Bathroom Renovations — Salt Spring Island & Gulf Islands

Most of the bathroom renovation work we see on Salt Spring Island comes from the same set of conditions: older homes built before moisture management was treated seriously, heritage cottages that haven't seen a trade in twenty years, and island properties where the limited pool of available contractors meant deferred maintenance became the default. Shower pans that were never properly waterproofed are common — substrate rot behind tile is something we document on a significant portion of full gut renovations. On island builds from the 1970s and 80s, cement board and Schluter systems simply weren't standard practice. By the time water has been sitting in a compromised pan for years, the damage extends well past the tile.

The ferry supply chain is a real factor on bathroom projects — tile, vanities, plumbing fixtures, and rough-in materials all need to be sourced, coordinated, and transported to the island before a project can begin. GRR manages material procurement as part of the project plan, not as a billable afterthought. Ferry runs don't appear as a surcharge on your estimate — they're absorbed into how we schedule mobilization. If a fixture has a six-week lead time, that gets factored into the project timeline before you sign anything.

The scopes we see most often on island properties: tub-to-shower conversions in older homes where the original tub surround has failed or where accessibility has become a priority; failing shower pans in properties that were flipped or renovated without proper substrate work; deferred vanity replacement in bathrooms that are otherwise functional but dated; and en suite additions in older Salt Spring homes that were built without them — usually converting a closet or portion of an adjacent bedroom, which involves framing, plumbing rough-in, and sometimes a window penetration. On Gulf Islands properties more broadly, access to trades is limited enough that most homeowners benefit from a contractor who can scope the full job rather than coordinating multiple independent trades themselves. We handle that coordination as part of how we run projects — including the licensed plumbing subcontractor scheduling that a bathroom renovation typically requires.