Before choosing tiles, you need to know what you are building on. The condition of the existing installations governs everything that follows: the age and state of the plumbing, the position of the water supplies and waste pipes, whether the electrics comply with the rules for wet rooms, and whether effective ventilation is present. In the older houses of the Narbonne area, these points often hold surprises that are better discovered during the survey than during the works.
Then comes the design: accurate measurements of the room, then a layout placing shower or bath, basin, WC and storage around the existing waste connections, or around the pipework alterations to be planned. This is also the moment to think about accessibility: a level-access shower or grab rails are far easier to allow for at the design stage than afterwards.
A bathroom calls for materials that cope with water and with changes in temperature. Floor and wall tiles remain the safe choice for floors and for the walls in exposed areas; natural stone needs suitable treatment; timber can find a place provided the species and finishes are intended for wet rooms.
The choice of materials goes hand in hand with managing moisture: correctly sized ventilation protects the finishes, the joints and the joinery. Neglect that point and mould and deterioration will appear a few years after an otherwise careful renovation.
A bathroom renovation brings several trades through a small space one after another: demolition and strip-out, plumbing and electrical alterations, preparation of the substrates, waterproofing, finishes, fitting the sanitaryware and then the final details. Keeping to that order avoids damaging what has just been done.
Plumbing and electrics must be entrusted to qualified professionals: the French standards applying to wet rooms strictly govern the distances between water points and electrical equipment. Before committing, compare several detailed quotes and check each contractor's insurance; a company that coordinates the whole job saves you from arbitrating between trades yourself.
If your project goes beyond the bathroom itself, such as forming a window or altering a load-bearing partition, find out in advance about any planning consents that may be needed.
Waterproofing is the most sensitive technical point of the job. In shower areas, the substrates receive a tanking system under the tiles, with reinforcing tapes at corners and junctions; the falls to the drain in a walk-in shower are set to the millimetre. This work is invisible once the tiles are laid, but it is what protects the room and the rooms next to it for years to come.
The finishes complete the job: even grout lines, clean silicone around the edges, sanitaryware fixed securely, suitable lighting. These are what you see every day, and they deserve the same care as the rest of the work.
Every bathroom has its own constraints: size, existing services, condition of the substrates, budget. MCI Construction will assess your project on site, in Narbonne and the Grand Narbonne, the Corbières, the Minervois and along the Aude coast, as far as Béziers, and draw up a free quote. The works carried out are covered by the French statutory warranties, including the garantie de parfait achèvement.