bathroom renovations - any reason not to keep current bath and toilet?

[Anonymous]

We are re-doing the original bath of our 1937 home. The tub is in great condition - and the problems we have with the toilet are more mechanical then fixture.

Are there any reasons why we should scrap them and start fresh - other than design? I was chatting w a friend and she commented that the life of a toilet was 10 years - I was shocked and did not know that they "wore out". The friend made a comment that commercial grade plumbing fixtures are not that good - but I still can't understand how a toilet breaks?

[Anonymous]

The problem with older toilets is that they use much more water than new ones. Of course some people prefer the older ones because some of the low flow toilets don't work that well. I would get a new one but highly recommend something like a Toto Gmax as they are low flow and actually work wiht one flush.

[Anonymous]

If you like the style of the tub (and I think some of the 30's ones look great), you can always have it re-glazed to restore the shiny finish. My brother kept the old tub in his 30's era house, and had some really cool glass tiles installed around it, and it looked great.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and I meant to add that the porcelain parts of the toilet do last forever. You may need to replace the seals and innards, but that isn't that hard.

[Anonymous]

Older toilets can also get calcified, which makes them work less well.

[Anonymous]

You may find you have to replace them (esp. the toilet).

Two times when we did renovations that involved the bathroom, we had to replace the toilets when we didn't intent it. Both times the old toilet could not be reinstalled correctly. I can't remember the exact reason why but it happens. And I don't think it was the plumber just trying to make more money off of us.

[Anonymous]

If you have any problems at all with the toilet, replace it. There's no sense in keeping an older toilet if you are doing a bathroom renovation, and it wouldn't save you much money. the newer toilets are so much nicer in terms of saving water, too. I think you could probably keep the tub if it's in good condition, but again, I'm not sure it would save you a ton of money to keep it.

[Anonymous]

Well, if it is an older tub, it may save her money to keep it, depending on the kind of renovation she is doing. If they are gutting the whole bathroom, sure, get rid of the tub. But, if they are doing new tile, paint, and updating, it could be cheaper to leave the old tub there instead of rip out and get rid of something really heavy.

[Anonymous]

Assuming you plan to sell the place in the next few years -- and I don't know that you do -- you have to consider what potential buyers will think of the toilet and tub. If you promote the place in part by saying you renovated the bathroom, and then folks see the same old toilet and tub, they may wonder how much you did, really. And then there's just the aesthetic issue. Some people just don't like old bathroom fixtures.

[Anonymous]

Don't replace the tub! I hate walking into colonials and seeing those new, SHORT tubs! People have marble hex tiles and cheap tubs! Just get it reglazed as someone suggested. We are planning to do same (in our 1937 colonial), even if it is more expensive. Toilet: will replace as too much of a water waster.

[Anonymous]

thanks for all of your insights - the tub is in excellent condition - it does not need to be re-glazed so we are going to keep it.

for the toilet we are going to get a modern 1 w low flow a recommended.