Bathroom renovation in Oakville

Bathrooms in Oakville homes

Most Oakville houses have three or four bathrooms, built at the same time as the house and ageing at the same rate. Clients usually start with the one that bothers them most, and it is often the ensuite.

The 1980s and 1990s ensuite: Glen Abbey, River Oaks, Iroquois Ridge

Two-storey homes from this period were built with large ensuites laid out around a corner soaker tub with a tiled deck, a small separate shower stall, and a long vanity with a single sink. The tub takes a third of the room and is rarely used.

The usual renovation removes the tub deck, builds a large walk-in shower in its place, adds a double vanity, and sometimes fits a freestanding tub where the old shower stood. Because fixtures move, this needs a Town of Oakville permit.

Mid-century bathrooms: Bronte, College Park, Falgarwood, southwest Oakville

Bungalows and side-splits from the 1950s to the 1970s typically have one compact main bathroom, about 1.5 by 2.4 metres, with a cast-iron tub, wall tile set in mortar, and a small window in the tub wall. They are well built and hard to demolish.

Here the layout usually stays and everything else is renewed: plumbing behind the walls, a new tub or a walk-in shower, proper waterproofing, an exhaust fan ducted outside, and a vanity with real storage. Old galvanized supply lines and cast-iron drains are replaced while the walls are open.

Older homes in Old Oakville

Bathrooms were often added to these houses long after they were built, and fitted in wherever they would go. Floors may slope, joists may have been notched for old plumbing, and nothing is square. These projects need more investigation at the start and benefit most from a full rebuild.

Newer homes: West Oak Trails, Joshua Creek, north Oakville

Sound layouts with builder-grade finishes: acrylic tub surrounds, cultured marble tops, and basic tile. Projects here are usually an upgrade within the existing layout, which keeps them in the essential or mid-range tier and generally clear of permits.

Town of Oakville permits for bathrooms

From the Town’s guidance on interior alterations:

Typically no permit: replacing existing sinks, faucets, toilets, and cabinetry, and cosmetic changes to surfaces.

Permit required:

• adding or relocating plumbing fixtures,
• removing walls, for example to enlarge an ensuite, and
• adding or enlarging a window.

Permit drawings must show an exhaust fan for every washroom, and adding fixtures requires a water service sizing form. A new bathroom in a basement falls under the Town’s finished basement requirements. We prepare the drawings and manage the application.

Electrical work, including heated floors and new lighting circuits, is inspected separately through the Electrical Safety Authority.

Heritage districts

In Oakville’s four heritage conservation districts, heritage review concerns the exterior. A bathroom renovation is affected only if it changes a window or another exterior feature.

How the project runs

1. Phone conversation, then a free site visit at your Oakville home.
2. Budget and design, from your mood board and inspiration photos.
3. 3D rendering, on request, to judge tile, vanity size, and layout before ordering.
4. Approval, and a permit where the work needs one.
5. Build: demolition, rough-in, waterproofing, tile, fixtures, and finishing.

What a bathroom renovation includes is set out on our main bathroom renovation page, and the bathroom renovation cost guide explains the price tiers below.