Bathroom Remodeling in Bountiful, Utah
Bathroom remodeling Bountiful Utah homeowners call about usually comes down to one of two problems: the bathroom is dated, or there are not enough of them. Both trace back to the same fact. The median Bountiful home was built in 1973, and a typical house from that era was built with one full bath and maybe a half, sized to a five-foot tub alcove with a single vanity and often no exhaust fan at all. Ironwood Custom Builders rebuilds those bathrooms to current code, which means real waterproofing behind the tile, ventilation that actually vents outside, and fixture clearances that pass inspection the first time. We also add second and third bathrooms where the floor plan allows it. Every project runs through Bountiful City permitting with one project manager and one itemized estimate, the same way we handle our custom homes and our bathroom remodeling work across the Wasatch Front.
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What a Bountiful Bathroom Remodel Covers
What 1970s Bountiful bathrooms were built like
The pattern repeats across the ranch, split-level and split-entry homes that fill the East Bench, Val Verda and Canyon Crest. A five-foot tub and shower alcove with a surround. A single vanity, often cultured marble with an integrated bowl. A toilet squeezed in tight against it. Sheet vinyl flooring over black mastic. And frequently either no exhaust fan or one that vents into the attic rather than outside, which is the source of most of the moisture damage we find when we open these rooms up. The house is sound. The bathroom is simply fifty years old and was small to begin with.
Fixture clearances, and why layout comes first
Most Bountiful bathrooms are tight enough that the layout is the whole project. The 2021 IRC, which Utah still uses for residential work, sets minimums that decide what is possible: a toilet centerline at least 15 inches from any side wall, vanity or tub, at least 21 inches of clear space in front of the toilet, at least 30 inches between fixture centerlines, a shower compartment at least 30 inches square with 24 inches of clearance in front of the opening, and 21 inches of clearance in front of a bathtub.
Those numbers are measured to finished surfaces, not framing, so tile thickness and a vanity apron count against you. This is exactly where a bathroom that looked fine on paper fails final inspection. We lay out to finished dimensions at design stage.
Waterproofing behind the tile
This is where most of the money goes that nobody sees, and it is the difference between a bathroom that lasts twenty years and one that fails in five. Shower wall surfaces have to be finished with a nonabsorbent material to at least six feet above the floor under IRC R307.2, and the assembly behind that tile matters more than the tile itself. Original 1970s mud-set pans and early shower surrounds in Bountiful homes are routinely at the end of their life, and when we open a wall we frequently find rot in the framing below the pan. We build with a proper waterproofing membrane system, and we price the framing repair contingency honestly rather than discovering it after demolition.
Ventilation that actually vents
Under the IRC, a bathroom needs either an openable window or a local exhaust system providing at least 50 CFM intermittent or 20 CFM continuous, and that exhaust has to terminate outside the building. Not the attic, not a soffit, not a wall cavity. A common rule is 1 CFM per square foot for rooms up to 100 square feet, with 50 CFM as the floor.
In a Bountiful home this matters more than the number suggests. Once you replace windows and air-seal a 1973 house, moisture that used to leak out through the envelope has nowhere to go. A fan venting into the attic in that situation will eventually show up as staining on the ceiling below. We run rigid duct to an exterior termination with a backdraft damper, and insulate the run where it crosses unconditioned space.
Plumbing, valves and the 120 degree limit
Bathrooms in homes of this age often still have galvanized steel supply lines and cast iron waste, both of which corrode from the inside and reduce flow. Moving a toilet or converting a tub to a shower means new drain routing, and in a split-entry the route has to work with the floor system below.
On the fixture side, current code requires shower and tub-shower control valves to be pressure-balancing, thermostatic, or a combination type meeting ASSE 1016 or ASME A112.18.1, with water delivered to the shower limited to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The water heater thermostat does not satisfy this. A 1970s two-handle valve does not either. If you are keeping the existing valve to save money, that is the thing to know before you tile over it.
Electrical
Bathroom receptacles require GFCI protection and a dedicated 20-amp circuit serving the bathroom receptacle outlets. In a 1973 Bountiful home the bathroom outlet is frequently on a shared general-purpose circuit with no GFCI at all, so this usually means new wiring back to the panel. Add the exhaust fan, the vanity lighting and any heated floor, and the panel capacity question from our kitchen page applies here too.
Adding a second bathroom
Many Bountiful homes were built with one full bath for the whole house, which is the single biggest functional gap in this housing stock. The usual candidates are carving a primary ensuite out of an oversized bedroom or a closet wall, converting an under-stair or laundry area into a half bath, or adding a full bath during a basement finish.
The constraint is almost never floor space. It is drainage. Where a new toilet can tie into the existing waste line, and whether the run can hold the required slope, decides both the location and the cost. In a basement below the sewer line, a sewer ejector pit and pump is usually required. We work the drainage route before committing to a location, not after.
Aging in place, done while the walls are open
Bountiful’s population has been flat to slightly declining since 2020, and a lot of our clients here are long-term owners who intend to stay. If that is you, the cheap moment to prepare is now, while the walls are open. Blocking for future grab bars costs almost nothing during framing and is expensive to retrofit. A curbless shower, a comfort-height toilet, a wider door and a bench are all easier to build in than to add later.
What it costs
Ironwood’s published range for a bathroom remodel in Bountiful is $18,000 to $45,000. Where a project lands depends on whether fixtures move, whether original galvanized or cast iron plumbing is being replaced, whether framing repair is found under the old shower pan, whether new circuits and a panel upgrade are needed, whether an exhaust duct has to be run to an exterior wall, and your tile and fixture selections. Adding a bathroom where none existed sits above a like-for-like replacement, because the drainage and venting work is the expensive part.
You get a complete itemized estimate for your specific bathroom before demolition. Request a free estimate or use our bathroom pricing tool.
When to do the bathrooms with everything else
If you are already replacing plumbing, rewiring, or reworking the floor plan, the bathrooms should be inside that scope rather than a separate project a year later. Shared demolition, one permit and one mobilization make a whole house remodel cheaper than sequential jobs. If the bathrooms are the only dated part of a sound house, do the bathrooms. We will tell you which situation you are in.
Why Choose Ironwood in Bountiful
Bountiful City permitting, not Davis County. Bountiful runs its own building department at 795 South Main Street, and permits go through the city’s CityInspect portal. Davis County only issues permits for unincorporated land. Residential single-family plan review runs at 10 percent of the permit fee, and inspections are scheduled by phone rather than online.
We build the part you cannot see. Waterproofing, drainage slope, and ventilation are where bathrooms fail, and they are all invisible once the tile is on. That is precisely why they are worth paying attention to at the quote stage.
We lay out to finished dimensions. Fixture clearances are measured to finished surfaces. Designing to framing is how bathrooms fail final inspection after the tile is set.
One project manager across every trade. Plumbing, electrical, mechanical, tile and finish carpentry, plus the permit, through one person. The crews that build our custom homes build your bathroom.
Award-winning craftsmanship. Recognized across nearly every category of the Parade of Homes, plus Salt Lake Home Builders Association Builder of the Year.
On-time, on-budget guarantee. Our pre-construction process is detailed enough that surprises are rare, and our on-time, on-budget guarantee backs the schedule.
How Your Bountiful Bathroom Remodel Unfolds
- Free consultation. We visit your Bountiful home, measure the existing room, look at the plumbing, the panel and the current ventilation, and give you an initial estimate. Schedule yours.
- Design and assessment. Layout to finished fixture clearances, drainage routing if fixtures are moving, electrical load assessment, and a pre-demolition assessment for asbestos in flooring and mastic. Fixed scope and price locked here.
- Permitting. We submit through Bountiful City’s CityInspect portal and manage plan review comments.
- Demolition. Selective demolition with any required abatement handled first under containment, then an honest look at the framing below the old pan before we frame back.
- Rough-in and waterproofing. Plumbing, electrical and ventilation rough-in with inspections, then the shower pan and waterproofing membrane.
- Tile, fixtures and final walkthrough. Tile, vanity, fixtures, glass, lighting and paint, then a detailed walkthrough. See our reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a bathroom remodel cost in Bountiful, Utah?
Ironwood’s published range for a bathroom remodel in Bountiful is $18,000 to $45,000. Where a project lands depends on whether fixtures move, whether original galvanized or cast iron plumbing is being replaced, whether framing repair is found under the old shower pan, whether new circuits or a panel upgrade are needed, and your tile and fixture selections. Adding a bathroom where none existed sits above a like-for-like replacement because the drainage and venting work is the expensive part.
Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom in Bountiful, and does it go through Davis County?
You need a permit for plumbing, electrical, mechanical or structural work, and it goes through Bountiful City, not Davis County. Bountiful operates its own building department at 795 South Main Street and takes applications through its CityInspect portal. Davis County only permits unincorporated land. Residential single-family plan review runs at 10 percent of the permit fee, and inspections are scheduled by phone. Ironwood handles the application and every inspection.
Can I add a second bathroom to my Bountiful home?
Usually yes, and it is one of the highest-return projects in this housing stock, since many 1970s Bountiful homes were built with a single full bath. The constraint is rarely floor space, it is drainage. Where a new toilet can tie into the existing waste line, and whether the run holds the required slope, decides both the location and the cost. In a basement below the sewer line a sewer ejector pit and pump is usually required. We work the drainage route before committing to a location.
My bathroom has no exhaust fan. Is that a problem?
Yes, and it becomes a bigger problem after a remodel. Code requires either an openable window or a local exhaust system of at least 50 CFM intermittent or 20 CFM continuous, terminating outside the building rather than into an attic, soffit or wall cavity. Once a 1973 house has been air-sealed and had windows replaced, moisture that previously escaped through the envelope has nowhere to go, and a fan venting into the attic will eventually show as staining on the ceiling below. We run rigid duct to an exterior termination with a backdraft damper.
Can I keep my existing shower valve to save money?
Usually not, and it is worth knowing before the tile goes on. Current code requires shower and tub-shower control valves to be pressure-balancing, thermostatic or a combination type meeting ASSE 1016 or ASME A112.18.1, delivering water to the shower at no more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. A 1970s two-handle valve does not meet that, and turning down the water heater thermostat is not an accepted substitute.
