A bathroom renovation on Salt Spring Island is not the same job as a bathroom renovation in Langford or Saanich. Older island homes — many built through the 1970s and 1980s, some earlier — carry conditions that mainland contractors rarely encounter in volume: moisture-damaged subfloors, galvanized plumbing that has been improvised over decades, and electrical panels that were adequate for the original cabin but not for the home that has grown around them. On top of that, there are no same-day hardware runs. If you order the wrong tile size or discover mid-demo that the drain is in the wrong place, the fix has to wait for the ferry.
We work in the Gulf Islands regularly enough that these conditions are not surprises to us — they are things we look for before pricing any bathroom scope. This article explains what we check first, what a typical renovation includes, how we price it, and what living on an island actually changes about the job.
What We Check Before Pricing a Bathroom Reno
A written estimate for a bathroom renovation is only worth something if it is based on an accurate reading of what is actually there. Before we put a number on paper, we go through four areas:
- Subfloor condition near the tub and toilet. These are the two highest-risk zones for moisture infiltration. A toilet flange that has ever wept — even briefly — can damage the subfloor underneath without any visible signal at the surface. Old tub surrounds with missing or failing caulk lines do the same over years. We check for soft spots, compression, and bounce. In island homes built before the 1990s, we find damaged subfloor in roughly half the bathrooms we open. It is common enough that we factor it into our contingency language from the start.
- Plumbing configuration. Galvanized steel pipe was standard through the mid-1970s. It corrodes from the inside out, reducing flow and eventually failing. If the bathroom supply lines are galvanized and the rest of the house runs on the same system, the smart move is to note that clearly in the estimate and let you decide whether to address it now or later. Drain location also matters: moving a drain is a legitimate scope expansion that affects tile layout, framing, and duration — we want to know before we start, not during demo. Venting is a separate question that intersects with permit requirements.
- Electrical — GFCI and panel capacity. BC Electrical Code requires GFCI protection for all receptacles and circuits within 1.5 metres of a water source in a bathroom. Older homes often lack compliant GFCI protection, and some panels are at or near capacity. We are not licensed electricians — when electrical work is required beyond straightforward GFCI installation, we coordinate a licensed electrician separately. That cost is disclosed in the estimate, not discovered at final billing.
- Waterproofing layer. This is the step most renovation contractors skip or underperform. A shower surround without proper waterproofing behind the tile — a continuous sheet membrane or correctly installed liquid-applied membrane — will fail. The tile grout is not waterproof. The board substrate is not waterproof. Water finds every gap, and it works slowly. When we open up a bathroom that has had a leaking shower for years, the damage is almost always traced back to absent or inadequate waterproofing. We do not skip this step.
Typical Scope of a Bathroom Renovation
A full bathroom renovation — gut and replace — runs through a predictable sequence. Each phase builds on the one before it, and each has its own risk window for discovering something that was not visible from the surface.
- Demo and inspection. Remove fixtures, vanity, toilet, tile, and backer. Once the substrate and subfloor are exposed, we do a thorough condition check. Everything found at this stage is documented with photos before anything is touched.
- Subfloor repair (if required). Damaged subfloor is cut back to the nearest joist line and replaced with new plywood. This is a hidden condition — it cannot be confirmed until demo is complete — and is treated as a change order if it was not already carried in the base estimate.
- Waterproofing. Sheet membrane (Schluter Kerdi, Wedi, or equivalent) or liquid-applied membrane (Redgard, Hydroban) installed to shower walls and the wet-zone floor. Corners, changes in plane, and penetrations are sealed and reinforced. This is non-negotiable on any shower or tub surround we build.
- Tile — floor and shower walls. Substrate prep, layout, setting, grouting, and caulking at all movement joints. Tile size and format affect labour time significantly — large-format tiles in a small bathroom with unusual angles take longer than a standard field tile pattern on a flat wall.
- Vanity, toilet, and fixtures. Supply and install vanity, top, and fixtures; reconnect supply and drain; set toilet with new wax ring and supply line; install shower valve, hand spray, and trim.
- Paint and trim. Bathroom-rated paint on walls and ceiling; baseboard and door casing reset or replaced; touch-up and clean.
How We Price It
We use written, itemized estimates. Every line is priced before work starts. There are no verbal scopes, no approximate figures confirmed after the fact.
Labour Sell Rates — Bathroom Renovation
| Trade / Role | Sell Rate |
|---|---|
| Tile installation & waterproofing | $105 / hr |
| Skilled carpentry (framing, subfloor, trim) | $100 / hr |
| Plumbing (licensed subcontractor) | $125 / hr |
| Demo & prep | $90 / hr |
For a straightforward bathroom — standard 5×8 layout, no layout changes, subfloor in good condition, tile surround, new vanity and fixtures — expect a range of $12,000–$22,000+. That range is real: the bottom is a clean, well-built bathroom with builder-grade tile and a mid-range vanity. The top reflects larger format tile, a more complex shower configuration, higher-end fixtures, or a bathroom that has more square footage or unusual conditions.
The range expands when hidden conditions appear. Subfloor replacement, galvanized pipe remediation, or a panel upgrade are legitimate additions — but they are never absorbed silently into the invoice. Every change order is written, priced, and signed before work on that scope begins.
Hidden conditions are always extra. We disclose them the moment we find them — documented, photographed, and priced as a separate change order. You sign off before we proceed. No surprises at final billing.
Island-Specific Considerations
Working on Salt Spring Island changes the logistics of every job, and bathroom renovations are no exception.
- Materials are ordered well in advance. Tile, fixtures, vanity, membrane — all of this is sourced and staged before the first ferry. There is no equivalent of driving to Home Depot at noon because the drain line is a different diameter than expected. We account for this in scheduling: materials are confirmed and landed on-island before demo begins.
- Ferry scheduling is part of the job plan. Crew travel, material delivery, waste disposal — all of it runs through BC Ferries. We factor this into how we structure the work week, not as a surcharge on your estimate but as a constraint we plan around.
- Plumber and electrician are coordinated separately when required. We do not perform licensed plumbing or electrical work ourselves. When a scope requires a licensed tradesperson — drain relocation, panel work, new circuits — we coordinate that as a separate trade, disclosed clearly in the estimate. On Salt Spring, this means working with tradespeople who are either island-based or willing to travel, and scheduling their access around our work sequence.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does a bathroom renovation take on Salt Spring Island?
- Typically 5–10 working days for a standard gut-and-replace. More complex scopes — tile showers with benches or niches, layout changes, subfloor repairs — run toward the higher end or beyond it. Ferry scheduling and material lead times are factored into the timeline before we commit to a start date.
- Do I need to vacate my home during the renovation?
- Usually not. If you have a second bathroom, we sequence work to keep at least one functional at all times. Single-bathroom homes require more planning, but most homeowners manage in place without issue. We are on-site daily, we communicate what is happening, and we leave the work area clean at the end of each day.
- What if you find rot or damage under the floor?
- We stop. We document the extent with photos, assess the repair scope, and price it as a written change order. You review it and sign off before we proceed. Hidden conditions are always an extra cost — we have never found a way around the physics of rotted wood — but they are never a line item that appears on your final invoice without your prior approval.
Great Raven Renovations Ltd. serves Salt Spring Island, Pender Island, Galiano Island, Mayne Island, and the Cowichan Valley Regional District. All estimates are written and itemized. A 2-year workmanship warranty applies to all renovation scopes. Licensed and insured.