Bathrooms · Condo bathrooms
Condo bathroom remodeling in Chicago.
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.
Is this you?
Is this the right service for your condominium?
Bathrooms are where the building's constraints bite hardest. The toilet drain has to reach the stack with the right slope, the floor is often concrete with no cavity to run pipes through, and the exhaust fan may have no route to the outside. None of that prevents a beautiful bathroom. It does decide what can move, and knowing that before design starts is what keeps a condo remodel on schedule.
A good fit when
- 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
- A bathroom where the fan recirculates or does nothing and you want a real solution
If your association permits only like-for-like replacement and you want a new vanity and faucet in the same spots, a smaller contractor may serve you better.
Building conditions
What is different about a condo bathroom.
- 01
Shared plumbing stacks
Drains and vents run in stacks shared with the units above and below. The toilet is the fixture with the least freedom, because its drain needs slope and a short run to the stack. The shower and vanity can usually shift along the same wall. We confirm the stack location before drawing any change.
- 02
Concrete floors and ceilings
In slab buildings there is no floor cavity. Moving a drain means cutting or building up the floor, and the unit below sets the limit. A curbless shower may need a raised floor at the entry to achieve slope. The visit tells us which options exist in your unit.
- 03
Ventilation
Many buildings vent bathrooms through a shared shaft with fixed capacity, and some have no exterior route at all. We tell you honestly what your unit has, size the fan to it and plan the duct route the association will approve.
- 04
Water shutoffs
Older buildings often have no isolation valve in the unit, so replacing supply lines means shutting down a riser that serves neighbors. Shutoffs are scheduled with building engineering, sometimes only on certain days, and the plumbing rough-in is planned around those windows.
- 05
Association approval and insurance
Most associations require submitted drawings, a scope description, the contractor's certificate of insurance naming the association, a deposit and a schedule before work begins. We prepare the package and follow the building's process, and we submit early because boards may meet monthly.
- 06
Access, hours and common areas
Tile, a vanity, a tub and demolition debris all move through a reserved elevator and dock during approved hours. Corridors, the elevator cab and the lobby are protected before demolition and checked at the end of each day. Neighbors are told before the noisy phases.
What is included
Planning and construction inside a building.
In planning
- Complimentary render previews from your photos, if you include them
- Review of the building's remodeling rules, insurance requirements, hours and any alteration agreement
- Field measurement and inspection of the stack, the shutoffs, the vent route, the slab and the panel
- A layout that respects what can move and what cannot, with alternatives explained
- Drawings and documents in the format the association requires, and the certificate of insurance it asks for
- Detailed renders, a written scope and a priced proposal that includes the building's coordination
In construction
- Protection of corridors, elevator and the unit's other rooms
- Demolition and debris removal on the building's schedule and through its approved route
- Plumbing, electrical and ventilation work within the building's constraints, with shutoffs scheduled through building engineering
- Waterproofing, tile, vanity, fixtures, glass and lighting
- Coordination with building engineering and the management office for inspections and access
- City permits and inspections where the scope requires them
Decision aid
What usually can and cannot move in a condo bathroom.
General patterns. Your building's structure and rules decide the specifics, which we confirm during the visit.
| Aspect | Usually workable | Depends on the building | Rarely possible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toilet | Replace in place | Shift a short distance along the same wall | Move across the room away from the stack |
| Shower or tub | Rebuild in the same footprint; tub to shower conversion | Enlarge into a closet or shift along the wall | Relocate far from the existing drain in a slab building |
| Vanity | Replace, widen or add a second sink on the same wall | Move to another wall | Move away from any supply and drain access |
| Exhaust fan | Upgrade the fan on the existing route | Improve or reroute the duct if the building allows | Cut a new exterior opening |
| Floor | Replace tile; add electric radiant heat | Build up the floor for a curbless entry | Lower the slab for a new drain |
| Walls | Remove or add non-bearing partitions inside the unit | Open a wall that carries mechanical lines | Alter structural concrete or shear walls |
Cost and schedule
What shapes a condo bathroom's price and timeline.
Coordination, not square footage, is what sets condo projects apart.
- Approval lead time
- Association review can take weeks. We submit early so construction is not waiting on a signature.
- Shutoff windows and hours
- Riser shutoffs on set days and shorter permitted workdays extend the calendar compared with a house.
- Slab work
- Cutting or building up a concrete floor to move a drain or create a curbless entry is skilled, slow work that a house rarely needs.
- Ventilation route
- Reworking a duct through a shared shaft, or adding an approved route, adds ceiling work and building coordination.
- Finish level
- Tile, vanity, fixtures and glass drive cost in a condo exactly as they do anywhere else.
Stage two
What the in-home visit establishes
In a condo, the visit is as much about the building as the bathroom.
- 01Where the stack, the vent and the unit's shutoffs are, and whether an isolation valve exists
- 02Slab or framed floor, and what a drain move or a curbless entry would take
- 03The exhaust route and what the association allows
- 04Panel capacity and the building's rules on new circuits
- 05The delivery path: dock, elevator dimensions, corridor turns and protection needs
- 06The building's remodeling rules, hours, insurance limits and approval calendar
Questions
Common questions about condo bathroom remodeling.
Do you handle the association paperwork for a bathroom remodel?
Yes. We prepare the drawings, scope, insurance certificate and schedule the association asks for, and we follow up on the approval so construction is not delayed.
Can I move the toilet in my condo?
Sometimes, and usually not far. The drain needs slope and a short run to the stack, and in a slab building the floor sets the limit. We confirm this during the visit before it goes into the design.
Can a condo bathroom have a curbless shower?
Often, with a linear drain and either a recessed pan where the floor allows it or a slightly raised bathroom floor at the entry. The slab and the unit below decide which approach works.
Will my neighbors lose water during the work?
Only during scheduled shutoffs, which building engineering arranges with notice. We plan the plumbing rough-in around those windows so they are as few and as short as possible.
Let’s plan your bathroom.
Have bathroom photos? Include them with your inquiry for complimentary render previews within minutes. Photos are optional.
Prefer to talk first? Call or email during business hours.
- Call
- (312) 210-0016
Related
- All bathroom remodelingPrimary baths, condo baths, showers and wet rooms, and how the process works.
- Chicago condo remodel checklistThe ten building-side items, written for kitchens and equally true for bathrooms.
- Condo kitchen remodelingThe same building constraints as they apply to the kitchen.
- Walk-in showers and wet roomsCurbless entries and drains where the floor is concrete.