ᐅ Replace a standard washbasin with a vanity unit yourself?

Hello,

We had our bathroom sampling last week for our house. The vanity unit we like costs €5,000 and is therefore well above our set budget. Unfortunately, all the vanities available there are in this price range.

We are now considering installing a standard sink first and then looking for a nicer vanity ourselves to replace it later. Is there anything we need to consider in this process? Is this generally possible without issues? The replacement vanity will be larger. The sink is planned to be installed on a front wall installation.

Consider the load-bearing capacities; otherwise, it is generally feasible without problems. The connection points just need to roughly align.

With some craftsmanship skills, this DIY task is quite easy.

When installing the temporary washbasin, make sure the position is at least approximately correct (drain and corner valves).

Do you have to accept the vanity from the selection process? So far, with both home builders, we were able to remove the sanitary fixtures from the offer and received a credit for them. We then used that money to choose something ourselves. For the first house, we had to install it ourselves or find a contractor, because the builder’s plumber did not want to do it for warranty reasons.

For the second house, we are doing the same with the credit, but this time the builder said we could unpack and inspect the sanitary fixtures together, and then he will install them. This is rather unusual, so I would consider it goodwill on their part. But in general, I would ask if you can have the vanities removed for a credit before you pay for them and then pay again later.

kati1337 schrieb:

Do you have to accept the washbasin from the standard selection? So far, with both home builders, we were able to remove the sanitary fixtures from the offer and received a credit for them. We then chose something ourselves with that money. For the first house, we had to install it ourselves or hire a tradesperson, as the builder’s plumber did not want to do it for warranty reasons.
For the second house, we’re doing the same with the credit, but this time the builder said we could unpack and inspect the fixtures together, and then he would install them for us. That’s rather unusual, so I’d consider that a gesture of goodwill. But in general, I would ask about removing the washbasins for a credit before paying for them and then paying again later.

Unfortunately, that’s not possible; we already asked. It has to be an all-or-nothing decision for the entire bathroom. Either we have everything installed by them, or nothing at all. This is due to warranty claims. Otherwise, that would have been the perfect solution.

That’s obviously unfortunate. However, the argument about the warranty is something you hear quite often. I don’t really understand why there would be an issue with providing a warranty for the toilet system just because the washbasin is removed from the contract—but of course, that doesn’t help you if they refuse.

In that case, I would probably go with a standard washbasin that doesn’t incur any additional cost. And if possible, make sure during installation that the shut-off valves / drains are positioned to fit the washbasin you plan to install later. Also, ensure the number is correct—whether you want one or two basins—and that they are properly centered behind the pre-wall installation for the future washbasin width.

It might cost a bit of unnecessary money, but I think just swapping out the washbasin later is not a big deal and shouldn’t cost a fortune. This time, we are ordering the sanitary ceramics from a large online supplier at a low price, and the furniture as well. For our first house, we used Godmorgon from the blue Swedish store, and we were very satisfied with that too.