Planning a Primary Bathroom Remodel

The primary bathroom is the one you use twice a day, often alongside someone else, so the plan matters more than the finishes. A good primary bath lets two people get ready without crowding, keeps moisture out of the closet, and gives you storage where you actually use things. This page covers the decisions that shape the room, in the order we usually work through them.

Start with how the room is used

Before choosing anything, write down who uses the room and when. Do you get ready at the same time? Does one of you shower at night? Do you take baths? Is anyone planning to stay in the house into retirement? The answers decide whether you need two sinks, how big the shower should be, whether the toilet needs privacy from the rest of the room, and whether to plan for aging in place now rather than later.

Vanities: one double or two separate

A double vanity puts two sinks on one counter. Two separate vanities give each person their own counter, mirror and storage, usually on different walls or with a tall cabinet between them.

The NKBA's planning guidelines recommend at least 36 inches between sink centerlines and 20 inches from a sink's centerline to a side wall, and say vanity heights from 32 to 43 inches can suit different users. These are recommendations, not code. On the code side, each sink needs a receptacle within 3 feet of its outside edge. Sizes and heights are covered in vanity sizes and heights. In JDI's calculator, adding a double vanity is a $3,000-$8,000 planning range.

Shower and tub, or shower only

This is the biggest space decision in a primary bath. The common options:

• Large walk-in shower, no tub. A common choice for owners who never bathe. It frees space for a bench, a niche, a second showerhead or simply more floor.
• Shower plus a freestanding tub. The tub becomes the room's centerpiece. Freestanding tubs need floor space on all sides for cleaning, a floor drain or a wall-mounted or floor-mounted filler, and, for heavy materials such as cast iron or stone resin, a check of the floor framing. JDI's planning range for a freestanding soaking tub is $2,500-$6,500.
• Wet room. The tub sits inside a large glassed shower area. It is compact, but the whole area must be waterproofed as a shower.

Washington's plumbing code requires at least 900 square inches inside a shower with room for a 30-inch circle; the NKBA recommends 36 by 36 inches as a minimum for comfort. A primary shower is usually well above both. If you are on the fence about the tub, read tub or no tub. JDI's walk-in or curbless shower add-on is a $4,000-$10,000 planning range.

The toilet: its own room or not

A separate toilet room gives privacy when two people share the bathroom. The NKBA recommends a toilet compartment of at least 36 by 66 inches with a door that swings out or slides into a pocket. Washington's code minimums still apply inside it: 15 inches from the toilet's centerline to each side wall and 21 inches of clear space in front.

A toilet room also needs ventilation. Washington's residential code requires local exhaust for bathrooms and toilet rooms, and the Home Ventilating Institute suggests an exhaust point in an enclosed toilet room as well as over or near the shower and tub. Plan the fan, the light and a small shelf or recessed cabinet at the same time. If the toilet stays in the open, place it out of the line of sight from the bedroom door.

Storage and the closet next door

Primary baths need storage for two people's daily items, plus towels and backup supplies. Plan drawers in the vanity for daily items, a linen tower or a recessed cabinet for towels, and a niche in the shower for bottles.

Many primary baths open straight into a walk-in closet. Keep steam out of it with a fan that actually reaches outdoors, a door between bath and closet if the layout allows, and a shower placed away from the closet opening.

Light and heat

The NKBA recommends task lighting for each functional area, in addition to general lighting. In a primary bath that usually means light at face level on both sides of each mirror, a light in the shower rated for the location, a light in the toilet room and a low night light. Washington's energy code requires new permanently installed fixtures to use high-efficacy sources such as LED; it does not require dimmers or occupancy sensors in bathrooms, though many owners want dimming anyway.

For heat, the NKBA suggests considering supplemental heat such as floor heat or a toe-kick heater. Electric heated floors in bathrooms need ground-fault protection, and the wiring has to be planned before tile. See heated bathroom floors.

Budget and timing

JDI's bathroom cost calculator gives these planning ranges for a primary suite with a double vanity, soaking tub and walk-in shower. They are before sales tax and are not quotes.

The ranges include design, drawings, permits, demolition, cabinetry, counters, tile, waterproofing, plumbing, electrical, lighting, fixtures and installation. They do not include structural repair found inside walls. Primary-suite builds typically run 6 to 10 weeks on-site after design and permits. On resale, the 2025 Cost vs. Value report puts the share of cost recouped for an upscale bath remodel in the Pacific region at 44.5 percent, against 91 percent for a midrange one, so spend on a primary bath mainly for your own use. More detail is on bathroom remodel cost in Vancouver, WA.

Planning yours

At JDI Construction, our bathroom designer Denise Lacquement plans the layout, guides selections and stays with the design through construction, and a 3D design layout shows the room before anything is ordered. Browse finished primary suites in our bathroom projects, get a quick range from the bathroom cost calculator, or start with bathroom remodeling in Vancouver, WA.