Kendall houses and their hall baths
Kendall started filling in during the 1950s and kept spreading west from the 1970s on into the 90s, so most houses here date from that later stretch. The hall bath in a lot of them still has the tub the house came with, a framed slider or a curtain, one vanity and the original floor tile. It is a small room, and every inch of the tub alcove counts.
Hall tub out, walk-in shower in
The tub comes out and a shower goes into the same footprint, so the room keeps its size and its door. We demo the tub and the wall tile down to the studs, shift the drain to where the new pan needs it, waterproof the floor and walls, and run tile to the ceiling. Most owners pick a low curb; a curbless entry is possible too, with more work on the floor so it all pitches to the drain. Here is what goes into a tub-to-shower conversion, step by step.
Houses from before 1975 can still have cast-iron drain lines. Once the floor is open we camera-inspect what we can reach, show you the footage, and give you a written price before replacing any section. Just north of here, the 1950s block homes in Hialeah bring up the same question more often.
Permits in unincorporated Kendall
Kendall is not a city, so the building permit comes from Miami-Dade County instead of a municipal building department. Swapping a toilet or a faucet in its current spot is usually exempt under the county's rules, but moving the shower drain or adding a circuit puts the job under permit, with plumbing and electrical inspections before anything gets covered. The Miami-Dade and Broward permit guide explains the Notice of Commencement and the rest of the paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
Is a curbless shower possible in a Kendall hall bath?
It depends on what is under the old tub. A curbless shower needs the subfloor reworked so the whole floor slopes to a drain, which adds labor. We look at it during the visit and tell you plainly whether it fits your room.
Can we live in the house while the hall bath is torn out?
Yes, as long as you have a second bathroom to use. We seal the doorway with plastic sheeting, cover the floor on the path out, and carry debris through the closest exterior door.
Does a new vanity in a Kendall home need a county permit?
Setting a vanity in the same place is not regulated by the building code in unincorporated Miami-Dade. The plumbing or wiring tied to it can need a permit once a line moves, and we tell you which case yours is before we start.
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