Full Bathroom Remodeling in Fort Lauderdale, FL
A full our Bathroom Remodeling services in Fort Lauderdale means replacing or upgrading every major component in the space: flooring, walls, fixtures, vanity, tub or shower, toilet, lighting, and ventilation. It’s the right move when a partial update won’t fix the root problems, or when a bathroom is simply too outdated to bring up to code or current livability standards with cosmetic work alone. If you’re ready to start planning, call us at (844) 665-0162 for a free, no-pressure estimate.
At Groundwork Construction Co. of South Florida, full bathroom remodeling is part of a wider residential construction practice that covers everything from Bathroom Remodeling in South Florida to roofing, windows, hardscaping, and home additions. That breadth matters on a project like this. When your bathroom gut-out exposes a plumbing stack that needs rerouting, or when we pull a vanity and find moisture damage in the subfloor, we don’t stop the job and hand you a referral. One crew, one schedule, one point of accountability from demolition through final inspection.
Fort Lauderdale’s climate adds layers to this work that contractors from drier markets don’t always anticipate. Humidity sits at 70-80% for much of the year. Older tile work set in the 1970s and 1980s tends to trap moisture behind it for decades. When we open those walls, we routinely find mold, compromised cement board, or corroded copper connections. We build our scope of work to account for that, not to be surprised by it.
When You Need Full Bathroom Remodeling
- The layout no longer works for your household. A single-sink vanity in a 48-inch cabinet might have been fine for one person, but families in Fort Lauderdale’s larger Coral Ridge or Las Olas neighborhoods often need double-sink configurations or separated toilet compartments. Moving a wall or repositioning the plumbing rough-in requires a full remodel scope, not a fixture swap.
- You’re seeing recurring moisture damage or mold. If grout lines are staining dark within weeks of cleaning, or if paint near the tub surround keeps blistering, the problem is behind the tile, not on it. In South Florida’s year-round humidity, a single cracked tile or poorly sealed joint can allow water infiltration for years before it becomes visible.
- The bathroom hasn’t been updated since before 2000. Pre-2000 bathrooms in Fort Lauderdale frequently have polybutylene or early CPVC supply lines, single-flush toilets using 3.5 gallons per flush, and ventilation fans that barely move air. A full remodel addresses all of these at once rather than patching each problem individually over the next decade.
- You’re preparing the home for resale. The Fort Lauderdale real estate market responds strongly to updated primary bathrooms. Buyers touring homes in Victoria Park, Sailboat Bend, or Rio Vista compare bathrooms directly against competing listings. A tired bathroom with original fixtures and pink tile sets a ceiling on what buyers will offer, regardless of how updated the rest of the home is.
- Accessibility needs have changed. Households accommodating aging parents or family members with mobility challenges often need curbless showers, ADA-compliant toilet heights, blocking installed for future grab bars, and widened doorways. That kind of structural change requires permits and proper rough-in work from the start.
- You’re adding square footage or combining bathrooms. Some Fort Lauderdale homes, particularly those built in the 1950s and 1960s in neighborhoods like Edgewood or Dorsey-Riverbend, were built with very small bathrooms that don’t meet modern expectations. Combining two small baths or borrowing square footage from an adjacent closet or bedroom calls for a full remodel with structural and plumbing involvement.
Our Full Bathroom Remodeling Process
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Initial Consultation and Site Walkthrough
We start by walking the existing bathroom with you in person. We’re not collecting a wish list over the phone – we’re looking at the actual conditions: ceiling height, window placement, existing rough-in locations for the toilet and drain, electrical panel proximity, and ventilation path. Fort Lauderdale’s concrete block construction and slab foundations affect every decision about where plumbing and electrical can go. We note all of that before we put a number on anything.
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Design, Material Selection, and Scope Definition
Once we understand the space, we work through the design and material choices with you. Groundwork works with more than 50 recognized industry brands across every category, so the choices you make are based on what fits your project, not what a single supplier has in stock. Tile, vanity cabinetry, countertop surface, fixture finishes, shower system – we’ll walk you through options at multiple price points and confirm the full scope in writing before any permits are pulled.
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Permitting and Pre-Construction Coordination
Full bathroom remodels in Fort Lauderdale require permits for plumbing, electrical, and any structural changes. We handle permit applications through the City of Fort Lauderdale Development Services Department and schedule required inspections. If your project is in a community governed by a homeowners association, we’ll also confirm their approval requirements before work begins. This step takes time, and we’d rather build it into the schedule upfront than rush it and have inspections fail.
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Demolition and Rough-In Work
Selective demolition comes first – removing tile, fixtures, vanity, and wall material down to the studs and subfloor. This is where we assess what we actually have behind the surfaces. In Fort Lauderdale’s older housing stock, this step often reveals corroded supply lines, subfloor rot from past leaks, or insufficient blocking in the walls. We document everything before we proceed, confirm any scope changes with you, and move into rough-in: relocating drain lines if needed, running new supply lines, updating electrical to meet current code (GFCI protection throughout, proper ventilation wiring), and framing changes if the layout is shifting.
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Tile, Fixture Installation, and Finish Work
With inspections passed on the rough-in, we move into the work that’s visible: setting the shower or tub surround, floor tile, wall tile, hanging the vanity and countertop, installing fixtures, mirrors, lighting, and the ventilation fan. Sequencing matters here. The wrong order of trades causes callbacks. We schedule finish plumbing and electrical after tile is set and grouted, not before, so nothing gets damaged or misaligned in the process.
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Final Walkthrough and Punch List
Before we consider a job complete, we walk the finished bathroom with you in detail. Grout lines, caulk joints, fixture operation, door clearance, lighting function, ventilation airflow – we’re checking all of it. Any item that doesn’t meet spec gets addressed before we close out the permit. You get a bathroom that’s passed city inspection and meets the scope we agreed to on paper.
Full Bathroom Remodeling Pricing in Fort Lauderdale
Licensed Bathroom Remodeling in South Florida, FL typically falls between $15,000 and $60,000, depending on the size of the bathroom, the extent of structural or plumbing changes, and the material tier selected. That range is wide because the scope of a full remodel genuinely varies – a 50-square-foot guest bath with no layout changes is a different project than a 120-square-foot primary suite with relocated plumbing and a custom tile shower.
| Project Type | Typical Range (Fort Lauderdale) |
|---|---|
| Small guest bath, full remodel, no layout changes | $15,000 – $22,000 |
| Mid-size bathroom, updated layout, standard materials | $22,000 – $35,000 |
| Primary bath, expanded layout, premium tile and fixtures | $35,000 – $50,000 |
| Large primary suite, custom shower, luxury finishes | $50,000 – $60,000+ |
What Moves the Number Up or Down
- Plumbing relocation: Moving a toilet, shower drain, or supply lines on a slab foundation requires saw-cutting concrete. In Fort Lauderdale, that adds $2,000 to $6,000 or more depending on scope – it’s labor-intensive and requires a permit inspection at the rough-in stage.
- Subfloor or wall damage discovered during demo: South Florida’s humidity means moisture damage behind tile is common in homes built before 1990. Replacing damaged subfloor or mold-affected wall framing adds cost, but it’s work that can’t be skipped if the new tile is going to hold and the room is going to pass inspection.
- Tile selection and coverage area: Large-format porcelain tile at $4 to $8 per square foot installed looks very different from a book-matched marble slab or handmade ceramic at $18 to $30 per square foot. The shower walls, floor, and any niche details all add up quickly.
- Vanity and countertop material: A stock vanity with a cultured marble top sits at one end of the range. A custom cabinetry build with a Cambria or Caesarstone quartz surface sits at the other. Both are options we can source, and the choice is yours based on what the bathroom needs and what the budget supports.
- Permit and inspection fees: Fort Lauderdale’s permit fees for full bath remodels vary by project valuation, typically running a few hundred to over a thousand dollars total. We include permit costs in our estimates so there are no line-item surprises after you sign.
Estimates are free and specific to your bathroom. Call (844) 665-0162 and we’ll schedule a walkthrough to give you a number grounded in your actual space, not a category average.
What You Choose, We Build
Material selection is where a lot of remodeling contractors create friction. They carry one countertop supplier, two vanity lines, and a tile warehouse they get volume pricing from. If what you want isn’t in that narrow channel, you hear some version of “that’s hard to get” or “we don’t usually work with that.”
Groundwork works differently. Our home base of operations supports a curated roster of more than 50 brands across every product category that touches a bathroom remodel. Countertops from Cambria, Silestone, or Caesarstone. Tile from multiple suppliers at multiple price points. Vanity cabinetry in stock and semi-custom configurations. Fixture finishes from matte black to brushed nickel to unlacquered brass. If it’s a recognized product line with a track record in residential construction, we can source it and install it correctly.
That breadth matters in Fort Lauderdale specifically. Homes here range from 1950s concrete block bungalows in Progresso Village to 2010s waterfront builds in Harbor Beach. A How to Remodel a Small Bathroom? (South Florida, FL) in one of those homes calls for completely different material decisions than a bathroom in the other. We’re not fitting your project into a package – we’re building a scope around what your bathroom actually needs.
And because Groundwork handles roofing, windows, doors, and home additions under the same company, clients who need more than a bathroom remodel have a single contractor relationship that can grow with the project. No separate bids, no coordination gaps between trades, no finger-pointing when scheduling conflicts arise.
FAQs – Full Bathroom Remodeling
How long does a full bathroom remodel take in Fort Lauderdale?
Most full bathroom remodels in Fort Lauderdale take How Long Does a Bathroom Remodel Take? (South Florida, FL) from the start of demolition to final punch list, not counting the permitting lead time beforehand. Permitting through the City of Fort Lauderdale typically adds 2 to 4 weeks before any physical work begins, depending on project complexity and current review volume. Projects that require slab cuts for plumbing relocation, custom-order tile, or structural changes tend to run toward the longer end of that range. We build a realistic schedule into every proposal so you know what to expect before work starts – not mid-project.
Do I need a permit for a full bathroom remodel in Fort Lauderdale?
Yes. Any full bathroom remodel in Fort Lauderdale that involves plumbing changes, electrical work, or structural modifications requires permits from the City of Fort Lauderdale Development Services Department. This includes relocating fixtures, adding circuits, upgrading ventilation, and any framing changes. Unpermitted work creates real problems at resale – title companies and buyers’ agents in Broward County routinely flag open or missing permits during due diligence. We pull every required permit and schedule all required inspections as a standard part of our process. Call us at (844) 665-0162 if you have questions about what your specific project requires.
Is it cheaper to repair the existing bathroom or do a full remodel?
Repairs are cheaper upfront, but in Fort Lauderdale’s humidity, piecemeal repairs on a bathroom that’s already failing tend to stack up. Re-grouting tile over a moisture-compromised substrate, replacing one fixture while leaving corroded supply lines in place, or refinishing a tub that’s cracking under the surface coating – these fixes typically last 2 to 5 years before the same problem reappears in a slightly different form. A full remodel addresses the underlying conditions once, with new materials warranted by the manufacturer and work that’s inspected by the city. If your bathroom is more than 20 years old and showing multiple failure points, a remodel is usually the more cost-effective path over a 10-year horizon. Call (844) 665-0162 and we’ll give you an honest read on where your bathroom falls.
Can Groundwork handle the plumbing and electrical, or will I need to hire separate trades?
Groundwork manages the full project, including coordination of licensed plumbing and electrical work. You don’t need to source or schedule separate trade contractors. This is one of the practical advantages of working with a full-scope residential construction company rather than a tile installer who subcontracts everything separately. We coordinate the sequencing of every trade on the job, which means fewer scheduling conflicts and a single point of contact if something needs to be adjusted mid-project.
Written by the team at Groundwork Construction Co. of South Florida, serving Fort Lauderdale.