Bathroom Remodel Checklist for San Jose Homes: What to Decide First

A primary bathroom may need more storage and a larger shower. A kids’ or guest bathroom may need a tub and durable finishes. Write down what doesn’t work today, such as a hard-to-use tub, too little storage, or poor light, before you pick materials.

Keeping the toilet, vanity, and shower or tub where they are keeps the plumbing simpler. Moving or adding fixtures can make the room work better, but in San José it turns the project into a major remodel with plans and plan review. Our San José permit guide explains the difference.

Replacing a tub with a shower and enlarging an existing shower are different jobs. Our two local project examples compare a San Jose tub-to-curbless-shower conversion with a Campbell shower expansion, and our guide to curbless showers explains how the water stays in without a curb.

If you remove the only tub in the house, think about who in the household still needs one.

Tile alone doesn’t make a shower waterproof. The membrane or system behind and under the tile, the slope to the drain, and how corners, niches, and valve openings are sealed do that work. Ask which waterproofing system will be used and how it will be checked before tile goes on.

You can see this stage on Landford’s Campbell shower expansion, where the project page shows the demolition and the waterproofing before tile.

Extra fixtures need plumbing planned early. A client in Saratoga asked for a handheld spray wand separate from the main shower head, and Landford made it work by reworking the plumbing, as the client’s Google review describes. That shower has a built-in bench, a rainfall showerhead, a handheld sprayer, and body sprays.

The City of San José’s key requirements for minor bathroom remodels say a bathroom with a tub or shower needs an exhaust fan of at least 50 CFM, Energy Star rated and ducted to the outside. An openable window doesn’t count. At least one light in the bathroom has to be on an occupancy or vacancy sensor that turns it off automatically.

The City’s key requirements for minor bathroom remodels also include:

Landford Construction does bathroom remodels in San Jose, the South Bay, and the Peninsula, including tub-to-shower conversions, walk-in showers, waterproofing, tile, and vanities. Landford applies for the permit, updates you after each stage and inspection, and walks through the finished bathroom with you. If this is the only bathroom in the house, read about living at home during a remodel.

Send photos of your bathroom, and for suitable projects Adam gives a free preliminary price range before a site visit.