Key takeaways
- Read a bathroom remodel quote from the top down and leave the total for last.
- Each line should name what gets done and with which product, and each one raises a question: how far the job goes, who hauls the old tub out, what happens if the crew finds damage once the wall is open, which color and model, who pulls the permit, whose warranty, and what you pay when.
- A line too vague to answer its question is the one to send back before you sign.
You live in a 1994 two-story in West Chester, the master bath has the builder's tub-shower combo with a cultured-marble surround gone yellow, and you plan to list the house in two or three years. Three quotes sit on the kitchen table, each laid out its own way, and the totals don't line up. Knowing how to read a bathroom remodel quote comes down to one habit: go line by line, top to bottom, and ask the question each line raises before your eyes drift to the bottom number.
The Federal Trade Commission's guide to hiring a contractor lists what a home improvement contract should spell out, and most of the steps below come from that list. Put every page of every quote on the table, with a pen in a second color for the questions you will send back.
Step 1: read the scope line first
The scope is the sentence near the top that says what job the company is pricing. "Remove and replace tub and surround" and "bathroom remodel" are two different jobs, and you need to know which one each quote describes.
- Find the scope line and underline it.
- Write down whether it covers only the wet area (the tub or shower and the walls around it) or the whole room.
- If it's the whole room, check for the floor, the vanity, the toilet, the drywall outside the shower, paint and the exhaust fan.
- Check that the company's name, address, phone and license number are on the page, which the FTC guide lists as a contract item.
The question this line raises: does this quote stop at the tub or go wall to wall? Two quotes that look far apart are often two different scopes, so match them on this line first.
A wet-area job and a whole-room job also run on different clocks. At Bulldog, the wet area is gutted to the studs and rebuilt in one day, and you take your first shower the next morning. The floor, vanity and toilet are a separate, longer job, and we say so up front. Wet-area gut renovation explained covers what comes out and what stays.
Step 2: check demolition and haul-away
The FTC guide says the contract should state what the contractor will and won't do, including whether site clean-up and trash hauling are in the price, and it suggests a "broom clause" that makes the contractor responsible for clean-up.
- Look for the words demolition, removal, disposal or haul-away.
- Check whether the quote mentions protecting the floors and stairs between the bathroom and the front door.
The question: if it's not on the page, is it in the price? A tub and surround in a second-floor bath come out in pieces and go down the stairs, and the quote should say who carries them. On install day, our crew removes the old tub and surround and cleans up before they leave.
Step 3: find the line about damage behind the wall
Give this line the most time, since it can move the total after you sign. Once the old surround comes off, the crew sees the subfloor and the pipes. In a house built in 1994, nobody sees what's behind the original surround until it comes off.
The FTC guide says the contract should state how change orders are handled, and it defines a change order as a written authorization to change or add to the work in the original contract, one that can affect the cost and the schedule.
- Search each quote for "change order," "unforeseen conditions," "hidden damage" or "allowance."
- Write down what each company does if it finds soft subfloor or old pipe once the wall is open.
- Check whether a change needs your signature before the crew does the work.
The question: once the wall is open, who decides, and how do they reach you? Whoever you hire, get the process in writing before install day. Three questions to ask a bathroom contractor covers how to put this one to a salesperson at the table.
Step 4: check that materials have names and colors
"Marble-look wall panels" tells you a category. A quote you can hold someone to names the product. The FTC guide says the contract should list each material's color, model, size and brand, and if some items will be picked later, it should say who picks them and how much money is set aside for each, which the trade calls an allowance.
- Circle every material that has a brand, model and color. Mark the ones that don't.
- For the walls, look for the pattern name. Ours carry names like Calcutta Marble, Bianco Travertine or 3x6 Subway, and that name belongs on the quote. You can see them on the colors and patterns page.
The question: could another company build this from the page? If not, you're comparing a product against a promise.
Step 5: read the fixtures line
Fixtures are the parts you touch every day: the valve (the part inside the wall that mixes hot and cold), the trim (the handle and plate you see), the shower head and the tub spout. Write down the finish too (brushed nickel, chrome, matte black or oil-rubbed bronze), since it has to sit next to the faucet you are keeping on the vanity.
- Check that the quote names a new valve, not only new trim.
- Note the shower head type, rain or handheld.
- Look for a niche, a shelf or a towel bar if one was discussed.
The question: is the valve in the wall new, or does the new trim go on the old one?
Step 6: read the base and door lines
These two lines decide how you get in and out of the shower for as long as you live there, and how the bathroom looks in listing photos. The base can be a standard curbed base, a low-threshold base, a base with a built-in seat or a neo-angle corner, and some come with a slip-resistant textured floor. The door can be sliding, hinged, frameless or a curtain rod.
- Check that the base type and the floor texture are written in.
- For the door, look for the type, the glass thickness (1/4, 5/16 or 3/8 inch on ours), the glass finish (clear, rain or frosted) and the hardware finish.
The question: did the quote write down what you picked, or a default?
Step 7: find the permit line
The FTC guide lists the contractor's obligation to get all necessary permits as a contract item, and it names a contractor who asks you to get the permits as a warning sign. In Hamilton County outside the City of Cincinnati, plumbing permits go through Hamilton County Public Health, and its 2012 homeowner fact sheet lists remodeling a bathroom and replacing a shower valve as jobs that needed one then, so call to confirm the current rule. A West Chester house is in Butler County, which, like Warren County, the City of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, has its own office and rules.
- Look for the word "permit" on each quote.
- Write down who pulls it and whether its fee is in the price.
The question: does my job need a permit where I live, and who gets it?
Step 8: read the warranty in writing
The FTC guide says the contract should give the names and addresses of who honors the warranty, whether that's the contractor, the distributor or the manufacturer, along with the length and any limits.
- Check for two warranties: one on the product and one on the work.
- Write down who you call for each, and the length.
- If you're selling, ask what happens to each warranty when the house changes hands.
The question: who picks up the phone in year five? Ours covers the product and the workmanship for as long as you own the home, and the crew registers it before they leave on install day.
Step 9: read the payment schedule and the deposit
The FTC's advice on home improvement scams says not to pay the full amount up front, that some states limit how much a contractor can ask for as a down payment, and not to make the final payment until the work is done and you're satisfied. The longer FTC guide adds two points: tie payments during the job to finished stages of work, and ask for a lien waiver, a signed paper saying the contractor's subs and suppliers have been paid, before the last payment.
- Write down what each quote asks for at signing, during the job and at the end.
- Check what the final payment is tied to.
The question: how much of my money does this company hold before anyone shows up? If you sign at home, the FTC says the contract should include a written notice of your right to cancel within three business days. Check that it's there.
Step 10: find the start date and the schedule
The FTC lists an estimated start and completion date as something a contract should include.
- Write down the start date and how many days the bathroom is out of use.
- Note anything that happens before install day, such as ordering or fabrication.
The question: how many mornings will we be showering somewhere else? Our base, walls and trim are measured at the consultation and made to those numbers before install day. The crew has the new shower in by evening, and an adult needs to be home at the start and end of the day.
Common mistakes when you read a bathroom remodel quote
Reading the total first. Once you see the lowest number, you read every line looking for reasons to pick it. Cover the totals with a sticky note until you've done all ten steps.
Leaving promises out of the contract. The FTC says the contract should include any promises made during conversations, such as the scope of work, and that all blank spaces should be filled in. If the salesperson said the subfloor was covered, that sentence goes on the paper.
What a quote you've read all the way through looks like
When you're done, each quote has a second color of ink on it: a question next to every vague line, and a check next to every line that names a product, a person or a date. Send the questions back to each company and see who answers in writing, and how fast. What sets the price of a one-day bathroom in Cincinnati explains why the totals differ once the lines match.
At Bulldog, a design consultant comes to the house, measures, brings samples of the colors and finishes, and leaves a written quote for your bathroom. The same people who measure come back to install, with our own crew. Read ours with the same ten steps and send your questions back like the others. The one-day remodel page walks through install day, so you can check the schedule line against it.
One-day shower replacement in Cincinnati puts the whole job in one place: what it covers, what it doesn't, and how to judge a bid.
