Plumbing Question--old house bathroom remodel

[Anonymous]

We have 2 tiny upstairs bathrooms in our 1950's small colonial that appear to be original.
We've had many issues with clogging pipes, leaking toilet, having to have a plumber come in several times a year to fix.
We obviously need to get this fixed.
We have a quote for a full bathroom renovation to remove the old teal tiles, etc. but on the quote it says "if we need to replace all galvanized pipes I will notify you to price accordingly".
But I thought that was what we were doing?
Even though the bathrooms are super outdated in looks, I really don't care because they are so small and there isn't a lot that can be done.
Is it possible to do the piping work that we need to without a full bathroom renovation?
Or they need to cut into everything anyway, so might as well do it all?
Thanks for any advice. My quote was $17K for master bath.

[Anonymous]

OP, what was included in "17k for a full master bath reno"? That sounds exceptionally low (source: currently getting 50k+ quotes)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, what was included in "17k for a full master bath reno"? That sounds exceptionally low (source: currently getting 50k+ quotes)

It's a quote for full remodel--removing all the old tile, inserting pocket door, electrical, putting in new sink, toilet, shower.
But then it says "if we need to replace all galvanized pipes I will notify you to price it accordingly"
Labor only $13,500; Construction Materials $3800.

This bathroom is TINY. One little sink, toilet, shower. That's it.

[Anonymous]

The galvanized pipes he's talking about are the water supply pipes.

They're going to need to be replaced. They only have a life expectancy of about 30 years.

[Anonymous]

OP what is your waste pipe and sewer situation? If you're having issues with slow drains or clogs, you need to figure out what's causing the issue. Do you have a cast iron waste stack? You can hire a plumber to send a camera through the line to see if the problem is in your fixtures (easy replace) or somewhere deeper in the lines. I would go ahead and get a quote or two for full pipe replacement or negotiate the cost (even if it's priced per linear foot) because otherwise you'll be over a barrel when your bathroom is torn up.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies!
When I asked the contractor, this is what he said:
We will replace the galvanized pipes on the bathroom only. But is better to go all the way down to the water heater. That will be the extra price.

[Anonymous]

Also--for context. We hope to stay in our house at least 10 years longer and when we move, it will likely be a tear down so when we're doing renovations, we want to be cost conscious and only do them for the enjoyment of our house; not for resale.

[Anonymous]

I paid $13k for a reno for a tiny 5x5 basement bathroom. There was only a toilet there and I added a shower and sink so new plumbing.

[Anonymous]

I'm assuming the problems you are having are with the DRAIN pipes - yes? As in, the shower drains slowly, or not at all? If so, I would ask a plumber if the pipes can be replaced w/o a full tear out. Probably at least part of them can be be accessed through a ceiling and/or wall below.

If you need to replace the shower water supply pipes, that may or may not be possible to do w/o tearing out. I have a 50s house with a shower that does not have an access panel, so to do anything with those pipes, the tiles need to be removed.

A leaking toilet can almost certainly be dealt with w/o tearing out the bathroom. Either replace toilet parts or the entire toilet, or repair pipes.

OP, I would look very closely at the quote and make sure you know exactly what is included, and what is not. The $3800 for materials likely includes only things like wallboard, spackle, caulk, and other materials - NOT things like tile, toilet, vanity, light fixtures, accessories, etc. Also, it sounds like the written quote says that replacing the galvanized pipes is NOT included, but he is verbally telling you something different (?). If he is, ask him to make the quote/contract match what he is telling you so there are no surprises down the line.

[Anonymous]

PP here - FWIW, I have a 50s house and the pipe problems I have are with the drains, not the water supply lines. I have the original cast iron drain pipes, which are known to develop clogs over time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here - FWIW, I have a 50s house and the pipe problems I have are with the drains, not the water supply lines. I have the original cast iron drain pipes, which are known to develop clogs over time.

Thank you for the helpful info. I am fairly sure this is the situation with original cast iron drain pipes that clog over time. We have very strong water pressure in showers, if that's an indicator or not.
So it they then replace the galvanized pipes for the bathroom, might they not need to go down to the hot water heater?
Our basement is completely torn up right now so the pipes are easier access from that side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what was included in "17k for a full master bath reno"? That sounds exceptionally low (source: currently getting 50k+ quotes)

It's a quote for full remodel--removing all the old tile, inserting pocket door, electrical, putting in new sink, toilet, shower.
But then it says "if we need to replace all galvanized pipes I will notify you to price it accordingly"
Labor only $13,500; Construction Materials $3800.

This bathroom is TINY. One little sink, toilet, shower. That's it.

That’s a very good price for renovating a mud-set bathroom. Over 12 years ago we got a labor-only quote of $12,000 for the same.

[Anonymous]

This is an ok price, however have him quote fixing the pipes as your house if very old and should have been repipped or torn down years a go

[Anonymous]

OP, please do share your contractor's name - we'd love to get quotes at that pricepoint.

[Anonymous]

This was in DC? I don't see how they're doing to do this for that $$. Even if it's a small space, they still need to get each trade in.