What a Brand New Bathroom Costs
Adding a bathroom costs $21,000 to $49,000 on average, and most homeowners report a total between $10,000 and $30,000, according to This Old House. The gap is that wide because one choice sets the price before anything else.
That choice is where the bathroom goes. Putting one inside space you already have costs about half of building new square footage onto the house. Below is what each route costs, what drives the number, and how a bathroom remodeling crew prices the job.
What Does It Cost to Add a Bathroom?
Plan on $21,000 to $49,000 for a bathroom that was not there before. A half bath lands near the bottom of that range and a primary suite bath lands at the top.
Cost by the kind of bathroom
This Old House puts a 25 square foot half bath at about $18,000, a 50 square foot full bath at about $21,000, and a 150 square foot primary bath at about $35,000. Block Renovation reports a similar spread, from $5,000 for a simple half bath up to $75,000 for a primary suite.
A half bath is a toilet and a sink. A full bath adds a shower or a tub, which means a waterproofed wet area, a bigger drain and a fan. That one step is most of the price jump between the two.
Converting space beats building new
Turning a closet, a laundry room or a corner of a bedroom into a bathroom can cost up to 50 percent less than building an addition. The walls, the roof and the floor are already there, so you are paying for plumbing and finishes, not for structure.
A new addition carries a foundation, framing, roofing, siding and a new run of plumbing and power. That is why it starts around $20,000 and climbs past $50,000. If the room is already there, this is a different job from a full bathroom remodel, because nothing is being replaced, everything is being created.
Where Does the Money Go on a Bathroom Addition?
Labor takes 40 to 55 percent of the total, This Old House reports. Plumbers bill $75 to $150 an hour and electricians bill $50 to $150 an hour, and both are on site for days, not hours.
The space you pick sets the range
Block Renovation prices a laundry room conversion at $7,000 to $14,000 and a closet at $8,000 to $15,000. A basement runs $8,000 to $20,000, a spare bedroom or garage $10,000 to $25,000, and an attic $15,000 to $40,000. A brand new addition runs $20,000 to $50,000 and up.
The cheap spots are cheap for one reason. A laundry room already has a drain, a water line and a vent. An attic has none of those, and it is three floors from the sewer line.
Fixtures are the small half
A toilet runs $650 to $1,150 installed, a sink $600 to $900, a vanity $600 to $900 and an exhaust fan $300 to $800. Shower installation runs $3,700 to $4,360 and a tub runs $1,650 to $2,800.
Add a general contractor's overhead and profit of 15 to 25 percent, plus a permit that starts near $100. The fixtures you shop for are rarely what blows the budget.
What Drives the Price Up in a Maryland Home?
Distance from the existing plumbing. The further the new toilet sits from a drain line that is already running, the more floor has to come up.
Global Remodeling Pros is a family owned general contractor, MHIC 164107, with more than 5,000 projects across Baltimore and the wider DMV and crews carrying nearly 30 years of combined experience. We do the basement, the garage and the addition as well as the bathroom, so a new bath is one contract and one crew rather than four trades you have to line up yourself.
Stack it, do not stretch it
The cheapest new bathroom sits back to back with an existing bathroom or kitchen, or directly above or below one. That lets the new drain tie into a stack that is already vented, which is the single biggest saving on the job.
Basements are the exception people get caught by. The new drain usually sits below the main sewer line, so the waste has to be pumped up to meet it. That means an up-flush toilet or a sewage ejector pit, and that decision belongs in the quote, not in a surprise invoice halfway through.
Older homes carry a lead rule
Much of the Baltimore area housing stock went up before 1978. The EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires that anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home be a lead-safe certified firm. Cutting a doorway or opening a wall for a new bathroom is exactly that kind of work.
We are Lead-Safe Certified and fully bonded, so the containment and cleanup are part of the price instead of a change order. Ask any contractor for that certification before they open a wall in an older Maryland home.
Is Adding a Bathroom Worth the Money?
For most families, yes, but not as a resale play. A midrange bathroom addition recoups about 53 percent of its cost at resale and an upscale one about 36 percent, while a midrange bathroom remodel returns closer to 80 percent.
The payoff is daily use. Nearly 90 percent of owners who added a bathroom said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the result. A second bathroom in a three bedroom house changes every weekday morning.
How to decide which route to take
Walk the house and find the space nearest existing plumbing first. If what you really want is a bigger primary suite rather than one more toilet, price that path instead, because a master bathroom remodel uses the room you already have and returns more of the money.
Settle the paperwork before you settle the tile. New plumbing, new wiring and a new wall all trigger inspections, and the rules change by county, so check whether you need a permit before the first demolition day.
Then price the plumbing honestly. Moving or extending supply and drain lines is the line item that separates a $12,000 bathroom from a $40,000 one, and our guide to the cost to move plumbing shows how fast it climbs.
Hold money back
Nearly a third of homeowners who added a bathroom hit an unplanned plumbing upgrade. Old galvanized pipe, an undersized panel and soft subfloor only show up once the wall is open, so keep 10 to 15 percent of the budget unspent.
Bathroom Addition Questions
What is the cheapest way to add a bathroom?
Convert a space that already has plumbing running to it or past it. A laundry room is the cheapest at $7,000 to $14,000, and a closet beside an existing bathroom is close behind. Both skip the foundation, framing and roofing that make a new addition cost twice as much.
How long does it take to add a bathroom?
Most projects run three weeks to two months. About 38 percent finish in three to four weeks and 29 percent take one to two months. Plan on a crew in the house for at least two weeks, and add time for inspections, which vary by county across Baltimore and the DMV.
Can you add a bathroom anywhere in a house?
Almost anywhere, but the cost follows the plumbing. A spot above, below or back to back with an existing bathroom is the cheapest. A basement usually needs a pump to lift waste up to the sewer line, and an attic needs new supply, drain and vent lines run the full height of the house.
Get a Real Number for Your New Bathroom
Global Remodeling Pros is a family owned, MHIC licensed and Lead-Safe Certified remodeler serving Baltimore and the surrounding DMV, with a lifetime labor guarantee on every job. Show us the space you have in mind and we will send a written bathroom remodeling proposal within 24 hours.
Call 443-623-5126