Real guidance from a Licensed General Contractor — costs, waterproofing requirements, permits, and county-specific breakdowns for every Florida market.
Why it matters who holds the license
Florida Building Code Section R702.4 requires a waterproofing inspection before any tile goes on a shower wall. Most unlicensed contractors skip it. That means no certificate of occupancy and a shower liner you can never verify was installed correctly.
Moving a shower drain, toilet, or tub requires cutting the concrete slab — $800 to $3,500 depending on scope. This cost is almost never in an early quote from contractors who haven't reviewed your floor plan. We identify it at the site visit, before you sign.
Concrete block walls require a specific backer board assembly and masonry fasteners for reliable tile adhesion over the long term. Standard drywall-style installation on CBS walls leads to grout cracking and delamination within 3–5 years.
Florida's year-round humidity demands proper exhaust fan sizing (minimum 1 CFM per square foot), vapor barriers behind shower walls, and epoxy or unsanded grout in wet zones. The wrong spec creates a mold problem that surfaces 18 months later.
Bathroom Authority Series
Written by the contractor who will do the work. No affiliate links, no national averages — Florida-specific information from a licensed GC.
Cost & Budgeting
Statewide cost ranges from a $4K guest bath refresh to a $28K+ master bath gut rebuild. What drives Florida costs above national averages — waterproofing inspections, slab drain work, CBS walls, and humidity-rated materials.
Read the guidePalm Beach County
West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Boynton Beach. Palm Beach County permit fees, HOA requirements for barrier island properties, and high-end finish pricing.
Read the guideBroward County
Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, and Miramar. Broward permit fees, condo HOA coordination, and dual-jurisdiction differences between city and unincorporated county.
Read the guideWalk-In Shower
Converting a tub to a walk-in shower in Florida — waterproofing requirements, drain relocation costs, glass enclosure pricing, and what the FBC inspection covers.
Read the guideWaterproofing & Code
Florida Building Code Section R702.4 explained — what the inspection covers, what fails, and why skipping the permit means you can never verify your shower liner was installed correctly.
Read the guidePermits & Code
The exact FBC threshold — when permits are required, what triggers plan review, and what happens if you skip the permit on a bathroom remodel in Florida.
Read the guidePlanning
ROI comparison for Florida homeowners and investors — which bathroom remodel recovers more at resale, and how rental property math differs from primary residence planning.
Read the guideTimeline
From permit application to final inspection — a realistic timeline for cosmetic refresh, mid-range remodel, and full gut rebuild projects, including typical Florida permit turnaround by county.
Read the guideFlorida Licensed General Contractor · CGC1531095
Written scope and fixed price before we start. We pull every permit, schedule every inspection. No surprises.
Licensed GC · CGC1531095 · We respond within 24 hours · No spam, ever.
Real Clients · Real Bathrooms
Verified reviews from homeowners across our service area.
"D&Co was the only contractor who mentioned the waterproofing inspection upfront. Every other quote I got just said 'shower retile' with a number. After the permit was pulled, the inspection passed first try. I have the certificate."
"They told us at the site visit that our shower drain would need to move — $1,200 extra. That was in the quote before we signed. The two contractors before them never mentioned it. One of them found out during demo and added $2,800."
"Our HOA required a specific insurance rider and restricted work hours. D&Co handled all the paperwork with the association before the first tool came out. Clean job, on time, final cost matched the written scope exactly."