, where the basin? The waste pipe decides a lot here. Moving a toilet far from the main soil stack is possible, but the waste then needs a steady fall through the floor or wall. If you want a walk-in shower, you decide now between a linear drain and a square drain, because the floor is built around it.

This is also when you choose sanitary ware, taps and tiles. That feels early, but the depth of a wall-hung toilet frame or a concealed mixer decides how thick the false wall becomes. Advice on tiles is in choosing wall and floor tiles.

Indoors, a bathroom usually does not need a permit, but not always. A listed building or work on the structure can change that. If in doubt, use the permit check in the national Omgevingsloket (Environment and Planning Portal). Living in an apartment? Also read renovating a bathroom in an owners' association apartment.

Step 3: strip-out and removal

During strip-out the old bathroom goes: tiles, fittings, sealant and often the old screed too. We take the waste away. According to IPLO, the government information point for the Dutch building rules, buildings from before 1994 are presumed to contain asbestos. If suspect material turns up, work at that spot should stop until it has been tested.

Strip-out is also when surprises appear. A rotten joist under the old shower, a leaking joint in the wall, a waste pipe without enough fall. We fix those first. Only then does anything new go in.

Step 4: plumbing, waste and wiring

Now the plumber takes over. Waste pipes from shower, toilet and basin are laid with enough fall to the soil stack. Hot and cold water run to the new outlets. Dead legs, pipes that lead to an outlet that no longer exists, are removed, because standing water in a pipe is a legionella risk.

At the same time the electrician runs cables for lighting, a mirror light, an electric towel rail and the extractor fan. A bathroom has zones around the bath and shower where an ordinary socket is not allowed, and the circuit must be protected by a residual current device. After this step the water pipes should be pressure-tested. Only when that passes do the walls close.

Step 5: walls, floor and false walls

With the pipes in place we build the false wall for the concealed cistern and, if you want one, a niche in the shower. Walls are made flat with plaster or with moisture-resistant boards. The floor gets a screed or levelling compound, and for a walk-in shower it is laid to a fall towards the drain.

Drying time matters here. A cement screed has to be dry enough before waterproofing and tiles can go on. Rush it and you get loose tiles or cracked grout later.

Step 6: waterproofing

Under the tiles sits the layer that actually stops water. Tiles and grout are not waterproof. In the wet zones we apply a liquid membrane or a sheet membrane, with sealing tape in every corner and collars around pipe penetrations and the drain. The details are in waterproofing and sealing tape.

For an existing bathroom, the Dutch Building Decree requires walls up to 1 m high and the whole floor to be water-repellent. That is a minimum. In the shower the waterproofing should ideally run up past the shower head.

Step 7: tiling or microcement

Tiling starts once the waterproofing has cured. Depending on the design we begin with the floor or the wall, and we set out the tiles so no thin offcuts end up in view. Grouting follows, then the silicone joints in the corners and along the fittings. If you prefer a wall without grout lines, we finish it in microcement.

Step 8: fittings, extraction and handover

Last come the toilet, basin, taps, shower screen and extractor fan. Under the Building Decree a bathroom needs an extraction capacity of at least 14 dm³/s. More on that in bathroom ventilation.

At handover we go through everything together. Do the taps run well, does the shower drain quickly, is there no leak under the basin, does the fan work? Then the bathroom is yours to use.

Frequently asked questions