Bathroom Remodeling in Austin, TX
A bathroom is the smallest room in the house and the most technically demanding. Plumbing, electrical, ventilation, waterproofing, tile, and glass all have to coordinate inside a space you can cross in two steps, and every one of them has to be right before the next one goes in.
Riccoboni Construction handles bathroom remodeling in Austin and across the Hill Country, from a guest bath refresh through a primary suite reconfiguration. We take bathrooms to framing and rebuild them, which is the only reliable way to know what is behind the tile before you cover it back up.
Request a free estimate or call 512-920-2049.
What a Bathroom Remodel in Austin Involves
Waterproofing, and Why It Decides Everything
This is where most bathrooms fail, and it is the part nobody sees.
A shower pan that was not sloped correctly, or a membrane that was lapped the wrong way, will not announce itself for a couple of years. Then it announces itself in the ceiling below, and the repair costs more than the original bathroom did.
Demolition to Framing
We strip bathrooms back to studs. Partly because it is the only way to see the condition of the framing, the subfloor, and the supply and waste lines, and partly because older Austin homes hide things: previous repairs done badly, undersized venting, and rot around a shower pan that failed years ago.
Finding that during demolition is a change order. Finding it after the tile is set is a demolition.
Layout Changes and Plumbing
Moving a toilet, tub, or shower moves the drain, which means opening the floor. Tub to shower conversions change both the drain location and the waterproofing approach. Curbless entries require recessing the subfloor, which is framing work rather than a finish choice.
Each of those decisions gets made before demolition, because each one changes the rough-in.
Tile, Fixtures, and Finishes
Large-format tile, mosaic, and hand-glazed all install differently and carry different labor cost. Fixture specification can vary by an order of magnitude on otherwise identical scope. Heated floors, steam units, and lighted mirrors all need electrical planned during rough-in rather than added later.
What a Bathroom Remodel Costs in Austin
Every project is different. Answer a few quick questions and we will show you a typical cost range for your scope.
What moves the number: whether fixtures relocate, tub to shower conversion, tile format, whether walls move, and fixture specification.
How Long a Bathroom Remodel Takes
You can expect three to six weeks on site for most bathrooms, once demolition starts. A guest bath with no layout changes lands at the short end. A primary suite with relocated fixtures and custom glass lands at the long end.
Add four to six weeks before that for design, selections, and permitting. Shower glass is measured after tile is set and then fabricated, which adds one to two weeks at the end that people rarely plan for.
If it is your only full bathroom, say so at the estimate stage. It changes how we sequence the work.
How the Project Runs
1. Consultation. We look at the existing bathroom, talk through what you want changed, and identify what is possible without moving plumbing versus what requires it. Budget gets discussed here, not later.
2. Planning and selections. Layout, fixture locations, and every material selected before demolition. Tile, fixtures, vanity, and glass all have lead times, and a late decision on any one of them holds up the whole room.
3. Construction. Demolition, plumbing and electrical rough-in, inspection, waterproofing, tile, then fixtures and finishes. Waterproofing gets photographed before tile.
4. Walkthrough. Grout lines, caulk joints, glass alignment, fixture function, and a punch list we complete.
Shower Remodels
A shower is the most common bathroom project we do on its own, and it is the one where workmanship shows fastest.
Tub to shower conversion. The most requested change in Austin homes built before 2010, where the primary bath has a corner garden tub nobody uses and a shower too small to stand in comfortably. Converting recovers the footprint and changes the drain location, which means opening the floor.
Walk-in and curbless showers. A curbless entry runs the floor level into the shower with no step. It looks better, it is easier to clean, and it works as people age. It requires recessing the subfloor, so it is framing work decided before demolition rather than a finish choice made later.
Tile and glass. Large-format, mosaic, and hand-glazed tile each install differently and carry different labor cost. Frameless glass is measured after the tile is set and then fabricated, which adds one to two weeks at the end of the project.
Waterproofing. Everything above is cosmetic compared to this. See the section above.
Primary Suite Renovations
Larger projects usually mean taking space from an adjacent closet or bedroom, which turns a bathroom remodel into framing, electrical, and sometimes structural work.
Common scope on a luxury bathroom remodeling project in Austin: a curbless walk-in shower with a linear drain, a freestanding tub with floor-mounted supply, a double vanity with proper storage rather than two sinks in a row, separate water closet, heated floors, and a steam unit with its own electrical and venting.
Every one of those affects the rough-in, which is why the selections happen first.
Bathroom Remodeling Questions
How long will I be without the bathroom?
Three to six weeks for most projects. If it is your only full bath, tell us at the estimate and we will sequence around it where we can.
Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom in Austin?
Generally, yes, if plumbing or electrical is being moved or added. Replacing finishes in place is a different case. Requirements differ between Austin, West Lake Hills, Bee Cave, and Dripping Springs, and we confirm which applies to your address.
Should I convert the tub to a shower?
It depends on how many bathrooms you have. Removing the last tub in a house can affect resale, particularly for families with young children. If you have another tub elsewhere, converting the primary is one of the most common and most worthwhile changes we make.
What is a curbless shower and is it worth it?
The floor runs level into the shower with no step. It looks better, it is easier to clean, and it is genuinely accessible as people age. It requires recessing the subfloor, so it costs more and it has to be decided before demolition.
What should I look for in shower remodel companies near me?
Three things. Ask whether they take the shower back to framing or tile over what is there. Ask what waterproofing system they use and whether they will photograph it installed. And ask whether the same crew does the tile, because a shower is only as good as the person setting it.
How do I know the waterproofing was done right?
Ask for photographs of it installed, before tile. Any contractor who will not is telling you something.
Do you work outside Austin?
Yes, we serve Austin, Dripping Springs, Westlake, Lakeway, Bee Cave, and the surrounding areas.
Start Your Bathroom Remodel
Tell us what is bothering you about your bathroom. We will come look, talk through what is possible, and give you a price range you can plan around.
Request a free estimate or call 512-920-2049.