Bathroom Remodel Cost Calculator
A line-item estimate, not a marketing range. Every number is sourced from public BLS wage data and retail pricing — and every line shows you exactly how we got there.
Your bathroom
Half bath ≈ 20 sq ft · Hall bath ≈ 40 sq ft · Primary bath ≈ 80+ sq ft
Drives hidden-cost risk model (plumbing, wiring, lead/asbestos).
Moving drain/supply lines adds ~80% to plumbing labor.
Brand-name fixtures (Delta/Moen/Kohler), porcelain tile, semi-custom vanity
Adjustments
Covers insurance, project management, warranty callbacks. 15–25% is standard. Zero overhead is a red flag, not a deal.
Your estimated total
$11,020
Likely range $9,367 – $13,223
Demolition
$253
Plumbing
$304
Electrical
$216
Waterproofing
$372
Tile
$1,567
Fixtures
$2,357
Finish
$172
Line-item estimate
Click any row to see the math and data source.
Hidden-cost risk factors
Based on your year-built and site conditions. Each is weighted by probability in the total above.
Galvanized supply lines in pre-1990 home
$3,200 · 35% likely
Galvanized steel was the dominant residential supply-line material from the 1930s into the early 1980s. When walls open up for a bathroom remodel in a pre-1990 home, contractors find corroded galvanized lines about 35% of the time. Tying new copper or PEX into a corroded galvanized trunk almost always fails, so a partial replumb (hot/cold to shower, lavatory, toilet) is the usual outcome. HUD AHS shows ~58% of US housing was built pre-1990 — this risk is widespread.
Rotted subfloor around toilet flange (no prior visible leak)
$800 · 22% likely
Slow wax-ring failures are invisible from above but cause localized subfloor rot around the toilet flange in roughly 22% of toilet removals during gut renovations. Damage is usually confined to a 2-4 sq ft area, so a localized patch + new flange runs $350-$800; broader joist rot is uncommon but can push costs to $2,000.
Second-floor joist reinforcement for heavy fixtures
$2,500 · 8% likely
Adding a cast-iron tub (1,200+ lbs filled) or large mud-bed shower to an upper-floor bathroom often exceeds L/360 deflection limits on older 2x8 joists spanning 12+ ft. Structural engineers flag the need for sistering in 15-25% of upper-floor cases involving heavy fixtures. Because the engine does not yet check floor level or fixture weight, this factor is pre-weighted to an ~0.08 average probability across all homes; a later engine pass should split it on explicit triggers.
Inadequate service panel capacity for added fixtures
$1,800 · 37% likely
Pre-1990 homes frequently operate on 100-amp service panels, which are often near capacity from HVAC and kitchen loads. Adding modern bathroom features (heated floor mat 800-1500W, towel warmer, new lighting circuits) tips the load calculation into needing a subpanel or service upgrade in roughly 35-40% of cases. Subpanel ~$500-$1,500 if main panel has headroom; 100->200A upgrade ~$1,500-$4,000.
Failed waterproofing requiring scope expansion to full pan rebuild
$3,000 · 15% likely
Shower waterproofing membranes have a 10-20 year effective life. When a homeowner plans a cosmetic re-tile and the old tile is removed, demolition reveals compromised pan or membrane in 35-45% of showers older than 15 years, forcing scope expansion to a full pan rebuild ($1,500-$6,000 added). Most ClearQuote users are doing full gut remodels (where this is already baked into the base estimate), so the factor is pre-weighted to ~0.15 average probability across all user scenarios. A later engine pass should split out a true re-tile-only scenario.
Labor rates: BLS OEWS May 2024 (verified). Material prices, labor-time standards, and risk factors currently use seeded sample data — see /data/changelog for freshness.
Frequently asked
The questions homeowners actually ask us when they're deep in a bathroom remodel decision.
Why does your number disagree with the other cost calculators?
Most cost calculators publish a range like '$6,000–$25,000.' That's not wrong — bathroom remodels really do span that range — but it's also not useful. Our tool builds the estimate from the bottom up: BLS-published labor rates for your state or metro, retail material prices per tier, published labor-time standards, and a risk model tied to your home's age. You can click any line to see exactly where the number comes from. When we disagree with another calculator, it's because we're showing you the math and they aren't.
How accurate are the labor rates?
The hourly wages for plumbers, electricians, tile setters, and every other trade come straight from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 release. These are government-published survey medians — the most rigorous public wage data that exists. We cover all 50 states plus ~380 metropolitan areas. When your metro isn't in the dataset, we fall back to state averages and tell you that in the estimate.
What about material prices?
Material prices are captured from live retail listings at Home Depot, Lowe's, Ferguson, Floor & Decor, Tile Shop, Kohler, KB Authority, and Visual Comfort as of April 2026. Every line item links to the source SKU, and we record the specific product (not just a category average) so you can click through and verify. When a retailer blocks direct price capture, we cross-check against authorized resellers and publish the source we used.
Why does GC overhead show up as its own line — and why is it 22%?
Because a contractor's overhead & profit is real money that has to come from somewhere, and pretending it's invisible doesn't help you negotiate. 15–25% is the standard range for residential remodeling. That covers workers' comp, liability insurance, project management, warranty callbacks, and the contractor's salary. A contractor who quotes you with zero visible overhead is either losing money, cutting insurance/permits/employee protections, or hiding the markup inside inflated line items. None of those are deals.
Why does year built change my number so much?
Homes built before 1990 have a meaningfully higher probability of needing plumbing or electrical code upgrades when walls come open — galvanized supply lines that need replacement, panels that can't support added GFCI circuits, ventilation that doesn't meet current code. Homes built before 1978 may trigger lead paint disclosure requirements. Pre-1940 construction often hides joist, subfloor, or knob-and-tube wiring surprises. We price these as probability-weighted risk adjustments, not flat add-ons — so a 1968 home doesn't automatically pay for galvanized replacement, it pays a fraction of the replacement cost scaled by how likely it actually is.
Can I DIY parts of this to save money?
Some of it, yes. Demolition, painting, and accessory install (mirrors, towel bars, hardware) are reasonable for a handy homeowner. Plumbing rough-in, electrical work, and shower waterproofing are not — code compliance, liability insurance, and long-term failure risk make those jobs where DIY savings usually evaporate into rework costs. DIY-toggle inputs are on our v2 roadmap; for now, budget the labor for everything except the four areas listed above.
Is this number what a contractor will actually quote me?
It's the honest middle of the distribution. Individual contractors vary by ±20% for reasons that have nothing to do with your project: their current backlog, their crew's utilization, your neighborhood, whether they like the look of the job. That's why we recommend getting at least three quotes, and comparing them against the line-item breakdown here. Lines missing from a contractor quote are the ones to ask about — that's how you catch hidden exclusions before signing.
How do I use this to negotiate?
Print or screenshot your estimate and bring it to contractor meetings. Ask them to walk through your line items one by one and tell you which they agree with, which are off, and why. A good contractor will meet you on the math; a bad one will try to move you to a flat price so you can't check the numbers. The conversation itself is usually more valuable than the delta — you'll learn whether you're hiring someone who understands the scope or someone who's guessing.
Data freshness: Labor rates are BLS OEWS May 2024 (verified). Material prices captured April 2026 from live retail listings at Home Depot, Lowe's, Ferguson, Floor & Decor, Tile Shop, Kohler, and Visual Comfort. Labor-time standards and hidden-cost risk factors are still seeded sample data anchored to NAHB/Craftsman references. We publish every update at /data/changelog.