Why moving a toilet is a big decision

Moving a toilet involves more than just rearranging the furniture. It could be worth it in order to make the most of your space or increase privacy, however it will add to the overall time required to complete the project, which, in turn, increases the cost. To help you make a decision (and protect your budget) this is what to look out for!

1. Routing the pipe inside the room, built into a false wall or unit or just disguised with simple boxing in. This can be used to your advantage to give you additional storage and a full shelf, as well as embed fixtures (like a shower control or wall mounted tap) that you otherwise might have struggled to fit on the existing wall. You should plan for 200mm of depth for the soil pipe boxing considering the frame and surface covering like tiles, though the standard soil pipe diameter is 110mm.

• Work out where the soil pipe is - Can you easily work out where the current soil pipe joins the main waste stack (the large pipe, sometimes referred to as the vented soil stack, that carries wastewater and solids away from the house)? You can normally see the waste stack attached to an outside wall, or you might want to look at plans for your building.
• Hidden means complicated which means expensive - Is the connection point obstructed or hidden? The more hidden it is, the more complicated it's going to be to do anything with.
• Sanity check gravity will run in your favour - Can the soil pipe connection run downhill from the new toilet location to connect with the waste stack? Gravity plays a role in taking the wastewater away, and toilets are mostly a standard height!
• Have an idea as to how this would effect your floors and walls - Would moving the toilet require modifications to the floor or walls? Structural changes are time consuming and involve additional materials so will increase cost.