Comparing Bathroom Remodel Estimates Line by Line

Two bathroom estimates with totals far apart are rarely pricing the same bathroom. One may include a new valve, a bonded membrane and frameless glass; another may assume the old valve stays and leave glass as a separate quote. Comparing totals before you compare contents is the most common way homeowners pick the wrong bid. This page shows how to line estimates up so the comparison is fair.

Why bathroom bids differ

Bathrooms are small, but almost every line in them is a choice that changes the price. The common reasons two bids diverge:

• Scope assumptions. Whether the tub stays, whether the drain moves, whether the subfloor is replaced.
• Waterproofing system. A mortar bed over a pan liner, a sheet membrane, a liquid membrane and a foam board system are different labor and material costs.
• Tile labor. Wall tile to the ceiling versus to the showerhead, a niche and bench or none, a simple stacked layout versus herringbone or a pattern that needs many cuts.
• Allowances. Low allowances make a bid look cheaper without changing what you will pay.
• Items left out. Glass, permits, the fan, electrical upgrades or disposal quoted separately or not at all.
• Who does the work. Licensed plumbing and electrical contractors, a designer and a project manager all cost money, and they are also what you are paying for.

Step 1: make the scope identical

Write a one-page scope and send the same page to every bidder: room size, what stays and what goes, tub or shower, layout changes, tile heights, niche and bench, glass type, vanity size, lighting and fan. If you have a design or 3D layout, attach it. Ask each bidder to price that scope and to list anything they would do differently as a separate option. Now the base prices are measuring the same bathroom.

Step 2: line up the allowances

An allowance is a placeholder for something not yet chosen, typically tile, fixtures, the vanity or lighting. If your selection costs more, you pay the difference. Allowances are normal, but they are also where a bid can be made to look low. Put each bidder's allowances in a table, and if one sets tile at a figure that would not cover the tile you have been looking at, raise it to match the others before comparing. Better still, make the main selections first so there is less to allow for. See contracts, allowances and change orders.

What a complete bathroom estimate lists

Use this as a checklist. Every line should either appear in each estimate, with enough detail to know what it is, or be marked as excluded.

A few of these lines carry rules worth knowing. Washington's residential code requires bathroom exhaust fans to be ducted directly outside and tested to deliver at least 50 cfm intermittent or 20 cfm continuous (WAC 51-51-1505), so "reuse existing fan" may not pass. Glazing in shower and tub doors and enclosures falls under the federal safety glazing standard, 16 CFR 1201. And when alterations that require a building permit are made, Washington's code requires the dwelling to have smoke alarms as for new dwellings (WAC 51-51-0314, R314.2.2), which can add work outside the bathroom. See ventilation code and safety glass rules.

Step 3: add the items the low bid left out

Once scopes and allowances match, go back to the bids with the shortest line lists. For each missing item, ask the contractor in writing whether it is included. If it is not, add a figure from one of the other bids so the totals compare. Do this before you decide the low bid is a bargain.

Red flags in a low bid

• No waterproofing system named, or "waterproof as needed."
• No mention of a new valve when the shower is being rebuilt.
• Glass, the fan or permits "by others" or missing entirely.
• Allowances well below the other bids for the same items.
• No license number for the plumbing contractor, or vague answers about who does the plumbing.
• A single lump-sum figure with no breakdown.
• A large deposit or full payment up front, cash only, or no written contract. L&I lists these as warning signs.
• Pressure to sign today to keep a discount.

A high bid can have problems too: padded contingencies, vague "project management" lines, or options you did not ask for priced into the base. Ask what each line covers, whichever direction the number points.

What about hidden damage?

No honest estimate can price rot or a failed subfloor that nobody has seen yet. What it can do is say how such work will be handled: stopped, shown to you, priced in writing and approved before it continues. Compare that language between bids. Our page on rot, mold and leaks found during demolition explains what usually happens next.

Checking a bid against a planning range

Before bids arrive, it helps to know roughly where a project like yours should land. JDI publishes planning ranges, before sales tax, from its bathroom cost calculator. For a full or hall bath they run $20,000-$32,000 at the Essential tier, $32,000-$58,000 at Signature and $58,000-$95,000 at Luxury. These are planning ranges, not quotes, and they include design, drawings, permits, demolition, cabinetry, counters, tile, waterproofing, plumbing, electrical, lighting, fixtures and the finished install. Structural repairs found inside walls are not included and are handled by written change order. Read bathroom remodel cost in Vancouver, WA for every tier and room type, or run your own numbers in the bathroom cost calculator.

Getting a JDI estimate to compare

After a free in-home visit, JDI sends a firm written quote, typically within a week, itemized so you can line it up against other bids using the table above. We handle the permits and project management for you. If you want a second estimate to compare, request a consultation, and bring the questions to ask a bathroom contractor.