What does a bathroom remodel cost? What moves the price

Whether the fixtures move

Keep the toilet, the sink and the tub or shower where they are and the drains and supply lines stay put. The work is demolition, waterproofing, tile and new fixtures in the old places. That is the least expensive bathroom there is.

Move the toilet and a new drain has to run through the joists to the stack, which depends on which way the joists run. Move the shower and the same is true, plus a new pan. In a basement, a drain below the sewer level means an ejector pump. None of this is exotic, but each one is a line the same-layout bathroom does not have.

Tub, shower or both

A drop-in tub with a tiled surround and a tiled walk-in shower with a glass door are different amounts of work. The shower has a pan to build and waterproof, a curb or a curbless slope, more tile, a drain, and glass, which is its own order with its own lead time. A one-piece acrylic unit is less work again, and less to go wrong, but it is a different look.

If you have one bathroom and are weighing a conversion against a full redo, this guide takes you through that decision.

Tile, and how much of it

Tile moves the price twice: what you buy and what it costs to set. Large-format tile sets faster but needs a flatter wall. Small mosaics and patterns take longer. Tile to the ceiling costs more than tile to the top of the surround. A niche, a bench and a decorative band are each a few more hours of layout and cutting.

Until you choose, tile goes in the estimate as a named allowance with a price per square foot and a quantity next to it. Pick early and it becomes a firm number.

Waterproofing: the part you never see again

Behind the tile there is either a proper waterproofing system, pan liner or membrane, flood-tested before tile, or there is not. It is not visible in the finished room and it is the only thing that decides whether the bathroom is still sound in ten years. It is in every one of our bathroom prices. If another quote is lower, ask what is behind the tile.

What is under the floor

Bathrooms are where water has been going for decades. Expect the subfloor around the toilet and the tub to need some replacement, and in older houses expect a cast iron drain that is worth replacing while the floor is open rather than after the new tile is down. A real estimate says what it assumes about the floor and the stack, and prices the difference as a written change order if it turns out worse.

Vanity, fixtures, electrical and ventilation

A vanity ranges from a stock cabinet with a top to a custom piece with a stone counter. Faucets, shower valves, toilets and lighting all have stock and designer prices. Every bathroom needs an exhaust fan that vents outside, a GFCI circuit, and often a dedicated circuit for a heated floor or a bidet seat. Those are small lines, but a quote without them is not for the whole room.

Permits and the real number

A bathroom that moves plumbing or adds electrical needs a permit, from the county or from the Department of Buildings in DC, with the plumbing done by a licensed plumber. Who pulls it is named in the written scope.

Our free estimate includes the walkthrough, a measured scope, every allowance named with a figure and a grade, and the order the work runs in. The general cost guide covers the same levers for any room.