Undertaking DIY shower plumbing and bathroom renovations

If you're renovating your bathroom and contemplating a bit of DIY shower plumbing, think again. Installing a shower involves some seriously complicated work, and with waterproofing the most important part of a renovation, you want to ensure any DIY bathroom renovations are done right.

While there's no question that shower plumbing is a job for the experts, there are still some things that homeowners can tackle in a bid to save cash. The dismantling of your old shower is within the scope of DIY bathroom renovations, and once all the basics are in place, retiling is a great way to save some money.

Beginning DIY bathroom renovations

Once you've rolled up your sleeves, you'll need to remove the entire existing shower stall. Firstly, make sure you turn off the water supply to the shower and take down the doors. Then remove the taps and detach the showerhead pipe by gripping it near the wall and turning in a counter-clockwise direction. 

The next step is to remove the plug hole, which is done by inserting pliers into the crosspiece and turning in a counter-clockwise direction. Beneath this, you'll see a threaded pipe called a drain shoe, which connects to the drainpipe in the floor. Remove the shoe by turning counter-clockwise.

Carefully chip any tiles off one by one, using a small crowbar or the back end of a hammer. And lastly, remove the shower base. This will expose the wall studs and the waterproofing membrane underneath. At this point the plumber should be called in and any water damage that has occurred over the years will need to be fixed.

Make sure your plumber knows what sort of shower you'd like installed, and be specific about where you'd like the showerhead and taps. This is also a good time to consider relocating taps if they're in the way when you have a bath.

While dismantling a shower might save you a few dollars, in the long run hiring a professional will ensure that the job is done correctly the first time.