Bathroom Remodel Contracts, Allowances and Change Orders

Most disputes on bathroom remodels start with a sentence that was never written down: which faucet, whose tile budget, what happens when the subfloor under the toilet turns out to be soft. A bathroom packs a lot of decisions into a small room, and many of them are hidden inside walls once the tile goes up. This page covers what a Vancouver bathroom contract should say, the one disclosure Washington law requires, and how change orders should work when demolition finds a surprise. The general rules on contracts, deposits and liens are in the kitchen guide; this page focuses on what is different about a bath.

What Washington requires and what it only recommends

The legal requirements are short. RCW 18.27.114 requires a contractor to give you a disclosure statement headed "NOTICE TO CUSTOMER" before starting residential work when the bid or contract price is $1,000 or more. It shows the contractor's registration number, bond amount and registration expiration date, and warns that the bond "MIGHT NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO COVER A CLAIM", that "YOUR PROPERTY MAY BE LIENED", and that you may withhold a percentage of the contract and ask for lien release documents. You sign to acknowledge receiving it. The contractor must also give you L&I's lien information sheet.

Almost everything else is guidance. We found no Washington statute that requires a written contract for a residential remodel or caps the deposit. L&I's advice is still clear: "Get a written contract", and "Avoid verbal contracts or amendments." It says a contract should include, at a minimum, the "Price, including sales tax", payment terms, permit fees, "The specific work to be performed", "A list of materials, major suppliers, and subcontractors to be used", and "Warranties and processes for change orders."

The kitchen guide covers these in depth: contracts, deposits and change orders and Washington lien law.

What a bathroom contract should spell out

Allowances: where bathroom budgets drift

An allowance is a dollar figure in the contract for something you have not chosen yet, usually tile, a vanity, plumbing trim or a glass enclosure. If you pick something that costs more, you pay the difference; if less, you get a credit. Allowances let a contract be signed before every selection is made, but they are also where many bathroom budgets go over.

• Check whether each allowance covers material only or material and labor. A small-format mosaic or a complex pattern can cost more to install than the tile itself, so a materials-only allowance does not tell you the installed cost.
• Ask what the allowance figure is based on. An allowance set below what you are likely to choose makes the bid look lower than it is. Comparing two bids with different allowances is covered in comparing bathroom remodel estimates.
• Make selections before demolition when you can. Valves, drains and niches are set to fit specific products, and changing them after rough-in can mean opening work that has already passed inspection.

Name the waterproofing method

A tiled shower depends on what is behind the tile, not the tile itself. The contract should say which method will be used. The Tile Council of North America's Handbook describes methods such as B415, a mortar bed and tile floor over a shower-pan membrane, and B421, a bonded waterproof membrane over a sloped mortar bed and solid backing walls. For bonded-membrane methods, TCNA says "The membrane must cover the solid backing under the entire area to be tiled." Waterproof membranes for tile are covered by ANSI A118.10.

You do not need to choose the method yourself, but you should be able to see it in writing. A line that just says "waterproof shower" gives you little to point to if the shower leaks later. How the systems differ is in bathroom waterproofing explained.

Hidden conditions and change orders

Bathrooms hide water damage better than any other room. A slow leak at a toilet flange, a shower pan or a tub drain can rot subfloor and framing for years without showing on the surface. A good contract does not pretend this will not happen; it says what happens when it does.

1. Stop and document. The contractor shows you the damage, with photos, before covering or repairing it.
2. Price it in writing. A written change order describes the added work, the cost and any change to the schedule.
3. You approve before the work proceeds. L&I's advice applies: get changes in writing.
4. Keep it with the contract. Signed change orders become part of the agreement and of your records for warranty and resale.

Some contracts state a unit price in advance for common repairs, such as replacing a section of subfloor, so the cost of a surprise is known before it is found. Either way, the clause should exist. Signs of hidden damage to look for before you get bids are in hidden water damage in bathrooms.

Payment, tax and lien protection

L&I advises: "Besides a reasonable down payment, you should pay your contractor only when specific phases of a project are completed", and "Avoid paying for your project in full until all work is completed and you are satisfied with the work." It does not give a percentage. For projects over $6,000, L&I suggests you consider asking the contractor for a performance bond for the project.

Sales tax applies to the whole remodel, labor included. As of October 2026, the Department of Revenue's quarterly rate list shows 8.9 percent in Vancouver and 8.0 or 8.7 percent in unincorporated Clark County depending on the exact address. The contract price should say whether tax is included.

Before the final payment, L&I suggests asking for "a completed lien release form from each contractor and material supplier." On a bathroom that can include the plumbing and electrical companies and the tile or glass supplier.

How JDI writes a bathroom contract

After a free in-home visit, JDI sends a firm written quote, typically within a week of the visit, with an itemized plan. Our planning ranges include design, drawings, permits, demolition, cabinetry, counters, tile, waterproofing, plumbing, electrical, lighting, fixtures and the finished install. They do not include unexpected structural repair found inside walls; if we find it, we show you and handle it by written change order. You can see the ranges on our bathroom cost calculator or start with our Vancouver bathroom remodeling page.