Primary bathroom remodel

The walk-in shower

In most primary baths the shower is the center of the job, and we build it where the old shower stall and part of the tub used to be. We slope the floor to the drain, waterproof the pan and walls before any tile goes up, and close it with a frameless tempered glass door or a fixed panel that we measure after the tile is set.

Choosing between a low curb and no curb at all depends on the slab and on how far the floor can drop at the drain. Our page on walk-in and curbless showers covers drain types, floor slope and the minimum sizes in the code.

South Florida water comes from a limestone aquifer and leaves white spots on glass. We suggest an easy-clean coating on the glass and a trim that descales without a fight.

Labor and materials included, in US dollars, October 2026. Each bathroom job has one fixed price for the scope written next to it. A new vanity and frameless glass are added at a fixed price each. Tile beyond the standard layout is priced per square foot. Plumbing and electrical work is done by licensed trades and permits are pulled when the job needs them. Rot, mold or old pipes found behind the walls are priced before we fix them.

Getting rid of the garden tub

Primary baths from the 80s and 90s often came with a big corner or garden tub that gets used a few times a year at best. We demo it, pull the deck it sits on and use that floor space for a larger shower or more vanity.

The tub drain rarely lines up with where the new shower drain should go. Moving a drain, a supply line or a wall is permitted work with inspections, and we price the move in writing before demo. Some couples keep a tub and swap the garden tub for a freestanding one, which takes less floor and still needs its own drain spot.

A double vanity

Two undermount sinks in one top, each with its own faucet, come with the price. The Florida plumbing code wants at least 30 in between the centers of two side-by-side fixtures and 15 in from a center to a side wall, so a two-sink vanity needs about 60 in of wall to fit well.

We run new supply and drain lines to the second sink and add a GFCI-protected outlet on each side of the mirror. Floating vanities free up floor and make the room read bigger. Standing ones give you more drawers.

Large-format tile

Large-format tile means pieces of 15 in or more on at least one side, and in a primary bath we often go with 24 x 48 in porcelain. Fewer grout lines make the room calmer and easier to keep clean.

Big tiles are less forgiving. They need a flat substrate, the right mortar and close to full coverage in the wet zone, so we back-trowel each piece and check the floor with a long straightedge before setting. On a shower floor we cut the large tile into a smaller format or use a linear drain so the slope still works. Tile beyond what the package covers is $24 per sq ft.

Niche and bench

Every shower we build gets a recessed niche, framed between the studs and waterproofed like the rest of the wall. In a primary shower we usually add a second one at a lower height or a longer horizontal one.

A built-in bench is a frequent request. We frame it, wrap it in membrane and tile it with a slight slope so water runs off. A floating teak seat works when floor space is tight.

The steps from demo to the final cleanup are explained on our bathroom remodel process page, and the price list for every bathroom job shows how this package compares to the others.

Frequently asked questions