Historic Home Ensuite
Etobicoke.

About This Project

This one was a challenge we enjoy. The homeowners had a compact bathroom in a pre-war High Park home and wanted a proper curbless shower. The problem is that achieving a true zero-threshold entry on aged timber framing is not as simple as just removing a curb. You need to drop the subfloor, get the drain flush, and make sure the entire assembly is waterproofed properly. We have done enough of these to know exactly what it takes.

We started by relocating a non-load-bearing partition wall to give us the footprint we needed. That single change made the layout work. From there, we used a recessed subfloor system combined with the Wedi waterproofing assembly, installed a flush linear drain, and ramped the large-format porcelain to a seamless finish with no lip, no curb, and no compromises on waterproofing.

The tile choice was deliberate. Large-format marble-look porcelain with minimal grout joints makes a small room feel bigger. Epoxy grout means no staining and no maintenance headaches down the road. The recessed niche was built into the new framing before the tile went in, so it sits flush rather than cut in after the fact. Wall-hung vanity keeps the floor visible, which adds to the sense of space.

The finished result looks like it has always been there. That is what we are aiming for in heritage homes. Not a renovation that fights the character of the house, but one that fits it while meeting a modern standard for waterproofing and finish quality.

The client has a written 10-year waterproofing warranty and 5-year workmanship warranty. Everything is documented. If something moves in the next decade, we come back and we fix it.