Galvanised supply lines
A 1920s bungalow never re-piped is on galvanised steel. It closes from the inside, so the pressure fails long before the pipe looks bad. We price replacement back to the nearest accessible branch as standard.
Albany Park
Bathroom Remodeling in Albany Park, Chicago
Most Albany Park bungalows were built with one bathroom. Replanned inside its own four walls it becomes a genuinely good room — and a second one is usually available in the basement or under a dormer.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured · Serving Albany Park and the surrounding area
In Short
A full bathroom remodel in Albany Park typically runs $23,000 to $36,000 and a second bathroom or primary suite $38,000 to $66,000, taking four to six weeks on site. Permits come from the Chicago Department of Buildings. Because most of this is single family with a full basement, there is no board and no shared stack fixing the toilet — so a genuine replan is on the table and a second bathroom is usually realistic.
Main bathroom
$23k – $36k
Second bath or suite
$38k – $66k+
Time on site
4 – 6 weeks
Permits issued by
Chicago Dept. of Buildings
Bathroom Remodeling
What an Albany Park bathroom remodel actually involves
The bungalow bathroom here is the Chicago standard: five by seven, tiled to a chair rail in hexagon and subway set into a mortar bed, a cast-iron tub in an alcove, a pedestal basin and a single window on the side elevation.
It was built well and it stores nothing. And in most of these houses it is the only bathroom, which for a family is the bigger problem.
Two projects are worth weighing together. Replanning the existing room almost always gains a full vanity and a walk-in shower. Adding a second — in the basement with an ejector pump, or under a new dormer — changes how the whole house works, and in this stock it is usually achievable.
Your House
Find your building, and you will find your project
Albany Park is consistent enough that the ranges are tight and the surprises are few.
| Era and building type | What we find on site | What the project becomes | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910–1930 — brick bungalows | One bathroom, 5×7, tiled in a mortar bed, cast-iron tub in an alcove, pedestal basin, galvanised supply. | Gut with the floor build-up rebuilt and twelve inches won back for a real vanity and a shower. | $25k – $36k |
| 1910–1930 — two-flats | A bath off a rear hall, a stack shared with one other unit, and a basement below with room to work. | Gut with more freedom to move a drain than a bungalow allows, and a second bathroom where the plan permits. | $24k – $34k |
| 1915–1930 — courtyard buildings | A narrow bath, a stack shared by several units, shallow joists and a board where converted. | Gut in place with the waterproofing done properly and extraction finally ducted outside. | $22k – $32k |
| Basement and attic additions | Often added years ago without a permit, with a long drain run, minimal insulation and a fan going nowhere. | Rebuild with the fall corrected, an ejector pump where needed, and the work brought onto a permit. | $32k – $52k |
On Site
What is specific to remodelling here
These are the conditions that decide the schedule and the contingency on a job in Albany Park. We price around them rather than discovering them.
Original tile in a mortar bed
Bedded in mortar rather than stuck to a board, so demolition is heavier and the floor build-up is rebuilt rather than tiled over.
A basement bathroom needs an ejector pump
The most common place for a second bathroom, and the drain usually sits below the sewer line. Ordinary work, but it belongs in the price from the start.
The river and what it means below grade
On the blocks closest to the North Branch, drainage and the sump arrangement are looked at honestly before a finished basement floor goes down. Finishing over a water problem only hides it.
Ventilation through a hip roof
A shallow attic over the bathroom and no obvious route out, so fans get terminated into the roof space where the moisture stays. We run a proper duct and check what the existing one does.
Pre-1978 lead paint rules
The whole bungalow belt predates 1978, so containment, HEPA filtration and a certified firm are legal requirements and are in the schedule.
Budget
What drives the number in Albany Park
Ranges, not a single number. Where a project lands depends on the scope, and we say which band we think you are in before you commit to anything.
Refresh, same layout
$13,000 – $21,000
Fixtures, tile, vanity, lighting and paint with every service staying put.
Full remodel, revised layout
$23,000 – $36,000
To the studs and subfloor, new supply and waste, a tub-to-shower conversion or a vanity that finally fits, a rebuilt floor and a tested membrane.
Second bathroom or primary suite
$38,000 – $66,000+
A basement bathroom with an ejector pump, or an attic bathroom under a new dormer with the structure and insulation that go with it.
Where It Goes
Where the money actually goes
Most of a bathroom budget is not the things you can see in a showroom. This is how a full remodel here divides up.
- Labour and project management 34%
- Tile, stone and waterproofing 18%
- Plumbing rough-in and fixtures 16%
- Vanity, storage and counters 12%
- Electrical, lighting and ventilation 8%
- Glass, doors and hardware 7%
- Permits, protection and disposal 5%
Based on a $29,000 full remodel, the midpoint of what we actually build here. Tile and waterproofing take a larger share than the percentage suggests, because a bungalow floor set in a mortar bed is demolished and rebuilt rather than re-covered.
Process
How the job runs
Consultation on site
We walk the room, look at the basement ceiling below it and at the stack, and tell you what we can see and what we cannot.
Scope, drawings and a fixed price
A written scope with allowances you can actually shop against, not a single number.
Permit filed for you
Submitted to the Chicago Department of Buildings. We prepare and lodge it; you will not be at the counter.
Demolition and the rough-in
Plumbing, electrical and framing inspected before anything is closed. This is where surprises surface, and where we come back to you if the price has to move.
Waterproofing and tile
A tested waterproofing membrane before a single tile goes down. This is the step that decides whether the room lasts twenty years or five.
Finish, snag and final inspection
Fixtures, glass, paint and a walk-through list that we close out before the final invoice.
Planning a bathroom remodeling project in Albany Park?
Tell us about the property and what you want to change. We will walk the space, look at what is behind the walls, and come back with a written scope, a schedule and a price.
FAQ
Bathroom Remodeling in Albany Park: Common Questions
How much does a bathroom remodel cost in Albany Park?
A bungalow bathroom taken to the studs and rebuilt generally lands between $23,000 and $36,000. A refresh that keeps the services in place runs $13,000 to $21,000. A second bathroom in the basement or under a dormer starts around $38,000.
My house has one bathroom. Can you add a second?
Usually yes, and it is the most valuable thing you can do to one of these houses. The basement is the common answer and generally needs an ejector pump because the drain sits below the sewer line; an attic under a new dormer is the other. We look at the basement on the first visit.
The bathroom is tiny. Worth remodelling rather than extending?
In almost every case. These rooms are badly planned rather than genuinely too small — a pedestal basin wastes the only usable wall and the tub alcove eats a third of the floor. Replanning inside the same walls typically gains a full vanity, a walk-in shower and real storage.
We are close to the river. Does that affect a basement bathroom?
It can. On those blocks we look at the existing drainage and sump arrangement before any finished floor goes down, because finishing over a water problem hides it for a year rather than solving it.
Can I keep the original hexagon floor?
Occasionally, if it is sound and complete. More often the build-up underneath has to come out to get a proper fall to a new shower drain, and the tile does not survive. Where the look matters we source a close modern match.
Is my bathroom fan vented outside?
In a bungalow, frequently not. The shallow hip roof makes the duct run awkward, so fans get terminated into the attic where the moisture stays in the house. We check on the first visit and duct it properly.
Do you handle lead-safe work?
Yes, and here it is required. The bungalow belt is entirely pre-1978, so the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies in full: containment, HEPA filtration, a certified firm and documented cleanup.
Which other neighbourhoods do you cover?
Albany Park sits beside Lincoln Square, Irving Park, North Center and Uptown, all regular ground for the same crews.
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