Cambridge · Bathroom Renovations
Bathroom Renovations in Cambridge
Pre-1950s houses in Galt, Preston and Hespeler still hide cast-iron stacks, galvanized supply lines and lead toilet bends. Waterloo Region water is very hard, and the scale narrows old galvanized pipe from the inside. A Cambridge bathroom renovation in these houses replaces the supply back to a sound connection while the walls are open.
Bathrooms in Cambridge
What’s different in Cambridge
| Permit office | City of Cambridge Building Services Division (official site, opens in a new tab) |
|---|---|
| Permit trigger | Added or moved fixtures, or changed drains and vents. Like-for-like swaps don’t need one. |
| Plumbing inspection | Rough-in inspection before walls and floors close. Applications through permits.cambridge.ca. |
| Backwater valve | Recommended on low-lying Galt and Preston lots, with a removable cover in the finished floor. |
| Old plumbing | Cast-iron stacks, galvanized supply and lead bends in pre-1950s Galt, Preston and Hespeler houses. |
| Typical stock | Stone-house baths in former East Galt bedrooms. Builder acrylic showers in Fiddlesticks and River Mill. |
Worth knowing first
Second-floor bathrooms in old stone houses need floor work first
Second-floor bathrooms in East Galt stone houses were often added into a former bedroom. The joists under them may have been notched for the original pipes. We sister or repair that framing before tile goes down, because a floor that flexes will crack grout no matter how good the membrane is. Venting is the other stone-house problem in East Galt. Thick masonry walls make a wall vent awkward, so the fan ducts up through the attic in insulated duct to a roof cap. In Hespeler Village brick homes, the galvanized lines come out at the same time.
The scope, pricing tiers and 5-step process are the same everywhere we work. See Bathroom Renovations ›
Frequently asked questions
Bathrooms in Cambridge: three local questions
Yes, while the walls are open. Galvanized supply lines in pre-1950s Galt, Preston and Hespeler houses corrode from the inside, and Waterloo Region’s hard water narrows them further. That is why old showers in Galt and Preston lose pressure. Replacing the supply with PEX or copper back to a sound connection adds about $1,500–$4,000 before HST. The same goes for a lead toilet bend or cracked cast iron.
Yes, unless a rough-in was left under it. Otherwise the toilet and shower drains in a Preston bungalow are trenched to the main drain, which means cutting and re-pouring concrete. Fixtures below sewer depth need an ejector pit. An upflush toilet avoids most trenching but suits a powder room better than a full bathroom. Either way it needs a Cambridge Building Services permit and a rough-in inspection.
Where new fixtures sit below the street sewer, the Building Code generally calls for backflow protection, which describes most new basement bathrooms. We recommend a valve on low-lying Galt and Preston lots regardless. Installed while the floor is open, it adds about $1,500–$3,000 before HST, and it stays accessible under a removable cover.
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