Bathroom Remodeling in Lutherville-Timonium, MD

What does a 1950s or ’60s bathroom need now?

Usually more than new tile. Census estimates put 70% of Lutherville homes and 61% of Timonium homes in the 1950 to 1969 range, so the hall bath in a typical house here is 55 to 75 years old. Even when the tile was replaced at some point, what sits under it often wasn’t. Original drain lines, a subfloor that has soaked up decades of splashes around the tub, and one light on one circuit are all common.

We start with a full tear-out so the hidden parts get inspected instead of covered over again. Then the rebuild goes in order:

1. Framing and subfloor repaired or sistered where water has softened them
2. Plumbing reworked for the new layout by a county-licensed plumber under a plumbing permit
3. Electrical for lights, outlets and an exhaust fan under a county electrical permit
4. Waterproofing over cement board on every wet wall before tile goes up
5. Tile, fixtures, vanity and trim, finished with a walkthrough

Aluminum wiring and older electrical service

Some houses from this era have an older electrical service or aluminum branch wiring. The county doesn’t require you to upgrade the service or pull out aluminum wiring just because you remodel. Anything new, though, has to be wired under a permit from a county-registered electrical contractor. If you plan to sell in the next few years, it’s worth knowing that lenders sometimes ask for a 100-amp, 240-volt breaker service.

Remodeling a bath in an Old Lutherville home

Old Lutherville houses are older still, many from before World War I. The county historic district governs the outside of the house, so the bathroom itself is yours to redesign without commission review. Anything that crosses the exterior wall deserves a pause. A new vent cap on the siding or a resized window can count as an exterior alteration in the district.

Older framing brings its own surprises. Joists notched through by earlier plumbers, walls out of plumb and floors that need leveling before tile are typical. We price that work once the room is open and before you pick tile, so the finish budget isn’t eaten by repairs you didn’t expect.

A basement bathroom in Old Lutherville is a special case. Elsewhere in Baltimore County, finishing an unfinished basement needs no building permit unless it adds a bedroom or changes the structure. Inside a county historic district it does, so a new lower-level bath there means a building permit on top of the trade permits.

Bathrooms in Timonium’s larger buildings

In a condo, your bathroom sits over someone else’s ceiling. That changes how we work. Water shutoffs may involve building staff, the association usually sets work hours, and a leak becomes a shared problem. We go through the building’s rules before we schedule and treat the shower pan and wall membrane as the most important part of the job.

For the other room most post-war houses need, see kitchen remodeling in Lutherville-Timonium. Our main bathroom remodeling page covers how we build showers and tub surrounds in more detail.