Sounds very much like my former bathroom -- all-over pink tile and a slab floor. My house is only 70 years old, though.
You say you fear damage to the floor joists from water. Is there any evidence of damage to the slab itself -- e.g. cracks in the tile? Either of those conditions would incline me to want to take it out.
If not, I suppose you could keep the slab, covering or replacing the existing tile/laminate flooring, but really, why not take it out and start fresh with new subfloor and tile backer? You can probably inspect (and maybe even repair) the floor joists just as well from above as from below, and spare yourself having to tear down ceilings. If your plumbing runs through the slab, removing the slab would also make it easier to repair any leaks, replace old materials with new, and/or reroute pipes.
All I can say is I was glad I removed mine. A small (10 lb maybe) sledge broke it up surprisingly easily -- took me less than a day working alone. Good for the biceps. I shoveled the resulting chunks out a window, down a makeshift slide, and into a wheelbarrow, and from there carted it to a dumpster.
How easily it goes might depend on what your slab is made of, though -- mine (I've been told) had a lot of rock ash in it which made it crumble easily on impact. Other kinds would probably be harder.
Whatever method you used, unless it, the joists, and the plumbing are in pristine shape as it is, I bet you'd end up glad you took it out.
You say you fear damage to the floor joists from water. Is there any evidence of damage to the slab itself -- e.g. cracks in the tile? Either of those conditions would incline me to want to take it out.
If not, I suppose you could keep the slab, covering or replacing the existing tile/laminate flooring, but really, why not take it out and start fresh with new subfloor and tile backer? You can probably inspect (and maybe even repair) the floor joists just as well from above as from below, and spare yourself having to tear down ceilings. If your plumbing runs through the slab, removing the slab would also make it easier to repair any leaks, replace old materials with new, and/or reroute pipes.
All I can say is I was glad I removed mine. A small (10 lb maybe) sledge broke it up surprisingly easily -- took me less than a day working alone. Good for the biceps. I shoveled the resulting chunks out a window, down a makeshift slide, and into a wheelbarrow, and from there carted it to a dumpster.
How easily it goes might depend on what your slab is made of, though -- mine (I've been told) had a lot of rock ash in it which made it crumble easily on impact. Other kinds would probably be harder.
Whatever method you used, unless it, the joists, and the plumbing are in pristine shape as it is, I bet you'd end up glad you took it out.
