How to remodel a bathroom in the right order

The case: a 5-by-8 hall bath with a tub

Every number below belongs to one room. The bath is 5 by 8 feet with an 8-foot ceiling. A 60-by-30-inch alcove tub with a shower head fills the 5-foot end wall, and the toilet and a 30-inch vanity share the long wall. The door is 30 by 80 inches. The layout stays put, and that decision is what keeps the job at this price.

The floor is 12-by-24 porcelain, 27.5 sq ft once the tub footprint is subtracted. The surround is 3-by-6 ceramic on three walls, from the tub rim (about 14-1/4 inches up) to 84 inches above the floor, 58.1 sq ft in all; the code minimum is 6 feet above the floor (IRC R307.2). The other walls and the ceiling get 1/2-inch mold and moisture resistant drywall.

Check clearances before buying anything. IRC P2705.1 wants the toilet centered at least 15 inches from any side wall or vanity, with 21 inches clear in front. In a 5-foot-wide room those numbers decide whether toilet and vanity can share a wall.

What order do you remodel a bathroom in?

Work from the structure out to the finishes, twelve steps in all. Each step ends with the check that tells you it is done right. Nothing gets covered until it has been tested and inspected (2021 IRC P2503.2). Code sections on this page are from the 2021 IRC; your city may have adopted another edition or local amendments.

1. 1. Plan, order and apply for permits

   Draw the room to scale, pick every product, confirm the tub's drain side matches the existing drain, and file the permit. Order all tile from one production lot.

   Check: every fixture meets the 15-inch and 21-inch clearances of P2705.1 on paper, and the permit is issued before demolition starts.

2. 2. Demolish down to studs and subfloor

   Shut off water and the bathroom circuit at the panel, cap the supplies, plug the toilet flange with a rag, then remove fixtures, tile, backer and drywall. The section on removing a bathroom below has the details.

   Check: bare studs, a clean subfloor and a clear view of every pipe and joist in the room.

3. 3. Repair subfloor and framing, add blocking

   Probe the subfloor around the toilet flange and the tub drain with an awl. Replace any soft section back to sound framing. Add blocking for the vanity, grab bars and the valve. USG limits stud spacing behind Durock to 16 inches on center, and TEC's thinset sheet sets the floor deflection limit for ceramic tile at L/360.

   Check: a 4-foot level shows the floor flat enough for 12-by-24 tile, and no board moves when you stand on it.

4. 4. Rough plumbing and electrical

   Install the tub/shower valve, which must be pressure-balanced or thermostatic with a limit stop set so water does not exceed 120°F (P2708.4). Connect the tub drain and overflow. Run the bathroom receptacle on its own 20-amp circuit (E3703.4), place a receptacle within 36 inches of the basin (E3901.6), protect it with a GFCI (E3902.1), and duct the fan directly outdoors (R303.3), sized for at least 50 cfm intermittent (Table M1505.4.4). This is the permitted step. Where your jurisdiction reserves plumbing or wiring for licensed trades, a licensed plumber and electrician do it and pull the permits; where owners may do it, the same inspections apply. The guide to replacing a tub or shower faucet covers the valve swap on its own.

   Check: the drain system holds water 10 feet above the highest fitting, or 5 psi of air, for 15 minutes (P2503.5.1), and the supply piping holds working pressure for 15 minutes (P2503.7).

5. 5. Rough inspection

   Book it once step 4 passes your own test.

   Check: a signed rough inspection card. Do not close a wall without it.

6. 6. Set the tub

   Set it level on the support the manufacturer specifies, fasten the flange to the studs, connect the drain and cover the finish.

   Check: a level on the rim reads flat both ways, and a full tub drains without a drip at the overflow or shoe.

7. 7. Hang cement board and drywall

   In the surround, hang 1/2-inch cement board with fasteners every 8 inches, tape the joints with alkali-resistant mesh set in thinset, and hold the bottom edge off the tub lip with a 1/4-inch spacer strip (USG). Outside the surround, hang drywall. On the floor, set 1/4-inch cement board in thinset and screw it down.

   Check: no drywall behind tile in the wet zone (R702.4.2), and the 1/4-inch gap at the tub is still open.

8. 8. Waterproof the surround

   Roll TEC HydraFlex in two coats of 25 mils wet each, the second at right angles to the first, about an hour apart. The data sheet puts coverage at 50 sq ft per gallon for this two-coat waterproofing application.

   Check: an unbroken dark purple film with no light spots or pinholes, 2 to 12 hours after the second coat.

9. 9. Tile the walls, then the floor

   Start the wall tile from a level line one course above the tub, never from the tub rim, and keep a 1/8-inch gap at the tub. Set the floor last so you are not kneeling on it. Use a 1/4-by-3/8-inch notch on the 12-by-24 floor tile and back-butter it.

   Check: pull a tile after the first few minutes. The back should be fully covered with mortar, and the courses should stay level across all three walls.

10. 10. Grout and caulk

    TEC says to grout Full Flex installations once the tiles are held firmly in place, typically 16 to 24 hours after setting. Fill the change-of-plane joints (inside corners, the tub line, the floor edge) with silicone rather than grout.

    Check: full, flat grout joints with no pinholes, and flexible sealant at every corner.

11. 11. Finish drywall, prime and paint

    Tape, coat, sand, prime and paint.

    Check: no joint visible in raking light.

12. 12. Set the fixtures and pass the final

    Install the valve trim, set the toilet on a new seal (the toilet installation guide covers it), set the vanity and faucet (the sink faucet guide ends with the install), and finish the fan and receptacle. Fill and drain every fixture: IRC P2503.5.2 asks for traps and connections that are watertight by visual inspection.

    Check: a signed final inspection and a dry paper towel under every connection after 24 hours of use.

How do you remove a bathroom down to the studs?

Start by shutting off water and power. Close the fixture stops and the main, open a faucet downstairs to drain the lines, and turn off the breaker for the bathroom circuit, then verify it with a tester. Remove the toilet first and stuff the flange with a rag so sewer gas and debris stay out.

Pull the vanity, then the surround. Tile on cement board comes off in sections if you cut the board along the studs; tile on a mortar bed needs a rotary hammer. A steel tub comes out easier cut in half with a reciprocating saw. Strip the drywall to the studs so every pipe, wire and joist is visible.

Two things stop the job. In a pre-1978 house, anyone you pay to disturb painted surfaces must be an EPA-certified firm under the RRP rule; owners working on their own home are generally outside it. Being outside the rule does not make the dust safe. Test the paint on trim and walls before demolition, and if it contains lead, either hire a certified firm or work lead-safe: plastic sheeting, no dry sanding or torch stripping, and a HEPA vacuum for cleanup. And any old flooring or wall material that might contain asbestos gets tested before anyone breaks it.

Do you need a permit to remodel a bathroom?

Yes for new plumbing, a new circuit or a new fan duct; no for tile, cabinets and paint alone. The model code puts it simply. IRC R105.1 requires a permit to "install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace" any plumbing, electrical, gas or mechanical system. R105.2 then lists what is exempt. Finish work is exempt: painting, tiling, cabinets, countertops. Clearing stoppages and repairing leaks are exempt. Removing and reinstalling a toilet is exempt, as long as no valve, pipe or fixture is replaced or moved.

Whether an owner may pull plumbing and electrical permits for the house they live in is a local decision. Ask when you apply. The inspection happens either way.

How long does a bathroom remodel take?

About 19 working days for one person on this 5-by-8 bath, plus inspection waits. The table is my plan for one competent person working full days, with cure times taken from the product sheets. Inspection waits are left out because they depend entirely on your building department.

Nineteen working days is roughly four weeks of weekdays, or about ten weekends. In a one-bathroom house, plan for the toilet's absence first.

How much does it cost to remodel a bathroom yourself?

Materials for this 5-by-8 hall bath came to $1,545.67 at September 19, 2026 prices, before permit, disposal, paint and fittings. Quantities for tile come from the tile calculator's math. The floor needs 15 tiles of 12-by-24 porcelain at 10% waste; the surround needs 490 tiles of 3-by-6 ceramic in a running bond at 12% waste, with 1/8-inch joints. Grout for both works out to 9.7 lb, so one 25-lb bag covers it. The drywall calculator's math gives 7 sheets of 4-by-8: 5 for the walls and 2 for the ceiling at 10% waste. Cement board for the surround is 5 sheets of 3-by-5 from the layout (two on the back wall, three for the ends), plus 2 sheets of 1/4-inch board for the floor. The membrane needs 58.1 sq ft ÷ 50 sq ft per gallon = 1.16 gallons, so two 1-gallon pails.

Grouped the way the work is sequenced, the split looks like this:

The tile itself is $121.90 of the total, and the membrane under it costs almost as much ($105.98). The membrane decides whether the tile lasts. JLC's midrange spec runs $26,138 for a slightly smaller 5-by-7 room; subtract $1,545.67 and $24,592.33 is left for labor, subcontractors, overhead, profit, permits, disposal and some nicer finishes (a solid-surface counter, a recessed medicine cabinet). Materials are about 6% of a contractor-built bath at this level, which is why doing the work yourself moves the budget far more than cheaper tile does.

Tools: what you need, what to rent

You need a 4-foot level, a drill/driver, a reciprocating saw, notched trowels (1/4 by 1/4 inch for walls, 1/4 by 3/8 inch for the floor), a grout float, a mixing paddle, a manual tile cutter, drywall knives and a voltage tester. Rent a wet saw for the porcelain, and a rotary hammer if the old tile sits on a mortar bed. A laser level is a luxury. Wear a respirator rated for silica when cutting cement board or porcelain.

Where bathroom budgets blow up

Two surprises cause most overruns when the layout stays put, and one decision causes most of the rest.

Subfloor rot comes first. Small leaks at the wax ring and the tub drain soften the subfloor where you cannot see it, and you find it after demolition. The material is cheap: a sheet of 3/4-inch tongue-and-groove OSB was $26.98. The cost is in the time. A soft area that reaches a joist means cutting back to sound wood, sistering the joist, and adding blocking. At the national median carpenter wage loaded with benefits, $41.90 an hour, each 8-hour day of a carpenter's time is at least $335 before any contractor markup.

Moving a drain is the decision that changes the job. Keep the toilet and tub in place and the plumbing is a swap. Move them and the new drain has to meet slope and structure rules at once. IRC P3005.3 requires a slope of 1/4 inch per foot on drains of 2-1/2 inches and smaller, and 1/8 inch per foot on 3-inch and larger. IRC R502.8.1 limits bored holes in a joist to one third of its depth, kept 2 inches from the top and bottom edges. A 2x8 joist is 7-1/4 inches deep, so the largest hole allowed is about 2.4 inches, and a 3-inch drain pipe does not fit through it. Running a toilet drain across joists then means headers, a dropped ceiling below or a different route, plus a plumber and a permit. That is why this budget keeps the layout.

The mistakes that cost money are specific, and each has a repair bill:

The first row is the whole redo list: wall tile $63.70, cement board $81.75, membrane $105.98, one bag of thinset $24.99 and grout $13.99. Skipping the membrane saves $105.98 and puts the surround at risk.

How much contingency should you hold?

Hold back 20% of the materials budget on a do-it-yourself job, $309.13 here, and do not spend it on upgrades before demolition is finished. On a contractor bid, ask how the contract handles concealed conditions such as rot, and keep 10% of the bid available in cash or credit. Both are my allowances, sized from the two surprises above.

If the reserve has to be borrowed, the renovation financing guide compares HELOC, home equity loan, cash-out refinance and cash at September 2026 rates.

Do it yourself or hire: the trade math

Split the job by trade and price each hour you take on. The table uses the May 2025 BLS medians, loaded to a full employer cost with the June 2026 BLS ECEC ratio for the private construction industry (wages are 69.5% of compensation, $36.13 of $51.96 an hour). A contractor's hourly bill is higher than this, since it also covers the truck, insurance, overhead and profit. So these are floors: each hour you work displaces at least this much.

Plumber wages vary a lot by state, which moves the case for hiring the rough-in. The median was $25.44 in Florida, $35.01 in California, $37.26 in New York and $48.05 in Illinois, which load to $36.60, $50.37, $53.61 and $69.14 an hour.

A split that works for most owners: hire licensed trades for the valve, drain connection, circuit and fan duct, the permitted parts that fail expensively. Do demolition, backer, waterproofing, tile, drywall and paint yourself. Those hours fill the 19-day schedule, and they are where most of the $24,592 gap goes. A tile setter covers more square footage per hour than you will, so count savings per job.