Bathroom Remodeling in Naperville, IL

Bathroom Remodeling

Primary Bath Remodels, Walk-In Showers, Tub-to-Shower Conversions and Vanities

A bathroom is a small room with a lot going on behind the walls. Water supply, drains, venting, waterproofing, ventilation and electrical all have to be right before the tile goes up, because the finish work hides every one of them. Guardian Surface Pros builds bathrooms from the inside out, so what you see at the end is sitting on work that was done properly.

The projects we are asked about most are primary bathrooms that owners want to turn into a real retreat, hall baths that the kids have worn out, tub-to-shower conversions for owners who never use the tub, and powder rooms that need to impress guests in very little space.

We handle bathroom remodeling for homes in Oak Brook, Orland Park, Wheaton and Lakeview, along with the rest of DuPage County, the Palos area and Chicago. If you are also thinking about the kitchen, see our kitchen remodeling page.

Waterproofing is the part that matters most

The number one cause of bathroom failures is water getting behind tile. A tiled shower is not waterproof on its own — grout and tile let moisture through. What keeps it out of the walls is the system underneath: a proper shower pan sloped to the drain, and a waterproof membrane or board system on the walls. On curbless showers and steam showers, the waterproofing has to go further, often across the whole floor.

When we open up an older bathroom, we often find the reason the owner is remodeling: soft subfloor around the toilet, rot behind the tub, or mold behind a tile surround that was set on drywall. That gets fixed before anything new goes in.

Walk-in showers and tub-to-shower conversions

Walk-in showers are the most requested change in bathrooms right now. A large shower with a bench, a niche for bottles, a handheld sprayer on a slide bar and a frameless glass panel makes the room feel bigger and is easier to use as people get older. A linear drain lets the floor slope in one direction, which is what makes a curbless entry possible.

Converting an unused tub to a shower is one of the best uses of space in a hall bath or primary bath. The existing tub footprint is usually about 60 by 30 inches, which makes a comfortable shower; if the room allows, extending it gets you more.

Vanities, storage and counters

A double vanity is standard in most primary bathrooms, but two sinks are not always the best use of the wall. A single sink with more counter and drawer space often works better. Floating vanities make a small room feel larger and make the floor easier to clean. Built-in medicine cabinets, a linen tower and drawers with dividers take care of the clutter that ends up on the counter.

Quartz is the go-to vanity top for the same reasons as in the kitchen. Marble works well in powder rooms and low-traffic baths.

Tile, flooring and heated floors

Porcelain tile is the workhorse of the bathroom — hard, water-resistant and available in almost any look, from marble patterns to wood-look planks. Large-format tile means fewer grout lines; small mosaic tile on a shower floor gives better grip and follows the slope to the drain.

Electric radiant floor heat is easy to add during a remodel, since the floor is already open. It sits under the tile, runs on a thermostat, and takes the chill off a tile floor on a Chicago winter morning.

Ventilation, lighting and fixtures

A bath fan that vents outside — not into the attic — and is sized for the room is what keeps mold off the ceiling. Lighting should include good light at the mirror from the sides or above, not just a single ceiling fixture. Fixtures such as pressure-balance or thermostatic shower valves, comfort-height toilets and wall-mounted faucets are all decided early, because the rough plumbing is built around them.

Planning the budget

Bathroom budgets are driven mostly by three things: whether the layout changes, how much tile goes into the room, and the fixtures you choose. Keeping the toilet, vanity and shower drain where they are keeps plumbing simple. Tiling floor to ceiling, adding a bench, niches and glass, or moving to a curbless shower all add labor and material.

Older bathrooms add one more variable: what is behind the walls. Old galvanized supply lines, cast-iron drains and water damage are common in pre-1970s homes. Planning a small allowance for surprises means they do not derail the job when the walls come open.

Bathrooms for every stage of life

A growing number of owners remodel with the long term in mind. A walk-in shower with a low or no curb, a bench, a handheld sprayer, blocking in the walls for grab bars, a comfort-height toilet and good lighting make a bathroom easier to use for years without looking clinical.

For families with kids, the priorities are different: durable tile, a tub for bath time, easy-clean surfaces and storage that keeps the counter clear. Hall baths used by guests and kids often benefit from a double vanity if the wall is long enough.

Hall Baths, Powder Rooms and Full Bathroom Renovations

Every project is sized to what the room actually needs. Here is how the three common scopes compare: