Bathroom Remodel Checklist: From First Idea to Final Walkthrough

This checklist follows a bathroom remodel in the order things actually happen, and each step links to the guide page that explains it. Read it through once before you start. Several items in the middle, such as the asbestos question and the property tax exemption, have deadlines that fall before demolition, and they are easy to miss if you only meet them when you get there.

Phase 1: define the project

• Write down what does not work now and why you are remodeling. Start with where to start with a bathroom remodel.
• Decide how much change you want, from a refresh to a full gut: bathroom remodel levels.
• Name the room type: primary bath, hall or kids' bath or powder room.
• Note your home's age and what bathrooms of that era tend to hide: bathrooms by Vancouver home era.
• If you plan to stay long term, read aging-in-place bathroom design now, while blocking and shower entries are easy to change.
• If you are in a condo, townhome or manufactured home, read condos and townhomes or manufactured home bathrooms first; different rules apply.

Phase 2: set the budget and timing

• Find your planning range in bathroom remodel cost in Vancouver, WA or the bathroom cost calculator. For a shower-only job, see shower remodel cost.
• Learn which categories carry the cost: where the money goes.
• Decide where to economize and where not to: saving without regret.
• Add Washington sales tax, which applies to the full contract price: sales tax on remodeling.
• Decide how you will pay: financing a bathroom remodel. Check rebates and water savings and resale value if they affect your choices.
• Plan the calendar and where everyone will shower: how long it takes and living through a remodel.

Phase 3: make the layout and shower decisions

These set the plumbing, framing and waterproofing, so they come before pricing can be firm.

• Layout and whether fixtures move: bathroom layouts, moving plumbing and small bathroom ideas.
• Tub, shower or both: should you keep a tub and tub-to-shower conversions.
• Shower type and entry: shower types, curbless showers or a wet room.
• Pan, waterproofing and walls: shower pans and bases, waterproofing explained and tile vs panel walls.
• Valve and showerheads: shower valves and showerheads and body sprays.
• Built-ins and glass: niches and benches and shower glass and doors.
• Fan, lighting and storage, decided before drywall: ventilation and moisture, lighting and storage.
• Blocking for grab bars now, even if bars come later: grab bars and safety hardware.

Phase 4: choose fixtures and finishes

• Vanity and counter: vanities, sizes and heights and countertops.
• Sink, faucet and toilet: sinks, faucets, toilets and bidet seats (which need power planned in).
• Tub if keeping one: bathtub types and freestanding tubs.
• Tile, grout and floor: bathroom tile guide, patterns, grout, flooring and heated floors.
• Color and metal finish: color schemes and fixture finishes.

Phase 5: choose who will do the work

• Pick a model: design-build or separate designer, and remodeler, retail installer or handyman.
• Check registration and the plumbing and electrical credentials of every candidate: checking credentials in Washington.
• Work through how to choose a bathroom remodeler and know the signs in one-day bath and in-home sales.
• Prepare for the visit: your first consultation, with the questions to ask in hand.
• Line up the proposals: comparing estimates line by line.

Phase 6: contract and paperwork

• Get a written contract with scope, waterproofing system, allowances, price including sales tax, payment schedule and change order process: contracts, allowances and change orders.
• Receive and sign the disclosure statement ("Notice to Customer"), which RCW 18.27.114 requires before work starts on a residential job of $1,000 or more, along with L&I's lien information. Keep copies.
• Agree now that lien releases will be provided before final payment: Washington lien law.
• Get the warranty in writing and check that it covers leaks: bathroom remodel warranties.
• Read water damage and insurance and ask your insurer any questions before the walls open.

Phase 7: permits and pre-demolition requirements

• Confirm what needs a permit: do you need a permit, with plumbing and electrical permits.
• Confirm the jurisdiction: inside Vancouver city limits, trade work that is part of a remodel is included in the residential building permit (city permit process). Outside the city, Clark County requires a plumbing permit to install any plumbing fixture and L&I issues electrical permits (county and nearby cities).
• Settle the asbestos question before any demolition. The Southwest Clean Air Agency requires the owner or owner's agent to determine whether suspect materials such as flooring, mastics and textures are in the work area, regardless of year installed: asbestos in bathrooms.
• If the house was built before 1978, confirm the firm is lead-safe certified and that you received the Renovate Right pamphlet, which must come no more than 60 days before work starts: lead paint rules.
• Apply to the Clark County Assessor for the home improvement exemption before work starts, and in any case before it is completed. The county form asks for the building permit number: property tax and remodeling.
• Get HOA approval if you have an association.
• Confirm final selections and place orders, so tile, valve and vanity are on hand before demolition.

Phase 8: build and inspect

• Prepare the house: clear the room and the path to it, plan for dust and another place to shower.
• Demolition. Expect surprises in older showers; any extra work should be written up and priced before it proceeds: hidden water damage.
• Rough-in: framing, plumbing, electrical and fan ducting. Vancouver inspects rough plumbing, rough wiring and exhaust ducts before walls are closed: bathroom remodel inspections.
• Code points to watch: plumbing code, electrical code and ventilation code.
• Waterproofing. Ask to see the membrane or pan before tile covers it, and photograph it.
• Tile, grout, vanity, fixtures and trim.
• Glass, measured after tile: safety glass rules.
• Smoke alarms: a remodel under a building permit can trigger smoke alarm upgrades elsewhere in the house.
• Final inspections for each permit.

Phase 9: close out

• Walk through with the contractor and write a punch list.
• Run the shower, check for drips at the valve and glass, and run the fan.
• Collect the final inspection records, lien releases, warranty, manuals, and the names of tile, grout and paint colors.
• Send the Clark County Assessor your written notice of completion if you applied for the exemption.
• Make the final payment once the punch list is done, inspections have passed and releases are in hand.
• Keep the file. Washington's seller disclosure form asks whether permits and final inspections were obtained for remodeling: see unpermitted bathroom work.
• If something goes wrong later: steps under Washington law.

Working through the list with JDI

As a design-build firm, JDI Construction covers several phases for you: design and 3D layout, selections with our bathroom designer, the itemized plan, permits, project management and a written 5-year workmanship warranty. You still make the decisions; we keep the list moving. See what a JDI bathroom remodel looks like, get a planning range from the bathroom cost calculator, or request a free in-home consultation.