Remodeling
Bathroom Remodel Cost Calculator — California
Two bathrooms of identical size can differ several times over in price. The split comes down to finish level and whether you move plumbing — everything else is comparatively minor.
Figures on this page use California wage and material price data.
- Construction laborers: $28.98/hr median ($23.15–$37.75 middle half)
- Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters: $35.01/hr median ($28.36–$48.17 middle half)
- Carpenters: $36.50/hr median ($28.72–$46.07 middle half)
- Tile and stone setters: $28.31/hr median ($22.86–$35.61 middle half)
- Glaziers: $30.79/hr median ($27.69–$44.25 middle half)
- Electricians: $36.62/hr median ($28.50–$49.52 middle half)
- Drywall installers: $31.67/hr median ($26.83–$40.95 middle half)
- Painters: $28.38/hr median ($22.85–$35.11 middle half)
- Cement masons and concrete finishers: $30.15/hr median ($24.73–$40.42 middle half)
Title 24 ventilation requirements and seismic strapping on water heaters add line items that most other states do not have, and CalGreen requires low-flow fixtures on any replacement.
What to order
| Line item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Demolition to the studs Fixtures, tile, backer and drywall out of the wet area. | $740 | $2,400 |
| Dumpster and debris disposal | $370 | $615 |
| Plumber: set toilet, sink and faucet | $365 | $925 |
| Toilet and faucet | $340 | $770 |
| Vanity with top and sink | $635 | $1,050 |
| Carpenter: vanity, mirror and accessories | $200 | $810 |
| Mirror, accessories and paint | $230 | $425 |
| Floor tile, thinset and grout Priced on the whole floor area, including waste. | $140 | $280 |
| Tile setter: floor | $295 | $730 |
| Wall tile, backer board and waterproofing Per sq ft of tiled wall — about 60 sq ft around a tub, 77 in a walk-in shower. | $385 | $665 |
| Tile setter: walls, backer and waterproofing | $810 | $2,300 |
| Plumber: shower valve and rough-in | $280 | $770 |
| Shower valve and trim | $150 | $380 |
| Bathtub Steel or acrylic, enameled composite, then cast iron. | $370 | $435 |
| Plumber: set tub | $270 | $925 |
| Semi-frameless glass door | $475 | $645 |
| Glazier: door installation | $135 | $565 |
| Electrician: GFCI circuit, exhaust fan and lighting | $500 | $2,000 |
| Exhaust fan, lighting and wiring | $410 | $555 |
| Drywall: hang and finish Moisture-resistant board outside the tiled area; taping takes several visits. | $345 | $1,050 |
| Moisture-resistant drywall | $55 | $65 |
| Painter | $220 | $900 |
| Permits and inspections Building, plumbing, electrical and usually mechanical for the exhaust fan. | $375 | $685 |
| General contractor overhead and profit Scheduling, supervision, insurance and profit on everything above. | $2,850 | $9,950 |
| Total | $10,950 | $29,900 |
Compare real quotes in California
This is a research estimate. Actual pricing depends on your site conditions, so get at least three quotes from licensed pros and ask each to itemize against the line items above — that is the fastest way to see why two bids differ.
What drives the price
Moving plumbing is the decision that sets your budget
Keeping the toilet, vanity and shower drain where they are lets a crew work inside existing walls and floor penetrations. Relocating them means re-running drain and vent to code slope, and on a concrete slab, cutting and re-pouring the floor. Dallas remodelers publish $2,000 to $8,000 per fixture moved on a slab; on a framed floor it is usually a fraction of that.
Finish level changes every line differently
Finish is not one multiplier. Across Floor & Decor’s ranges, median floor tile runs from under a dollar a square foot for ceramic to about $8 for stone, and toilets run from about $100 to $1,000 — yet a cast-iron tub costs only about twice a steel one. Stone and large-format tile also take longer to set flat, so the high end adds labor as well as material.
Waterproofing is where cheap bids hide
A proper shower assembly, whether sheet membrane or liquid-applied over a sloped bed, costs real money and is invisible when finished. Bids that come in far under the others are frequently light here. Ask specifically which waterproofing system is quoted.
What a general contractor costs — and what managing it yourself saves
Remodelers keep about 30% of revenue after paying for labor, subcontractors and materials, according to the National Association of Home Builders — roughly a 43% markup on the work itself, covering scheduling, supervision, insurance and profit. Managing the trades yourself doesn’t save all of it: trades often charge individuals more, and scheduling, sequencing and no-shows become your problem. Owner-managers typically keep half to two-thirds of the contractor’s margin, which is what the self-managed option here assumes — roughly 15–20% below a contractor-run job.
Permits in California
Los Angeles issues one combined permit for home alterations, priced by job value with 26% added for each of plumbing and electrical and 13% for mechanical — about $380 to $680 for most full remodels. Only painting and papering are exempt; tile work is not.
Sources
- Craftsman 2026 National Home Improvement Estimator (free preview); RateYourPlumber · 2026 edition Demolition rates for drywall and mortar-set tile, plus 2–4 hours to remove a cast-iron tub — about 10–20 worker-hours to take a bathroom to the studs.
- Budget Dumpster; HomeGuide · 2026 10-yard dumpster rental averages $350–$582.
- Craftsman 2026 National Plumbing & HVAC Estimator; public housing maintenance schedules (Butte County, NYCHA) · 2025–2026 Toilet 2–3 hours, sink and faucet 2–3, alcove tub 2.5–3.5 (cast iron more), new rough-in 1.75–2.45 per fixture, which runs 1.25–1.5 times longer in a remodel than in new construction.
- Retail prices: Floor & Decor, Ace Hardware, American Standard, Delta, James Martin, Home Depot · September 19, 2026 Priced separately for budget, mid-range and high-end finishes — e.g. floor tile at a median $0.79, $2.99 and $8.31 per sq ft across Floor & Decor’s ceramic, porcelain and stone ranges; toilets from $99 to $996.
- Craftsman 2026 National Construction and Painting estimators; NYCHA and Butte County maintenance schedules · 2025–2026 Vanity cabinet 0.75–1.5 hours, mirror 0.4, each accessory 0.25–0.75, drywall 0.018–0.020 hours per sq ft, and 3–8 hours to paint a bathroom.
- Tile installation rates: TileForeman, EstimationPro · 2026 Floor tile 0.10–0.16 worker-hours per sq ft in small rooms; wall and shower tile 1.3–1.6 times floor; large-format and stone 1.2–1.5 times; a shower pan 2–7 hours. Contractor sources.
- DreamLine shower door installation manuals · 2021–2023 About 1.5 hours for a framed or sliding door; frameless glass takes longer.
- Field PM electrical labor units; Craftsman 2026 National Construction Estimator · 2026 GFCI 0.6 hours and recessed light 0.7 in new work, 1.2–1.5 times that in a remodel. Hours for a new circuit (3–6) and a ducted fan (2–5) are estimates with no published standard — low confidence.
- Plastics Pipe Institute, PEX Design Guide, 2nd edition, chapter 7 · November 2013 23–68 feet of supply pipe and 1.5–2.2 fittings per fixture across four model homes, used with retail prices to build per-fixture material costs.
- Fixture relocation prices: UHS Remodeling (Dallas), Y2 Design Build (Columbus), Fixr · 2026 Moving a fixture on a slab adds $2,000–$8,000 each; on a framed floor about $550–$4,100. Used to set the extra slab work per moved fixture.
- Los Angeles Municipal Code §91.107 (combined permit for one- and two-family alterations) · codified 2018; CPI-adjusted each July One combined permit: the valuation-based building fee plus 26% each for electrical and plumbing and 13% for mechanical, with 9% surcharges. Only painting and papering are exempt — tile work is not.
- NAHB Remodelers’ Cost of Doing Business Study (via Eye on Housing); Craftsman 2026 remodeling estimators · 2024 data, published April 2026 Remodelers’ average gross margin was 29.9% of revenue — a 42.7% markup on job cost. Craftsman’s remodeling estimators use 45% overhead and profit, and up to 70% on small jobs.
- BuildingAdvisor, Be Your Own Contractor · retrieved September 2026 Managing trades yourself typically saves half to two-thirds of the contractor’s gross profit, and real savings are often closer to 10% than 20%. Applied to the 35–50% markup above, the rest — 12–25% of the work — is the extra cost of running it yourself.
- Standard fixture dimensions · 2026 A 60×30-inch alcove tub tiled to 6 feet is about 60 sq ft of wall; a 3×5-foot walk-in shower tiled to 7 feet on three walls is about 77; a separate tub and shower about 95.
- Trade rates: Y2 Design Build (Columbus), Fab’s Remodeling (Miami) · 2026 Tile setters $50–$75 and plumbers $65–$95 an hour in Columbus; plumbers $95–$150 and electricians $75–$125 in Miami. Each midpoint over the local median wage for that trade gives 2.6–4.8; the middle value, 3.2, is the trade markup.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · May 2025 Hourly wages by state: 25th percentile (low), median (typical), 75th percentile (high).
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities (goods) · 2024 State price level for goods, applied to material costs.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a bathroom remodel take?
Columbus remodelers publish two to four weeks for a cosmetic refresh and five to eight weeks for a full bath on the same layout. Moving plumbing and waiting on permits and inspections add to that.
What should I budget beyond this estimate?
Set money aside for what opening the walls reveals — rot, old wiring, out-of-square framing. Bathrooms hide water damage better than any other room, and older houses hide more of it.
Does a bathroom remodel add resale value?
Mid-range bathroom remodels have historically recovered a meaningful share of their cost at resale, and high-end remodels recover proportionally less. Treat any recovery figure as market-specific rather than a rule.
Can I remodel a bathroom without a permit?
It depends on the city. Houston exempts painting, tiling, cabinets and countertops; Los Angeles exempts only painting and papering; Columbus requires a permit for any bath remodel. Moving plumbing or adding a circuit needs a permit almost everywhere, and unpermitted work can surface during a future sale.