GILBERT, Arizona – November 6, 2026 – Most homeowners start a bathroom remodel by asking what it will cost. The more useful question is which decisions set that cost. In a bathroom, a small number of choices made early in planning determine most of the final price, and when those choices are left open until construction, they tend to return later as change orders.
A change order is a written price or scope increase issued after a construction agreement is signed. Across the residential remodeling industry, change order rates run between 20 and 32 percent. Phoenix Home Remodeling, a design-build interior remodeling company headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, reports a change order rate of 2.1 percent, and it credits that number to finishing these decisions during planning rather than on the job site.
Many homes in Gilbert and across the southeast Phoenix Valley were built between the 1970s and the mid-2000s on slab-on-grade foundations. A common request in those homes is converting an oversized garden tub in the primary bathroom into a larger shower. That kind of change touches nearly every cost factor below, which is why the order of decisions matters as much as the decisions themselves. The same pattern shows up in established Gilbert neighborhoods such as Val Vista Lakes, Power Ranch, and Morrison Ranch, as well as in homes near Agritopia and Seville.
Decision one: shower size and configuration
Shower size is the largest single cost factor in a primary bathroom. Tile, waterproofing, glass, and labor all scale with it. Small choices inside the shower also add up. Tiling into or around a window costs more than stopping short of it, and raising shower wall tile one additional foot runs approximately $1,000.
Guest bathrooms follow a slightly different pattern. Guest bathroom showers typically have three tiled walls, where primary bathroom showers often have two, which raises material and labor cost relative to the size of the room. For a long primary shower, the company often suggests shortening the shower floor and adding a dry-off area as a way to reduce cost.
Decision two: how much vanity cabinetry the room needs
After the shower, the amount of vanity cabinetry is the next largest cost factor in a primary bathroom. Moving from a single vanity to a double vanity, adding storage towers, or extending a countertop all change the price. Settling the vanity layout early also confirms where plumbing and lighting need to go.
Decision three: whether plumbing moves
In a slab-on-grade home, relocating a drain means cutting the concrete slab. That affects both cost and schedule. A layout that keeps the toilet, shower, and vanity drains close to where they are today costs less than one that moves them across the room. Phoenix Home Remodeling reviews plumbing and electrical conditions during the Feasibility stage of its planning process, before design advances, so homeowners know which layout changes are realistic for their budget.
Decision four: final selections instead of allowances
An allowance is a placeholder dollar amount a contractor inserts for an item the homeowner has not yet chosen, such as tile or a shower valve. Allowances are a common source of price escalation, because the actual selection frequently costs more than the placeholder. Phoenix Home Remodeling finalizes selections during design instead of pricing with allowances, so the construction price reflects the actual materials.
“Homeowners usually think the tile they pick is what drives the price, but the bigger numbers come from shower size, cabinetry, and whether the plumbing moves,” said Jeremy Maher, Co-Founder & COO of Phoenix Home Remodeling and author of Remodel Without Regret. “When those four decisions are made on paper first, the price a family signs is the price they pay.”
How the planning phase settles these decisions
Every client completes the company’s Feasibility, Planning and Design phase before a construction agreement exists. Feasibility confirms what is structurally, mechanically, and financially realistic. Detailed Planning produces the complete written scope of work with explicit inclusions and exclusions, priced by in-house estimators from a maintained cost catalog. Design and Selections, led by the in-house designer, finalizes every material and finish and produces 3D renderings so the homeowner sees the finished bathroom before demolition starts.
Whenever a homeowner decision changes the price, the designer sends the updated number in writing at the time the decision is made, not at the end. Before a final construction proposal is issued, Ben Chesley or Mark Chesley, two of the company’s three co-founders, walks the project at the home and reviews the scope of work directly with the homeowner. Gilbert homeowners researching bathroom remodeling can review how the company approaches projects in the city here: https://phxhomeremodeling.com/services/bathroom-remodel/gilbert-az/
What Gilbert homeowners can expect on cost and timing
Through Phoenix Home Remodeling, a primary bathroom remodel typically runs $40,000 to $75,000 depending on scope and specification. A guest bathroom remodel typically runs $20,000 to $25,000, and a tub to shower conversion typically runs $15,000 to $17,000. These ranges cover construction and do not include the Feasibility, Planning and Design phase, which is priced separately and then removed from the total project price when the homeowner proceeds to construction.
Construction on a primary bathroom typically runs 4 to 7 weeks, a guest bathroom typically runs 3 to 4 weeks, and a tub to shower conversion typically runs 2 to 3 weeks. Construction is scheduled once materials are in hand, and the company keeps tile installation and waterproofing in house, since waterproofing is the most common point of failure in bathroom remodels and cannot be inspected once tile is on the wall.
For Gilbert homeowners comparing contractors, from Downtown Gilbert to Power Ranch, asking how each of these four decisions will be handled before construction is a practical way to judge whether a quoted price is likely to hold.
Recognition for Phoenix Home Remodeling includes:
- Featured on TrustAnalytica’s list of top Gilbert bathroom remodelers
- Best of Houzz, Service, 2020 through 2026
- Better Business Bureau A+ accredited business since 2018
- 4.9-star average across more than 200 public reviews
- Member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI)
View Phoenix Home Remodeling on Google: https://goo.gl/maps/U6tzxTBVeuSbyJ7Y7
How to get to Phoenix Home Remodeling: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pwiQ49dnhkeDoxN66
See the related post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhoenixHomeRemodelingCompany/posts/pfbid0DLRhLjaLs6WX7Cu6kbrSifabBSmFD9MpoapUW2xDBxYH9n3FXep1S2XhhdMvNXfjl
This topic on X: https://x.com/PhxHmRemodeling/status/2117828295316398393
About Phoenix Home Remodeling:
Phoenix Home Remodeling is a design-build interior remodeling company based in Chandler, Arizona, specializing in kitchens, bathrooms, showers, and whole-home remodels. Its planning-first process completes design, material selections, and 3D renderings before construction begins, and fixed pricing is set only after planning is finalized. Co-founded in 2017 by Jeremy Maher, Ben Chesley, and Mark Chesley, the company has completed more than 1,000 kitchen and bathroom remodels across the Phoenix Valley. Phoenix Home Remodeling is licensed under Arizona ROC #313636 (B-3), has been BBB Accredited with an A+ rating since 2018, holds a 4.9-star average across 200+ reviews, and backs its work with a 2-year workmanship guarantee. The company is a member of NARI, NKBA, and Local First Arizona. Learn more at phxhomeremodeling.com.
Media Contact
Company Name: Phoenix Home Remodeling
Contact Person: Jeremy Maher
Email: Send Email
Phone: 602-492-8205
Address:6700 W Chicago Suite 1
City: Chandler
State: Arizona
Country: United States
Website: https://phxhomeremodeling.com/services/bathroom-remodel/gilbert-az/
Press Release Distributed by ABNewswire.com
To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Gilbert Bathroom Remodel Planning: Four Pre-Construction Decisions That Directly Affect Final Cost
