Bath scope & cost builder
Sample dataA low, typical and high cost for a bathroom project from the room size and what you are actually changing — surfaces only, tub-to-shower, full gut in the same layout, or moving plumbing — with each line item, the trade behind it and the source for every price factor.
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How this works
- SAMPLE PRICES. The per-unit price ranges in this tool have not been sourced yet and must not be quoted as a market rate. They are a placeholder so the tool works end to end, and they stay in place until a licensed contractor in this trade or a published cost database supplies the table and the reviewer signs it off. The regional factors below are real.
- REAL DATA: the state factor is that state's median hourly wage divided by the national median, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025, for Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152, national median $30.67/hr); Carpenters (SOC 47-2031, national median $29.12/hr); Tile and Stone Setters (SOC 47-2044, national median $26.77/hr); and Electricians (SOC 47-2111, national median $30.38/hr). Where a state reports more than one of these trades, the factor is the average of their ratios; where BLS suppressed a trade in a state, the factor uses the trades it does report. It is applied only to the labour share you set below, which is itself an assumption you can change.
- How the arithmetic works: size × the per-unit range for the tier you pick, plus any add-ons, plus fixed costs — then the labour share of that total is multiplied by your state's wage factor and the rest is left alone. Every line is shown so you can see where the number came from.
- A low / typical / high range is the honest shape of this answer. Any single number is a guess dressed up. Use the range to tell whether a quote is inside the normal band, not to predict a price.
- It does not know your house. Access, condition, what is found once work starts, and what your local market is doing this month all move the real number, and none of them are in here.
- Use it to sanity-check a quote you already have, and to know roughly what to budget before anyone visits. Do not take it to a contractor as a price you expect to be matched.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 — state data file (the state median hourly wages behind every regional factor on this page)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OEWS May 2025 — national data file (the national medians the factors are divided by)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OEWS tables
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OEWS frequently asked questions and methodology
- BLS OEWS: Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), state and national wages
- BLS OEWS: Carpenters (SOC 47-2031), state and national wages
- BLS OEWS: Tile and Stone Setters (SOC 47-2044), state and national wages
- BLS OEWS: Electricians (SOC 47-2111), state and national wages
- Expert review
- Not yet reviewed
- Last verified
- September 18, 2026
An estimate, not a quote, and the per-unit prices in it are SAMPLE placeholders that have not been sourced — do not present them to a contractor as a market rate. The state wage factors are real BLS data. Only a contractor who has seen your house can price your job.
Common questions
What does the bath scope & cost builder do?
A low, typical and high cost for a bathroom project from the room size and what you are actually changing — surfaces only, tub-to-shower, full gut in the same layout, or moving plumbing — with each line item, the trade behind it and the source for every price factor.
Where do the numbers come from?
Until this tool is reviewed it uses sample assumptions. The sources it will cite are listed on this page.
Why are the prices marked SAMPLE?
Because we have not sourced them yet, and we would rather say so than publish a number that looks authoritative and is not. The regional wage factors are real — straight from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 data — but the per-unit prices are placeholders until a licensed contractor in this trade or a published cost database supplies them and our reviewer signs them off. When that happens this page will say so and the sample labels will go.
What does the state factor actually do?
It adjusts only the labour share of the estimate, using that state's median hourly wage for the relevant trades divided by the national median, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. Materials cost roughly the same everywhere; labour does not. The labour share itself is an assumption you can change.
Why a range instead of one number?
Because the honest answer to what this costs is a band. Two houses on the same street can differ by a third on access, condition and what turns up once work starts. A single number would be more satisfying and less true — and the range is what tells you whether the quote in your hand is normal.
Related guides
- What a bathroom remodel costs, by what you actually changeBathroom prices are set by scope, not by who you hire. The four scope levels, what each one triggers, and where two identical-looking quotes diverge.
- Bathroom demolition cost: what the demo line should coverBathroom demolition cost depends on what comes out, how the debris leaves and how old the house is. The lines a demo quote should list, and the lead and asbestos rules.
- Bathroom remodel financing: what each option puts at riskBathroom remodel financing compared: home equity, contractor loans, promo cards and FHA loans, what each puts at risk, and the rules that protect you.
- Bathroom remodel ideas, sorted by what each one touchesBathroom remodel ideas sorted from surface work to layout changes: what each one involves, which save water, and which bring permits and lead rules.
- Bathtub refinishing cost: what drives it and the safety ruleBathtub refinishing cost depends on prep, repairs and coverage. What reglazing is, what moves the price, and the stripper chemical that has killed refinishers.
- Bathtub replacement cost: what really moves the priceBathtub replacement cost depends less on the tub than on the tile, drain, valve, floor and permit around it. What a quote should cover, and cheaper routes.
- Cost to tile a bathroom: floor, walls, shower and the prep linesThe cost to tile a bathroom depends on which surfaces get tile, the tile you pick and the prep under it. The lines a tile quote should separate, and what to ask.
- Do you need a permit to remodel a bathroom?Which bathroom work typically needs a permit, which usually does not, why the contractor should pull it, and what unpermitted work does when you sell.
- How long does a bathroom remodel actually take?Realistic timelines by scope, why the calendar is longer than the working days, and the two things that cause almost every overrun.
- How to remodel a bathroom: the order of work, step by stepHow to remodel a bathroom in the right order: scope, quotes, licence, permit, demolition, rough-in, inspection, tile, fixtures, and which steps to DIY.
- Master bathroom remodel cost: what makes it biggerMaster bathroom remodel cost grows with fixture count, tile area and add-ons like heated floors. What drives the price, and how to keep quotes comparable.
- Powder room remodel cost: fixtures, finishes and the plumbingPowder room remodel cost comes down to the fixtures, the finishes and whether any plumbing moves. What a half bath quote should separate, and when a permit applies.
- Shower replacement cost: what moves the price and what to get itemisedShower replacement cost: the lines a fair quote should separate, from tear-out and waterproofing to the valve, door and permit, and what to agree before work starts.
- Shower valve replacement cost: access, parts and scaldsShower valve replacement cost depends on whether only the cartridge changes or the valve body, and how the plumber reaches it. Plus the scald rule to ask about.
- Small bathroom remodel cost: why a small room saves lessA 35 sq ft bathroom is not half the price of a 70 sq ft one. Which costs scale with size, which do not, and where a small room is genuinely cheaper.
- Small bathroom remodel: the layout rules to know firstPlanning a small bathroom remodel? The clearances codes set around a toilet, sink and shower, which layout moves are cheap, and what to ask a contractor.
- Toilet replacement cost: what changes the bill, and savingsToilet replacement cost depends on the toilet, the plumber and what's under the old one. What a quote should include, and what a WaterSense model saves.
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