Bathroom Remodeling in the Twin Cities

What is different about bathrooms in Twin Cities?

Minneapolis and Saint Paul share a climate and split everything else. Both answer to a 42-inch frost line, exterior-wall plumbing that freezes, ice dams fed by upstairs bathrooms, dry winter air that shrinks grout and humid summers that grow mildew. Both have a full basement under nearly every house and a finished basement bathroom as the most common addition.

The houses differ. Minneapolis is a 1900 to 1930 bungalow city, with five-by-seven hall baths in Longfellow and Nokomis and story-and-a-half upstairs bathrooms in Northeast. Saint Paul is older, with Victorian bathrooms in Summit Hill that were carved from closets long after the house was built, 1920s originals in Macalester-Groveland, and East Side worker cottages.

Water differs too. Minneapolis treats Mississippi water conventionally and it runs moderately hard; Saint Paul Regional Water Services lime-softens its supply, so Saint Paul homeowners rarely need a softener for the bathroom alone.

Permits come from Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development or Saint Paul's Department of Safety and Inspections, and plumbing and electrical in Minnesota are done by trade professionals holding state credentials. Typical estimates in both cities: $14,000 to $30,000 for a mid-range full remodel with stack and supply replacement, $7,000 to $15,000 for a tub-to-shower conversion, and $16,000 to $35,000 for a new basement bathroom with an ejector pump. Winter is a normal time to start.

Bathroom remodel guides for Twin Cities cities

Each guide covers the housing stock, climate, water, permits, typical costs and timelines, and the neighborhoods participating pros hear from most.

• Minneapolis, MN

  1920s bungalow hall baths, upstairs rooms under the roofline, basement bathrooms and ice dams fed by bathroom air.

• Saint Paul, MN

  Victorian bathrooms that used to be closets, lime-softened city water and Highland Park ramblers with basements to finish.