Bathroom Remodeling in Brooklyn, New York

What bathroom remodeling services are available in Brooklyn?

Participating Brooklyn pros handle full bathroom remodels in brownstones, rowhouses and attached brick homes, co-op and condo bathroom renovations, second bathroom additions, walk-in showers, tub-to-shower conversions, bath liners, fixture replacement, floor tiling and accessibility upgrades. The most common Brooklyn job is a full gut of a 1920s bathroom with the stack and supply replaced. The most common complication is a co-op board or a shared stack that sets the schedule.

Full bathroom remodels. The brownstone or rowhouse bathroom, gutted to the joists: replace the cast-iron stack and galvanized supply, correct the venting, insulate the exterior wall of a rear extension, add an exhaust fan ducted outside, and rebuild in a layout that works in a room that may be five feet wide. Participating pros who work Park Slope, Bed-Stuy and Carroll Gardens know where the stack usually runs.

Co-op and condo bathrooms. Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, DUMBO, Prospect Heights. The alteration agreement, the building's insurance certificate requirements, work-hour limits, elevator reservations, wet-over-dry rules and scheduled water shutoffs all shape the job. Plumbing work in NYC is performed under a master plumber, and the estimate should name who that is.

Second bathrooms. The classic Brooklyn upgrade: a powder room under the stairs or a full bath carved from a rear bedroom in a house that has had one bathroom for a century. It is a plumbing-path question first.

Walk-in showers and tub-to-shower conversions. Requested across the attached brick neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Marine Park and Flatbush, and for anyone planning to stay in a house with stairs. Benches, hand-held sprays and grab-bar blocking.

Bath liners, fixture replacement, floor tiling, accessibility. Comfort-height toilets, slip-resistant porcelain, reinforced grab bars. For a seated bathing option see walk-in tubs.

Why are Brooklyn bathrooms different?

Brooklyn bathrooms are old, small and governed: cast-iron stacks shared across floors, lath and plaster, uneven joists, pre-1978 lead paint and sometimes asbestos tile mastic, co-op boards and the NYC Department of Buildings. The water is very soft, so scale is not a problem, but almost everything else about the building is a factor.

Stacks shared across floors. In a rowhouse converted to apartments or a co-op, the stack behind your bathroom wall serves your neighbors. Replacing it means coordinating with the whole line. Estimates should say whether the stack is in scope.

Lath, plaster and uneven floors. Pre-war walls are plaster on wood lath; demolition is dusty and framing is rarely plumb. Floors in brownstones often slope an inch or more across the room, which affects curbless showers and linear drains.

Lead paint and asbestos. Painted trim and windows from before 1978 fall under the EPA's renovation rules when disturbed, and 1950s and 1960s floor tile and mastic can contain asbestos. Ask each pro how they test and handle both; it should be in the estimate.

Soft water. New York City's Catskill and Delaware water is among the softest in the country. Glass stays clear and scale is rare, but soft water is slightly aggressive toward old galvanized pipe, which is one more reason supply lines get replaced.

Windows in the bathroom. Older NYC code required a window or vent; many Brooklyn bathrooms have a window in or next to the shower. Remodels either rebuild the sill properly, replace it with a vinyl or glass-block unit, or add a ducted fan so the window can stay closed.

Permits and boards. The NYC Department of Buildings permits plumbing and structural changes; the pro files them. Landmark districts such as Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights and Fort Greene regulate exteriors, so interior bathroom work rarely needs Landmarks review, but a new vent through a street-facing wall can. Co-ops add their own approval on top.

How much does a bathroom remodel cost in Brooklyn, and how long does it take?

A mid-range full remodel of a Brooklyn rowhouse or apartment bathroom typically runs $25,000 to $55,000, including stack and supply work, and a tub-to-shower conversion $10,000 to $22,000. Co-op and condo projects add for the building's requirements and run on the building's calendar. Conversions take two to five working days and full remodels three to six weeks once work starts, with permits and board approvals adding four to ten weeks before that.

• Tub-to-shower conversion: $10,000 to $22,000, two to five working days.
• Full remodel with stack and supply replacement: $25,000 to $55,000, three to six weeks of construction.
• Second bathroom added in a rowhouse: usually $30,000 to $60,000, depending on the plumbing path.
• Co-op or condo bathroom: budget extra for the alteration agreement, insurance certificates, elevator and protection, and off-hours limits; the calendar stretches more than the price.
• Permit: NYC Department of Buildings, filed by the pro under a master plumber. Allow four to ten weeks for permits and any board approval before construction.

Which Brooklyn neighborhoods do we hear from most?

Park Slope, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights and Carroll Gardens, brownstones and limestones with added-on bathrooms. Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst and Flatbush, attached brick homes with 1920s originals. Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg and Prospect Heights, co-op and condo bathrooms with board approvals. Marine Park and Sheepshead Bay, post-war homes ready for walk-in showers. Bushwick and Sunset Park, two- and three-family houses where the stack serves every floor.

How does the bathroom remodel process work in Brooklyn?

The process has four steps: a consultation that traces the stack, checks the floor level and the window, and collects the building's requirements if there is a board, written estimates compared side by side, construction, and a final walkthrough. In Brooklyn the time before construction is the long part: permits and co-op approvals routinely take four to ten weeks, so allow three to four months of calendar time for a full remodel.

1. Consultation. Submit the form or call. Participating pros that serve your Brooklyn zip code visit, measure, trace the stack and vent, check for lead and asbestos-era materials, and review the alteration agreement where there is one.
2. Design and estimates. Written estimates with scope, materials, what happens to the stack, who the master plumber is, and a schedule that includes filing and board time. Compare them side by side.
3. Construction. Conversions take two to five working days. Full remodels run three to six weeks, within the building's hours where rules apply.
4. Final walkthrough. Fixtures run, fan tested, inspections signed off, then final payment.

Recent projects and reviews in Brooklyn

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