Bathrooms look simple from the outside, four walls, a floor, a few fixtures, but they’re one of the more complex small rooms to remodel well. The plumbing has to be right. The waterproofing has to be right. The ventilation has to be right. If any one of those is off, the project comes back to haunt you within a few years. These are the four questions to ask any bathroom remodeler before you hire them.
1. How do you waterproof the shower?
This is the question that separates the contractors who do bathrooms right from the ones who do them fast. Tile by itself is not waterproof. The waterproofing happens underneath the tile, and the method matters.
The methods currently considered correct in the industry:
- Surface-applied membrane over backer board (Schluter Kerdi, Laticrete Hydro Ban, RedGard, Wedi). Bonded membrane that seals the shower envelope before tile goes on.
- Foam panel systems (Schluter Kerdi-Board, Wedi Building Panel, Goboard) where the panel itself is the substrate and the waterproofing in one. Excellent for curbless showers and complex geometries.
- Hot-mop or sheet-membrane pan beneath a traditional mortar bed. The older method but still valid when done correctly.
The wrong answer: “cement board and thinset, the tile keeps the water out.” Cement board is not waterproof. Tile and grout are not waterproof. A shower built that way will leak into the wall cavity within a few years, and you’ll be tearing it back out.
Ask the contractor specifically what they use, why they use it, and to show you photos of a shower being waterproofed mid-installation. A good contractor will be happy to walk you through it. A bad one will get vague.
2. How do you handle the existing plumbing?
Older Portland-area homes have a range of plumbing situations behind the walls, and the right move depends on what’s actually there. Common situations:
- Galvanized supply lines. Common in pre-1960 houses. The interior of the pipe corrodes and reduces flow over time. If we’re already opening the wall, replacing the galvanized section in copper or PEX is almost always the right call.
- Cast-iron drain stack. Common in pre-1970 houses. Often still functional but brittle, and any disturbance can crack it. Plan for partial or full replacement of the stack section in the bathroom.
- Drain rough-in in the wrong place. If you’re moving the toilet or shower, the drain has to move too, which means breaking concrete (on slab homes) or cutting joists (on framed floors). Both are doable but they affect price and schedule.
- Inadequate venting. Older bathrooms sometimes have vent stacks that don’t meet current code. The remodel is the right time to fix it.
The contractor should walk through your house, inspect what’s behind the walls where they can, and tell you honestly what they’re seeing. A flat “we’ll figure it out as we go” is not a plan. A clear “here’s what’s likely, here’s the allowance we’ll set, here’s how we handle change orders if we open the wall and find something else” is.
3. How do you handle ventilation?
The single most under-spec’d item in residential bathrooms is the vent fan. Builder-grade fans are often rated for 50 to 80 CFM, mounted in the wrong place, and vented through a flex duct full of long runs and sharp bends. The result: humidity stays in the bathroom, mold grows behind the tile, paint peels off the ceiling, and the wall studs in the wet wall start to rot.
The right answer:
- A vent fan sized correctly for the room (one CFM per square foot is the minimum, more for showers)
- A quality fan with low sone rating, ideally with humidity sensing or timer control
- Rigid (not flex) duct, sized correctly, running the shortest practical path to the outside
- Termination through the roof or sidewall, not into the attic or soffit
- An exterior cap with a backdraft damper
This is one of the easier line items to skip on a budget bathroom. It’s also one of the worst to skip, because the consequence shows up two years later as mildew you can’t get rid of.
4. What’s the schedule, and what controls it?
A typical bathroom remodel runs 3 to 7 weeks of active construction time, depending on size and complexity. Permit time is on top of that for projects that require permits (most do once plumbing or electrical is moved). The contractor should be able to give you a realistic schedule and tell you what would change it.
The things that move the schedule:
- Tile selection. Specialty or imported tile can take 4 to 8 weeks to deliver. Pick early.
- Vanity and fixtures. Lead times vary from a week to several months. Pick early.
- Permit review. Often 2 to 6 weeks depending on jurisdiction and scope.
- Surprises behind the wall. Old plumbing, mold, structural issues, or wiring problems can add days to weeks.
- Inspector availability. Plumbing rough, electrical rough, and final inspections each take an appointment.
The contractor who promises three weeks start to finish on a full bath remodel is either skipping permits, skipping inspections, or stretching the truth. The honest answer is longer.
Bonus question: who do you actually use for tile?
Tile work is its own craft, and most general contractors subcontract it to a dedicated tile setter. The quality of the finished bathroom depends heavily on the tile setter’s skill: layout, lippage control, grout joints, transitions to walls and floors, niche details, edge profiles. Ask who does their tile, how long they’ve worked together, and whether you can see photos of their tile work specifically.
A tile setter who’s worked with the contractor for ten years on a hundred bathrooms is going to produce better results than a tile setter the contractor found on Craigslist last month.
What a Portland-area bathroom remodel typically costs
Mid-2020s pricing in the Portland metro:
- Cosmetic refresh ($15K to $25K): New vanity, new toilet, new fixtures, new paint, new tile floor. Existing layout and plumbing rough-in.
- Mid-range full remodel ($30K to $60K): Tile shower with surface-applied membrane, new vanity and counter, new toilet, new tile floor, lighting and ventilation upgrades, possible minor layout adjustment.
- High-end full remodel ($60K to $120K+): Reconfigured layout including moved plumbing, custom shower with bench and niches, double vanity, freestanding tub or premium shower, premium tile and fixtures, in-floor heat, premium ventilation.
If you’re getting bids on a bathroom remodel and want a straightforward proposal, we’re happy to walk through the project. Keyser Construction is CCB #121142, EPA Lead-Safe Renovator Certified for older homes, and BBB A+ accredited since 2007.