Bathroom remodel cost (2026): a Tampa Bay example
Example area: Tampa Bay, Florida. In Wylie, prices adjust for where your job is.
Bathrooms are the densest rooms in a house: plumbing, tile, electrical, ventilation, and waterproofing meet in a few dozen square feet. That density is why a small bathroom can carry a bigger per-square-foot price than a kitchen, and why pricing one from component-level cost data beats guessing from the last job.
The ranges below are aggregates from nationally published 2026 cost data for renovation work. They are costs before markup for individual work items. Waterproofing details, fixture grade, and tile selection move the total more than any single line.
How much do bathroom remodel work items cost in Tampa Bay?
Middle-two-quartile cost ranges before markup for the work a bathroom remodel touches most:
| Work | Unit | Low | Middle | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tile work | per SF | $5.69 | $23.25 | $39.10 |
| Bathroom fixtures (toilets, tubs, showers, vanities) | per fixture | $577 | $1,231 | $2,071 |
| Painting | per SF | $1.54 | $2.33 | $3.77 |
| Drywall and gypsum work | per SF | $2.00 | $3.88 | $4.56 |
| Outlets, switches, and devices | per device | $49.63 | $116 | $283 |
Figures are low, middle and high points (25th percentile, median, 75th percentile) across single work items, each priced for its material and labor, in nationally published 2026 cost data, computed November 2026 and refreshed quarterly. They are costs before contractor overhead and profit, and before job conditions. They are not installed project totals and not bids. Wylie Estimates adjusts every price for where the job is, in every part of the country.
What makes bathroom remodels expensive per square foot?
Trade density and water. Every fixture is a plumbing connection, every wet wall wants waterproofing done right, and tile work is slow, skilled labor. A hall bath refresh that keeps the layout stays near component-level costs. A wet-wall move or a tub-to-shower conversion adds demolition, framing, and rough plumbing that never shows in the finished photos.
What is the difference between cost before markup and a bid?
Cost before markup is material plus labor for the work itself, before contractor overhead and profit. It is the floor, not the price. A contractor who bids at cost before markup earns nothing for supervision, insurance, warranty risk, or running the business.
A typical bid adds 25% or more on top of cost before markup. In Wylie Estimates you start from cost before markup, set your own markup, and approve every line before your client sees the price. Setting the markup in the open is how you protect your number before you send it.
How should a contractor estimate a bathroom remodel?
Line by line, from current local data: list the scope items, price each against a current cost reference, mark the uncertain ones for review instead of guessing, and set your markup in the open before quoting. That is the workflow Wylie Estimates runs: open lines stay visible and block sending, so an unpriced line cannot hide inside a confident-looking total.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a bathroom remodel cost in Tampa?
- Priced honestly, it is the sum of its work items. In the current renovation data, material and labor run $5.69 to $39.10 per square foot for tile work, $577 to $2,071 per fixture, and $1.54 to $3.77 per square foot for painting, all before contractor overhead and profit. Bids add 25% or more on top.
- Why is a small bathroom not proportionally cheap?
- Fixed trade costs dominate small rooms. The plumber, electrician, and tile setter each have minimum real costs regardless of square footage, so the per-square-foot number climbs as the room shrinks.
Price your next job from the same cost data these figures come from, adjusted for where the job is. You set your markup and approve every line before you bid.
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