Refresh, Pull-and-Replace or Full Gut: Bathroom Remodel Levels Explained

"Bathroom remodel" covers everything from new paint and a mirror to tearing out a wall to make the room bigger. Naming the level of your project early helps you set a budget, talk to contractors in the same terms, and know when permits come in. This page describes the four levels, what each includes, what triggers a permit in Vancouver and Clark County, and who each one suits.

The four levels at a glance

Cosmetic refresh

A refresh changes what you see and leaves the plumbing and walls alone: paint, a new mirror or medicine cabinet, light fixtures, towel bars and hardware, sometimes a new vanity top or faucet in the same place. It is the right level when the tub or shower, tile and floor are sound and you mainly want the room to look newer.

Permits. In the City of Vancouver, "Painting, papering and similar finish work" is exempt under Vancouver Municipal Code 17.08.090, as is "Replacement of kitchen and bath cabinets that do not require the modification of electrical or plumbing systems." Removing and reinstalling the same toilet or sink is exempt from a plumbing permit, but only if it does not involve replacing or rearranging valves, pipes or fixtures. A new faucet or toilet is a replacement, which is not on that list. Unincorporated Clark County lists "Painting, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work" as not needing a permit.

Who it suits. Owners preparing to sell, or anyone whose bathroom works and just looks tired.

Pull-and-replace (same footprint)

Everything you touch is replaced, but nothing moves. The tub or shower, valve, vanity, toilet, tile and floor come out and new ones go in where the old ones were. Because the walls around the tub or shower are opened, this is when water damage and old waterproofing get fixed.

Permits. Replacing a tub, shower, toilet or sink is not on Vancouver's exempt list, and the city's fee table charges per fixture, so plan on a plumbing permit unless the Permit Center tells you otherwise. Adding a circuit brings in electrical work, which needs its own permit. When the work is part of a remodel, the city includes the trade work in a residential building permit. In unincorporated Clark County, "A plumbing permit is required for installation of any plumbing fixtures."

Who it suits. Most hall bathrooms with a layout that works but finishes, fixtures or a shower that do not. A shower-only remodel is a narrower version of this level.

Full gut

The room goes back to the studs and subfloor. That allows new supply and drain lines, a new valve location, a curbless shower floor, new wiring and lighting, a properly ducted fan, insulation, and blocking for grab bars. Fixtures may move, or stay where they are with everything behind them renewed.

Permits. A full gut in Vancouver needs a residential building permit, and moving any drain or supply is plainly "rearrangement of valves, pipes or fixtures". Under Washington's code (WAC 51-51-0314, R314.2.2), alterations under a building permit require the whole home to have smoke alarms as for new dwellings; a plumbing-only permit does not trigger that. The fan must meet Washington's bathroom exhaust rules, including ducting directly to the outside.

Who it suits. Bathrooms with a layout that does not work, recurring leaks or mold, old pipe, or owners planning to age in place. See moving bathroom plumbing for what a new layout involves.

Expanding into adjoining space

The bathroom takes floor area from a closet, hallway or bedroom, or a wall is moved to reshape it. This is how a cramped hall bath gets a separate shower and tub, or a primary bath gets a double vanity.

Permits. The City of Vancouver lists "Adding or removing wall(s)" among the triggers for a residential building permit. Whether a wall carries load is checked before design is final. Adding a whole new bathroom is a different project; see adding a bathroom.

Who it suits. Owners staying long term whose bathroom cannot be made to work in its current footprint.

Relative cost, using JDI's tiers

JDI Construction's bathroom cost calculator describes three finish tiers, which cut across the levels above. Essential is an updated layout with mid-grade materials and standard cabinetry. Signature brings custom-built cabinetry, premium quartz or tile and name-brand fixtures. Luxury is fully custom millwork, high-end stone and designer finishes. For a full or hall bath, JDI's planning ranges before sales tax run $20,000-$32,000 at Essential, $32,000-$58,000 at Signature and $58,000-$95,000 at Luxury. The Vancouver bathroom cost page has the half-bath and primary-suite ranges.

Those ranges describe a real remodel, not a refresh, and they exclude unexpected structural repair found inside walls. A cosmetic refresh falls below them and is priced from a site visit. An expansion usually costs more than remodeling the same room in place, because of the moved walls and longer plumbing runs. You can try combinations in the bathroom cost calculator.

Choosing your level

Ask three questions. Does the layout work? If not, you are at full gut or expansion. Is anything leaking, soft or moldy? If so, plan on at least a pull-and-replace so the cause can be found. Will you stay long enough to enjoy it? A short stay favors a refresh; a long one favors doing the plumbing and waterproofing once, properly. If you are still unsure, where to start walks through the first decisions, and JDI's free in-home consultation will tell you which level your bathroom needs; see bathroom remodeling in Vancouver.