What a bathroom remodel in Arlington actually involves
Bungalows, Cape Cods, colonials and the occasional four-square from the 1920s through the 1950s, on small lots, with an enormous volume of pop-top and rear-addition work already done across the county.
- Demolition down to framing. Tile, tub or shower base, vanity and flooring out, and the walls opened to studs where the wet wall is. On an older house this is where you find corroded supply lines, a rotted subfloor around the toilet flange, or a joist somebody notched to run a drain.
- Plumbing rough-in and venting. Supply lines, drains and vents set for the new fixture locations. Every fixture needs venting to drain correctly, and a shower moved even a few feet may need its drain and vent reworked, which on an upper floor means opening the ceiling below.
- Waterproofing the wet area. This is the part that matters most and is the least visible when it is done. A tiled shower needs a continuous waterproof assembly behind the tile, correctly detailed at the curb, the corners, the niche and the drain, with a sloped substrate. Cement board alone is not waterproofing.
- Vanity, fixtures and glass. Cabinetry set level, fixtures installed and tested under pressure, and shower glass measured after tile — never before.
What we typically find on a Arlington house of this era (1920 to 1955). Arlington bungalows and capes give us undersized floor framing for the spans people now want, previous pop-tops of highly variable quality, and lead paint on essentially everything. Lot coverage is usually the constraint that decides the design.
Lead paint: the rule that applies to most of Arlington
If the house went up before 1978, the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to any work that disturbs painted surfaces: the firm doing it has to be certified, the work area has to be contained, and the cleanup has to be verified. Most of Arlington's housing stock predates 1978, so assume this applies to your house unless someone has established otherwise. We are certified for this work and it is built into how we set up, not bolted on. Worth asking every other contractor bidding your job whether they are, and asking to see it.
What drives the cost on a Arlington bathroom remodel
Anyone can publish a range. Almost nobody can publish one that survives contact with an actual house, which is why we do not. The list below is the honest version: the specific things that decide whether your project lands at the bottom or the top of whatever range you have in your head.
- Tub-to-shower conversion versus a straight replacement. A conversion changes the drain, the waterproofing and usually the framing at the curb.
- Tile size, pattern and how much of it. Full-height tile with a niche and a bench is a different labor number than a wainscot and a simple floor.
- Adding a bathroom where none existed, which is a plumbing project with a bathroom attached rather than the reverse.
A single bathroom in its existing footprint runs a few weeks of active work, with the tile and waterproofing sequence carrying mandatory cure and inspection points that cannot be compressed. Moving fixtures adds time on both ends. Adding a bathroom in new space is a longer project with more inspection stages.
The mistakes we get called in to fix
- Tiling directly over unmodified cement board and calling it waterproof. It is not a waterproof membrane, and the shower will eventually wet the framing behind it.
- A shower floor that does not slope consistently to the drain. Water sitting in a corner is a grout and mold problem forever.
- Ordering the shower glass off drawings instead of measuring the finished tile. Glass is not adjustable.
One licensed team, one contract, one point of contact
Everything we claim here can be verified by you in a few minutes. MHIC #111971 is on file with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission and is publicly searchable. We carry general liability and workers' compensation coverage and provide carrier-issued certificates before a contract is signed. The licensed trades working under us hold their own licenses and their own insurance, and they pull their own trade permits, which is how the law requires it. What you get is a single contract and a single company that cannot point at anyone else.
Where we work in Arlington
- 22201
- 22203
- 22205
- 22207
- 22209
- Lyon Park
- Ashton Heights
- Cherrydale
- Westover
- Aurora Highlands
- Bluemont
How a Arlington project runs
- We walk the property and put the scope in writing. An unhurried visit, real measurements, and a look behind finishes wherever we responsibly can. You end up with a document describing the project rather than a number scribbled on a business card.
- Feasibility against Arlington rules, before design. We establish what Arlington County will require for bathroom remodel at your address, and what your lot, your zoning and your existing house will allow.
- Scope agreed first, permits second. Nothing gets submitted until you have approved a line-item scope with the allowances written out in plain terms and a change-order process both sides have signed off on. Then we assemble and file the permit package and answer the reviewer's comments ourselves.
- One team on site, one closeout file. MHIC #111971, We supervise our own trades, we schedule against the inspection calendar so nobody sits idle, and we hand you a closeout file at the end that you can give to a buyer years from now.
Free Arlington bathroom remodel consultation
We walk the space, tell you what Arlington County will require, and give you a written scope. No obligation, and the permit guidance is yours either way.
Bathroom Remodeling across Arlington
We work throughout Lyon Park, Ashton Heights, Cherrydale, Westover, Aurora Highlands and Bluemont, covering 22201, 22203, 22205, 22207, 22209. Arlington land values mean the calculation is almost always renovate-and-expand versus sell, and the pop-top or rear addition is the default answer. The constraint is zoning, not construction.
Homeowners here usually reach us for more than one thing at a time. Related work in Arlington: kitchen remodeling in Arlington, basement finishing in Arlington, whole-home renovation in Arlington, interior painting in Arlington.
Most remodelers stop at the drywall. We started at the roof and worked inward, so the envelope is not a referral for us. Roof replacement, siding, aluminum siding, gutters, soffit and fascia and window replacement all sit under the same contract as the interior work, which matters most on the day somebody opens a wall and finds out why the paint kept failing.
Arlington bathroom remodeling questions
Do I need a permit for a bathroom remodel in Arlington, VA?
Your reviewing authority is Arlington County. Plumbing and electrical permits are required when fixtures are moved, drain or vent lines are altered, or circuits are added — which describes most bathroom remodels beyond a vanity swap. We confirm the requirement for your specific parcel rather than generalizing, because in this region the answer genuinely changes across a municipal boundary. We pull the permits and meet the inspections as part of the contract.
Are you licensed to do this work in Arlington?
Yes. We hold MHIC #111971 with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, and we carry general liability and workers' compensation coverage with certificates available on request. Both numbers are publicly verifiable through the state license lookups, and we would encourage you to check ours and everyone else's you are considering.
What is actually different about doing this work in Arlington?
Most Arlington housing predates 1978, so the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to any work that disturbs painted surfaces. On a 1930s bungalow you should also expect plaster, original wiring in places, and a floor plan that assumed a much smaller kitchen. Small lots where lot coverage and setbacks bind almost immediately, which is why so much Arlington expansion goes up or straight back rather than sideways.
How long will I be without the bathroom?
For a single-bathroom remodel in its existing footprint, plan on a few weeks of active work. The waterproofing and tile stages have cure times and inspection holds built in that no contractor can compress without cutting something that matters.