Frequently Asked Questions

Usually, yes. Florida law requires a permit before a structure is built, altered or repaired, and Pompano Beach's checklist says the installation, alteration or major repair of a bathroom requires permits, generally with separate building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical applications filed by licensed contractors. Purely cosmetic work such as painting may not, but confirm with the city's building department for your scope.

National cost guides put most projects between about $6,700 and $17,700, with HomeAdvisor citing an average around $12,150. HomeGuide lists a full remodel of a small 5-by-7-foot bathroom at about $8,800 to $17,500 and a large primary bath with high-end finishes at $30,000 to $60,000. Condo requirements, layout changes and finishes move the number. We give a written price after seeing the room.

In most Pompano Beach condos, yes. The city's remodel checklist asks for an association approval letter for the scope of work on anything other than a single-family home, and many associations also set work hours, elevator reservations, insurance requirements and rules for flooring underlayment. Get the association's renovation form early, since approval can take weeks.

It ranges from replacing the vanity, toilet, lighting and flooring in the existing layout to taking the room down to the studs and slab and rebuilding it, sometimes moving the shower, toilet or walls. A tub-to-shower conversion sits in the middle. Your estimate spells out which of these your project is.

A vanity or flooring update can take a few days. A full remodel commonly takes several weeks of work once permits and approvals are in hand, with time built in for inspections and for waterproofing and grout to cure. Condo approvals and permit review can add time before work starts, so we give you a schedule with the estimate.

Control the moisture. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent and running a fan during and after showers. In a remodel, an exhaust fan vented to the outside, a waterproofed shower with a floor that drains fully, and wet-area grout and caulk make the biggest difference.

Yes. Common changes are a low-threshold or curbless shower in place of the tub, grab bars anchored into wall blocking, a comfort-height toilet, a handheld shower, a fold-down seat, lever handles and slip-resistant floor tile. These can be done as a standalone project or as part of a full remodel.

HomeGuide lists full remodels at about $250 to $500 per square foot, which works out to roughly $8,800 to $17,500 for a small 5-by-7-foot bathroom and $30,000 to $60,000 for a large primary bath with high-end finishes. Moving fixtures, slab work and condo requirements add cost. We give a written price after seeing the room.

The work itself commonly takes several weeks, including time for inspections and for waterproofing and grout to cure. Association approval and permit review come before that. Your estimate includes a schedule.

Often, but it matters where the drains run. In a slab-on-grade house, moving a drain means cutting the concrete. In a condo, drains usually connect to shared risers, so the association has a say. We tell you at the estimate which moves are practical.

Older bathrooms often hide rot, rust or old leak damage. We show you what we find, explain the repair, and price it in writing before doing it.

An outdated or damaged bathroom stands out in listing photos and inspections. Whether a full remodel or a lighter update makes more sense depends on the condition of the room and your timeline; we can price both.

HomeGuide puts most conversions at about $2,000 to $12,000, averaging around $7,000, with prefab stalls from $1,000 to $8,000 and custom tiled showers from $3,500 to $15,000. Drain relocation, a curbless entry and glass add to the total. We give a written price after seeing the bathroom.

It depends on the buyers in your market. Many condo buyers in Pompano Beach prefer a walk-in shower, while families with young children may look for at least one tub. If it is the only tub in the home, weigh how long you plan to stay.

Sometimes. A curbless entry needs the shower floor recessed so it drains properly, and recessing over a concrete slab is limited by the slab and by what the association allows. We check the floor and the association's rules before recommending it.

A prefab conversion can be done in a few days of work. A tiled shower takes longer because the waterproofing is flood-tested and the tile and grout need time to set. Permit inspections add scheduled stops.

Yes, if there is solid backing in the wall. We add blocking behind the tile during the conversion so bars can be anchored securely now or in the future.

HomeGuide lists installed walk-in showers from about $1,000 to $15,000: prefab fiberglass or acrylic toward the low end, custom tile from $3,500 to $15,000. Forbes Home puts the average project around $6,641. Glass, a linear drain and a bench add to the total.

Usually because the shower stays wet: poor slope, water trapped behind the tile, or a fan that does not clear the moisture. Cleaning helps for a while, but a shower that holds water needs the pan or ventilation fixed.

It can be, if the shower is long enough for water to stay inside and the floor slopes away from the opening. In smaller bathrooms a fixed panel or hinged door is more practical. We check the dimensions at the estimate.

We install a continuous waterproofing membrane tied into the drain, then fill the pan with water and check for leaks before any tile goes on. The plumbing is also inspected under the permit before walls are closed.

HomeGuide lists premade vanities at about $400 to $1,700 installed and custom vanities at $1,000 to $4,000. Moving plumbing, a stone top or patching floor tile add to that. We give a written price after seeing the space.

Yes, if the new cabinet covers the same footprint or the floor runs under the old one. If the floor tile was cut around the old cabinet and the new one is smaller or wall-mounted, the gap has to be patched. We check before you choose.

Plywood or solid wood boxes, and thermofoil or PVC cabinets, resist swelling better than raw particleboard. A wall-mounted vanity also keeps the cabinet off a wet floor.

A same-size swap is often done in a day. Moving plumbing, custom tops that need templating, or wall repairs can stretch it over several days.

It depends on scope. Single changes are modest: grab bars run about $100 to $350 each installed and a comfort-height toilet about $500 to $1,350. A roll-in or curbless shower conversion runs about $2,900 to $6,600, more if structural work is needed. We price each change separately so you can decide what to do now.

Common locations are inside the shower on the back and control walls, beside the toilet, and at the shower entry. The right spots depend on the person and the room; with blocking in the walls, bars can go wherever they are most useful.

A curbless shower lets someone walk or roll in without a step and works with a seat and handheld spray. A walk-in tub suits people who want to soak, but you still step over a low threshold and wait for it to fill and drain while seated. Most aging-in-place projects use a low-entry or curbless shower.

Usually. A non-load-bearing wall is the simpler case; a load-bearing wall needs a properly sized header and costs more. A pocket door can also gain usable width without swinging into the room.

HomeGuide lists bathroom floors of 40 to 160 square feet at about $400 to $8,000, and Inch Calculator puts installed bathroom floor tile at about $10 to $25 per square foot. Old tile removal, leveling and sound-rated underlayment in condos add to that.

Pompano Beach's remodel checklist asks units on the second level and above for a sound test report showing the installed floor meets at least STC 50 and IIC 50, and many associations add their own underlayment rules. We confirm both before choosing materials.

It is possible when the old tile is flat and firmly bonded, but it raises the floor height at doors and fixtures and hides whatever is underneath. In most remodels we remove the old tile so the base can be checked and corrected.

Matte or textured porcelain is less slippery when wet than polished tile, and smaller tiles with more grout lines give more grip, which is why they are common on shower floors.