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What should a bathroom remodel quote include?

Ask for a bathroom remodel quote that lists tear-out and haul-away, the shower pan and waterproofing layer, backer board, valve and trim, toilet flange, vanity and top, a fan vented outdoors, GFCI outlets, tile layout, glass, permit duties and wall patching, since the FTC advises that a written estimate cover the work, materials, completion date and price.

Source: FTC home improvement guidance, read 15 October 2026.

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

A new vanity cabinet, a stone vanity top and boxes of tile waiting in a garage to be installed.

Key facts

What should a written bathroom remodeling quote list?

Start with the wet zone, because tile hides it for years: a complete written bathroom remodeling quote gives each layer its own line item, from how the shower floor slopes and is sealed to the backer board behind the tile, the valve body inside the wall, how high the tile runs and where the old fixtures go.

  1. Tear-out: Does demolition stop at the tile, or does it go down to the backer board, drywall and subfloor, and who hauls the old tub, toilet and vanity away?
  2. Shower floor: Is the pan a preformed base, a mortar bed over a liner, or a membrane system, and is a water test done before any tile is set?
  3. Walls behind tile: Which backer board is used, and does the waterproofing cover every shower wall or only the seams and corners?
  4. Valve and trim: Is a new valve body installed in the wall, or are only the handle and showerhead swapped, and who supplies the trim set?
  5. Toilet and vanity: Are a new flange, seal, shut-off valves and supply lines included, and does the vanity line cover the cabinet, the top, the sink and the faucet?
  6. Fan and outlets: Does the exhaust fan duct to the outdoors or stop in the attic, and are the outlets beside the vanity GFCI outlets?

DBPR's What Requires a License page, read 15 October 2026, places "Paint; install cabinets, wood or tile flooring, and insulation regardless of compensation." in its column headed Does not need a DBPR License, and places "Perform plumbing work or irrigation installation that requires the contractor to connect lines to potable (drinking) water for compensation." in its column headed Needs a DBPR License. Ask each bidder to mark which bathroom lines its own crew performs and which go to a separate plumbing business.

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

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What repairs and finishes might my bathroom remodel quote omit?

Check your bathroom remodeling quote for gaps, including conditions that only show up once the old shower is opened: soft subfloor, damp wall framing, a corroded drain, a cracked toilet flange, mold behind old tile, patching outside the shower, grout sealing, the glass enclosure, and floor covering along the access route the crew walks through your home.

Ask what happens when demolition exposes damage behind the tile. EPA's homeowner guide to mold and moisture, read 15 October 2026, states: "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 the bidder describes that extra work in a change order you sign before the wall is closed again.

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

The same EPA guide advises: "Do not paint or caulk moldy surfaces. Clean up the mold and dry the surfaces before painting." Ask whether cleanup and drying time appear as a line item in the schedule, or whether the quote assumes the framing will be dry and clean on the day it is opened.

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

Ask who closes the openings left by plumbing changes in the hallway, ceiling or a closet behind the shower, and to what finish. DBPR's What Requires a License page lists "Installation or replacement of drywall if the contract also includes work on the load bearing part of the wall, plumbing, electrical, or air conditioning work." in its Needs a DBPR License column, and "Installation or replacement of drywall if the contract does not include other work on the load bearing part of the wall or any plumbing, electrical, or air conditioning work." in its Does not need a DBPR License column, so ask whether that patching sits in the same contract as the plumbing.

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

Ask too whether the glass door or panel is measured only after the tile is finished, how many days the shower stays unusable while it is made, and whether a new mirror, towel bars, toilet paper holder and baseboard are part of the job or left for you to buy and hang.

What should my bathroom remodel payment terms say?

Ask for a bathroom remodeling payment schedule tied to stages you can see before tile covers them: demolition finished, plumbing rough-in finished and any inspection passed, waterproofing tested, tile set and grouted, fixtures and glass installed, and a final walk-through, with any change order for hidden damage signed before the next stage starts.

Florida Statutes s. 489.126(2)(a), read 15 October 2026, states: "A contractor who receives, as initial payment, money totaling more than 10 percent of the contract price for repair, restoration, improvement, or construction to residential real property must: 1. Apply for permits necessary to do work within 30 days after the date payment is made, except where the work does not require a permit under the applicable codes and ordinances, and 2. Start the work within 90 days after the date all necessary permits for work, if any, are issued, unless the contractor has just cause for failing to apply for the necessary permits, starting the work, or refunding the payment, or unless the person who made the payment agreed, in writing, to a longer period to apply for the necessary permits or start the work or to longer periods for both."

Source: Florida Statutes s. 489.126, Moneys received by contractors, read 15 October 2026.

Section 489.126(1), also read 15 October 2026, states: "For purposes of this section, the term “contractor” includes all definitions as set forth in s. 489.105(3), and any person performing or contracting or promising to perform work described therein, without regard to the licensure of the person."

Source: Florida Statutes s. 489.126, Moneys received by contractors, read 15 October 2026.

Whether these passages reach your agreement is a question for a Florida attorney. Keep special-order items, such as a cut vanity top, custom glass or a made-to-size shower base, on their own payment lines, and ask when each is ordered and what happens to that payment if you change the selection.

Does my bathroom remodel quote name the permit applicant?

Ask which business will be named on any permit your bathroom remodel needs, whether plumbing and electrical work fall under that permit or separate ones, who books any inspection scheduled before the walls are closed, and who gives you the final inspection record once the bathroom is finished.

Florida's owner-builder disclosure statement in s. 489.103(7), read 15 October 2026, includes the sentence: "I also understand that a contractor is required by law to be licensed in Florida and to list his or her license numbers on permits and contracts." Look at whether the written quote shows a licence number; looking it up in DBPR's public records is an optional step you can take yourself.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 489.103, Exemptions, read 15 October 2026.

The same disclosure statement includes: "I understand that it is a frequent practice of unlicensed persons to have the property owner obtain an owner-builder permit that erroneously implies that the property owner is providing his or her own labor and materials." If a bidder asks you to apply for the bathroom permit in your own name, ask the reason in writing.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 489.103, Exemptions, read 15 October 2026.

Florida DBPR's Construction Industry page describes several contractor categories, each with its own scope. Read the category text yourself rather than assuming any one of them applies to a given company:

  1. Under CG and RG, the page says: "A “general contractor” means a contractor whose services are unlimited as to the type of work which he or she may do."

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

  2. Under CB and RB, the page says: "A building contractor is also a contractor whose services are limited to remodeling, repair, or improvement of any size building – if the services do not affect the structural elements of the building."

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

  3. Under CR and RR, the page says: "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."

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

Ask whether your plan opens or moves a load-bearing wall, which of those categories, if any, the business named on the permit holds, and which tasks go to a separate plumbing or electrical business.

What fixture details should my bathroom remodel request include?

Describe the bathroom in one written scope: what stays, what is removed, whether the tub becomes a walk-in shower, your tile and fixture choices, any drain, valve or toilet you want moved, and who supplies the vanity, faucet and glass. Add a photograph of each wall, the floor, the ceiling fan and the window.

Photograph the shut-off valves under the sink and behind the toilet, any access panel behind the tub, and any stained ceiling below an upstairs bathroom. Note the year the house was built, the route from the driveway to the room, and whether this is the only working shower in your home.

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

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

Do my bathroom remodel quotes cover the same scope?

Compare bathroom remodeling quotes against your written scope one wet-area decision at a time: demolition depth, shower pan method, waterproofing coverage, backer board, valve, toilet flange, vanity and top, fan venting, tile layout, glass and patching. Ask any company whose answer departs from your scope to explain the gap in writing before you choose.

  1. Waterproofing: Does every quote name a membrane or liner and say where it stops, or does one leave the shower floor method blank?
  2. Tile layout: Which quotes say who sets the starting line, the grout joint and color, and whether a niche or bench is framed and sealed?
  3. Plumbing: Does each quote replace the valve body, drain and toilet flange, or reuse what is already behind the wall?
  4. Fan: Which quotes run the fan duct to the outdoors, and which leave its end point unstated?
  5. Downtime: Does each quote give the day the toilet works again and the day the shower can be used?

In its list of what a contract should include before you sign, the FTC names "an estimated start and completion date". Ask every bidder for both dates in writing, so a short schedule and a long one can be read against the same set of bathroom tasks.

Source: FTC home improvement guidance, read 15 October 2026.

Keep a suggested upgrade, such as a linear drain, a recessed niche or a frameless panel, as an option beside your original line rather than a replacement for it. Then send the same written scope, with the same photographs, to every company so each competing written response describes one bathroom.

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Sources for the facts on this page

Sources checked: 15 October 2026.

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