Bathroom remodeling across the Dallas area

A primary bath usually gets the biggest plan. It often has a shower, a tub or both, a double vanity and a separate toilet area. A guest or hall bath is smaller but often shared by more people, so tough, easy-to-clean finishes matter more there.

Most bath remodels keep the toilet, tub and sink near the existing plumbing, which holds down cost and time. Moving fixtures is possible, but it means opening the floor or walls. In a home built on a concrete slab, it can mean cutting into the slab. We'll explain the tradeoff before you decide.

Vanities come in stock, semi-custom and custom sizes. A base with drawers often holds more than one with doors. For lighting, a fixture on each side of the mirror, or one above it, lights your face evenly. A single ceiling light on its own casts shadows.

Plenty of homeowners swap a tub they rarely use for a walk-in shower. The space of a standard tub is often big enough for a good shower. The plumber moves the drain and valve if needed, and the shower gets a full waterproofing system. If it's the only tub in the house, think it over first. Some families want to keep one for bathing small kids.

A walk-in shower can have a low curb or no curb at all. A curbless shower lets the bathroom floor run straight into the shower with no step. It takes more planning, because the shower floor has to sit lower than the rest of the floor so water stays inside. That can mean changes to the subfloor, and homes on a slab may need more work.

A few features make a bathroom easier to use as people get older or for anyone with limited mobility. Think a wider entry, a built-in bench, a handheld shower head, textured floor tile and grab bars. Grab bars need solid backing in the wall, so we plan where they go before the walls are closed up. For advice about a specific physical need, a healthcare professional is the right person to ask.

Tile and grout aren't waterproof on their own. Water can pass through grout joints. A waterproofing layer behind the tile does that job. It can be a sheet membrane or a liquid coating, and it covers the shower floor and walls. The installer follows the maker's instructions for the system they use.

The shower floor has to slope toward the drain. A common standard is about a quarter inch of drop per foot. Without that slope, water pools and wears on the grout. Some tile setters also fill the shower pan with water to test it before the tile goes on.

Bathrooms also need to dry out. An exhaust fan should vent to the outside, not into the attic, where it can push damp air into the framing. The fan size and the duct run both matter.

Lighting and outlets near water follow safety rules. Fixtures in or near the shower must be rated for damp or wet locations. Outlets near sinks need ground fault protection, often called GFCI.

Permits are usually needed when plumbing or electrical work changes, such as moving a drain, adding a circuit or relocating a fan. A simple vanity swap or new tile often doesn't need one. Each city has its own rules, so we confirm what your job needs and put inspections in the schedule.