Bathroom Remodeling in South Orange, NJ
South Orange grew up around the train in the 1920s, and most of its bathrooms were laid out for a family of that decade. We rebuild them for how you live now, from a Livingston office a few miles up the road.
The houses of South Orange.
The Morris and Essex Railroad reached the village in 1837, but the real building boom came almost a century later, when South Orange turned into a bedroom community for Newark and New York.
The population went from about 7,200 in 1920 to 13,630 in 1930, an 87 percent jump in one decade (U.S. Census figures cited by the village). That is why so many streets are lined with foursquares, Tudor Revivals and Colonial Revivals from the twenties. The Montrose Park Historic District, on the National Register since 1997, holds earlier and grander houses built between about 1870 and 1930 in Shingle, Queen Anne, Tudor and Italian Renaissance styles.
Inside, a 1920s bathroom is a small room with a big personality: hex-tile floors, a cast-iron tub, a pedestal sink, a window in the shower wall. Many have been touched once, in the 1960s or 1980s, which is when a lot of the leaks and soft spots we find were started.
Newstead, Tuxedo Park and the Wyoming section add later houses, including postwar colonials and ranches, so the right approach depends on the block, not the town.
What we plan for in a South Orange remodel
- Plaster and lath walls come down cleanly and are tied back into the hallway without cracks.
- A window inside the shower gets a waterproof jamb or is swapped for a smaller unit, your choice.
- Cast-iron drum traps and galvanized supply lines are replaced back to the main stack.
- Radiators near the tub are moved or replaced so the new layout works.
- Kitchens and baths in the historic district can involve exterior review; interior work usually does not.
What South Orange owners ask us for.
The common request is a period-appropriate room that works like a modern one: classic tile patterns on the floor, a real shower, and storage that a 1925 builder never imagined.
- Hall baths with hex or basketweave floors, subway walls and a proper exhaust fan.
- Primary baths carved from a small bedroom or a back hall, with a walk-in shower.
- Tub-to-shower conversions for the third floor or a guest bath.
- Freestanding tubs where the joists can take the weight.
- Schluter waterproofing under every tile shower, to the manufacturer's spec.
What a bathroom costs in South Orange.
Prewar rooms often need more plumbing work than postwar ones, so South Orange jobs tend to sit in the middle of each range rather than at the bottom.
| Project | Labor only |
|---|---|
| Tub-to-shower conversionThe tub comes out and a tiled shower goes in, in the same spot. | $6,500 – $16,750 |
| Hall or guest bath, full remodelFloor, walls, shower or tub, vanity and toilet. Size and finish level move the number. | $12,000 – $26,000 |
| Primary bathA larger shower, a double vanity, often a tub, a bench or a moved drain. | $23,000 – $50,000+ |
These are labor prices. They cover demolition, disposal, prep, Schluter waterproofing, installation and daily cleanup. Tile, vanity, fixtures, thinset, grout and the waterproofing kit are bought by you from the product list we hand you. Permit fees and any surprise behind the plaster are priced separately, in writing, before we touch them.
Try the bathroom calculator
Westfield, NJ · April 2025
Finished work near South Orange.
A short drive southwest, in Westfield, we finished a primary bath and a guest bath in the same house: a walk-in shower with a bench, a freestanding tub, and a guest room with an oak vanity on a black-and-white patterned floor. In Basking Ridge we opened a 1990s layout into a curbless primary with a soaking tub.
- 4.9 stars across 51 reviews
- Bathrooms
- 200+ remodeled
- Waterproofing
- Schluter system behind every shower
- Registered
- NJ HIC reg. #13VH10766600
How a South Orange job runs.
Same four steps on every job, with the price broken out by phase so you can see where the money goes. Payments follow the work; see the ways to pay.
A 30-minute visit
We measure, open the access panel if there is one, and ask what has been bugging you about the room.
Scope in writing
One document with the scope, the product list you will shop from, and a price per phase.
Permits and inspections
When the work needs a permit, we file with the South Orange Building Department and meet the inspectors.
Walkthrough
We go through the room together, close out the punch list, and only then take the final payment.
South Orange bathroom questions.
Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom in South Orange?
My house is in Montrose Park. Does that change anything?
What does a 1920s hall bath cost to redo?
Can you keep the original tile floor?
How long will my bathroom be out of service?
Which nearby towns do you cover?
Book a visit in South Orange.
Tell us which room and what is wrong with it. We come out, measure, and send one written price for the whole scope.
Registered and insured, NJ HIC reg. #13VH10766600. Nearby pages: Maplewood, Millburn, Montclair, Livingston, West Orange. All service areas.
Got it. We will call you.
Expect a call or text from (973) 577-9383 within one business day to set up your visit.