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One evening, I had a call from a customer in Fforestfach, Swansea, saying that she had water coming through her ceiling. That's NEVER good news is it?
We quickly worked out over the phone, that the water was stopping once the shower had been switched off; good news for both us ... I didn't need to attend immediately, and she wasn't going to be flooded.
I called across the next day to assess the damage and the problem.
Leaking Bath Seal
After I removed the bespoke wooden bath panel (one of my earlier creations!), it became clear that the seal around the bath had been letting water through, running down the wall, and obviously in to the floor cavity.
Unfortunately, this also meant that the floorboards directly underneath the leak were also rotten, and in need of replacement.
To get to the floorboards, the bath had to come out, and of course, whoever installed the bath originally had tiled it in; the only way to remove it was to lose one wall of tiles. Bum!
So, minor leak but bath out, tiles removed, flooring lifted, and sink pedestal removed ... quite a job.
Although the plasterboard had suffered water damage below the line of the bath, it was actually salvageable thankfully.
The floor joists were wet, but not rotted, so they didn't need replacing, but everything else did.
Let The Refit Begin!
After replacing the floorboards, re-routing the pipework, and ensuring everything was fixed, it was time to refit everything.
Once the bath was back in and screwed to the floor, I plumbed everything back in and gave it a water test while everything was still accessible. Good to go!
Tiling was next, then a new showerhead, refit the shower screen and a proper seal around the bath. The final job was new flooring - the old lino style floor didn't survive the removal (it rarely does). This meant laying a solid plywood base layer, then adhesive tiles over the top.
The whole job took a week in total, but I managed to keep costs down for the homeowner by working out the best way to fix the problem before even taking a tool to anything, and planning the materials needed. This includes making another bespoke wooden bath panel (the bath is a 'P' shape, and there just isn't a replacement panel that fits the contours).
Despite being a very cost conscious job, the overall effect looks great - modern, clean, and stylish (whilst keeping with a number of the original tiles).
Contact Me
If you're having problems with any aspect of your home maintenance, get in touch with me and we can arrange for me to call over and give you some free advice.