Bathroom Remodeling in Pikesville, MD

What does a Pikesville bathroom remodel usually replace?

In most cases, a bathroom that has been in place since the house was built or last updated decades ago. Census figures put 53% of Pikesville homes in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s and another 16% in the 1980s. Bathrooms from those decades were built with materials and methods that don’t hold up forever: tile set on mortar beds or older backer, galvanized or early copper supply lines, and small exhaust fans or none at all.

A full remodel removes all of it. Our sequence:

1. Demolition to the studs and subfloor, with dust protection in the hall and stairs.
2. Repairs to any rotted subfloor, joists or wall framing we uncover.
3. New rough plumbing and wiring, under trade permits from county-licensed plumbers and electricians.
4. Backer board and waterproofing on every wet wall and the shower floor.
5. Tile, fixtures, vanity and glass, then caulk, trim and a final walkthrough.

Turning a mid-century tub into a walk-in shower

Swapping the tub for a curbless or low-curb walk-in shower is one of the most practical changes in a ranch or a colonial with one full bath, especially for owners planning to stay put. The work involves moving the drain to the shower’s new center, building a sloped and waterproofed floor, and adding blocking for grab bars even if you don’t install them now. Because it changes plumbing, it needs a plumbing permit, but no county building permit unless walls or framing are altered structurally.

Our finished baths include a navy vanity with gold fixtures beside a glass walk-in shower, and a tub surround in large marble-look tile with matte black trim.

Adding a second bathroom on a larger lot

Pikesville’s older lots are bigger than today’s rules produce, a point the county’s Greenspring-East Pikesville plan makes about the area’s additions. If a second bath doesn’t fit inside the house, an addition is a separate, larger project that needs a county building permit. Inside the house, the usual candidates are a large closet, part of a bedroom, or the basement.

Basement bathrooms are the simplest route for many families. As long as no bedroom is being added and the structure stays as is, finishing a basement doesn’t need a building permit in Baltimore County, although the bath’s plumbing and wiring always need trade permits. If a basement bedroom is part of the plan, it needs egress. See our basement finishing page.

Wiring in older Pikesville bathrooms

Mid-century houses sometimes still have their original electrical service, and a few have aluminum branch wiring. Baltimore County doesn’t require you to upgrade an existing service or replace aluminum wiring just because you remodel, although a mortgage lender may insist on at least a 100-amp breaker panel. What the county does require is an electrical permit for the bathroom’s new work, which includes a GFCI-protected circuit, the vanity light and the exhaust fan. Its electrical page puts the penalty for skipping that permit at $1,000.

Bathrooms inside Sudbrook Park homes

The Landmarks Preservation Commission doesn’t review interior work in Sudbrook Park, so the bathroom itself follows normal county rules. Things change once the design touches the shell of the house. Enlarging the bath window for light, or running the fan duct out a side wall facing the street, is exterior work, and the commission has to approve it before the county issues a building permit.

Remodeling the kitchen too? See kitchen remodeling in Pikesville, our Pikesville deck page, or our general bathroom remodeling service.