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Why there’s no price range yet
We only show price ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch quote data or reliable, cited sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the price — and the quickest way to a real number is to compare quotes.
What affects the price
- Whether fixtures stay on the existing wet wall or the drain has to be re-run
- Subfloor rot around the toilet flange, which is only visible once the tile is off
- The waterproofing system: a bonded membrane and bonded drain against cement board and a pan liner
- Shower details — niches, a bench, a curbless entry — each of which the membrane must wrap
- Tile size and pattern: large-format and herringbone take longer to set than a stacked 12 by 24
- Whether the tub is replaced with a shower, which changes the drain position and the framing
- Exhaust fan capacity and where the duct actually terminates
- Asbestos testing before old sheet flooring is lifted in a pre-1990 house
- Heated floor, which adds a mat, a thermostat and its own circuit
- Whether the house has a second bathroom, which decides how hard the schedule has to be pushed
The wet wall decides most of it
Every fixture in a bathroom drains into one stack. If the new layout keeps the toilet, tub and sink on that same wall, the plumber's work is measured in hours. Move the toilet to the opposite wall and the floor comes up so a new drain can be run at the right slope, which on a second storey means working from the ceiling of the room below.
Ask any plumber which of two layouts is cheaper and they will answer before you finish the sentence. Ask them how much cheaper and they will want to see the joists first.
What they find under the old floor
Bathrooms leak slowly. A wax ring that has been failing for a decade, or grout that stopped being waterproof years ago, rots the subfloor around the toilet flange and nobody knows until the tile comes off. This is the single most common reason a bathroom quote grows mid-job, and it is why a careful contractor writes a subfloor allowance into the contract instead of pretending the floor is sound.
If the house predates 1990, the old sheet flooring and its backing are worth a test before anyone starts cutting — Health Canada lists vinyl floor tiles among the materials the housing industry used asbestos in, with the risk arising when they are disturbed.
Waterproofing is where quotes quietly differ
Two quotes can both say "tiled shower" and mean very different things. One may be a sheet or liquid waterproofing membrane over the whole wet area with a bonded drain; the other may be cement board and a plastic pan liner. The first costs more and is the reason the tile is still sound in fifteen years. When you compare quotes, compare the membrane by name.
The same goes for the shower niche, the bench and the curbless entry everyone wants — each one is another detail the membrane has to wrap, and each is priced as work, not as a freebie.
Ventilation is code, not a nice-to-have
A bathroom fan has to move air outside, not into the attic. Ducting a fan into the attic space is a common fault in older houses and a reliable way to grow mould on the underside of the roof deck. If the quote includes a new fan, it should say where it exhausts and whether the duct is insulated through the cold space.
Living in a one-bathroom house
For a full gut of the only bathroom in the house, two to three weeks with no shower is a realistic plan, and it is longer if a custom vanity or a tile order is late. Contractors can sometimes stage the work so the toilet goes back in overnight; ask, because it is usually a scheduling decision rather than a cost one.
Before you sign
Ontario's guidance applies to bathrooms as much as to kitchens: anything over 50 dollars in writing, no more than 10 per cent over a contract estimate without your written agreement, a deposit kept small, and 10 days to cancel a contract signed in your home. Take the same posture anywhere in Canada. And if the layout changes at all, ask whether a plumbing permit is being pulled — in Toronto, for instance, modifying the plumbing system is one of the triggers for a building permit.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a small bathroom so expensive per square foot?
Because the number of trades does not shrink with the room. A three-piece bathroom still needs a plumber, an electrician, a tile setter, a drywaller and a painter, and most of them cannot work at the same time in a space that size.
Can I keep the tub and just re-tile?
Often yes, and it is the single biggest saving available in a bathroom. Keeping the tub keeps the drain, the framing and usually the waterproofing tie-in at the tub flange, so the job stays a surface job.
How long will I be without the bathroom?
Plan for two to three weeks on a full gut of a single bathroom. Tile and grout need curing time that cannot be compressed, and a late vanity or tile order pushes the end date more than the trades do.
Does moving the toilet need a permit?
Usually. Municipalities treat modifying the plumbing system as permit work — Toronto lists it explicitly — and the inspection happens while the floor is still open, so it has to be booked into the schedule rather than added at the end.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from.
Your rights when starting home renovations or repairs — Government of Ontario (accessed September 21, 2026)
When do I need a building permit? — City of Toronto (accessed September 21, 2026)
Asbestos and your health — Health Canada (accessed September 21, 2026)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Written by
LokalMatch EditorialReviewed by
LokalMatch Editorial
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