Bathroom Remodeling in Stone Mountain, GA

Walls in a lived-in house are rarely perfectly straight. Lumber shrinks, floors settle, and earlier repairs add layers of drywall or tile. Before bathroom remodeling begins in a Stone Mountain home, Precision Remodeling measures where the existing walls and floor meet and whether they are plumb, level and square. Those numbers shape how the tile, vanity, glass and fixtures will fit.

Three measurements that matter

Plumb describes whether a wall stands truly vertical, checked with a long level or a laser. Level describes whether the floor and the rim of the tub are flat from side to side. Square describes whether two walls meet at a true right angle, checked by comparing the diagonals of the room or the shower alcove. Small differences are common and easy to work with; larger ones change the plan.

Why tile and glass expose crooked walls

Large-format tile shows every hump and dip, so uneven walls are flattened before tile, by shimming or planing studs, sistering straight lumber beside crooked ones, or floating a mortar bed. Square matters for the floor pattern. In an out-of-square room, the cut row along one wall tapers, and a careful layout hides that taper under the vanity or along the tub.

Frameless shower glass is built to exact sizes. The glass fabricator measures after tile and makes the panels to suit, and a wall that leans slightly can be handled with clips or a channel. A wall that leans badly is better corrected during framing.

Fitting the vanity and storage to real walls

A vanity set into an out-of-square corner leaves a tapered gap at the wall. Scribing, which means trimming a filler strip or the backsplash to follow the wall’s actual line, closes that gap neatly. Built-in storage, such as a recessed medicine cabinet or a linen cabinet, is checked for plumb in the same way so its doors hang straight and do not drift open.

The floor, the drains and the door

The subfloor is checked for level and stiffness. A shallow dip can be filled with self-leveling compound, while soft or rotted areas are cut out and replaced. Drain and supply locations are measured from the finished wall surfaces, not the old ones, because furring out a wall to straighten it moves the valve deeper and shortens the distance to the toilet drain.

The door swing is rechecked against those final dimensions, and the doorway threshold is planned for the new floor height. Our page on tile installation in Stone Mountain says more about floor preparation and layout.

Shower layout, ventilation and lighting

Once the room’s real shape is known, the shower layout, lighting and fan are placed. Waterproofing goes over flattened walls, which helps the membrane and tile bond evenly. The exhaust path is routed outdoors rather than into the attic, and lights are centered on the final vanity and mirror. Storage and fixture spacing are drawn to the corrected dimensions, so the plan matches the room you will actually have.

Before products are released for delivery, the vanity and top, the plumbing fixtures and the glass layout are checked against those corrected dimensions.

Stone Mountain permits and trade work

Stone Mountain is in DeKalb County. The city’s Building Department asks people to get in touch with City Hall before starting any construction, even work they believe needs no permit, and warns that skipping a required trade permit can bring delays and penalties. A contractor filing the city’s plumbing permit form attaches a state license card, a business license and a driver’s license; an owner who applies attaches a homeowner’s affidavit instead. Permits are posted at the job address, and inspection requests made by 4 p.m. are scheduled for the next day.

Questions about measuring an older room

What does out of square mean for a bathroom floor?

It means two walls do not meet at a true 90-degree angle. On a tile floor, the result is a row of cuts that gets wider or narrower along one wall. Measuring the diagonals before layout shows how far off the room is, and the pattern can then be arranged so the tapered cuts fall where they are least noticeable.

Can crooked bathroom walls be straightened during a remodel?

Usually, once the old surfaces are removed. Studs can be shimmed, planed or sistered with new straight lumber, and walls can be furred out to a flat plane before backer board goes up. Straightening adds labor, so it is noted in the estimate. Minor variations can often be handled with tile layout and trim instead.

Should I check with the city before a small bathroom update in Stone Mountain?

The city’s Building Department asks people to contact City Hall before starting any construction, including work they think needs no permit. A short call first can head off the delays and penalties the city warns about when a required trade permit is skipped. A short description of the planned work makes the conversation easier.

Get the room measured

To start planning a bathroom in Stone Mountain, call 404-409-4448. We can visit, measure the walls and floor, talk through the layout you have in mind and prepare a written estimate based on what we find.