Demolition Day and What Is Behind the Wall

Demolition is the only stage of the job that ever finishes early. The sequence notes at bathroom remodeling lakewood ca nacaanet start here, because everything found in the first four hours rewrites the rest of the plan, and a Lakewood bathroom built in the fifties rarely opens up the way the drawing assumed it would.

Strip in the Right Order

Fixtures first, then the vanity, then the tub, then the wall surfaces, then the floor. Taking the wall down before the tub comes out leaves debris in a fixture you may still want, and lifting the floor early means every trade walks on open joists for a week. Water and power off at the source before any of it starts.

What Usually Turns Up

Rot at the front of the tub apron. A vent stack that was cut and never reconnected. Blocking that stops exactly where the grab bar was supposed to go. A drain line in cast iron rusted through at the base. None of these is unusual and all of them are cheaper to find now than after the backer board is up.

The Photograph Nobody Takes

Before anything closes, photograph every open wall and floor bay with a tape in the shot for scale. Six months later, when a shelf needs a fixing or a leak needs chasing, that set of pictures is worth more than the drawing. Note the height of the supply line stubs and the exact position of the p trap.

Pricing the Discoveries

A good contractor stops at this point and reprices rather than absorbing the difference quietly or arguing about it in week four. Rot, a failed drain and undersized framing are three separate line items with three separate costs, and seeing them itemised on the day they are found is the difference between a change order and a dispute.

Do Not Rush Into the Next Stage

The temptation after a fast demolition is to have the plumber in that afternoon. Clear the debris, sweep the subfloor properly, and let somebody look at the empty room with the drawing in hand. Moving a wall or a valve is a morning's work in an empty room and a small disaster once the rough in is done.