Water management depends on the complete assembly, not one visible product. Ask for a location-specific record of substrate, transitions, penetrations and installation stages before tile conceals the work.
KEEP
Map the wet zones and adjoining surfaces
Draw the shower, tub surround and other areas expected to receive regular water exposure. Mark the floor, walls, curb or entry, niches, benches, drains, plumbing penetrations and transitions to painted or finished areas. Include adjoining rooms and building interfaces where a leak could appear. This map is a scope tool, not a remote design. It lets proposals identify which surfaces receive which preparation and prevents vague whole-bathroom waterproofing language from hiding unaddressed edges.
Define wet-zone boundaries
Mark drains and penetrations
Show transitions to adjoining finishes
REMOVE
Record substrate condition and preparation
Identify the proposed wall and floor substrates by location, along with flattening, repair, fastening and surface-preparation steps. Existing damage, movement or moisture requires property-specific assessment before it is covered. Ask how substrate acceptance will be documented and who decides whether replacement is necessary. A membrane cannot compensate for an unsuitable or unstable base, and a photograph taken after coverage cannot prove preparation that is no longer visible.
Name substrates by surface
Create an acceptance checkpoint
Photograph repairs before coverage
COORDINATE
Keep the selected system and its instructions together
Request current manufacturer documentation for the proposed membrane, drain interface, sealants, reinforcement and accessories. Record product names and batch or lot information when available. Ask how minimum conditions, drying or curing, coverage, thickness and compatible components will be checked without converting general instructions into a site-specific design. If products from different systems are proposed, require written compatibility evidence rather than assuming they work together because they serve similar purposes.
Retain current product documents
Record installed components
Resolve cross-system compatibility in writing
DETAIL
Detail corners, changes of plane and penetrations
List inside and outside corners, wall-to-floor transitions, curb or entry details, niches, benches, valves, shower arms, fasteners, doors and glass attachments. These locations often disappear behind tile or trim, so the evidence plan should identify when each can be photographed and reviewed. Do not accept a field photo with no location or date. The proposal should also explain how later drilling or accessory installation avoids undermining the documented wet-area work.
Inventory every transition
Label detail photographs
Coordinate later attachments
SELECT
Coordinate drains, slopes and thresholds
Record the drain type and location, the intended floor geometry, shower entry and transition to the bathroom floor. Ask how plumbing connections, drain compatibility, slope and threshold decisions will be verified before finishes are installed. The BC Plumbing Code provides technical requirements for plumbing systems, but interpretation and application belong with the responsible qualified parties. Keep accessibility goals, door operation and adjacent floor heights in the same review so one detail does not solve water control while creating another problem.
Match drain and assembly
Verify geometry before tile
Coordinate entry and adjacent floor height
VERIFY
Define testing and hold points carefully
Where a test or inspection is proposed, name its purpose, responsible person, timing, acceptance basis and record. Do not promise that one test proves every component or satisfies every authority, building or manufacturer requirement. Establish hold points before the assembly is concealed and before later trades add penetrations. If a test reveals a concern, document the correction and any required retest. Keep municipal, strata and product requirements separate because each may ask for different evidence.
State the purpose of each test
Pause before concealment
Document correction and retest
FILE
Assemble the wet-area closeout record
Create an indexed file containing the wet-zone map, substrate record, selected product documents, installation photographs, detail photographs, testing or inspection records, approved changes and care information. Label photographs by room, wall or floor location and date. Note limitations and details that were not visible. This record supports future maintenance and proposal accountability, but it is not a guarantee of performance or evidence about concealed conditions outside the documented work.