You can’t go online now without seeing something related to AI. It’s writing emails, planning meals, designing logos, and telling people how to renovate their homes. So it’s no surprise that more and more homeowners are using AI to generate checklists for bathroom installations.
Ask an AI tool for a bathroom checklist and boom, within seconds you’ll get a long, impressive-looking list that feels reassuring. And to be fair, that’s not a bad place to start. But if you’ve ever been involved in a real bathroom project, you’ll know that the things that cause problems are rarely the easy to spot ones.
Why do AI checklists always feel so generic?
The biggest limitation with AI-generated checklists is simple and a bit obvious; AI doesn’t know your house! It doesn’t know when it was built, whether shortcuts were taken, what’s hidden behind the walls, or what’s already been “patched up” over the years. All it can do is pull together common steps from a wide range of online sources and blend them into one list.
That’s why AI checklists tend to read like they’re written for every bathroom and no bathroom at the same time. They’re based on averages, best-case scenarios, and ideal installs. Real homes, on the other hand, are rarely ever so “perfect” and cookie cutter.
The problem with long, impressive lists
One thing AI is very good at is making things look thorough. If you ask for it for a checklist, you’ll often get dozens of bullet points. At first glance, it feels like nothing could possibly be missed. But once you actually read through it, you realise a lot of it doesn’t apply to your project at all.
You might see items about:
- Moving structural walls when nothing is being moved
- Underfloor heating when you’re not installing it
- Specialist systems that aren’t required or even suitable
In reality, a huge chunk of the list (sometimes as much as 80–90%) is irrelevant. And that creates a new problem in that the important stuff gets lost in the noise. People skim read and installers assume certain items are covered elsewhere. Homeowners assume everything important is “on the list somewhere”, and that’s how things slip through the cracks.
What does AI often miss in bathroom installation checklists?
What’s interesting is that AI often misses the same things people forget in real life; i.e. the unglamorous details!
Lighting is a classic example. Not just “add lights,” but:
- Are they suitable for bathroom zones?
- Will they work with the ceiling type?
- Is the lighting practical as well as decorative?
Extractor fans are another big one. AI might say “install ventilation,” but won’t ask:
- Where does the ducting actually run?
- Is it venting outside or just dumping moisture into a loft?
- Is the fan powerful enough for the room size?
Ceilings are also regularly overlooked. Bathrooms are harsh and damp environments, yet ceiling prep often gets treated as an afterthought. Wrong boards, poor sealing, or standard paint can lead to peeling, staining, or mould within months.
And then there’s everything behind the walls, arguably the most important part. Backer boards, waterproofing, fixing methods, pipe insulation… these details rarely show up in AI lists in any meaningful way, but they’re often the reason a bathroom fails early.
Does human experience make a difference?
Short answer; yes! Human experience makes a huge difference when it comes to installing bathrooms. A professional installer doesn’t just tick boxes. They look at a checklist and mentally compare it to dozens of past jobs. They know which items are irrelevant and which ones need expanding.
A vague line like “prepare walls for tiling” means very little on its own. A human turns that into:
- Check existing plaster condition
- Remove failed or blown plaster
- Install appropriate boards in wet areas
- Seal and tank before tiling
That level of detail comes from experience, not fancy algorithms. Here’s a good example of why human knowledge is so important:
A bathroom in a 20-year-old home was refurbished. Everything looked fine on paper. The ceiling was painted with “bathroom paint,” ventilation was installed, and the job was signed off.
Yet within months, the ceiling paint started peeling. The AI-style checklist had technically been followed. What it didn’t flag was that the original plaster had never been properly sealed when the house was built. Moisture exposure over time weakened it, and the new paint just made the failure obvious.
An experienced installer might have spotted that risk immediately and added an extra prep step. AI didn’t, because it couldn’t see the building or its history.
How can you use AI in your bathroom renovation journey?
Now we’re not saying you shouldn’t use AI at in. In fact, when used properly, AI can be a handy tool. The smart approach is to treat AI as a starting point, not the final word.
Generate a base checklist to get the structure in place. Then sit down with your installer and go through it properly. Ask what applies, what doesn’t, and, most importantly, what’s missing.
Encourage your fitter to add:
- Items specific to your location and layout
- Anything driven by local regulations
- Extra steps based on the age and condition of your home
That conversation alone can prevent a lot of expensive mistakes further down the line.
Final thoughts
AI can save time, but it can’t replace judgement. Bathrooms don’t usually fail because someone forgot to install a sink. They fail because of moisture paths, poor prep, rushed decisions, and assumptions that were never challenged. Let AI help you get organised but always rely on human experience to make the final call.
Need help with your bathroom renovation from real humans with over three decades of experience? Contact our friendly team, we’d love to help you create your dream bathroom.