How a Meridian bathroom actually gets built
Most of what goes wrong in a bathroom goes wrong before the tile is set. This is the order we work in, and what happens at each stage.
Survey
2 hours on site, no charge
We measure the room, look at the framing and the joist direction where we can, find the existing vent route, check the water pressure and photograph everything. Most of what determines the cost of your bathroom is decided in this two hours.
- Room measured to the millimetre, including out-of-square walls
- Joist direction and depth checked where access allows
- Existing exhaust route traced to its actual termination
- Static and flowing water pressure recorded
- Age of house noted for lead-safe and asbestos considerations
Measured drawing
5 to 8 working days
Plan, two elevations and a tile setting-out drawing at 1:20 showing every joint line, the niche position, the valve height and where the cut course lands. You approve this before anything is ordered.
- Plan at 1:20 with fixture clearances dimensioned
- Two elevations minimum, four for an ensuite
- Tile setting-out with every joint line drawn
- Rough-in dimensions fixed: valve, head, waste, blocking
- Written scope and a fixed price against the drawing
Selections
2 to 6 weeks, driven by lead times
Tile, stone, grout, glass and fixtures chosen against the drawing rather than against a mood board. Every selection comes back with a lead time attached, and nothing is ordered until the whole set is confirmed.
- Slab yard visit for any natural stone over 8 sq ft
- Grout chosen against the actual tile sample, not a chart
- Wet DCOF confirmed from the technical sheet for every floor tile
- Lead times recorded and the programme built backwards from the longest
- A single confirmed order, so nothing arrives out of sequence
Strip out
1 to 4 days
Containment at the door, floor protection on the route in, and the room taken back to framing. This is when we find out whether the house agrees with the survey.
- Zippered containment at the door, negative air where needed
- Protected route from the door to the skip
- EPA Lead-Safe practices on any pre-1978 house
- Framing, subfloor and joist condition photographed as found
- Any variation priced in writing before work continues
Rough-in
3 to 6 days
Plumbing, electrical, blocking and backer board. The dimensions fixed on the drawing get built here, and everything is inspected and photographed before it is covered.
- Valve, head, waste and supplies set to the drawing heights
- Blocking rated to 250 lb at every bar, rail and bench position
- Exhaust ducted in rigid metal to an exterior termination
- Backer board with taped joints filled in thinset, never drywall compound
- Photographed wall by wall before anything is covered
Waterproofing and flood test
3 to 5 days including cure and test
The layer that actually keeps water in the room. Membrane applied and banded, pan pre-sloped, then twenty-four hours of standing water over the drain with a photograph at fill and at drain.
- ANSI A118.10 liquid or sheet membrane, corners and planes banded
- Wet-film thickness gauged and logged as a liquid membrane goes on
- Pan pre-sloped at 1/4" per foot before the membrane, not after
- Drain flange bedded and clamped with the weep holes kept clear
- 24 hour flood test to one inch over the flange, photographed twice
Tile, fit-out and handover
6 to 14 days
Tile set to the approved layout, glass templated on the finished surface, fixtures fitted and commissioned. You get a snag walk, a care sheet and the whole photographic file.
- Tile set to the approved layout, coverage checked by pulling a tile
- Grout to the schedule, silicone at every change of plane
- Glass templated on finished tile and fitted a week later
- Thermostatic valves commissioned and scald limits recorded
- Snag walk, care sheet, warranty document and the project photo file
Cement board is a substrate, not a barrier. The layer that actually keeps water inside the room is a bonded membrane applied over it, banded at every corner, and gauged as it goes on. Here is the assembly we build in every wet zone, from the framing out.
Framing
2x6 studs at 16" o.c., blocking at every grab-bar and niche location
5-1/2" (140 mm)
We block for grab bars in every shower, whether or not one is being fitted now. Blocking costs nothing today and a torn-out wall later.
Backer board
1/2" cement or foam backer board, ANSI A118.9, screws at 8" o.c.
1/2" (12.7 mm)
Never gypsum board in the wet zone, including behind a tub surround. Joints are taped with alkali-resistant mesh and filled with thinset, not drywall compound.
Bonded waterproof membrane
ANSI A118.10 liquid or sheet membrane, corners and changes of plane banded
20 to 25 mil liquid, or 0.008" sheet
This is the layer that actually keeps water in the room. Liquid membranes are checked with a wet-film gauge as they go on, because 12 mil of a 20 mil product is not waterproof.
Thinset mortar
ANSI A118.15 improved modified thinset, notch sized to the tile
3/32" to 1/4" after collapse
Wet-zone coverage must reach 95%. We pull a tile at least once per wall and photograph the back of it for the file.
Tile
Porcelain, ceramic or sealed natural stone, set to the agreed pattern
1/4" to 1/2" (6 to 12 mm)
The visible layer, and the last thing that keeps water out rather than the first.
Grout and sealant
Grout to the joint; 100% silicone at every change of plane
Joint width, typically 1.5 to 5 mm
Inside corners, the tile-to-pan joint and the tile-to-tub joint are silicone, never grout. Grout is rigid and will crack where two planes move against each other.
And the floor, in order
Subfloor deflection checked to L/360 for ceramic, L/720 for natural stone
Pre-slope formed at 1/4" per foot (2%) to the drain before any membrane
Bonded or clamped membrane, drain flange bedded and clamped with the weep holes clear
24 hour flood test to 1 inch over the flange, photographed at fill and at 24 hours
Uncoupling membrane or heat mat set into thinset over the tested assembly
Tile set, joints grouted, perimeter and drain joints sealed with silicone
Fourteen dimensions we set before the wall closes
Toilet flange, centre
12" (305 mm)
from finished back wall
IRC. 10" and 14" rough-ins exist on older Denver stock.
Measure to the finished wall, not the stud. Half an inch of backer and tile moves the bowl.
Toilet side clearance
15" minimum (381 mm)
from centre of bowl to any wall or fixture
IRC P2705.1
We design to 16" or 18" where the room allows. 15" is legal, not comfortable.
Toilet front clearance
21" minimum (533 mm)
from front of bowl to the nearest obstruction
IRC P2705.1
Check this against a swinging shower door and a vanity drawer at the same time.
Shower valve height
45" to 48" (1,145 to 1,220 mm)
from finished shower floor
Manufacturer spec
Lower for a tub/shower (28" to 32"). We set it where the client actually reaches.
Shower head height
76" to 84" (1,930 to 2,135 mm)
from finished shower floor
Manufacturer spec
Set to the tallest regular user plus 3 inches. Rain heads go higher, to the ceiling drop.
Handheld slide bar
48" to 72" range (1,220 to 1,830 mm)
from finished shower floor
Manufacturer spec
Needs blocking behind the board across its whole length, not just at the fixings.
Vanity top height
32" to 36" (815 to 915 mm)
from finished floor
Convention; 34" is the accessible maximum
36" comfort height suits most adults. 32" suits a shared family bathroom.
Vanity drain rough-in
18" to 20" (455 to 510 mm)
from finished floor, centred on the bowl
Manufacturer spec
Offset the drain to the back wall for drawer-front vanities, or the top drawer will not close.
Mirror bottom edge
4" to 6" above the backsplash
from vanity top
Convention
Leave room for the faucet to swing and for a soap pump to stand.
Wall sconce centre
60" to 66" (1,525 to 1,675 mm)
from finished floor
Convention; at or just above eye level
Paired sconces at eye level light a face from both sides. An overhead fixture alone will not.
Grab bar, horizontal
33" to 36" (840 to 915 mm)
from finished shower or tub floor
ICC A117.1
Needs solid blocking rated to 250 lb. We block at rough-in in every shower we build.
Shower bench height
17" to 19" (430 to 480 mm)
from finished shower floor
ICC A117.1
Depth 15" minimum. Slope the top 1/4" per foot to the drain so it sheds water.
Niche, shower
48" to 54" centre (1,220 to 1,375 mm)
from finished shower floor
Convention; set between studs
Sill sloped 5 degrees out. A flat niche sill holds water and stains the grout first.
Curbless entry, recess
1-1/2" to 2" (38 to 50 mm) joist recess
from top of subfloor
Depends on joist depth and direction
Only possible where joists run the right way and can take a sistered header. We confirm on the survey, never on the phone.
Start at stage one
A survey is two hours and costs nothing. You get the structural answers before anybody discusses tile.
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