Bathrooms · Primary bathrooms
Primary bathroom remodeling in Chicago.
The primary bathroom gets used twice a day by two people, usually at the same time. We plan for that: room for two to get ready, storage with doors and drawers, a shower you look forward to using, and a room that still feels calm at the end of the day.
At a glance
Primary bathroom cost and schedule at a glance.
Most complete bathroom remodels we take on in Chicago fall between $35,000 and $100,000 before selections, and a primary bathroom sits toward the upper part of that range when the layout changes, a curbless shower replaces the tub or a freestanding tub is added. A primary bathroom rebuilt in its existing layout, with its fixtures where they are, sits lower.
Construction typically takes three to five weeks when the fixtures stay in place and five to eight weeks when the toilet or shower moves, within three to six months from the first conversation to the final walkthrough. Both are planning ranges as of September 2026, not a quote or a schedule for your bathroom.
Is this you?
Is a full primary-bathroom remodel the right project?
A primary bathroom rewards a complete remodel more than a partial one, because the things that make it work well, drainage, waterproofing, ventilation, lighting and storage, all sit behind the finishes. New tile over a failing shower pan just gives you the same problems in a new color. That said, not every project needs every feature on this page; the visit sorts out which ones make sense for your room.
A good fit when
- 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
- You want a wet room or a larger bathroom borrowed from a closet or an adjacent room
- You are planning to stay in the house and want the room to work for years to come
If the bathroom only needs a new vanity top, a faucet or a regrouted shower, a smaller contractor will serve you better than we can.
Decisions
The questions that shape a primary bathroom.
- 01
Keep the layout or change it
Fixtures that stay in place keep drains and supplies where they are and hold the schedule steady. Moving the toilet, rotating the shower or adding a second sink opens floors or walls. We draw both where both are plausible and say what each one costs before you choose.
- 02
Double vanity, or one sink done well
A double vanity needs roughly five feet of wall to be comfortable, plus a plan for where two sets of things live. In a narrower room a single wide sink with drawers on both sides often works better than two cramped basins. In practice, the wall measurement makes the decision.
- 03
Shower and bathtub
A shower and a separate tub both fit in some rooms and not in others. Where they do not, most households choose a generous walk-in shower and keep a tub elsewhere in the house for resale. We ask how you use the tub and shower today instead of assuming.
- 04
Toilet privacy
A partial wall, a pocket door or simply the right placement out of the sightline from the bedroom makes the room work for two people. A separate water closet is possible in larger rooms and worth the space in some.
- 05
Storage that closes
Drawers instead of doors under the sinks, a recessed medicine cabinet, a tall linen cabinet or a niche for towels. The vanity is planned like kitchen cabinetry: around what you own and where you reach for it.
- 06
Lighting and ventilation
Sconces or a lit mirror at face height, a dimmable ambient layer, a light in the shower, and an exhaust fan sized for the room and ducted outside. All of it is planned with the electrical work, early.
What is included
From first preview to a finished, tested room.
In planning
- Free render previews from your photos, if you include them
- Field measurement of the room, the adjacent closet or bedroom, and the plumbing, venting and electrical that serve it
- Layout options with the tradeoffs of each written down
- Vanity, shower, tub, tile, fixture and lighting selections to the level needed to price the work
- Heated-floor, accessibility and storage options raised where they fit the household
- Free 3D design renders, a written scope and a free estimate
In construction
- Demolition to the studs with the rest of the home protected
- Plumbing and electrical rough-in, new venting and any relocation
- Subfloor repair, shower pan, waterproofing membrane and a flood test before tile
- Tile, vanity, countertop, fixtures, glass, lighting and accessories
- Painting, trim and the final walkthrough
- Permits and inspections where the scope requires them
Decision aid
Keep the layout or change it?
A quick comparison of the two starting points. Many projects land between them, for example keeping the toilet and moving the shower.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Aspect | Keep the layout | Change the layout |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | Fixtures replaced in place; supplies and drains reused where sound | Drains and supplies rerouted; floor or ceiling below often opened |
| Shower | Rebuilt in its footprint with new pan, waterproofing and tile | Resized or relocated; drain and curb or curbless entry replanned |
| Vanity | New vanity in the same run, often with a second sink if width allows | Placed where the new plan works well, with new rough-in |
| Electrical | New circuits and lighting where needed | Replanned around the new fixture positions |
| Permits | Plumbing and electrical permits as required | Plumbing, electrical and building permits; structural review if walls move |
| Schedule | Most predictable | Longer, with more sequencing between trades |
| Best when | The room is the right shape and the finishes, storage and systems are the problem | The door, the sink or the shower is in the wrong place for two people |
What each path adds to the budget is explained on the Investment page.
Cost and schedule
What moves the number and the calendar.
The layout decision and the shower construction set most of it. After that, tile extent and the vanity have the most leverage.
- How far fixtures move
- A toilet shifted a foot along the same wall is manageable. Moving it across the room means new drain runs through the floor structure.
- Shower construction
- A tiled walk-in shower with a linear drain, a curbless entry and a glass panel is a larger build than a tub with a tiled surround.
- Tile extent
- Tile to the ceiling on every wall, large-format slabs or a patterned floor add material, cutting and labor compared with a tiled wet area and painted walls.
- Vanity and fixtures
- Custom vanities, integrated stone sinks, wall-mounted faucets and the fixture finish level drive cost the way cabinetry and appliances do in a kitchen.
- Heated floors and lighting
- Modest additions to a full remodel, but each adds a circuit and planning that is far cheaper to include while the walls are open.
- Existing conditions
- Old cast-iron drains, galvanized supply, a rotted subfloor under the tub or a missing vent are common in older Chicago homes and are priced once we can see them.
Stage two
What the in-home visit establishes
Previews from photos give us a direction. The visit gives us the measurements to turn it into a design we can price.
- 01Exact dimensions, ceiling height, window and door positions and where the bedroom sightline falls
- 02Where the drain, vent and supply lines run, and whether the toilet or shower can move
- 03Floor construction, and whether a curbless shower or heated floor fits the build-up
- 04The exhaust route to the outside, or where one can be created
- 05Panel capacity for new circuits, heated floors, lighting and a lit mirror
- 06How the two of you use the room in the morning, so the layout fits the household
Questions
Common questions about primary bathroom remodeling.
Can we keep the tub and still get a real walk-in shower?
In a room of roughly 80 square feet or more, usually yes. In smaller rooms it is one or the other, and we draw both so the tradeoff is visible before you decide.
Does a primary bathroom remodel always mean moving plumbing?
No. Many of the most satisfying results keep every fixture where it is and rebuild the room around them properly. Moving fixtures is worth it when it fixes how two people use the room, and the visit tells us what the floor structure allows.
Are heated floors worth it?
In a full remodel they are a modest addition to a floor that is being rebuilt anyway, and most homeowners who have them would not go back. They need a dedicated circuit and a thermostat, which we plan with the electrical work.
Can you plan for aging in place without it looking clinical?
Yes. Blocking in the walls for future grab bars, a curbless shower, a hand shower on a slide bar and a comfort-height toilet are either invisible or just look like good design. We suggest them where they fit and leave the decision to you.
Get a free bathroom estimate, with 3D renders.
Your free estimate includes 3D design renders of your own bathroom, prepared after a free in-home design consultation. Have photos? Include them for free render previews within minutes.
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.
- Bathroom vanities and storageSingle or double, floating or furniture style, and where the towels live.
- Walk-in showers and wet roomsSizing, drains, waterproofing and glass in more depth.
- Condo bathroom remodelingWhen the primary bath sits inside a building with rules.
- How long a bathroom remodel takesHow design, ordering and construction fit together in a bathroom.