Waterproofing is the bathroom. Tile is decoration.
The most common serious complaint in this trade is a beautiful bathroom that fails behind the tile, and in Hamilton's older housing stock the consequences travel further: through plaster, into balloon-framed wall cavities, and down onto original hardwood. We build the invisible parts first: membrane waterproofing, correct slope, and a flood test on every shower pan before a single tile goes on.
"I flood-test every pan and I show the client the test. It costs me an afternoon. The alternative is a phone call two winters later from someone standing in a wet hallway, and by then the cheap version has cost them four times what the honest one would have."
Mitch Fraser, owner, Ontario Contracting Co.
Ventilation, which Hamilton basements and second floors punish
An exhaust fan that terminates in an attic or a joist bay does not ventilate a bathroom, it relocates the moisture problem. Properly ducted exhaust to the exterior is standard on our jobs, because mould is a ventilation failure long before it is a cleaning problem, and older Hamilton homes rarely came with adequate ductwork.
What we build
- Full gut renovations and tub-to-shower conversions
- Walk-in showers with membrane waterproofing, correct slope and a documented flood test
- Heated floors, floating vanities and custom glass
- New basement bathrooms, permitted, and coordinated with the water assessment described on the basement page
- Accessible and aging-in-place bathrooms, which may qualify for the federal Home Accessibility Tax Credit covered in our tax-credit guide
Permits and trades
Like-for-like fixture swaps generally do not need a permit; new or relocated plumbing does, as does structural change. Plumbing is a compulsory trade in Ontario and bathroom electrical runs through a licensed electrical contractor, which are exactly the credentials worth verifying on any contractor, including us. The verification routine is in our WSIB and insurance guide, and the Hamilton permit process is in the local permit guide.