Opening Up a Bathroom in an Older Riverside House: Questions Answered
What surprises show up when a bathroom is opened in an older Riverside house?
The surprises depend on the decade the house was built. Riverside has housing from the 1800s, including Queen Anne homes, Mission Revival houses from the early twentieth century, and large blocks of postwar and mid-century tract homes. Each period used different pipe, different wall material and different framing habits, so the same demolition day looks different in each one. The questions below come up on almost every older bathroom, and the answers describe what a crew looks for.
Is the wall behind old bathroom tile plaster or board?
It varies. Houses from the early 1900s often have plaster over wood lath, sometimes with tile set straight into a thick mortar bed on top of the lath. That assembly is heavy, and it breaks apart in slabs during demolition. Mid-century houses commonly have plaster over metal lath or gypsum board, and tile in the shower area is often set in mortar over the board. A crew can tell which by the weight of the first chunk that comes off and by the sound of the wall when it is tapped.
The type matters for one reason: the new waterproofing needs a flat, sound surface to bond to. Plaster that is crumbling or damp gets removed to the studs. Mortar that is solid and dry can sometimes stay, though most remodels strip to the studs anyway so the whole wall has a modern membrane behind it.
What about lead paint and old materials?
Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in the United States in 1978, so a house built before that year may have it on trim, doors or walls. Disturbing it creates dust, and that dust is the hazard. Federal rules require contractors who work in pre-1978 homes to follow lead-safe practices when they disturb painted surfaces, and a remodeler should say how the work will be contained. Old floor tile and sheet flooring from the mid twentieth century may contain asbestos in the tile or its adhesive. A lab test on a small sample answers the question, and guessing does not. Neither material is a reason to avoid the remodel. Both are reasons to find out before the saws start.
Are old pipes a problem in a Riverside bathroom?
Often, yes, and the problem depends on the metal. Galvanized steel supply pipe was common into the mid century. It rusts from the inside, which narrows the opening and drops the pressure at the shower. Copper from the postwar years usually holds up well, though joints and old valves can weep. Cast iron drain pipe lasts a long time but can crack, and the joints can leak at old lead and oakum seals. When the wall is open, a plumber can replace the short section behind the bathroom for little added effort, which is far easier than a second visit after the tile is up.
Hard water adds to the problem. Scale builds inside older steel and copper lines and inside the valve, so a new cartridge in an old valve body can wear faster than expected. Many remodels replace the valve body along with the trim, so the whole assembly is new.
Can a bathroom in a house this old get a ducted fan?
Yes, though the route needs thought. Postwar attics are usually reachable, and a fan can vent through the roof or the soffit. Older houses with plaster ceilings are harder, because cutting a fan opening in plaster cracks the surrounding ceiling. Crews often cut the opening from above and patch the plaster from below. Where the attic is too shallow, a wall-mounted fan vented straight outside is an option. Whichever route is used, the duct has to go outdoors. A fan that blows into the attic only moves the moisture to a worse place.
Does a small bathroom need a different approach to tile?
Small rooms tend to need smaller choices. A large-format tile can overwhelm a bathroom where the tile has to be cut at every edge, and the cuts become more visible than the pattern. Medium-format porcelain, subway tile or a mosaic floor often fits better. Floor mosaic follows the slope of a shower pan with less trouble, and the extra grout lines give grip underfoot. Light colors and a continuous tile height make a narrow space feel wider, while a break in the tile at an awkward height makes it feel shorter.
Why do older bathrooms have such small doors and tight clearances?
Many were built to fit a plan, not a person. A bathroom in a postwar tract house typically sits between two bedrooms, backed against the plumbing wall of the kitchen, with a door that swings into the room and hits the toilet or the vanity. A pocket door or an outswing door can free up the floor. Both need the wall to be opened, and a pocket door needs clear space inside it, free of plumbing and wiring. Moving a door is a framing job first and a finish job second.
What should be decided before demolition?
- Whether the tub stays, becomes a shower, or turns into a larger shower with a bench.
- Which fixtures and valve are being used, since their sizes set the rough plumbing.
- Where the vanity goes and how deep it can be before the door swing is blocked.
- Whether grab bar blocking is wanted now, while the wall is open.
- Where the fan housing and the duct run will go.
- Who handles lead and asbestos testing if the house is old enough to need it.
Settling these before the first wall comes down turns most of the unknowns into line items on a plan, and the remaining unknowns are the ones the house keeps to itself until it is opened.
How does the climate near the Santa Ana River change the choices?
Riverside has hot dry summers, mild winters with occasional freezes and very little rain, and the soil and air dry out quickly. Wood framing in bathroom walls usually survives better here than in humid regions, which is one reason so many older houses can be remodeled instead of rebuilt. The same dryness hides leaks and cracks. A stain on a ceiling below a bathroom or a soft spot near a tub is often the first sign after years of slow seepage. Hard water is the other regional trait. It leaves scale on glass and fixtures, so a remodel that chooses a finish and a glass coating with that in mind stays cleaner for longer.
Heat and fire exposure matter too. Wildfire embers can enter vents, so a screened cover on a bathroom fan vent is a sensible detail in a house that backs up to Box Springs Mountain or the Santa Ana River bottom. Mount Rubidoux, Fairmount Park and the older streets nearby have homes of nearly every age, which means a remodeler in one neighborhood may meet a plaster wall in the morning and a drywall one in the afternoon.
What is worth saving in an older bathroom?
Some original features hold their value. A cast iron tub with sound enamel can be refinished or kept, though it is heavy and needs a strong floor under it. Original hexagonal floor tile in good condition is sometimes lifted and reset, and original wood windows can stay with new weatherstripping and a frosted or obscured film on the glass. A pedestal sink may have to go to make room for storage, but a decorative medicine cabinet recessed in the wall can often be reused or matched. Saving a piece is usually a decision about the room's character first and a practical one second.
An older bathroom rewards a slow look at what is behind the walls, and a plan built from that look holds up. Make the decisions in order and the remodel stays inside the plan.