Bathroom leak in rental townhome-replace tiles or add single unit enclosure

[RArora]

Hi!

So we have a problem at our rental town home.
Its a Minto home about 15 yrs old and there is a leak in the kitchen entrance way top and a straight line due to the leak showing up in the adjoining dining room ceiling. I called a plumber and he said they would have to cut out a portion around the ceiling/expose it to find the source of the leak and then proceed to fix it. the cost - $70/hr

today I called a guy from Handyman connection (who figured out the source of a leak in our principal residence ceiling to be a small gap in the siding outside and not the bathroom shower cubicle as everyone else said. He fixed it and there has been no leak there since then. Cost $500)-so the same guy came to see the leak in the rental and said `my money is on the tiles with gaps due to the the weak and loose grout) he suggested the fix is to remove all the old tiles that Minto put and get new tiles 1 sq ft each or 8X8 i think he said-for 99c each or so) and then to redo the drywall behind and replace it with the new tiling and grouting. cost-Labour $1400 and material about $250 to $300.

Im in a quandry about who to believe and what to do - since I dont want the damage to increase I want the problem fixed and the tenants to be inconvenienced the least I wonder if someone else faced something similar and if yes what did you do?

Also is it better to re-tile it or to replace the tub and tiles with those single unit structures that you see nowadays. How are they for rentals?

You can email me the response/suggestions as well at [email protected]

Thanks for your help in advance!
Rasna

 

[housingrental]

Hi Rasna

The wording of your post confused me. I think your asking about just replacing the tiles and wall surrounding a shower in a bathroom?
Your labour costs seems slightly higher than it has to be. Most people prefer tiles for the look of it but nothing wrong with putting in a surround. The other finishing materials in your townhouse should help determine your choice. (IE if higher end go with tiles.). However most people view the surrounds when properly done as more desirable from a low maintenance stand point than tiles.

 

[housedoc]

If the leak isn`t constant, then the handyman is likely correct about the loose grout.
Unless there`s water damage that needs to be repaired, broken tiles or mold issues, just scrape out the joints, re-grout and seal. Use silicone caulking between the bottom tiles and the tub.
Much cheaper than redoing the whole thing.
And $1400 labour is not out of line for that.

 

[fisher1]

QUOTE (housedoc @ Dec 5 2009, 07:46 PM) If the leak isn`t constant, then the handyman is likely correct about the loose grout.
Unless there`s water damage that needs to be repaired, broken tiles or mold issues, just scrape out the joints, re-grout and seal. Use silicone caulking between the bottom tiles and the tub.
Much cheaper than redoing the whole thing.
And $1400 labour is not out of line for that.


Rip out the tile and put in a 5 piece tub surround. You can get a tub surround from home depot for $150. By the time you pulled the grout, caulking out you could of ripped the tile out and been actually fixing the problem. Then you can also see what kind of shape the drywall is in. If you want to pretend there wasn`t a problem re-grout and re-caulk and then you`ll know what you are doing when you redo it next year.

 

[Pheenix]

Hi Rasna

A little more info might be helpful in getting a good answer here. It seems that both contractors are shooting in the dark somewhat. So a few more questions would be worth while. The first trick in deciding the solution is to know the problem, at least this is the direction the plumber is suggesting.

How often is the shower (presumably) used, in terms of uses per day etc., and how much damage is being (been done) under it. A lightly used unit with major problems with grout that has only started leaking would be approached differently then a heavily used one with a long history of problems. Similarly, a small discolouration on the ceiling is different than crumbling drywall.

A few small holes and a `snake camera` (see Rigid `see snake`) will let you know if there is major risk of hidden problems, for instance. If it is a lightly used shower, and only staining underneath go with the re-grout, and put aside some funds for later.

If it is a heavily used unit do more investigation. Either re-tiling or replacing with an integral unit would be waste of time and money if the problem is a faulty pipe joint.

It depends somewhat on how handy you are or the faith in the contractor(s). I would not be forking over a couple grand until I had confidence in the judgement, and trust for, the person with their hand out.

Hope that helps