Bathroom c*ck up - help me work out what to say to renovation people tomorrow

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Victorian refurb. Little shower room upstairs where there already was one. The builders have put a concertina pipe on my toilet that I hate. I think it looks sloppy, will collect dust and break.

They say it is because the waste pipe is not the same size as the new toilet, and is not a modern size and isn't the right height etc. I feel annoyed they didn't tell me this or give me the option. It is only by chance the furniture is in the same order as it was in the previous bathoom, after all, I could have had it completely reconfigured. Their first design was for that, at the same price, so by that they should have moved the pipe properly.

What can I say to them? I can't live with this, it's ghastly. Does anyone know anything about it? I feel so lost and depressed with my refurb anyway and this feels awful to me.

Honestly I'd box in. If you buy a new one then make sure you consult the plumber whilst making the purchase so it's definitely going to work.

Re the dust, sure you’ll be able to give the box a wipe when you clean toilet? I don’t get the issue at all.

Just get a smooth pipe to cover it as a pp suggested. You were ok with the look till they introduced the concertina version. Bathroom renovation is always much more trying than you expect.

That was my thinking. Glad I wasn't the only one!

Speak to them honestly, and work on finding a solution that you don’t mind the look of together, as in, ‘I know this might be a real pain, but this wasn’t the connection I was expecting you to use and I don’t like how it looks. What can be done to change or hide it without adding lots of cost?’

If they are good builders, they will want you to be happy with the job they have done and happy in your house. It’s good to research, so you know what your options are, but also not to assume what the best work-around is, as this way you can inadvertently add cost. That being said, the covering sleeve does sound like a quick and easy option.

as others have said, when you are in the midst of a renovation, things like this can seem the worst thing in the world, and disproportionately bother you. Sending sympathy - we have just come out the other side, so I appreciate how all-consuming and difficult it is. You will get there, and it will be a distant memory not too long from now

My son had one of these & a rat kept chewing through it to get into the house. 😬

I'm coming to the end of a bathroom renovation and I feel your pain! I absolutely didn't want any pipes showing, had the same issue with heights and pipe sizes so I've got a back to wall unit. The height issue was dealt with by putting the loo on a fibreglass pedestal.

it's a long, thin bathroom a the top of the stairs and this is the first thing you see. I don't think I can go up the stairs each day and see this

Then shut the door. Or get a pot plant.

It genuinely doesn't matter OP. Renovations are huge projects and if you go to pieces over every tiny detail you'll put yourself in hospital.

I think I would buy a decorative basket or a nice big plant in a lovely pot and place that there so you’re not faced with the pipe when you walk up the stairs.

A word of caution about back to wall toilets. If you ever have an issue there’s no isolator switch to turn off the water. You have to do it at the main stopcock under the kitchen sink which is a right pain.

Tile around it in tiles to match the floor or wall?

We can isolate the water on our back to the wall toilet. Admittedly it does involve unbolting the toilet first.

I know some people clearly think it is silly but I was exactly the same as you OP. Thought I could live with it but it bothered me every time I was in the room . I think it was worse because it was an unplanned renovation (leak) and everything else was exactly how I wanted it. Weirdly it never bothered me when I had a similar style in the old bathroom. Rest of family thought I had lost the plot.

I switched it out for a close coupled one 😁

Oh OP, I feel for you. It’s disappointing when much looked forward to renovations don’t turn out as expected. It’s not cheap either.

There have been some good suggestions here for you to think about.

The suggestions have given me food for thought when I’m looking to replace my bathroom etc. I have fitted boxed in units because the pre-existing pipework was terrible and was nearly impossible to resolve without having a concertina type connection - but it’s hidden behind the cupboard unit.

I do like that dark green set up that was posted…

Anyway, just to forewarn you, in time to come the next delight is to try to get a replacement toilet seat!

You have to consider if bottom or top fittings were used, in order to remove and replace the toilet seat - although it is possible but fiddly to replace the fittings. However, there’s no such thing as a standard toilet seat! Round, D-shaped, square - it can be difficult to get a like for like good fit. What looks like a similar style of seat can differ between different manufacturers, even after following the measuring instructions. Trust me, I know - been there, done that and once removed from the wrapper, the seat is ineligible for an exchange.

The joys of what, on the face of it, looks to be a simple job…

I second the rat message. I had this in a downstairs loo with a flexi-pipe.

I totally get this, a relative had a soil pipe coming up from the floor and no-one bothered chipping/sanding the rough concrete around it and the floor tiler barely took the tiles up to it, so the solution was to paint the lumpen mess of concrete white. I could have cried for them as they'd waited three years to get it done.

Not sure how you use your home, but by moving it downstairs it would get far more 'viewings' by our family than if left upstairs!

Gosh, I consider myself very fussy about the look of my home... and I love visible pipes because it means that leaks are far less likely to get out of control before they've done any damage.

First thing to help you feel calmer - the plumbers haven’t done anything wrong so are on your side. This is very normal plumbing and many people wouldnt mind or notice.

you can cover it with a basket or loo brush while you decide what to do

I agree it looks awful. I don't have any boxing in anywhere in my house because it looks ghastly IMO so I would want to discuss the alternative options. Don't settle for anything you're less than 100% happy with.

If the pipe doesn’t aline the option are
1)the flexible pipe
2)back to the wall toilet
3)alter the soil pipe

the last 2 are expensive option OP already struggling budget wise

I'd probably go with 2 and save up if necessary.

I’d box that in OP!

We’ve got a small downstairs loo with the pipe boxed in and I’ve got a little vase and a diffuser on it. It actually looks nice and is an extra little ledge for storage or decor (sometimes quite classily pop a spare loo roll on it if we have guests coming!)

I could live with this in a bathroom where the toilet is facing the door so you don't immediately see the side and I have that in one bathroom but in the other one the toilet is side on when you come in the door. For that bathroom I have put in a new fully shrouded type one where the base goes back to the wall under the cistern bit. Even easier to do that with yours I imagine as the pipes in mine come up through the floor so harder to get one that fits in exact position. I had to have flexible pipe like that to connect mine but it's hidden by the base of the toilet. I'd definitely get the closed in toilet type.

I think it looks horrid and I'd be upset if that was in my new bathroom. I'd be getting the company to fix it. If they need flexible to convert the size then they could do that in the wall.

Tbh I think to toilet isn't great, it's always going to have visable pipework but visable flexy is the worst option.