What a Condo Board Should Check Before Approving a Bathroom Gut

The approval paperwork: alteration agreement, COI, permits

Before a bathroom gut starts, most boards want three things on file. They want written approval with a signed alteration agreement, a certificate of insurance, and permits as required.

An alteration agreement is the building's written terms for the job: what the owner plans to change, who will do it, and the building rules for the job. Many buildings require it signed, along with written board approval, before demo day.

Once management approves the work, we provide a COI naming the association or management as the building requires. We pull permits as required.

Every building's list is a little different, so ask management for the renovation rules early. For the full list, see our condo and co-op remodel guide.

Protecting the risers and shared plumbing

A bathroom gut opens walls next to the building's water risers. The board should see a shut-off plan before any water is turned off. That means notice to neighbors, set with the building.

We coordinate every shut-off with the building or management and give notice ahead of time, following the building's rules for timing. Before demo, we confirm the building's rules for the shared stacks, and we plan the new layout within those limits. That way the board knows when water goes off, for how long, and who was told.

Keeping neighbors comfortable

Neighbors stay comfortable when we keep to the building's allowed hours, plan around the elevator schedule, protect and clean the hallway, and keep dust inside the unit.

Here's how we run it:

• We work within the building's allowed hours.
• We plan around the elevator schedule for deliveries and debris removal.
• We protect the hallway path from the elevator to the unit door.
• We control dust at the unit door, so it stays in the work area.
• We clean the hallway every day before we leave.

The goal is simple. The people down the hall should barely notice we were there.

Waterproofing the board can verify

A board can verify shower waterproofing through three things: a named system, a flood test before tile, and photos of the waterproofing taken before it's covered up.

We waterproof the shower with Schluter Kerdi, and every tiled Kerdi shower gets a flood test before tile. Photos of the waterproofing are taken before tile and are available to the owner or manager on request. A tiled shower takes about 5 to 8 days, depending on size, complexity, and building rules or access. For more detail, see what the board wants to see before tile.

When it's the household's only bathroom

When the bathroom being gutted is the only one in the unit, the board and the owner should know the household can still live there comfortably during the job.

When it's the only bathroom, there's a working toilet at the end of every workday. That lets the household stay in the unit, and it keeps the job from becoming a problem for the building or the neighbors.

How the board stays in the loop once work starts

Once work starts, the board stays in the loop through one main contact, regular progress updates, signed written change orders, and a recorded timelapse of the job.

Ed McCluskey is the main contact for the owner, the manager, and the building. We give regular progress updates by text, phone, or email. Every change gets a signed, written change order before anything changes. Every bath job is recorded on GoPro timelapse, and the footage goes to the customer, who can share it with the board. More on how a board keeps tabs on a unit renovation.

Board pre-approval checklist

Use these nine items to check a bathroom gut with the contractor and the owner. The COI comes once management approves the work.

• Signed alteration agreement and written board approval
• Certificate of insurance naming the association or management as the building requires, once management approves the work
• Permits as required
• Riser shut-off notice plan, coordinated with the building
• Work hours and a plan around the elevator schedule
• Daily hallway cleanup and dust control at the unit door
• Waterproofing system, a flood test before tile, and photos on request
• Signed, written change orders before any change
• A single main contact and a clear update method

Where we've worked

We've remodeled bathrooms at Residences at Dockside, and we work in occupied condo, apartment, and co-op units near Philadelphia.

Our work covers Greater Northeast Philadelphia, Lower Bucks, and nearby Montgomery County, plus selected city buildings.

What a bathroom gut runs

A primary bath gut runs $25,000–$55,000, and a hall bath gut runs $15,000–$30,000, with materials included.

Ranges finalize after an on-site estimate, and the final price is confirmed in writing before work starts. See our packages.