Condo Bathroom Renovation Checklist for Owners

A condo bathroom renovation needs everything a house bathroom needs, plus a layer of building rules on top: written approval from the condo board or management, booked water shutoffs, protected common areas, restricted work hours, and proof of insurance from the contractor. Most of the trouble in condo remodels comes from skipping that second layer, not from the tile or the vanity.

Use the checklist below in order. It works whether your building is run by a condo corporation in Ontario, a strata in British Columbia, a syndicate of co-owners in Quebec, or a condo association or co-op board in the US.

Before you sign anything

Read the bylaws and renovation rules. Ask management for the current renovation policy, not the copy from when you bought. Look for what needs approval, what is banned outright, work hours, deposit amounts and the forms the board wants.

Find out what you own. In many buildings, the pipes inside your walls are yours but the risers, main drain stacks and shutoff valves serving several units are common property. Your declaration or strata plan sets the line. Anything on the common side usually needs the building's own plumber or written consent before it is touched.

Ask about past leaks. Management often knows which stacks have had problems. If the unit below you has had water damage before, that history affects how carefully the shower and floor need to be waterproofed.

Check the floor assembly. Concrete buildings handle tile well but have strict rules about cutting into the slab. Wood-frame condos are more sensitive to heavy stone, cast iron tubs and floor deflection. Either way, ask before planning a curbless shower that needs a recessed floor.

Look for an acoustic requirement. Many buildings require a sound control underlayment beneath hard flooring, sometimes with a minimum rating. If yours does, it has to be in the quote and installed before the tile goes down, not added as an afterthought.

The approval package

Boards approve faster when the request is complete the first time. A typical package includes:

• A description of the work, room by room
• A simple floor plan showing fixture locations before and after
• Product sheets for the waterproofing membrane, shower system and underlayment
• The contractor's company name, licence where your province or state requires one, and certificate of liability insurance naming the corporation or association as an additional insured if the rules ask for it
• Proposed start date, duration and daily hours
• Any permits that will be pulled by the contractor or by you

Some buildings also want a signed indemnity from the owner, or a refundable damage deposit. Get the approval in writing before ordering cabinets or tile with long lead times.

Permits still apply

Board approval is not a permit. Moving the toilet, relocating the shower drain, adding a second sink or adding an electrical circuit usually needs a municipal permit, just as it would in a house. Like-for-like swaps of a vanity, toilet or tub on the existing drain usually do not. The quote should say which permits apply and who is responsible for pulling them. If you are in Toronto, our post on kitchen and bathroom renovation permits in Toronto walks through the city, ESA and condo layers in more detail.

Planning the work around the building

Book water shutoffs early. In older towers, shutting the water to one bathroom can mean shutting a whole riser and every unit on it. Management schedules this, often with 48 hours or more of notice to neighbours. Group the work that needs the water off into as few shutdowns as possible.

Reserve the service elevator. Demolition debris, a tub, a vanity and boxes of tile all need the freight elevator, usually booked by the hour, with pads installed. Some buildings allow deliveries only on weekdays.

Confirm work hours. Noisy work like demolition, tile cutting and drilling into concrete is often limited to set weekday hours. A crew that loses half a day to noise rules adds days to the schedule.

Plan debris removal. Most buildings ban renovation waste in the garbage room or chute. The contractor should carry debris out daily or use a bin placed where management allows.

Protect the common areas. Floor runners in hallways, corner guards at the elevator and a clean entry mat are standard. Some buildings inspect hallways before and after the job against the deposit.

Waterproofing deserves its own line

In a house, a shower leak damages your own subfloor. In a condo, it reaches your neighbour's ceiling, and often their insurer comes looking for you. That makes the waterproofing step the most important item on this list.

• The quote should name the membrane system (sheet or liquid applied) and where it goes: shower walls, shower floor and, ideally, the whole bathroom floor with an upturn at the walls.
• The shower pan should be flood tested for a day before tile, with the drain plugged, and the result noted.
• Penetrations for the valve, showerhead and niche need the manufacturer's seals, not just caulk.
• Ask for photos of the membrane before tile covers it. They are useful if the board, the insurer or a future buyer ever asks.

A bathroom fan that actually vents outside, or into the building's exhaust system as designed, belongs in the same conversation. Moisture trapped in a windowless condo bathroom shows up as mould on the ceiling within a year or two.

During the job

• Keep a copy of the board approval on site in case management or security asks
• Tell your direct neighbours the dates of the loud days and the water shutdowns
• Check that the shutoff valves to your bathroom are new or working before the old fixtures come out, since a seized valve in a condo can force an unplanned riser shutdown
• Walk the room with the contractor before the walls are closed, so you see the plumbing, blocking for grab bars or a heavy mirror, and the membrane

When the work is done

• Final walkthrough with the contractor against the written scope
• Permit inspections signed off, with copies kept with your unit records
• Management inspection of common areas and release of any deposit
• Product warranties, membrane details and grout or caulk colours filed together
• A note to your insurer if the renovation raised the value of the unit, since your betterments coverage may need to change

Frequently asked questions

Is board approval needed to renovate a condo bathroom?

In most buildings, yes, at least for anything beyond painting and swapping accessories. Rules vary a lot, so the current bylaws and renovation policy are the only reliable answer. Starting without approval can lead to a stop-work order, fines or an order to restore what was removed.

Can the toilet be moved in a condo bathroom?

Sometimes. In a concrete building, moving a toilet usually means coring or trenching the slab, which many boards restrict or require an engineer to review. Moving it a short distance along the same drain line is easier than moving it across the room, and a site visit is the only way to know what your floor allows.

Who pays if a renovation leaks into the unit below?

Generally the owner whose unit caused the damage, through their own insurance, and possibly the contractor if the work was faulty. The exact split depends on your bylaws, your province or state and the insurance policies involved. That is why buildings ask for proof of the contractor's liability insurance before the job starts.

How long does a condo bathroom renovation take?

Expect longer than the same bathroom in a house. Approval can take a few weeks, and shutdown scheduling, elevator bookings and restricted hours stretch the work itself. A full bathroom often runs several weeks once work starts, and a tub-to-shower conversion is shorter.

Start with a measured quote

A condo bathroom quote should list the scope, the waterproofing system, the acoustic underlayment if required, permits, and how the work fits your building's rules. Send your city, building type and what you want changed through the quote form. Owners in Greater Montréal can also see what a visit covers on our Montréal page, and owners in the Lower Mainland on our Vancouver page.