Bathroom Renovation in Carouge

Are you looking for a bathroom renovation in Carouge, or a tradesperson to redo your bathroom? Between the low houses of Old Carouge and the more recent buildings, projects there differ from one district to the next. This page sets out what to know before asking for quotes.

Bathroom in Carouge: the most common works

A bathroom is rarely renovated by a single trade. Requests generally break down as follows:

• replacing the basin, WC, taps and vanity unit;
• converting a bathtub into a walk-in shower, or fitting a level-access shower;
• redoing the waterproofing under the tiles and in the corners;
• new floor and wall tiles;
• improving ventilation, often forgotten in older bathrooms;
• reworking the electrics in the wet area: sockets, lights, heating appliances.

Three trades overlap: the plumber, the tiler and the electrician. In Carouge as elsewhere, the difficulty lies less in each task than in their order, because the waterproofing must be laid before the tiles and the electrical installations must be compliant before the walls are closed.

Old Carouge: low houses, courtyards and a grid of streets

Old Carouge dates from the 18th century, from the time of the Kings of Sardinia. Its low houses, inner courtyards and grid of streets give it its character, but they weigh on a bathroom project.

In a building of that period, a bathroom was often added after the fact, in a corner, under a sloping roof or in the place of a former room. Walls are not always plumb, floors can show differences in level, and pipes sometimes run through old structures. Before promising a walk-in shower, the tradesperson must therefore check the possible drainage slope and the condition of the substrate.

Access matters too. A narrow street or an inner courtyard complicates the delivery of large tiles, a shower tray or a bathtub. Mention it in your request: it changes how the site is organised, and so the quote.

Finally, the old town and some districts are protected. If your project affects the façade, a bathroom window, an external ventilation duct or the structure, the question of a permit arises. It is settled with the commune and the competent cantonal department, never by assumption.

Pinchat, la Fontenette and the more recent buildings

Around Pinchat and la Fontenette, the buildings are more recent. There are more rental buildings there, often run by property managers, where the original bathroom is sometimes ageing without being old in the heritage sense.

The issues change. Service ducts are generally more regular, but the water risers are shared by several flats. Replacing a valve, moving a WC or working on the drainage may mean cutting the water for a whole floor or the entire stairwell. Neighbours are directly affected, and the property manager must be informed.

In these buildings, the most frequent change is replacing the bathtub with a shower. It meets a practical need: staying at home for longer. Level-access tray, seat, grab rail, non-slip floor, wider door: adapting for age is best planned from the start, because it is simpler to build into a renovation than to add later.

Water, damp and ventilation in a lakeside city

Geneva is a very urban canton beside the lake, with mild winters on the plain and hot summers in town. In a bathroom, this means damp that clears poorly when windows stay shut in winter, and heat that builds up in summer in poorly aired rooms.

A bathroom without a window, common in apartment buildings, depends entirely on its mechanical ventilation. If the fan is old or its duct clogged, the joints blacken and the paint blisters. A serious quote deals with ventilation, not just the decor.

Waterproofing deserves the same attention. Tiles laid without proper waterproofing can let water through to the slab, then to the neighbour below. In an apartment building, a hidden defect quickly becomes a claim affecting several households.

Permit, property manager and co-ownership: the procedures

The procedures depend on your situation.

House owner. Replacing fittings or redoing tiles does not normally require the same formalities as an extension. If you alter the façade, cut into a load-bearing wall or create a new opening, find out first. Building permits are issued by the canton, through the cantonal building permits office. Check with the commune of Carouge and that office whether your project falls within the scope of an application.

Co-owner. The co-ownership regulations and the owners’ meeting can govern work on risers, façades and shared areas. Inform the administrator before starting the work.

Tenant. You need the consent of the landlord or the property manager. Send a clear description of the project, with the plans and the quote, and keep their reply in writing. Some adaptations for staying at home can be discussed with them; ask the property manager about the conditions.

Energy. If your renovation also affects hot-water production or the building envelope, the canton applies its energy law (LEn), and the cantonal energy office (OCEN) manages the Buildings Programme subsidies in Geneva. Conditions change: check them before signing, as some grants must be applied for before the work begins.

Preparing your request and comparing quotes

The more precise the request, the more comparable the quotes. Describe:

1. the type of home (house in Old Carouge, flat in a rental building, co-ownership) and the floor;
2. the current bathroom: approximate dimensions, presence of a window, bathtub or shower, condition of the floor;
3. what you want to change: fittings, walk-in shower, tiles, ventilation, electrics;
4. access constraints: stairs, lift, courtyard, narrow street;
5. your accessibility needs, if you are preparing to stay at home;
6. your status (owner, tenant, co-owner) and any consent already obtained.

A useful quote itemises each item: removal and disposal of the existing fittings, preparation of the substrate, waterproofing, supply and fitting of the sanitaryware, tiles, electrics, ventilation, making good. It states what the firm supplies and what you must choose yourself, as well as the excluded work.

The cost varies with the surface area, the range of the fittings and tiles, the condition of the pipework, the need to move drains, access difficulties and the number of trades. No price makes sense without a visit: compare the clarity of the quotes instead. To receive proposals, you can request a quote by describing your project; the request is passed on to tradespeople and firms in the region, who contact you for a free, no-obligation quote.

Useful pages for your project in Carouge

• Bathroom renovation: the general presentation of the trade.
• Works in Carouge: the commune page.
• Canton of Geneva: the cantonal framework.
• Other works in the commune: carpenter in Carouge, solar panels in Carouge and heating engineer in Carouge.