Bathroom Remodel Checklist for a New York City Home

A bathroom remodel can be as light as paint and new fittings or as heavy as a room stripped to the structure and rebuilt. Either way it goes better with a list. This one runs in the order the decisions should be made, with the points that are particular to New York City apartments marked where they come up. Work down it before you ask for prices and you will get quotes you can compare.

Goals and priorities

• Write the big-picture goal in one sentence: more storage, a shower in place of a tub, a room that is easier to clean, a better-looking room to sell.
• List what must change and what would be nice, in that order.
• Say who uses the room: children, guests, someone who will need a grab bar or a curbless shower in ten years.
• Note the date the job has to be finished by, if there is one.

Budget

• Decide the scope first: new shower, more floor area, or a refresh.
• Go through every item and put a figure on it, down to cabinet knobs and switch covers.
• Add the costs outside the contract: design, permits, and the fees and deposits your building charges.
• Hold a reserve for what demolition reveals.

Building and city approvals

• Co-op or condo: ask the managing agent for the alteration agreement and read it before you design. It sets the working hours, the insurance, the deposits and what the building’s architect or engineer must review.
• Ask the building whether it has its own rules about moving or enlarging a bathroom.
• Permit: the Department of Buildings counts replacing a plumbing fixture as work that needs no permit, but says most bathroom renovations need a permit application filed by a professional engineer or registered architect. Adding a bathroom is one of its examples.
• Plumbing must be done by a Licensed Master Plumber.
• Landmark building or historic district: interior work that needs a Department of Buildings permit also needs a Landmarks Preservation Commission permit.
• Older building: ask what is known about lead paint and asbestos before walls and floors are opened.

Design choices

• Choose a color palette or style and keep to it, consistent with the rest of the home.
• Tub, shower or both; a niche for bottles; a glass enclosure or a curtain.
• Vanity and medicine cabinet sizes. These are fixed early because they guide the plumber and the electrician.
• Floor and wall tile, and where each starts and stops.
• Upgrades: an exhaust fan, radiant heat under the floor, a heated towel bar.
• Fixtures that use less water. Toilets with the federal WaterSense label use 1.28 gallons per flush or less, where older ones can use as much as 6.
• Materials suited to a wet room: moisture-resistant board, low-VOC paint.

Order before you start

• Buy or order as much as possible before demolition, and confirm the delivery date of every item.
• Check lead times on the vanity, the tile and the shower glass.
• Measure the route in: will the new tub fit through the building’s door, the elevator and the bathroom door?
• Arrange where deliveries will be kept until they are needed.

Obstacles to look for

• Can the existing pipes be used, or does the toilet or shower need new plumbing?
• Will the subfloor need replacing once the old tile is up?
• Can the existing wiring be used?
• Is the floor framing sound and level? It is checked after demolition and adjusted if needed.
• When are inspections due, and who books them?

Living through it

• If this is your only bathroom, plan where you will wash and for how long.
• Ask how the room will be sealed off. On our jobs the preparation includes dust isolation, a protected path for debris and negative air pressure to keep dust out of the living area.
• Tell the neighbors, and learn the building’s hours for noisy work.
• Know when the water will be shut off, and whether the shut-off affects other apartments.

Timeline

An average bathroom renovation on our bathroom remodel timeline takes four to eight weeks, in this order: preparation, demolition, framing, plumbing and electrical rough-in with inspections, then wallboard, waterproofing, tile, vanity, paint and final connections. Design, approvals and ordering come before that count begins. Put each on a calendar with a date, working back from when you need the room.

Our bathroom renovation in NYC page explains the work stage by stage, the bathroom gallery shows finished rooms, and co-op renovation covers the approval process. For the floor, see our bathroom floor ideas.

Questions people ask