Guide
Bathroom Remodel Cost in Portland (2026): Primary Baths, Hall Baths and Tub-to-Shower Conversions
Typical design-build ranges by bathroom type, what drives the number, which upgrades are worth it, and how long the work takes.
The Short Answer
How much does a bathroom remodel cost in Portland?
In Portland in 2026, a primary bathroom remodel typically costs $30,000 to $100,000+, a hall or guest bath $20,000 to $60,000, a tub-to-shower conversion $15,000 to $40,000, and a powder room $10,000 to $20,000. Full gut remodels run roughly $400 to $800 per square foot. A primary bath takes about 8 to 12 weeks of construction, and permits are required whenever plumbing, electrical or walls move.
Want a number for your own project? Try our remodel cost estimator.
Masters Construction is a design-build general contractor serving Portland, Lake Oswego, West Linn, and Vancouver, WA.
Bathrooms carry more cost per square foot than any other room in a house. Everything in them is wet, tiled, ventilated, waterproofed and inspected, and all of it is packed into a small footprint. That is why a 60 sq ft bathroom can cost as much as a room addition three times its size.
Below are the ranges we contract at in 2026, broken out by bathroom type, with the specific items that move a number up or down. For pricing across every room, see our Portland and Vancouver remodeling cost guide.
How much does a bathroom remodel cost in Portland in 2026?
These are typical design-build ranges — complete projects including drawings, permits, demolition, waterproofing, tile, fixtures, cabinetry, electrical, ventilation and finish work:
- Primary bathroom: $30,000-$100,000+. The low end is a same-layout renovation with a tiled shower, stock or semi-custom vanity and quartz top. The high end is a full gut with a curbless shower, freestanding tub, double custom vanity, heated floors and relocated plumbing.
- Hall or guest bathroom: $20,000-$60,000. Smaller footprint, single vanity, tub-shower combination or a compact tiled shower.
- Tub-to-shower conversion: $15,000-$40,000. Removing the tub, rebuilding and waterproofing the shower pan and walls, new valve and drain, glass enclosure and tile.
- Powder room: $10,000-$20,000. No wet area to waterproof, so cost concentrates in vanity, stone, lighting, tile and wall finish.
What is the bathroom remodel cost per square foot?
Full gut bathroom remodels in the Portland metro run roughly $400 to $800 per square foot — higher than kitchens, for a small-room reason: a bathroom packs waterproofing, tile, plumbing, electrical and ventilation into 40 to 120 square feet with no low-cost filler area.
The number rises as the room shrinks. A 45 sq ft hall bath frequently prices above $700 per square foot, because a shower valve, a vent fan, a waterproofed pan and a tile install cost the same whether the room is small or large.
Use per-square-foot to compare proposals, not to build a budget. Two bids at the same per-foot figure can differ enormously in waterproofing method, tile quality and whether plumbing relocation is actually included.
What drives the price of a bathroom remodel?
The items that move a bathroom budget the most:
- Tile and waterproofing. Tile labor is priced by complexity: large-format tile needs a flatter substrate, mosaic and herringbone take far longer to set, and a full-height tiled shower with a niche and a bench is many times the labor of a tub surround. A proper waterproofing assembly under it all is non-negotiable and is where cheap bids cut.
- Plumbing relocation. Moving a toilet, shower or vanity means opening the floor, rerouting waste with correct fall, and re-inspecting. In a slab or over a finished ceiling this gets expensive quickly.
- Custom showers. Curbless entry, a linear drain, steam, multiple valves, frameless glass and a bench each add both material and labor. A custom shower alone can be $15,000-$30,000 of a primary bath budget.
- Vanities and stone. Stock vanity versus custom millwork with a stone top and undermount sinks is commonly a $5,000-$20,000 swing.
- Ventilation and electrical. Correctly sized, quiet exhaust ducted to the exterior, GFCI circuits, heated floor circuits, dedicated lighting zones and code-required clearances.
- Permits, drawings and structural. Required whenever plumbing, wiring or walls change; structural work in an older Portland house adds engineering.
What do curbless showers, heated floors and other upgrades add?
Rough add-on figures we see on Portland projects, on top of a standard scope:
- Curbless shower: $3,000-$8,000. The floor structure has to be recessed or built up so the shower pan drains without a curb, which means framing work plus a linear drain and a more demanding waterproofing detail. It looks cleaner, cleans easier and is the single best aging-in-place upgrade you can make.
- Heated tile floors: $2,500-$6,000 for a typical primary bath, including the mat or cable, a dedicated circuit and a programmable thermostat. It can be added to any bathroom that is being tiled — it cannot be retrofitted under existing tile.
- Steam shower: $8,000-$18,000, including the generator, a fully sealed and sloped-ceiling enclosure, a vapor-tight door and controls.
- Freestanding tub with floor-mounted filler: $4,000-$12,000, depending on the tub and whether the supply has to come up through the floor.
- Frameless glass enclosure: $2,000-$6,000 depending on size, glass thickness and whether the opening is square.
- Towel warmers, smart valves, sound-dampened walls and motion night lighting: a few hundred to a few thousand dollars each, and generally the details clients mention most afterward. Our bathroom remodeling service page covers how we build these in.
How much does a bathroom remodel cost by tile and fixture choices?
Finish level moves a bathroom budget more than size does. The same 80 sq ft primary bath can land at either end of our range depending on tile, fixtures and glass.
These are typical 2026 ranges for a primary bath in the Portland metro, including labor, waterproofing and permits:
| Typical range | What that buys |
|---|---|
| $30,000–$50,000 | Standard finishes: ceramic or porcelain tile, a tiled shower with a curb, chrome or brushed fixtures, a semi-custom vanity with a quartz top, and a framed or semi-frameless glass door. |
| $50,000–$75,000 | Upgraded finishes: large-format porcelain, a curbless shower with a linear drain, thermostatic valves, heated floors, a custom vanity and a frameless glass enclosure. |
| $75,000–$100,000+ | Premium finishes: natural stone or handmade tile, a steam shower or freestanding tub, designer fixtures, custom millwork and relocated plumbing. |
How can you keep a bathroom remodel under $50K?
A primary bath under $50,000 is realistic in Portland if the plan stays disciplined. The biggest savings come from decisions made before demolition.
Keep the toilet, shower and vanity where they are. Moving drains is one of the fastest ways to add $5,000 to $15,000. Choose porcelain over natural stone, and use one tile size on floors and walls to cut labor.
Pick a quality semi-custom vanity instead of full custom millwork. Save the splurge for one item you touch every day, such as a thermostatic valve or heated floor.
Lock every selection before work starts. Changes after demolition are what push budgets past $50,000. Our process page explains how we fix the price after design, and our pricing page shows typical ranges by project.
Bath Fitter and tub liners vs a real bathroom remodel
Acrylic tub liners and one-day bath systems slide a molded shell over your existing tub and walls. In the Portland area they typically cost $3,000 to $8,000 installed, and the work takes a day or two.
The catch is what they hide. A liner goes over the old tub, tile and substrate. It does not fix rotted framing, failed waterproofing, old supply lines or a leaking drain. If water is already getting behind the tile, a liner can trap it there.
A liner makes sense in a few cases: a rental you plan to keep simple, a sound tub with dated walls, or a short stay before you sell. The walls behind it must be dry and solid.
A tub-to-shower conversion at $15,000 to $40,000 is often the better buy. The old tub comes out, the wall is opened, and the shower is waterproofed and tiled properly. You can add a low curb or curbless entry, grab-bar blocking and a bench. That work lasts decades and adds real value.
- Acrylic liner or one-day system: $3,000-$8,000, installed in a day or two
- Tub-to-shower conversion: $15,000-$40,000, with new waterproofing and tile
- Choose a liner for a short hold or a sound tub; choose a conversion when you plan to stay
Bathtub refinishing in Portland
Refinishing sprays a new coating over a worn porcelain, cast iron or fiberglass tub. In Portland it typically costs $400 to $900 and is done in a day.
A good refinish lasts about 10 to 15 years with gentle cleaning. It will not fix chips in the base, a rusted drain or a cracked shell.
We recommend it when the tub is solid, the layout works, and the budget is going elsewhere. A classic cast iron tub in a vintage bath is a good candidate. If the walls or floor need work anyway, a full remodel is usually the better spend.
Do you need a permit for a bathroom remodel in Portland?
Yes, in most real remodels. Portland Permitting & Development requires permits when plumbing is moved or added, when electrical circuits are added or altered, when ventilation changes, and when walls are removed or built. Replacing a vanity, toilet and light fixture in exactly the same locations generally does not require one.
Because a bathroom remodel almost always touches plumbing and electrical, assume a trade permit at minimum. Fees are usually a few hundred to low four figures, and non-structural bathroom permits are generally faster than kitchen or structural reviews.
Outside Portland, the offices change but the rule does not: Lake Oswego Building Division, Beaverton Community Development or Washington County, City of Vancouver or Clark County in Washington. We handle drawings, submittals and inspections everywhere we build.
How long does a bathroom remodel take?
A primary bathroom takes 8 to 12 weeks of construction.
Demolition is a few days; rough plumbing and electrical with inspection take one to two weeks; waterproofing and tile take two to three weeks and cannot be rushed, because membranes and mortars have real cure times; cabinetry, stone templating and fabrication, glass measurement and fabrication, then fixtures and punch list fill the remainder.
Glass and stone are the most common schedule drivers, because both are measured after the tile and cabinetry are actually in place and then take one to three weeks to fabricate.
A hall bath is usually 6 to 9 weeks; a tub-to-shower conversion 3 to 5; a powder room 2 to 4. Add 3 to 6 weeks of design and 2 to 6 weeks of permitting before construction starts.
What does a bathroom remodel cost in Lake Oswego, Beaverton and Vancouver, WA?
The ranges above hold across the metro. What changes is the typical scope rather than the unit pricing.
Lake Oswego primary baths often sit in the upper half of the range — larger rooms, more frequent plumbing relocation, and more curbless showers, freestanding tubs and custom vanities. Permits go through the city's Building Division.
Beaverton's 1970s-1990s ranches and split-levels tend toward the middle of the range, with the common scope being a compartmentalized primary bath opened up into a single room. Permits are issued by Beaverton Community Development, or Washington County for unincorporated addresses.
In Vancouver, WA and Clark County, pricing matches Oregon, review timelines are often shorter, and Washington sales tax applies to the work. Older Vancouver homes and the mid-century stock near the river frequently need supply-line replacement discovered at demolition, which is worth carrying in your contingency.
Whatever the address, we recommend holding 10-15% beyond the contract price for the unknowns behind a bathroom wall. How we price and where that contingency goes is explained on our pricing page and in our process.
Frequently Asked
Frequently Asked Questions
What homeowners ask us most about this work.
A primary bathroom remodel in Portland typically costs $30,000 to $100,000+ in 2026. A same-layout renovation with a tiled shower and semi-custom vanity sits near the bottom; a full gut with a curbless shower, freestanding tub, double custom vanity, heated floors and relocated plumbing sits at the top.
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