Cost guides
Bathroom remodel cost in 2026: what it really runs, from a 5x7 to a primary bath
The median bathroom project cost $15,000 in 2025. A full redo of a 5x7 bath runs about $25,000 in Denver. Here are prices by scope and size, plus the Colorado rules.
By Zack Wais11 min read
A bathroom remodel costs about $15,000 at the median: that's what homeowners spent on bathroom projects in 2025 (Houzz, 2026). A major remodel, one that at least replaces the shower, ran $25,000 at the median. A full midrange redo of a 5x7 bathroom cost $25,162 in Denver in 2024 (Cost vs Value).
I'm Zack, a licensed contractor with 15 years on the tools across the west Denver metro, and on a bathroom I do the tile, the plumbing and the electrical myself. This guide covers what a remodel costs by scope, by size and by line, plus the Colorado costs most national guides leave out.
All bathroom projects, median
Typical cost
$15,000
What homeowners spent in 2025 (Houzz, 2026)
Minor remodel, under 100 sq ft
Typical cost
$5,000
Median; a refresh without a new shower (Houzz)
Major remodel, under 100 sq ft
Typical cost
$18,000
Median; at least the shower replaced (Houzz)
Major remodel, 100 sq ft and up
Typical cost
$30,000
Median; a 10x10 is exactly 100 sq ft (Houzz)
Midrange redo of a 5x7, Denver
Typical cost
$25,162
New tub, tile surround, toilet, vanity top and tile floor (Cost vs Value, 2024)
Upscale primary bath, national
Typical cost
$81,612
A 35 sq ft bath grown to 100 sq ft, every fixture moved (Cost vs Value, 2025)
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| All bathroom projects, median | $15,000 | What homeowners spent in 2025 (Houzz, 2026) |
| Minor remodel, under 100 sq ft | $5,000 | Median; a refresh without a new shower (Houzz) |
| Major remodel, under 100 sq ft | $18,000 | Median; at least the shower replaced (Houzz) |
| Major remodel, 100 sq ft and up | $30,000 | Median; a 10x10 is exactly 100 sq ft (Houzz) |
| Midrange redo of a 5x7, Denver | $25,162 | New tub, tile surround, toilet, vanity top and tile floor (Cost vs Value, 2024) |
| Upscale primary bath, national | $81,612 | A 35 sq ft bath grown to 100 sq ft, every fixture moved (Cost vs Value, 2025) |
Sources: Houzz 2026 Bathroom Trends Study, Cost vs Value 2025, Cost vs Value Denver 2024.
On this page
- Median or average?
- Cost by scope
- Small bathrooms: 5x7 and 5x8
- 5x10 bathrooms
- 10x10 and master bathrooms
- Where the money goes
- Showers, tubs and walk-ins
- One-day bathroom remodels
- Bathroom remodel cost in Denver
- Colorado permits, asbestos and lead
- How long it takes
- Bathroom remodel checklist
- Is it worth it, and the 30% rule
- What I'd plan for in a west-metro bathroom
- FAQ
Bathroom remodel cost: median or average?
Most cost guides quote an average, and one huge project can drag an average up, which is why Houzz reports medians instead (Houzz). The median bathroom project cost $15,000 in 2025, so half of homeowners spent less and half spent more. The averages land a little lower: $12,154 at Angi (Angi) and $12,000 at Fixr (Fixr).
Houzz, median of all bathroom projects
Typical cost
$15,000
What homeowners spent in 2025
Angi, average
Typical cost
$12,154
Most between $2,500 and $30,000
Modernize, average
Typical cost
$12,115
Its 2026 calculator
Fixr, average
Typical cost
$12,000
Most between $6,000 and $18,000
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Houzz, median of all bathroom projects | $15,000 | What homeowners spent in 2025 |
| Angi, average | $12,154 | Most between $2,500 and $30,000 |
| Modernize, average | $12,115 | Its 2026 calculator |
| Fixr, average | $12,000 | Most between $6,000 and $18,000 |
Sources: Houzz, Angi, Modernize, Fixr.
It's the same math that makes everyone in a coffee shop a millionaire, on average, the moment a billionaire walks in for a latte. The median ignores the billionaire. It's a lot more use to you when you're the one ordering drip coffee.
Bathroom remodel cost by scope: refresh, partial or full
A minor refresh (paint, a vanity, new fixtures) runs $3,000 to $10,000 by Angi's tiers. A partial remodel that replaces at least one of the toilet, sink, tub or shower runs $10,000 to $25,000. A full remodel that strips and replaces every fixture and surface runs $25,000 to $80,000 (Angi).
Minor refresh, Angi
Typical cost
$3,000 – $10,000
Paint, a new vanity, accessories
Partial remodel, Angi
Typical cost
$10,000 – $25,000
At least one of the toilet, sink, tub or shower replaced
Full remodel, Angi
Typical cost
$25,000 – $80,000
Every fixture and surface, plumbing left where it is
Full remodel, Fixr
Typical cost
$9,000 – $30,000
A gut renovation that can include moving fixtures
Full remodel, HomeGuide
Typical cost
$8,800 – $25,000
For a 35 to 50 sq ft bathroom
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minor refresh, Angi | $3,000 – $10,000 | Paint, a new vanity, accessories |
| Partial remodel, Angi | $10,000 – $25,000 | At least one of the toilet, sink, tub or shower replaced |
| Full remodel, Angi | $25,000 – $80,000 | Every fixture and surface, plumbing left where it is |
| Full remodel, Fixr | $9,000 – $30,000 | A gut renovation that can include moving fixtures |
| Full remodel, HomeGuide | $8,800 – $25,000 | For a 35 to 50 sq ft bathroom |
Sources: Angi, Fixr, HomeGuide.
The guides can't agree where "full" starts: $8,800, $9,000 or $25,000 depending on who's counting. Houzz draws the cleanest line I've found. A major remodel is any project where at least the shower got upgraded (Houzz).
So ask what "full" means before you compare two quotes. In remodeling it means whatever the person saying it needs it to mean, like "five more minutes" from a teenager on the other side of the bathroom door.
Small bathroom remodel cost: 5x7 and 5x8
A major remodel of a bathroom under 100 square feet cost a median $18,000 in 2025, and a minor one $5,000 (Houzz). The 5x7 is the industry's standard test bathroom: Cost vs Value's midrange remodel replaces every fixture in a 5x7, including a 30 by 60 inch tub with a ceramic tile surround, for $26,138 nationally (Cost vs Value).
5x7 (35 sq ft), Fixr
Typical cost
$2,450 – $14,000
Fixr’s range for the size
5x8 (40 sq ft), Fixr
Typical cost
$2,800 – $16,000
Fixr’s range for the size
5x7, full remodel, HomeGuide
Typical cost
$8,800 – $17,500
Everything replaced
5x7, midrange redo, national
Typical cost
$26,138
New tub, tile surround, toilet, vanity top, tile floor (Cost vs Value, 2025)
5x7, midrange redo, Denver
Typical cost
$25,162
The same project (Cost vs Value, 2024)
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5x7 (35 sq ft), Fixr | $2,450 – $14,000 | Fixr’s range for the size |
| 5x8 (40 sq ft), Fixr | $2,800 – $16,000 | Fixr’s range for the size |
| 5x7, full remodel, HomeGuide | $8,800 – $17,500 | Everything replaced |
| 5x7, midrange redo, national | $26,138 | New tub, tile surround, toilet, vanity top, tile floor (Cost vs Value, 2025) |
| 5x7, midrange redo, Denver | $25,162 | The same project (Cost vs Value, 2024) |
Sources: Fixr, HomeGuide, Cost vs Value.
A 5x7 bathroom is 35 square feet. That's smaller than a parking space, and it still holds a tub, a toilet, a sink and every half-finished bottle of shampoo anyone in the house has ever bought.
Labor is the biggest line in a room that size, and my post on 5x7 bathroom remodel cost and labor breaks it down trade by trade, with the hours each job takes.
How much does a 5x10 bathroom remodel cost?
A 5x10 bathroom is 50 square feet. Fixr prices a remodel that size at $3,500 to $20,000 (Fixr), and HomeGuide puts a full remodel of a 5x10 at $12,500 to $25,000 (HomeGuide).
Fifteen more square feet than a 5x7 means more floor tile, and often room for a longer vanity. It also means you can finally dry off without elbowing the towel bar, which isn't on any price list but should be.
My post on 5x10 bathroom remodel cost shows why the extra 15 square feet barely move the price, and what does: a double vanity, a walk-in shower where the tub was, and an older floor big enough to need Colorado's asbestos test.
10x10 and master bathroom remodel cost
A 10x10 bathroom is 100 square feet, right where Houzz's "larger bathroom" group starts, and a major remodel of a bathroom that size cost a median $30,000 in 2025 (Houzz). HomeGuide prices a 100 square foot primary bath with mid-grade finishes at $15,000 to $30,000 (HomeGuide).
At the top end, Cost vs Value's upscale remodel grows a 35 square foot bathroom to 100 square feet, moves every fixture and adds a freestanding tub and a frameless glass shower. It came to $81,612 nationally in 2025 (Cost vs Value).
The primary bath is where budgets go to find themselves. Two sinks, a soaking tub nobody in the house has had time to soak in since the closing, and a shower big enough to hold a small staff meeting.
My master bathroom remodel cost post prices a primary bath one upgrade at a time, from a second sink to a curbless shower and a heated floor, and walks through a real 14-line bid.
Where the money goes in a bathroom remodel
Labor is 40% to 65% of a bathroom remodel (Angi), and Fixr puts the average at about 50% (Fixr). Angi, Fixr and two other big cost guides all print that same range, so treat it as one estimate repeated, not four separate measurements.
Shower and tub
Typical cost
$3,750
25%
Vanity and shelving
Typical cost
$3,750
25%
Fixtures
Typical cost
$1,500
10%
Tile
Typical cost
$1,500
10%
Plumbing and electrical
Typical cost
$1,500
10%
Countertops
Typical cost
$900
6%
Cushion for surprises
Typical cost
$750
5%
Doors and windows
Typical cost
$750
5%
Permits
Typical cost
$600
4%
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shower and tub | $3,750 | 25% |
| Vanity and shelving | $3,750 | 25% |
| Fixtures | $1,500 | 10% |
| Tile | $1,500 | 10% |
| Plumbing and electrical | $1,500 | 10% |
| Countertops | $900 | 6% |
| Cushion for surprises | $750 | 5% |
| Doors and windows | $750 | 5% |
| Permits | $600 | 4% |
Source: Fixr's budget split, applied to the $15,000 median (our arithmetic).
The expensive surprise is moving things. A general contractor on Angi's review board puts it plainly: moving supply lines costs a lot, and moving a drain costs twice as much (Angi). Angi adds about $5,000 for changing the layout (Angi). In Denver in 2024, one homeowner was quoted $7,800 just for the plumbing on two showers already stripped to the studs: moving two drains about six inches, two new valves and higher shower heads (r/Denver).
Every bathroom has one fixture that would look better somewhere else. Leave it where it is if you can. That toilet has been sitting in the same corner since 1977, and it has made its peace with the view.
Demolition
Typical cost
$1,000 – $2,300
Angi
Vanity
Typical cost
$400 – $4,000
HomeGuide
Retiling, midrange
Typical cost
$10 – $50
A square foot, labor included (Angi)
Vent fan with a light
Typical cost
About $400
Angi
Plumbing updates
Typical cost
About $800
Angi’s average
Water damage repair
Typical cost
$3.75 – $7
A square foot (Angi)
Permits
Typical cost
$100 – $1,000
Angi
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Demolition | $1,000 – $2,300 | Angi |
| Vanity | $400 – $4,000 | HomeGuide |
| Retiling, midrange | $10 – $50 | A square foot, labor included (Angi) |
| Vent fan with a light | About $400 | Angi |
| Plumbing updates | About $800 | Angi’s average |
| Water damage repair | $3.75 – $7 | A square foot (Angi) |
| Permits | $100 – $1,000 | Angi |
Walk-in showers and tub-to-shower conversions
A walk-in shower runs $4,200 to $8,500 and a tub-to-shower conversion $1,200 to $3,600 in Angi's price table, though Angi's own FAQ stretches the conversion to $8,000 (Angi). Fixr's conversion totals $1,200 to $10,000 (Fixr).
Home Depot publishes no walk-in shower price at all, and its tub-to-shower page gives three different ranges: $6,000 to $10,000 in one place, $8,000 to $15,000 in another and $12,500 to $18,000 in a third (Home Depot). Three prices on one page, from the store that sells the tape measures.
When a tub comes out, 79% of homeowners use the space for a bigger shower (Houzz). The other 21% presumably turn it into the world's most luxurious linen closet.
What a one-day bathroom remodel costs
A one-day remodel puts an acrylic liner and wall panels over your existing tub and tile. Bath Fitter's usually runs $3,000 to $7,500, by HomeGuide's count, and most installs take one day (HomeGuide). HomeGuide puts other one-day companies anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000 (HomeGuide).
One Colorado company that sells stone-resin shower systems publishes $12,000 to $24,000 for a tub-to-shower conversion or a walk-in shower, installed in one to two days (HomePride Bath). The catch comes from a one-day company itself: these jobs are often cosmetic and don't fix water damage or outdated plumbing (Re-Bath).
A new liner over a soft subfloor is a fresh coat of wax on a car with no brakes. It looks wonderful right up until the moment it matters.
How much is a bathroom remodel in Denver?
A bathroom costs about the same in Denver as nationally. Cost vs Value's 2024 midrange bath remodel was $25,162 in Denver against $25,251 nationally (Cost vs Value), and Angi's Denver range of $6,880 to $29,700 sits about 6% above its national one (Angi).
Denver's tradespeople earn close to the national median, and a few trades earn noticeably more. These are wages, what the worker takes home per hour, not the rate a contractor bills you.
Plumbers
Denver metro: $30.72
United States: $30.67
Electricians
Denver metro: $30.36
United States: $30.38
Carpenters
Denver metro: $31.21
United States: $29.12
Drywall installers
Denver metro: $30.89
United States: $28.33
Painters
Denver metro: $27.92
United States: $23.75
Construction laborers
Denver metro: $23.44
United States: $22.66
Tile and stone setters
Denver metro: $27.74 (Colorado; no Denver figure)
United States: $26.77
| Trade | Denver metro | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers | $30.72 | $30.67 |
| Electricians | $30.36 | $30.38 |
| Carpenters | $31.21 | $29.12 |
| Drywall installers | $30.89 | $28.33 |
| Painters | $27.92 | $23.75 |
| Construction laborers | $23.44 | $22.66 |
| Tile and stone setters | $27.74 (Colorado; no Denver figure) | $26.77 |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Denver metro; tile setters Colorado.
Painters in the Denver metro earn 18% more than the national median (our arithmetic). I can only assume that's altitude pay for every vaulted ceiling built in this city since 1995.
Real Denver numbers are harder to come by, but one homeowner posted a line-by-line bill for a small bathroom in 2020. It came to about $6,000 over eight days, because they bought the fixtures, set the toilet and did the painting themselves (r/HomeImprovement).
Shower: demolition, tile, pan, two niches and a curb
Typical cost
$2,750
Labor and materials, fixtures installed
Floor: demolition, backer board, tile, baseboards
Typical cost
$900
Labor and materials
Vanity and faucets
Typical cost
$948
Bought by the homeowner
Vanity assembly and drain hookup
Typical cost
$450
Labor
Bath fan installation
Typical cost
$250
Labor; the fan and parts were $130 more
Toilet
Typical cost
$180
Bought and installed by the homeowner
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shower: demolition, tile, pan, two niches and a curb | $2,750 | Labor and materials, fixtures installed |
| Floor: demolition, backer board, tile, baseboards | $900 | Labor and materials |
| Vanity and faucets | $948 | Bought by the homeowner |
| Vanity assembly and drain hookup | $450 | Labor |
| Bath fan installation | $250 | Labor; the fan and parts were $130 more |
| Toilet | $180 | Bought and installed by the homeowner |
In the same thread, a remodeler said their bathrooms usually ran $15,000 to $35,000. A 2020 bill is a floor, not a forecast, and it's a floor the homeowner reached partly on their own knees.
The Colorado costs national guides skip: permits, asbestos and lead
In Lakewood a bath remodel is its own building permit type, and the city lists replacement plumbing as permitted work (Lakewood). In Denver, swapping fixtures like for like needs no permit, but new or moved fixtures, new ductwork or a changed floor plan do (Denver). Neither city says plainly whether swapping a shower valve in place needs one, so ask before you assume.
Lakewood permit
What triggers it: All but very minor cosmetic work (Lakewood)
In a bathroom: A bath remodel is its own permit type
Denver permit
What triggers it: New or moved fixtures, new ductwork, a changed floor plan (Denver)
In a bathroom: Like-for-like swaps are exempt
Colorado asbestos inspection
What triggers it: Disturbing more than 32 sq ft of flooring, drywall or ceiling (CDPHE)
In a bathroom: A 5x7 floor alone is 35 sq ft
EPA lead-safe rules
What triggers it: Paid work in a pre-1978 home disturbing more than 6 sq ft of paint per room (EPA)
In a bathroom: Opening up the walls usually does
| Rule | What triggers it | In a bathroom |
|---|---|---|
| Lakewood permit | All but very minor cosmetic work (Lakewood) | A bath remodel is its own permit type |
| Denver permit | New or moved fixtures, new ductwork, a changed floor plan (Denver) | Like-for-like swaps are exempt |
| Colorado asbestos inspection | Disturbing more than 32 sq ft of flooring, drywall or ceiling (CDPHE) | A 5x7 floor alone is 35 sq ft |
| EPA lead-safe rules | Paid work in a pre-1978 home disturbing more than 6 sq ft of paint per room (EPA) | Opening up the walls usually does |
West-metro houses are old enough for both rules: Lakewood's median home was built in 1977 and Wheat Ridge's in 1965 (Census Reporter). In Colorado the asbestos line is 32 square feet, and a 5x7 bathroom floor is 35, so the state's rule usually applies to even the smallest full bath in an older house.
Some of these bathrooms come with pink tile, a pink tub and a pink toilet, a color scheme last chosen on purpose around the moon landing. The tile is charming. The question is what's underneath it, and in Colorado that question gets answered by a certified inspector, before anything comes off the wall.
How long does a bathroom remodel take?
A small bathroom takes 23 days on average, Angi says, and the whole project runs two to three months once you count the planning and permits (Angi). Fixr says most bathroom remodels take two to four weeks of actual work (Fixr).
Demolition
1 to 2 days
Plumbing
2 to 3 days
Electrical
2 days
First inspection
1 day, plus the wait
Insulation
1 day
Drywall
3 days
Paint
1 to 2 days
Final inspection
1 day, plus the wait
Tile
2 days
Floors
2 days
Fixture hookups
1 day
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Demolition | 1 to 2 days |
| Plumbing | 2 to 3 days |
| Electrical | 2 days |
| First inspection | 1 day, plus the wait |
| Insulation | 1 day |
| Drywall | 3 days |
| Paint | 1 to 2 days |
| Final inspection | 1 day, plus the wait |
| Tile | 2 days |
| Floors | 2 days |
| Fixture hookups | 1 day |
Source: Angi. In Lakewood, the city's intake review of a permit application typically takes two to three days (Lakewood).
Twenty-three days is also about how long it takes a family of four to discover the house has exactly one other bathroom, and that it was never designed for this.
My post on how long a bathroom remodel takes goes week by week, with the inspections Lakewood requires and how long the waterproofing, mortar and grout need before anyone can shower.
Bathroom remodel checklist: what to decide before you get quotes
Decide the scope, the layout and the big fixtures before anyone prices the job, because a quote can only be as exact as the decisions behind it. Moving a fixture is the decision that moves the price the most.
Scope
What to settle: Refresh, partial or full
Why it matters: The tiers run from about $3,000 to $80,000 (Angi)
Layout
What to settle: Keep every fixture where it is, or move one
Why it matters: Moving a drain costs about twice what moving a supply line does
Tub or shower
What to settle: Keep the tub, or convert to a walk-in shower
Why it matters: A shower needs at least 30 by 30 inches; the NKBA recommends 36 by 36 (NKBA)
Tile
What to settle: Where it goes, and roughly what it costs a square foot
Why it matters: Retiling runs $10 to $50 a sq ft installed (Angi)
Ventilation
What to settle: A fan of at least 50 cfm vented outside, or an opening window
Why it matters: The NKBA guidelines say a fan must never vent into the attic
Outlets
What to settle: A GFCI outlet within 36 inches of the sink
Why it matters: Code requires it (NKBA)
Older house
What to settle: An asbestos test, and lead-safe work before 1978
Why it matters: Required, not optional, above the triggers
Contingency
What to settle: 10% to 20% set aside
Why it matters: For whatever is under the old floor (HomeGuide)
| Decision | What to settle | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Refresh, partial or full | The tiers run from about $3,000 to $80,000 (Angi) |
| Layout | Keep every fixture where it is, or move one | Moving a drain costs about twice what moving a supply line does |
| Tub or shower | Keep the tub, or convert to a walk-in shower | A shower needs at least 30 by 30 inches; the NKBA recommends 36 by 36 (NKBA) |
| Tile | Where it goes, and roughly what it costs a square foot | Retiling runs $10 to $50 a sq ft installed (Angi) |
| Ventilation | A fan of at least 50 cfm vented outside, or an opening window | The NKBA guidelines say a fan must never vent into the attic |
| Outlets | A GFCI outlet within 36 inches of the sink | Code requires it (NKBA) |
| Older house | An asbestos test, and lead-safe work before 1978 | Required, not optional, above the triggers |
| Contingency | 10% to 20% set aside | For whatever is under the old floor (HomeGuide) |
Pick the tile before demolition, not during it. Tile chosen while the old bathroom sits in a pile in the driveway gets chosen in a panic, and panic has very expensive taste.
Is a bathroom remodel worth it, and what is the 30% rule?
A midrange bathroom remodel recouped 80% of its cost at resale nationally in 2025, and an upscale one 42% (Cost vs Value). In Denver in 2024, the midrange bath got back 74.4% (Cost vs Value).
Midrange bath remodel, national 2025
Recouped
80%
$26,138 job, $20,915 added at resale
Midrange bath remodel, Denver 2024
Recouped
74.4%
$25,162 job
Universal design bath, national 2025
Recouped
61%
The 5x7 made wheelchair-accessible, $42,183
Upscale bath remodel, national 2025
Recouped
42%
$81,612 job
| Item | Recouped | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Midrange bath remodel, national 2025 | 80% | $26,138 job, $20,915 added at resale |
| Midrange bath remodel, Denver 2024 | 74.4% | $25,162 job |
| Universal design bath, national 2025 | 61% | The 5x7 made wheelchair-accessible, $42,183 |
| Upscale bath remodel, national 2025 | 42% | $81,612 job |
Source: Cost vs Value (Zonda), national 2025 and Denver 2024.
The "30% rule" says not to spend more than 30% of your home's value on one renovation. Contractor blogs repeat it, but the fullest one I read doesn't say where it came from (Pro Remodeling), and it isn't a bathroom rule anyway.
Treat it like the five-second rule. Everybody knows it, everybody repeats it with total confidence, and nobody has ever once checked it in a lab.
What I'd plan for in a west-metro bathroom
I'd plan for whatever is under the old floor. Nearly one in four homeowners in a 2026 This Old House survey ran into water damage during a remodel (This Old House), and a bathroom is where water has had the most time to try.
On a bathroom I'm one licensed contractor for the tile, the plumbing and the electrical, so there's no general contractor's fee stacked on top of three subcontractors' markups. I don't charge for drive time, and materials go on the bill at what I paid for them.
A customer named Amanda wrote after her bathroom remodel that I was "upfront about pricing, stayed within budget, and kept us updated as the work progressed." She'd gotten four other estimates first, and she called them "outrageous." I'll take that review over a heated towel bar any day.
Bathroom remodel cost FAQ
- How much does a bathroom remodel cost?
- The median bathroom project cost $15,000 in 2025, by Houzz's 2026 study. A major remodel, one that at least replaced the shower, cost $25,000 at the median.
- Can I remodel a bathroom for $5,000?
- Often, for a minor remodel of a small bathroom. Houzz's median minor remodel of a bathroom under 100 square feet was $5,000 in 2025. That buys a vanity, a toilet and new fixtures, not a new tub and tile.
- What is the 30% rule in remodeling?
- It's a contractor rule of thumb: don't spend more than 30% of your home's value on one renovation. Nobody repeating it says where it came from. A midrange bath remodel recouped 80% of its cost nationally in 2025, by Cost vs Value.
- How much does a walk-in shower cost at Home Depot?
- Home Depot doesn't publish one. Its tub-to-shower conversion page gives three ranges, the highest $12,500 to $18,000. Angi puts a walk-in shower at $4,200 to $8,500.
- Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom in Lakewood or Denver?
- In Lakewood, a bath remodel is its own building permit type. In Denver, like-for-like fixture swaps need no permit, but new or moved fixtures, new ductwork or a changed floor plan do.
- How long does a bathroom remodel take?
- A small bathroom takes 23 days on average, Angi says, and two to three months once you count the planning and permits.
Get a number for your own bathroom
My bathroom remodeling page covers what I take on, from a new vanity to a full remodel with the permit, and my tile installation page covers showers and floors. Or send me photos of your bathroom for a free estimate, and I'll tell you which of these budgets it really needs.
