Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
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AfterFast, Reliable Bathroom Remodeling Across Burlingame
A full bathroom remodel in Burlingame typically runs $9,000 to $28,000, while a smaller bath can often be done for $5,000 to $12,000. Most of the projects we take on here take two to five weeks once permits are in hand. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you a line-item quote in writing, not a number pulled out of the air over the phone.
Burlingame isn’t San Mateo. It isn’t Millbrae. The permitting layers here are different, the housing stock is different, and the soil under your foundation is different. We’ve pulled permits in 94010 and 94011 long enough to know which projects trigger FAA review near the bayfront, which Easton Addition bathrooms need seismic retrofitting before any tile goes up, and which Burlingame Hills remodels demand drainage work before a single fixture moves. That kind of local knowledge changes the price, the timeline, and the outcome. We’d rather tell you all of it up front.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Burlingame’s Preferred Bathroom Remodeling Company
Tom Barrett started this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews. That’s not marketing copy. When we pull up to a job on Adeline Drive or Edgehill Drive, the person holding the clipboard answers to the name on the truck. Calls come to a live person, day or night, not an out-of-state call center. Burlingame homeowners have looked up our license number, our name, and our address for 29 years running. Tom publishes all three. Ask anyone on your street or look up the license yourself.
Burlingame jobs get scoped by someone who has actually bid work in the Easton Addition, the Burlingame Park historic district, and the hillside parcels above El Camino. That matters because the line items are honest. Every allowance goes on paper. Every change order comes in writing before the work starts, not after. If a subcontractor underestimates the rough-in work on a 1920s Craftsman on Sanchez Avenue, you’ll know before it costs you a dime. No surprise invoices at the end. That’s been our rule since the first bathroom we ever remodeled.
And everything is backed by the 90-Day Done Right Promise, written on the contract in plain language. If something isn’t right, Tom comes back and makes it right. One call.
Our Bathroom Remodeling Services in Burlingame
We run a full-service Bathroom Remodeling crew for Burlingame, and we stock premium materials for the jobs these old homes actually throw at us. These are the services we do most often here.
Full Bathroom Remodeling
A full gut to the studs, new framing, new plumbing rough-in, new waterproofing, new everything. In Burlingame that often means working around original lath-and-plaster, knob-and-tube wiring, and concrete perimeter foundations that predate modern anchor bolts. We handle all of it, and we pull permits on every eligible job so the inspector signs off before the walls close.
Walk-In Showers & Shower Remodeling
Most Burlingame homeowners want the tub gone and a curbless, barrier-free shower in its place. We install Schluter waterproofing systems throughout, and we frame the opening to handle the extra weight a tiled shower carries on an older floor. In the Burlingame Hills especially, we check the slope and drainage before we set any pan.
Tub-to-Shower Conversion
This is our single most requested job in the flatland neighborhoods east of El Camino. A tired 1970s tub comes out, a low-threshold walk-in shower goes in, and the whole thing sits on a properly sloped, properly waterproofed Schluter base. The work typically runs $3,500 to $10,000 in Burlingame, depending on valves, glass, and tile.
Vanities, Tile & Fixtures
We install Schluter membrane under every tile floor and shower wall so moisture never reaches the subfloor. For fixtures we lean on Grohe for valves and shower systems, and we’ll walk you through the options at our supplier’s showroom before we ever put a chisel to tile.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Burlingame
We install Schluter waterproofing on every tile application, Grohe valves and shower fixtures in most of our rough-ins, and Sterling tub and shower units when the budget and the home call for a simpler path. We keep repair parts for these brands stocked at our local supplier, so a cracked valve cartridge or failed mixing valve on a Shafter Avenue condo doesn’t mean three weeks of down time. If it’s a brand we don’t normally carry, we’ll tell you that before we bid it, not after.
Common Bathroom Remodeling Problems We See in Burlingame Homes
- Fog-driven subfloor rot. Burlingame’s bayshore position channels persistent summer fog that wicks moisture into crawlspaces and rots subfloor framing faster than inland cities. We’ve opened half a dozen Burlingame bathrooms where the floor was soft underfoot because the joists had been soaking for decades.
- Knob-and-tube surprises. Easton Addition and Burlingame Park homes from the 1920s and 1930s still have live knob-and-tube circuits running through bathroom walls. A remodel that touches the walls almost always requires a dedicated 20-amp circuit and GFCI protection, and sometimes a full circuit replacement. That’s a written change order with a clear price, not a surprise at the end.
- Unsupported mud beds on old framing. Mid-century ranch homes in the Burlingame Hills often had original tile set on thick mud beds the floor joists were never sized for. Adding a modern tiled shower on top of that without sistering the joists is how houses start to sag.
- Concrete foundations without anchor bolts. Many pre-1950 Burlingame homes have perimeter foundations with no modern anchor bolts, which means any remodel that opens walls or adds weight should also include seismic strapping. We include it in the scope when the home needs it.
Pricing for Bathroom Remodeling in Burlingame, CA
Here’s what you can expect to pay in Burlingame right now. These are the ranges we bid from, and they hold across 94010 and 94011.
| Service | Typical Burlingame Range |
|---|---|
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 - $28,000 |
| Small Bathroom Remodel | $5,000 - $12,000 |
| Walk-In Shower Installation | $4,500 - $12,000 |
| Tub-to-Shower Conversion | $3,500 - $10,000 |
| Bathroom Vanity Installation | $800 - $3,000 |
What moves the number is mostly the age of the house and the condition of what’s behind the walls. A 1928 Craftsman on a cracked perimeter foundation with knob-and-tube wiring will cost more than a 1980s ranch with a clean subfloor. Seismic retrofitting, permit fees, and FAA review time on bayfront additions all show up as real line items. We put every one of them in writing before you sign, and nothing changes without a written change order. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate, and we’ll give you the exact breakdown.
We Also Serve Cities Near Burlingame
We take bathroom remodel jobs in Burlingame and the surrounding Peninsula communities. That includes Hillsborough, Millbrae, San Mateo, and San Bruno. If your house sits in one of those cities, the same crew, the same written pricing, and the same 90-Day Done Right Promise apply.
Serving Burlingame, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Burlingame area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Bathroom Remodeling in Burlingame
Yes, in many cases. Burlingame sits directly under SFO’s primary approach corridors, so any remodel that adds square footage, dormers, or a second story along the bayfront or El Camino Real corridor can trigger an FAA Form 7460-1 obstruction evaluation under Part 77 airspace rules. That’s a 45-plus day review clock that doesn’t pause for your project’s start date, and it applies to bathroom additions too, not just whole-house build-outs. We file the paperwork as part of the permit package, and we tell you about the requirement on day one, not after the stop-work order shows up. Call (877) 610-1318 if you’re unsure whether your lot falls inside the airway surface.
We start by walking the lot and looking at how water moves across the soil above the foundation. Hillside parcels in the Burlingame Hills concentrate winter runoff, and a shower drain that gets re-routed without accounting for that water will undermine the home’s original concrete perimeter foundation within a couple of seasons. We scope for retaining wall repairs, subterranean drainage upgrades, and proper drain slope before we touch the fixture layout, and we put that drainage work in the bid as a separate line item so you can see exactly what it costs. Estimates are free. Call (877) 610-1318.
Because most Burlingame homes built before 1950 sit on concrete perimeter foundations without anchor bolts, and a bathroom remodel that opens walls or adds a tiled shower adds real weight to a structure that isn’t tied to its foundation. Seismic retrofitting usually means installing anchor bolts or foundation plates and strapping the floor system to the framing. In the bay fill areas near Airport Boulevard and Anza Boulevard, where liquefaction risk is documented, we may also recommend geotechnical borings before adding a ground-floor bathroom expansion. We don’t sell retrofits as an add-on. We explain what the home needs and put it in the scope. Get a free second opinion on any written estimate by calling (877) 610-1318.
Yes, usually. We’ve done tub-to-shower conversions in Burlingame Park on homes with original lath-and-plaster walls without tearing down the whole bathroom. The key is careful demolition lines, a Schluter membrane over the new shower area rather than the entire wall, and framing that doesn’t disturb the plaster’s keys. Some plaster walls will need spot repair where the old tub lip sat, but that’s small work, not a full re-plaster. We’ll tell you whether your specific wall condition will allow it after a walkthrough. The estimate for that walkthrough is free at (877) 610-1318.
Plan for city permit review to take two to six weeks in the Easton Addition, and longer if the project triggers FAA review or if the home is in a historic overlay. The city of Burlingame reviews plans for older homes carefully because so many Easton Addition bathrooms sit directly over original framing that’s been settling for 90 years. We submit the permit package, schedule the inspections, and get the sign-off before the walls close. During the 90-Day Done Right Promise window after completion, anything not right is fixed on our call, not yours. Call (877) 610-1318 to see what your specific project would involve.
Written by the team at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Burlingame since 1998.