Bathrooms
Bathroom remodeling in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
The same team that plans and builds our kitchens now takes on complete bathroom remodels: layout, vanity and storage, shower and tub, lighting, ventilation, waterproofing, tile and the plumbing and electrical work behind the walls. Here is what that covers, who it suits and where to read more.
Your kind of project
Three common starting points.
Every bathroom we take on is a complete remodel. These pages go deeper into the projects homeowners most often bring us, each with its own decisions and questions to settle before the visit.
Primary bathroom remodeling
The primary bathroom is used twice a day by the people who own the house, usually at the same time. We plan it for that: two people getting ready, storage that closes, a shower that is a pleasure to use, and a room that still feels calm at the end of the day.
- Two people share the room and the single sink, the door swing or the lack of storage causes daily friction
- The tub is never used and a proper walk-in shower would be
- Ventilation, lighting or a persistent leak suggests the room was never built right
Condo bathroom remodeling
A condominium bathroom is remodeled inside a building that owns the stack, the slab and the schedule. We plan for the building as carefully as for the room, so the work moves through approvals, shutoffs and the elevator without surprises.
- A vintage or mid-century unit with an original bathroom that has reached the end of its life
- A high-rise unit on a concrete slab where the fixtures feel stuck in place and you want to know what can change
- A building with an association review, insurance requirements, shutoff scheduling and working-hour limits
Walk-in showers and wet rooms
The shower is the most used and most failure-prone part of a bathroom. A walk-in shower or a wet room done properly is a construction project below the tile: slope, drain, waterproofing and structure. We design and build the whole assembly, as part of a complete bathroom remodel.
- A tub nobody bathes in, in a room that would gain a generous shower
- A shower stall you have to sidle into, or one with a step you would rather not have
- A wish for a curbless entry, for a walker, a wheelchair or simply a cleaner floor
What we handle
Everything a bathroom remodel involves.
A bathroom packs more trades into fewer square feet than any other room in the house. These are the decisions we plan together, in roughly the order they need to be made.
- 01
Tub, shower or both
Whether the room keeps a bathtub, trades it for a walk-in shower or holds both is the first decision, because it fixes the plumbing, the waterproofing and the floor plan. We talk through how the household bathes today, resale, and what the room can physically hold.
- 02
Vanity layout and storage
Single or double sinks, drawers instead of doors, a medicine cabinet that is actually used, linen storage inside the room. The vanity is the cabinetry of a bathroom and is planned the same way we plan a kitchen: around what you own and where you reach for it.
- 03
Lighting and electrical
Light at the mirror from the sides, not only from above. A dimmable ambient layer, a light in the shower, and outlets where the hair dryer and toothbrush live. New circuits, GFCI protection and any heated-floor or ventilation wiring are planned before the walls close.
- 04
Ventilation
A properly sized exhaust fan ducted to the outside is what keeps a new bathroom from growing mildew. We confirm where the duct can run, which matters most in condominiums and in older houses where no route exists yet.
- 05
Waterproofing
The part you never see decides how long the bathroom lasts. Shower pans, wall membranes, curbs, niches and the transitions between them are built as a system, tested before tile, and photographed for your records.
- 06
Tile layout
Tile sizes, grout lines, where cuts land, slip resistance underfoot, and how the floor meets the shower and the hallway are drawn before ordering. Good tile work is mostly planning.
- 07
Plumbing relocation
Moving a toilet, shifting the shower or adding a second sink means new drain and supply runs through floors or walls. It is often worth it, and it is priced honestly because the visit tells us what the structure allows.
- 08
Heated flooring
Electric radiant heat under tile is a modest addition to a full remodel and a large one to daily comfort in a Chicago winter. It is planned with the electrical work and the floor build-up, not added afterward.
- 09
Accessibility and aging in place
A curbless shower, blocking in the walls for future grab bars, a comfort-height toilet and a hand shower can be designed into a bathroom that looks nothing like a clinic. We raise these options where they fit the household, without making the room feel institutional.
Permits and buildings
What is settled before the design commits.
A bathroom remodel touches plumbing, electrical and sometimes structure, so the City, the village or the building usually has a say. We confirm what applies to your address before drawing it in.
Permits and inspections
Moving or adding plumbing, running new circuits and altering walls generally involve permits and inspections in Chicago and in the suburbs we serve. We prepare the submittal and schedule rough-in inspections before anything is covered.
Condominium and association requirements
Shared stacks, water shutoffs, approved hours, certificates of insurance and elevator reservations shape a condo bathroom more than any finish does. The condo bathroom page and the condo checklist explain what to expect.
Older Chicago homes
Bungalows, two-flats and early 1900s houses often reveal galvanized supply lines, cast-iron drains near the end of their life, undersized venting and floors that are out of level once tile comes up. We look for these during the visit and plan for them in the proposal.
Kitchen and bathroom together
When both rooms are being remodeled, sharing one plan, one permit set and one construction schedule saves weeks of disruption and repeated trade visits. The inquiry form accepts combined projects.
How it starts
Photos first if you have them, then the in-home consultation.
Your inquiry takes a few minutes: the project type, the project address, a planned budget range, a timeframe and a sentence about what you want to change. Photos are optional. If you include a few pictures of the bathroom, our team prepares complimentary render previews and sends them within minutes, so you can see an early direction before anyone visits.
The in-home consultation is where the real design starts. We measure the room and the rooms around it, find the stack, the shutoffs and the vent route, check the floor structure and the electrical panel, and talk through how the household uses the bathroom. Those facts become the layout, the selections and a priced proposal.
What the visit establishes
- 01Exact dimensions, ceiling height, window and door positions
- 02Where the drain, vent and supply lines run and what can move
- 03Floor construction and whether a curbless shower is possible
- 04Whether an exterior exhaust route exists or must be created
- 05Panel capacity for new circuits, heated floors and lighting
- 06Building or municipal requirements that apply to your address
Cost and schedule
What moves the number and the calendar.
We publish no bathroom price list, and the budget ranges in the inquiry form are planning bands rather than quotes. Your priced proposal follows the visit. These are the factors that set it.
- Layout changes
- Keeping fixtures where they are keeps drains and supplies in place. Moving the toilet or shower reaches into floors and walls.
- Shower or wet-room construction
- A tiled walk-in shower with a linear drain, a curbless entry and glass is a larger build than a tub with a surround.
- Tile extent and complexity
- Floor-to-ceiling tile, large-format slabs, mosaics and patterned layouts add material, cutting and labor.
- Vanity, storage and fixtures
- Custom or semi-custom vanities, integrated sinks, wall-mounted faucets and the finish level of fixtures and hardware.
- Existing conditions
- Old drains, galvanized supply, out-of-level floors and hidden water damage found once the room is opened.
- Condo logistics and permits
- Association approvals, shutoff scheduling, restricted hours and inspections lengthen the calendar rather than the room.
Good fit
Projects where this approach matters most.
We are not the right fit for:
- Minor repairs, grout cleaning or regrouting
- Fixture-only swaps such as a new faucet, toilet or vanity top
- Tub or tile refinishing
- Replacing a shower door by itself
- Emergency plumbing or handyman work
We work in Chicago and a focused set of suburbs. See the service area.
- Complete primary-bathroom remodels, with or without a layout change
- Condominium bathrooms that have to work within the building's stack, structure and rules
- Replacing a tub with a walk-in or curbless shower as part of a full remodel
- Wet rooms and larger primary suites carved from adjacent space
- Bathrooms remodeled together with the kitchen on one schedule
Questions
Common questions about bathroom remodeling.
Do you remodel bathrooms on their own, or only with a kitchen?
On their own. A complete bathroom remodel is a full project for us, planned and built the same way as a kitchen. Many homeowners do combine the two, and the inquiry form accepts either or both.
What counts as a complete bathroom remodel?
A project that takes the room back to the studs or close to it: new fixtures, vanity, tile, waterproofing, lighting and ventilation, with the plumbing and electrical work behind them. If the room only needs a new faucet or a regrouted shower, we are not the right fit.
Can I send photos of my bathroom for the render previews?
Yes. A wide view from the doorway and one or two other angles are enough. Our team prepares complimentary render previews from them within minutes. The detailed renders come after we measure the room.
Do bathroom remodels need permits in Chicago?
Usually, because plumbing and electrical work are involved and sometimes walls change. We prepare the submittal and build the inspections into the schedule. Suburban requirements differ by village and are described on the service-area pages.
How long is the bathroom out of use?
For the whole construction stage. We confirm the schedule once selections and any association approvals are in hand, and we plan the sequence so a second bathroom, where one exists, stays usable.
Let’s plan your bathroom.
Tell us about your bathroom in a few minutes. Include photos if you have them and we will send render previews within minutes.
Prefer to talk first? Call or email during business hours.
- Call
- (312) 210-0016
Related
- How the process worksInquiry, in-home visit, proposal and build.
- What shapes the costThe bathroom cost factors, separated from the kitchen ones.
- Service areasChicago, the North Shore and the western suburbs.
- Questions to ask a remodeling contractorScope, allowances, change orders and who pulls the permits.