Start with conditions, not a product
What actually holds up over time happens behind the tile — drain placement, framing, waterproofing transitions, ventilation, wiring capacity, and access all drive the real scope.
Build a complete scope
- What the supply and waste lines turn out to be once the wall is open
- Waterproofing behind tile, and when it is inspected before being covered
- Whether the layout change touches structure in a small older floor plan
- Ventilation terminated through the roof rather than into the attic
- Permits, trade inspections, debris removal, and the labor warranty
Ann Arbor context
The city's Old West Side, platted starting in 1845 and listed on the National Register in 1972, still carries two-story frame houses built for a fast-growing 19th-century college town -- about 85% clapboard-clad, the rest brick or stucco -- later filled in with Dutch Colonials, bungalows, and Tudor cottages on small lots. Underneath that older core and the newer subdivisions built across Washtenaw County sits a mix of sand, gravel, and clay-rich glacial till left by retreating ice roughly 14,000 years ago -- fertile ground that also drains poorly, one reason bathroom waterproofing and remodeling work stays in steady demand across the area.