Bathroom Remodeling
The smallest room in the house and the least forgiving. We build the part you cannot see properly.
The short answer
Most bathrooms run two to five weeks, limited by waterproofing and mortar cure times that cannot be rushed. The part that decides whether the room lasts is invisible: a membrane system over a pre-sloped base, flood-tested before tile. Ventilation matters nearly as much — an undersized fan, or one ducted into the attic rather than outside, will grow mold on brand-new work within a couple of Puget Sound winters.
Bathrooms are small, which fools people into thinking they are simple. They are the most technically demanding room in a house per square foot, because they are the only room where a mistake you cannot see will quietly destroy the structure around it.
What we do
Full bathroom remodels, primary suites, guest and hall baths, powder rooms, and tub-to-shower conversions. Tiled showers built as complete waterproofed assemblies, curbless and linear-drain showers, heated floors, vanities and stone tops, tile floors and walls, lighting, ventilation and finish work.
The thing that matters most is invisible
When a shower fails, it almost always fails underneath the tile rather than at it. Grout is porous. Tile is a finish. The waterproofing is a membrane system beneath everything, and it either was installed as a complete system with its own corners and pipe collars over a properly pre-sloped base, or it was not.
We flood-test shower pans before any tile is set. If you take one thing from this page, ask every contractor bidding your bathroom whether they do that and for how long. Here is the full explanation of how a shower is actually built — it is the most useful thing on this website if you are about to spend money on a bathroom.
Ventilation is the other half
In this climate, an undersized or improperly ducted bath fan will produce mold on a brand-new remodel within a couple of winters. A fan that vents into an attic rather than outside — which we find regularly in older homes here — is actively depositing your shower into your roof structure. It is a cheap fix during a remodel and an expensive one afterward.
What drives the timeline
Most bathrooms run two to five weeks. Waterproofing membranes and mortar both need cure time, and there is no way to buy that time back. Beyond that, the variables are whether the plumbing moves, whether the subfloor needs correcting, whether a permit is required, and how long your tile and fixtures take to arrive. We schedule around material delivery rather than hoping.
Older homes
Opening a bathroom in a pre-1980 home is where surprises live: original mud-set showers over lead or copper pans, framing that has been wet long enough to have softened, drains in positions that will not accept a modern assembly, and subfloor that is nowhere near flat. We write estimates after we look, and we put contingencies in writing rather than saving them for a change order.
Bathroom remodeling by city
SeattleBellevueRentonAll service areas →
Worth reading before you start
What drives the cost of a bathroom remodel here · What to expect, week by week · Seven signs your shower is leaking behind the tile · Are heated floors worth it in the PNW? · Making a small bathroom feel bigger
What a bathroom project covers
Waterproofed shower assemblies
Pre-sloped base, a single manufacturer’s membrane system with matching corners and collars, and a flood test before tile.
Curbless & linear drain
Level-entry showers where the floor structure allows it. We assess joists and recess depth before quoting, not after.
Tile & natural stone
Floors, walls, niches, benches and slab surrounds. Layout planned for veining and cuts before anything is set.
Heated floors
Electric mat or cable with thermostat, circuit and a self-leveling pour. Best decided before the floor is opened.
Vanities & countertops
Stock, semi-custom and custom vanities with stone or quartz tops, templated and installed by us.
Ventilation & lighting
Correctly sized fans ducted to the exterior, plus lighting and code-compliant circuits.
Questions we get
How long does a bathroom remodel take?
Most run two to five weeks. Waterproofing and mortar need cure time that cannot be rushed, and the rest depends on whether plumbing moves, whether the subfloor needs work, and how quickly your tile and fixtures arrive.
How do I know my shower was waterproofed correctly?
Ask whether the pan was flood-tested before tile, which membrane system was used by name, and whether the base was pre-sloped beneath the membrane. Vague answers to those three questions are the warning. We explain all of it on our shower waterproofing page.
Can you convert a tub to a walk-in shower?
Yes, and it is one of the most common projects we do. The work is mostly in the pan and waterproofing not the visible finish. Whether it can be curbless depends on the floor structure underneath.
Do I need a permit for a bathroom remodel?
In King County, generally yes if plumbing is being moved or electrical circuits altered, and generally no for a like-for-like cosmetic replacement. Our guide to King County remodel permits covers the specifics.
My bathroom smells musty after a previous remodel. What causes that?
Most often a bath fan that is undersized or ducted into the attic rather than outside, which is extremely common in older homes here. Sometimes it is water getting past failed waterproofing. Both are worth diagnosing before you finish anything new over the top of them.
How much does a bathroom remodel cost?
We do not publish price ranges — what is behind the walls decides this far more than the size of the room. A cosmetic refresh and a full rebuild with new waterproofing are different projects. We give free written estimates that separate demo and prep from the finish work.
Before you hire anyone for tile work
Two pages worth reading first — they will tell you more about a bid than the bid will.
How a shower is actually waterproofed →What tile costs in the Seattle area →Planning a bathroom?
Free written estimate, and a straight answer about what is likely behind your walls.