Combining a bathroom and toilet - what you need to know

Can you combine a bathroom and toilet?

Yes, if the rules are followed. First find out whether the wall is load-bearing; non-load-bearing interior partitions belong to the apartment owner. According to Riga municipality's explanation, for demolishing a non-load-bearing wall to combine rooms, an architect prepares a plan and a construction notice is filed in BIS as a simplified renovation. In a load-bearing wall only an opening is possible, as a simplified reconstruction with an explanatory memorandum and, if the building is divided into apartment properties, the consent of more than half of the owners; other work needs a building design.

The layout depends on the series. For the 103 series a separate bathroom and toilet are mentioned, for a three-room apartment of the 602 series a combined bathroom with a separate toilet by the entrance, while in older Khrushchyovkas the bathroom and toilet are often already combined. Check in your own apartment against the plan.

Risers and access to them

Water and sewage risers usually run through the bathroom and toilet. The building's utilities are common property, and the apartment owns the utility lines up to the common-property risers. The owner must allow specialists authorised by the association or the building manager to carry out work on maintaining the building's utilities, so when boxing in the risers, leave access to them, for example a hatch.

In apartment buildings, utility lines that do not serve the apartment on that floor need closed shafts or ducts in the enclosing structures. If you change a section of the riser during the combining, it is common property: the consent of the apartment owners' association is needed, and the work is organised by the building manager. Replacing a section of riser in an apartment: from €100 per riser.

Ventilation in the combined bathroom

Toilet, bathroom and shower rooms in residential buildings are ventilated through natural extract ducts. If both rooms had their own ventilation grille, after combining they remain part of the building's system, so the ducts are not closed off. If there is a shared ventilation unit, the air ducts of the sanitary rooms each may be connected only to its own duct. Natural ventilation ducts in other rooms of the apartment are cleaned and checked at least once every 10 years.

Waterproofing in a single room

When the toilet becomes part of the bathroom, the floor needs waterproofing: Ceresit CL 51 is intended for the walls and floors of wet rooms before tiling. The manufacturer recommends at least two coats so that the dry layer is 0.5 mm, waterproofing tape in the wall and floor joints, and collars for pipes and floor drains. The base must be dry, load-bearing and clean.

If the combined room will have a shower with a floor drain instead of a bath, a slope towards the drain is needed, formed with screed or levelling. More on the shower with a floor drain page.

Order of work

1. The wall and documents It is established whether the wall is non-load-bearing, the plan is prepared and the notice is filed in BIS.
2. Demolition The partition wall, old tiles and plumbing are removed. For removal of construction waste, see buvgruzuizvesanariga.lv.
3. Pipes and risers New pipes within the apartment; work on risers needs the association's consent and is organised by the building manager.
4. Floor and walls Joining the floor levels, the slope to the drain, levelling the walls.
5. Waterproofing and tiling Waterproofing on the floor and in wet zones, then tiles.
6. Plumbing Installing the toilet, bath or shower, and sink, and boxing in the risers with a hatch.

How much does combining a bathroom and toilet cost?

Bathroom renovation (all the work: demolition, waterproofing, tiling, plumbing installation): from €3,000. Separate jobs: demolition from €6/m², demolition of old tiles from €9/m², waterproofing from €6/m², tiling from €24/m², floor drain installation from €100 per drain, toilet installation from €50 per toilet. Replanning documents and approval: price by estimate. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.

Example for three jobs only: tiling 18 m² × €24 = from €432, waterproofing 5 m² × €6 = from €30, floor drain installation from €100, total from €562. Bathroom renovation (all the work) from €3,000; demolition of the partition wall and documents are separate lines. The price is affected by the area in m², the condition of the walls and floor, whether the pipes and risers are replaced, and the chosen finish.