Galvanised supply lines
A 1930s bungalow that has never been re-piped is on galvanised steel. It closes from the inside, so pressure fails long before anything looks wrong. We price replacement back to the nearest accessible branch as standard.
West Ridge
Bathroom Remodeling in West Ridge, Chicago
A West Ridge bungalow was built with one bathroom, five by seven, tiled in a mortar bed. Replanned inside the same four walls it becomes a genuinely good room — and a second one is usually available too.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured · Serving West Ridge and the surrounding area
In Short
A full bathroom remodel in West Ridge typically runs $24,000 to $37,000 and a primary suite $40,000 to $68,000, taking four to six weeks on site. Permits come from the Chicago Department of Buildings. Because these are single-family houses with a full basement, there is no board to satisfy and no shared stack fixing the toilet — so a genuine replan is on the table, and adding a second bathroom is usually realistic.
Main bathroom
$24k – $37k
Primary suite
$40k – $68k+
Time on site
4 – 6 weeks
Permits issued by
Chicago Dept. of Buildings
Bathroom Remodeling
What a West Ridge bathroom remodel actually involves
The bungalow bathroom is close to a standard product across West Ridge: five by seven, tiled to a chair rail in hexagon and subway set into a mortar bed, one window on the side elevation, a cast-iron tub in an alcove and a pedestal basin where storage should be.
It was beautifully built and it stores nothing. And in most of these houses it is the only bathroom, which is the bigger problem for a family.
Two projects are worth considering together. Replanning the existing room within its four walls almost always gains a full vanity and a walk-in shower. Adding a second bathroom — in the basement or under a new dormer — changes how the house works, and in this stock it is usually achievable.
Your House
Find your house, and you will find your project
West Ridge is uniform 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920–1940 — Chicago 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. | $26k – $37k |
| 1925–1945 — Georgians and two-storey brick | A hall bath upstairs with a usable ceiling below it, and often room for a second bathroom on the main floor. | Gut with more freedom to move a drain than a bungalow allows, and a second bathroom added where the plan permits. | $28k – $40k |
| 1950–1965 — post-war ranches | Copper supply, a roomier 8×8 bath, eight-foot ceilings and a crawl or slab below with limited fall. | Layout usually stays. A double vanity and a level-access shower fit without structural work. | $22k – $33k |
| Basement and attic additions | Often done years ago without a permit, with a long drain run, minimal insulation and a fan going nowhere useful. | Rebuild with the fall corrected, an ejector pump where needed, and the work brought onto a permit. | $34k – $55k |
On Site
What we find behind the walls in West Ridge
These are the conditions that decide the schedule and the contingency on a job in West Ridge. We price around them rather than discovering them.
Original tile set in a mortar bed
The hexagon floor and the wall tile are bedded in mortar rather than stuck to a board, so demolition is heavier and the floor build-up has to be rebuilt rather than tiled over.
A cast-iron stack in the stair wall
In most of these houses the stack runs between the bathroom and the basement stair. Usually sound and we keep it; where it is not, the replacement runs down through a finished wall.
A basement bathroom needs an ejector pump
The most common second-bathroom location, and the drain generally sits below the sewer line. An ejector pump is ordinary work but it belongs in the price from the start rather than being raised later.
Ventilation through a hip roof
A bungalow has 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 really does.
Pre-1978 lead paint rules
The whole bungalow belt predates 1978, so the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies: containment, HEPA filtration, a certified firm and documented cleanup, built into the schedule.
Budget
What drives the number in West Ridge
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
$14,000 – $22,000
Fixtures, tile, vanity, lighting and paint with every service staying put. A good option where the original tile has already been lost.
Full remodel, revised layout
$24,000 – $37,000
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
$40,000 – $68,000+
A new basement bathroom with an ejector pump, or an attic bathroom under a new dormer with the structural and insulation work that comes 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 $30,000 full remodel, the midpoint of what we actually build here. Tile and waterproofing take a larger share here than the percentage suggests, because a bungalow floor set in a mortar bed has to be 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 West Ridge?
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 West Ridge: Common Questions
How much does a bathroom remodel cost in West Ridge?
A bungalow bathroom taken to the studs and rebuilt generally lands between $24,000 and $37,000. A refresh that keeps the services in place runs $14,000 to $22,000. A second bathroom in the basement or under a dormer starts around $40,000.
My bungalow 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 two candidates are the basement, where the drain sits below the sewer line and needs an ejector pump, and the attic under a new dormer. We look at the basement ceiling on the first visit to establish which is realistic.
The bathroom is tiny. Is it worth remodelling rather than extending?
In almost every case, yes. 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 within the same four walls typically gains a full vanity, a walk-in shower and real storage, at a fraction of what an addition costs.
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 being lifted. Where the look matters we source a close modern match rather than pretending the original can be relaid.
Is my bathroom fan vented outside?
In a bungalow, frequently not. The shallow hip roof makes a duct run awkward, so fans get terminated into the attic where the moisture simply stays in the house. We check on the first visit and duct it properly as part of the work.
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: containment, HEPA filtration, a certified firm and documented cleanup, scheduled and priced in.
Do we need association approval?
No. West Ridge is almost entirely single family, so the Chicago building permit is the only approval needed. That usually takes weeks off the start date compared with the same work in a condominium.
Which other neighbourhoods do you cover?
West Ridge sits beside Rogers Park, Edgewater and Albany Park, and we work north into Evanston and Skokie from the same base.
Keep Reading