Plan a bathroom remodel with the right licensed contractor

Who should I hire for a bathroom remodel?

For a full remodel, most homeowners hire one contractor who runs the whole job. When a single contract covers more than two unrelated kinds of work, such as plumbing, electrical and carpentry, the Contractors State License Board points people to a B, General Building contractor, who may bring in licensed specialty trades. CSLB explains this on its page What Type of Contractor Do I Need?

A smaller job can go straight to one trade. Swapping a toilet or a faucet is plumbing work; adding a light or an outlet is electrical work. If the job is only tile, a tile contractor may be the right fit. The question to settle first is how many trades the project really touches.

The license rule itself is short: in California, work of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, or any work that needs a permit, needs a licensed contractor (CSLB bulletin on AB 2622). Our page on checking a contractor's license walks through the lookup step by step.

Can a tub be turned into a walk-in shower?

Usually, yes, and it is one of the most common bathroom requests. Taking out a tub opens up the floor, so the drain often has to move and be reset for a shower pan, and the valve on the wall is typically replaced with one made for a shower. If you want a curbless entry, the floor may need to be lowered or built up so water runs to the drain instead of across the room.

A few things shape the job. Where the existing drain sits under the floor, whether the house has a slab or a crawl space, and what is inside the wall behind the valve all matter. A contractor can only answer those once the old tub and wall surface are opened up, so expect some decisions to wait until demolition.

It is also worth thinking about who uses the room. A low or no-step entry, a handheld shower head, a bench and blocking in the walls for future grab bars are easy to add while the walls are open and hard to add later.

What is behind the tile, and why does it matter?

Tile and grout are not waterproof on their own. Water gets through grout lines and soaks into whatever is behind them, so a shower depends on a waterproof layer under the tile: a sheet or liquid membrane over cement board, or a traditional mortar bed with a liner in the shower floor. When that layer is missing or has a gap, the wall framing and subfloor stay wet for years before anything shows on the surface.

Ask the contractor which waterproofing system they plan to use, how they handle corners, niches and the joint where the floor meets the wall, and whether the shower pan gets a flood test before tile goes on. A flood test means plugging the drain, filling the pan with water and checking a day later that the level has not dropped. It costs a little time and catches leaks while they are still easy to fix.

Does a bathroom need an exhaust fan?

A bathroom with a tub or shower needs a way to get moist air out, and a working exhaust fan is the usual answer. California's energy code lists 50 cubic feet per minute for a bathroom fan that runs when someone switches it on, and 20 cubic feet per minute for one that runs all the time; the California Energy Commission shows these rates on its local mechanical exhaust compliance form.

In older homes the fan is often too weak, very loud, or vented into the attic instead of outside. Mold on the ceiling and peeling paint are common signs. A remodel is a good time to replace it, run the duct to the outside and pick a quiet model people will actually turn on.

Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom?

Often, yes. Remodels that move plumbing, add circuits, change the fan or open walls commonly call for a building permit and inspections, while replacing a vanity top or painting may not. Each city sets its own lines, so check with your city's building department, or write into the contract that the contractor pulls the permit and schedules the inspections. Bay Area cities each run their own permit center, and in Dallas–Fort Worth each city does too. In Texas, ask also who holds the plumbing license for the new shower valve and drains: plumbers there are licensed by the State Board of Plumbing Examiners, not by CSLB. Our Texas checking notes cover the city registration side.

Inspections often happen in stages: once the new pipes and wires are in and the walls are still open, and again at the end. Skipping the permit can surface later, when you sell the house or file an insurance claim.

What to have ready before you call

• What you want to change: the shower or tub, the vanity, the toilet, the floor, the lighting, or all of it.
• Whether anything needs to move, such as the toilet to another wall or a second sink, since moving drains changes the job the most.
• Rough measurements of the room and a few photos of each wall and the floor.
• Any signs of water damage now: soft floor near the toilet, loose tile, stains on the ceiling below, a musty smell.
• Whether the house sits on a slab or over a crawl space, if you know.
• Whether this is the only bathroom in the home, so the schedule can plan for a working toilet.
• Pictures or links to fixtures and tile you like, even if you have not decided.

Questions to ask a bathroom contractor

• Which license do you hold, and which trades will your own crew do versus subcontractors?
• What waterproofing will go behind the tile and under the shower floor, and will you flood-test the pan?
• Who orders the fixtures and tile, and what happens if something arrives damaged or late?
• How will you protect the rest of the house from dust, and where will debris go?
• What happens to the price and the schedule if you find rot or old leaks once the walls are open?

Put the answers into the written contract, with any changes in written change orders. Our guide to the home improvement contract in California covers what the contract has to include, the cap on the down payment and your right to cancel.

What we do, and what we don't

Contractor Near Me takes free requests for bathroom projects. After you send yours, we call or email to go over what you want done, which kind of licensed contractor fits it and what to ask before you sign. We are not a contractor and hold no contractor's license. We do not demolish, plumb, wire or tile, we give no prices or dates, and we do not recommend or stand behind any company. Look up each contractor's license on CSLB's Check A License page before you hire.

Sources: Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, home page; CSLB, What Type of Contractor Do I Need?; CSLB, AB 2622 minor work exemption bulletin (2024); California Energy Commission, 2022 CF2R-MCH-32-H Local Mechanical Exhaust; CSLB, Check A License.