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How many bathroom remodeling bids should I compare?

Collect written estimates from more than one bathroom remodeling company, as FTC home improvement advice suggests, but put your effort into one shared description of the shower, waterproofing, fixtures and fan first, because without it extra bids measure guesses about your bathroom rather than prices for it.

Source: FTC consumer advice on hiring a home improvement contractor, read 15 October 2026.

Researched by the InstaBids editorial team. Last checked: 15 October 2026 Updated 2026-10-16

A spacious remodeled bathroom with a walk-in tiled shower, a double vanity and a large window.

Key facts

How many bathroom remodel bids should I get?

Compare bids using Consumers' Checkbook's advice: "Get at least three, but more is better." First settle in your written scope whether the shower valve, drain and toilet stay where they are, because bids that move fixtures describe a different bathroom.

Source: Consumers' Checkbook, Getting Prices and Proposals for Remodeling Work, read 15 October 2026.

Two bathroom bids with similar totals can describe very different work under the tile: a reused valve, drain and toilet flange in one, and in another a relocated valve, a new shower pan with a waterproofing membrane, or a tub-to-shower conversion, each spelled out in its written scope.

FTC home improvement advice, published July 2022, adds this step to its estimate checklist: "And ask for an explanation if there’s a big difference among the estimates." Ask each company to account for its gap: tile area, backer board, pan membrane, subfloor repair.

Source: FTC consumer advice on hiring a home improvement contractor, read 15 October 2026.

EPA's Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, updated 18 February 2026, says: "Other possible locations of hidden mold include areas inside walls around pipes (with leaking or condensing pipes), the surface of walls behind furniture (where condensation forms), inside ductwork, and in roof materials above ceiling tiles (due to roof leaks or insufficient insulation)." Ask how each price treats rotted studs or a soft subfloor found once the shower wall is open, and whether that becomes a written change order.

Source: EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, read 15 October 2026.

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When should I clarify plumbing moves before comparing bids?

Choose between a cosmetic refresh and a rebuild before you invite more bathroom bids. New tile, a vanity and a mirror over the existing pipes is one job; moving a toilet, widening a shower or removing a wall is another, with a different written scope and other trades on site.

Florida's DBPR draws part of that line in its What Requires a License table, read 15 October 2026. Paid work that connects to drinking water sits in the Needs a DBPR License column: "Perform plumbing work or irrigation installation that requires the contractor to connect lines to potable (drinking) water for compensation." Tile flooring sits on the other side, in a lower row of the Does not need a DBPR License column: "Paint; install cabinets, wood or tile flooring, and insulation regardless of compensation." When a bid mixes both, ask which tasks the company does with its own crew and which it subcontracts to a plumber or electrician.

Source: DBPR, What Requires a License, read 15 October 2026.

How do I request matching bathroom remodel scopes?

Use one floor plan and one numbered checklist for every bathroom company: mark the tub or shower, toilet, vanity, window, door and exhaust fan with measurements and planned moves, attach the same photograph set, and have each bidder answer the questions below in writing.

  1. Shower or tub: does the bid keep the tub, convert it to a shower, or replace the shower pan, and what waterproofing goes behind and under the tile?
  2. Valve and drain: do the shower valve and drain stay put or move, and who opens and patches the wall to do it?
  3. Toilet: does the toilet stay in place, and are the flange and seal replaced?
  4. Wiring: who handles any wiring for a new fan, light or outlet?
  5. Access: does blocking for future grab bars go into the walls while they are open?

Among its humidity tips, the same EPA guide lists: "Run the bathroom fan or open the window when showering." Ask each bidder whether its fan duct ends at a roof or wall cap or inside the attic.

Source: EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, read 15 October 2026.

Should I ask about a bathroom remodel quotation charge?

Yes, raise it early: a bathroom company may count a moisture reading of the old shower walls, a layout drawing or a first assessment as part of its estimate, or bill it as a service of its own. Get that answer added to the written scope so an assessment stays separate from the remodel.

Ask too whether the bid assumes you buy the tile, faucet set and vanity yourself.

Which photos explain my bathroom remodel request?

Photograph each wall, the floor, the tub or shower, the toilet base, the inside of the vanity with its supply valves, the fan grille and any stains or loose tile. Add a short written scope listing which fixtures stay or go, the year your home was built and whether another bathroom stays usable.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 15 October 2026.

How should I compare bathroom remodel bids for waterproofing?

Take each written bathroom bid and mark it against your floor plan: waterproofing method, valve and drain positions, toilet flange, tile area, vanity, fan venting, debris disposal and start date. Once the bids line up, the open questions are who pulls any permit, whose name appears on it, and who performs the plumbing.

On its Construction Industry page, read 15 October 2026, DBPR defines a residential contractor: "CR and RR – A “residential contractor” means a contractor whose services are limited to construction, remodeling, repair, or improvement of one-family, two-family, or three-family residences which are not more than two stories and the “accessory use structures” in connection with these buildings." Of plumbing it says: "CF and RF – A “plumbing contractor” means a contractor whose contracting business consists of the execution of contracts requiring the experience, financial means, knowledge, and skill to install, maintain, repair, alter, extend, or, when not prohibited by law, design plumbing." It adds: "A “registered contractor” means any contractor who has registered with the department pursuant to fulfilling the competency requirements in the jurisdiction for which the registration is issued. Registered contractors may contract only in such jurisdictions." The same page also lists general (CG and RG) and building (CB and RB) contractors. A bidder can tell you which category appears on its public record, and searching DBPR's records to confirm it is an optional step you may take yourself.

Source: DBPR, Construction Industry, read 15 October 2026.

Waterproofing decides between bathroom bids that otherwise agree. Ask each company to name its shower pan and wall membrane, to say whether the pan is water-tested before tile goes on, and to show where the fan duct ends.

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Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 15 October 2026.
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Sources checked: 15 October 2026.

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