Removal of prefab bathroom pods

"Complete removal" means different things to different people, so agree the scope in writing before work starts. It usually covers:

• Removing the sanitaryware: bath or shower tray, basin, toilet, taps and mirrors
• Taking down the laminate wall and ceiling panels, including the timber or metal frame
• Breaking out the original pod floor, if a new floor is planned
• Removing the riser boxing in the WC, the panel that hides the vertical pipes, if this is part of the plan
• Loading, carrying out and removing the waste

Disconnecting and capping water, electricity and gas is not always included, and neither is knocking down masonry partitions. If you also want to change the layout, for example by joining the bathroom and the WC into one room, that is further demolition work and is priced and planned separately.

1. Protecting the flat and shared areas. Floors along the route out, doors and the lift used for waste get covered. A plastic dust screen at the pod entrance keeps most of the dust out of the rest of the flat.
2. Disconnecting services. Water is shut off at the flat's valves and the bathroom circuit is switched off at the consumer unit. An electrician then disconnects and insulates the cable ends. If there is a gas water heater in the pod, only a qualified, registered gas engineer may disconnect it.
3. Removing fixtures. Taps, basin, toilet and bath come out one by one. Waste pipes are temporarily plugged so that sewer smells do not come into the flat.
4. Taking down the panels. Panels are unscrewed or carefully prised off the frame, working from the top down: ceiling first, then walls. There is no point smashing them into small pieces. Large sections are easier to carry and create less dust.
5. Removing the frame and floor. The supporting frame comes out, and the original pod floor too if agreed.
6. Cleaning up and checking. The space is swept, the waste is taken away and the condition of the risers, the concrete walls and the floor is checked.

The demolition itself usually takes about a day, a little longer for a more complicated pod or when carrying the waste out is slow.

The effort varies quite a lot from flat to flat. It goes smoothly when the pod has never been altered, the panels are simply screwed on, the building has a lift and a skip can stand close to the entrance.

These situations mean more work:

• Tiles glued straight onto the laminate, which have to come off together with the adhesive
• Earlier alterations with concrete, brickwork or screed inside the pod
• Removing the riser boxing and working carefully around old pipes
• An upper floor with no lift, or a long walk to the van or skip
• Strict house rules, such as noisy work allowed only a few hours a day

When you ask for a quote, send photos of the pod and the corridor, and mention the floor and whether there is a lift. Say clearly whether you want the floor and the riser boxing removed as well.

The water and drainage risers that run through the whole building are not your private pipework. They belong to the shared parts of the building. Any replacement or alteration has to be agreed with building management or the owners' association, and it is often done for the whole vertical stack at once.

In many older blocks the drainage riser is made of asbestos cement. While it is intact and nobody drills into it, the risk is low. Cutting or breaking it, however, releases hazardous dust. Asbestos materials may only be removed by a contractor licensed for this work. If you are not sure what the riser is made of, leave it alone for now and ask building management.

Electrical outlets must be disconnected and made safe by a qualified electrician. A gas water heater may only be disconnected and capped by a qualified, registered gas engineer. If you smell gas during the work, do not touch switches or use any naked flame, open the windows and leave the flat. Then call the local gas emergency number or 112.

Whether your bathroom rebuild needs a notification, a permit or nothing at all depends on local building regulations and on the scope of the work. Replacing the pod without touching load-bearing structures or shared services is usually treated differently from changing the layout of the flat. Check with your local building authority before you start rather than assuming nothing is needed.

Always tell building management or the owners' association in advance. Find out when noisy work is allowed under the house rules and where a skip may stand. A short notice for neighbours on the board in the entrance also helps. Noise and dust cannot be avoided completely, but a little consideration prevents a lot of arguments.

• Demolishing without switching off the circuit, while live cables are still hidden in the panels
• Damaging the riser while ripping out the boxing or the frame
• Leaving waste pipes open, so smells come through or rubble falls in
• Putting rubble in ordinary household bins instead of disposing of it as construction waste
• No protection for the lift and corridor, so the flat owner pays for any damage
• A vague scope, so the crew leaves and the floor or riser boxing is still in place

Before you sign off the work and start building the new bathroom, go through the space with this list:

• All panels, the frame and the agreed floor have been removed
• Electrical outlets are disconnected, insulated and labelled
• Water outlets are shut off or capped and nothing is dripping
• Waste pipes are plugged and there is no smell
• The risers are undamaged, and any cracks have been reported to building management
• The concrete walls and ceiling have no new chips or cracks
• The waste has been taken away and you have proof of proper disposal
• The corridor, lift and flat are clean with no traces of rubble