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How to identify a cheap bathroom remodel

August 4, 2021

We’re all about that Base – Toilet Bases that is 

An often-overlooked aspect of a toilet is the base of the toilet also known as the Footprint of the toilet. The footprint is the physical outline of the bottom of the toilet that rests on the floor.  The footprint of your toilet can be important for a multitude of reasons, and we will cover the top reasons here.  A toilet base can even help you with buying a house, secret plumbing tips coming up. 

Buyer beware of poorly done flips

If you are getting ready to buy a home here in the Phoenix area that is newly remodeled also known as flipped, do not let that gorgeous new paint fool you. It has been our experience here in the Phoenix area that many homes that are flipped by investors are done cheaply and wrong and a key red flag is right at your feet.  Look at the base of the toilet.  Seriously.  One of the simplest and quickest ways to give you a red flag of a poorly done remodel or flip is right at the base of the toilet.  What you are looking for is tile or flooring that is only done to the base of the toilet, meaning that the toilet is sitting inside of the tile or flooring and not on top of it.  This is an indication of cutting corners and work not done by a professional.  This can be an indicator to look more closely at other things, like the dishwasher.  Was the new flooring laid on top of the old flooring and now the dishwasher is not removable from the slot it is in?  This is incredibly frustrating when it comes time to replace your dishwasher, they don’t last forever, especially if your home has hard water and if the dishwasher cannot be removed your only options are to remove the flooring or the countertop. 

Always lift the toilet to replace the flooring in the bathroom

Don’t cut corners on replacing the flooring in your bathroom, always lift the toilet to replace the flooring in the bathroom.  No toilet footprint is alike, they are all different and if you tile up to the toilet you will find yourself beating your head against the wall wishing you’d done it right the first time.  We see it a lot where tile is done up to the base of the toilet rather than up to the toilet flange and when it is time to replace the toilet the options are very limited because the base of the toilet now has to be large enough to sit on top of the tile which now has a wide opening to cover. Wide-based toilets can be quite a bit more than a standard base toilet and there aren’t that many on the market.  Rather than limit your options in the future, if you are having the flooring replaced in your bathroom, trust me on this one, lift the toilet.  

Why does a toilet base matter? 

A toilet base is more than looks, we have a great blog on tips for buying a toilet but let’s go over the importance and benefits of a toilet base.  A toilet base is what ultimately offers support of a toilet, and it has been our experience that a toilet with a wide base is a great benefit for those that require more stability from a toilet.  This is true of those with medical conditions that make it a challenge to get into a sitting position or a standing position without certainty of stability.  Constant pressure on a toilet of a wobbling occupant can cause damage to the toilet flange over time and create a rocking toilet than can often lead to the necessity to make repairs to the toilet flange and sometimes even cause the concrete floor to have to be removed to make repairs further down the line.  If you find yourself in need of more than just grab bars for your toilet, a wide-based toilet could be a long-term solution for your home.

Services in Phoenix & Beyond

When you’ve found yourself in need of plumbing services in the Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, or Chandler area, you can trust Robins Plumbing to provide you with prompt and expert care, contact our team today! In addition to our toilet services, we also offer a variety of residential and commercial plumbing services, including: drain cleaning, water heater repair and replacement, sewer camera inspection and locating, backflow prevention, commercial and residential jetting, water treatments, trenchless sewer repair and more. Visit our reviews online to see what others have to say about our local plumbing company!

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