Bathroom Renovations
Bathroom renovations in Guelph, Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo, with the vanity built in our own shop and the tile, plumbing fixtures and finishing handled by the same crew. Walk in showers, freestanding tubs, large format tile and barrier free layouts.
A bathroom renovation from a shop that builds the vanity too.
Busato Custom Woodworking is a cabinet shop and a renovation company under one roof. In a bathroom that means the vanity, the linen cabinet and any built in storage are made in our shop on Johnston Street in Guelph and sized to the room, while our renovation crew takes the space back to the studs, rebuilds it and tiles it. You deal with one company and one schedule, not a cabinet supplier, a tiler and a contractor who each blame the others.
Most of our bathroom work is a full renovation rather than a quick refresh: a tub taken out for a walk in shower, a primary ensuite rebuilt around a freestanding tub, or a bathroom made barrier free so someone can keep living safely at home. Bathrooms are often part of a bigger project too, alongside a custom kitchen or a finished basement.
- Custom vanities and bathroom cabinetry built in our Guelph shop
- Large format tile, walk in showers and freestanding tubs
- Barrier free layouts, grab bars and wheelchair access when needed
- 3D design perspectives before any demolition starts
Everything that goes into a finished bathroom.
A full bathroom renovation is five or six trades in one small room. These are the parts we build and install ourselves.
Walk in and curbless showers
Tiled shower floors with a linear drain, built in benches and niches, and glass that runs floor to ceiling. A curbless entry has no step to trip on and makes a small bathroom read larger.
Freestanding tubs
A freestanding tub set in front of a window or against a feature wall, with a floor mounted filler. We plan the floor structure and the plumbing for it before the room is closed in.
Large format tile
Big porcelain and marble look tiles on floors and walls mean fewer grout lines to clean and a calmer room. They need a flat, properly prepared substrate, which is most of the work.
Custom vanities
Floating or floor standing, single or double, painted or wood, built in our own shop to the width of your wall. Drawers are laid out around the plumbing instead of losing half the space to it.
Barrier free bathrooms
Curbless showers, grab bars, benches, wider clear floor space and vanities a wheelchair can roll under. Planned so the room still looks like a good bathroom, not a clinic.
Storage and finishing
Linen cabinets, recessed niches, mirrors and lighting, plus the trim and doors that finish the room. Built in storage is where a cabinet shop earns its place in a bathroom.
Our bathroom renovation process.
In a bathroom, the decisions that matter are hidden in the walls and under the floor. They are made first, so nothing gets decided in a hurry once the old room is gone.
Consultation
We visit, measure the bathroom and talk through who uses it, what is not working, and whether anyone needs it to be barrier free now or later.
3D Design
You see the layout, the tile, the vanity and the shower as a 3D perspective, and sign off on them before anything is ordered.
Shop Build
The vanity and any bathroom cabinetry are built and finished in our shop on Johnston Street in Guelph while the room is prepared.
Build and Finish
Our crew handles demolition, framing, fixtures, tile and trim, installs the vanity and hands back a finished bathroom.
The decisions that shape a bathroom.
These are the choices homeowners weigh most often at the design stage, and what each one gives and takes.
Tub or walk in shower
Taking out a tub for a large walk in shower is one of the most asked for changes, and it makes daily use easier for most adults. If it is the only tub in the house, think about young children and resale before it goes.
Curb or curbless
A curbless shower is safer and looks cleaner, but the floor has to be recessed or built up so water runs to the drain. A low curb is simpler to build and still easy to step over.
Large tile or small tile
Large tiles mean fewer grout lines and a calmer look. Small tiles and mosaics follow the slope of a shower floor better and give more grip underfoot.
Floating or floor vanity
A floating vanity shows more floor, so the room feels bigger and is easier to clean under. A floor standing vanity gives more storage and suits a traditional room.
Marble or porcelain
Real marble has depth nothing else copies, but it etches and needs sealing. Marble look porcelain gives most of the look with none of the upkeep, which is why it is so often chosen.
Full glass or half wall
Frameless glass keeps sightlines open and shows off the tile. A half wall with glass above hides some of the shower and gives you somewhere to place a niche.
Barrier free bathrooms that still look like home.
A barrier free bathroom lets someone keep using their own home safely after an injury, through a change in mobility, or simply as they get older. We build them with curbless showers, built in benches, grab bars fixed into proper blocking in the wall, and vanities with room underneath for a wheelchair.
The photo here is from a barrier free bathroom we built in Guelph's Arboretum area: a level entry shower with a bench and a grab bar where it is actually needed. The same planning goes into every accessible layout we build, whether the room needs it today or you want it ready for later.
What a bathroom renovation costs, and what moves the price.
A bathroom is small, but it packs plumbing, waterproofing, tile, glass, cabinetry and lighting into a few square metres, so the scope decides the price far more than the size does. We price every bathroom from one fixed scope, agreed after the consultation and the 3D design, so the number stops moving once you have signed off.
- Moving the plumbingKeeping the toilet, tub or shower and sink where they are costs much less than relocating drains and supply lines.
- The showerA tiled walk in or curbless shower with glass is usually the single biggest line in a bathroom.
- Tile choice and areaTiling floor to ceiling, large format slabs and natural stone all add material and labour.
- Vanity and storageA single stock width vanity against a custom double vanity with a linen tower.
- Accessibility workRecessing the floor for a curbless entry, blocking for grab bars and widening the clear space.
Bathrooms we have built.
Every photo here is a real Busato bathroom, from barrier free showers to primary ensuites.
Bathroom renovations in Guelph, Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo.
One shop in Guelph and one crew, so the vanity, the tile and the finish are the same standard wherever the bathroom is.
Guelph
Guelph is home, with our shop on Johnston Street. We renovate bathrooms across the city, from barrier free showers in the Arboretum area to ensuites in newer subdivisions, and being close by makes the site visits during tiling and fixture installs quick to arrange.
Kitchener
Kitchener is about half an hour from the shop along Highway 7. Many Kitchener houses still have a single original bathroom with a tub and small tiles, and turning that tub into a walk in shower, or adding an ensuite during a larger renovation, is a common place for these projects to start.
Cambridge
In the older parts of Galt, Preston and Hespeler, bathrooms are often tucked into tight footprints with awkward walls. A vanity built to the exact width of the room, with storage laid out around the plumbing, makes more of that space than any stock size can.
Waterloo
Waterloo is just past Kitchener and inside the forty minute radius most of our work falls in. Ensuites in Waterloo's newer homes are often generous in size but finished with builder grade vanities and a standard tub and shower. Replacing those with a tiled walk in shower and a vanity made in our Guelph shop turns an ordinary ensuite into the room you want to start the day in.
Also serving
Bathroom renovation questions.
The questions homeowners ask most before they start a bathroom, answered plainly.
What is the average cost of renovating a bathroom in Ontario?
Averages vary so much across Ontario that they are not much help for your own room. A small refresh and a full renovation with a tiled walk in shower, a custom vanity and new plumbing are different projects entirely. The cost follows the scope: whether plumbing moves, how much of the room is tiled, the shower and the vanity. We give you a fixed price for your bathroom after the consultation and 3D design.
Can you redo a bathroom for $10,000?
A budget around $10,000 can cover a refresh: paint, a new toilet and faucets, or a replacement vanity on the existing plumbing. A full renovation with a tiled shower, new waterproofing and a custom vanity costs more than that. At the consultation we tell you honestly which of the two your budget covers.
What is the average cost of renovating a bathroom?
There is no single number that fits every bathroom. The biggest drivers are the shower, the amount of tile, the vanity and storage, whether any plumbing moves, and any accessibility work. Two bathrooms the same size can be priced very differently depending on those choices, which is why we price from a fixed scope rather than a rate per square foot.
What is a realistic budget for a bathroom renovation?
A realistic budget is one set after you know what you want the room to do. Decide first between a refresh and a full renovation, then whether you want a walk in shower, a freestanding tub or a barrier free layout. Tell us your number at the consultation and we will show you what it builds, and where it would be better spent.
Tell us about the bathroom you want.
Call 519-242-5013 or send us the details. We serve Guelph, Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo and the townships around them.