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 San Antonio
A full bathroom remodel in San Antonio typically runs $9,000 to $28,000, and most projects take two to four weeks once materials arrive. Barrett & Sons Construction has been remodeling bathrooms across San Antonio’s older neighborhoods long enough to know that the real cost drivers aren’t the fixtures you pick out, they’re the walls you can’t see and the ground your house sits on. If you’re planning a remodel in 78201, 78202, 78203, or 78225, call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll send someone who knows exactly what’s behind your shower surround before we ever hand you a number.
We’ve worked on bungalows in Woodlawn, Victorians in King William, and pier-and-beam homes throughout the East Side. The houses change. The surprises don’t. A written scope, a written allowance sheet, and a written change order before any extra work starts is how we keep a San Antonio remodel from becoming a story you tell your neighbors for the wrong reasons.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is San Antonio’s Preferred Bathroom Remodeling Company
Tom Barrett founded this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews. When we say we’ll be at your house on Tuesday, the person who shows up carries the Barrett name and knows the job was sold by the owner, not a sales rep working on commission. San Antonio homeowners tell us the same thing over and over: they called a national outfit, got a phone quote, and then watched the number climb once the tile came off the walls. We don’t work that way. Every allowance is on paper. Every change is a written change order you sign before we lift a tool.
We’re not hard to find. Tom Barrett publishes his name, his address, and his license number. Look it up before you sign anything. We’ve built our reputation in San Antonio one bathroom at a time, and the neighbors we’ve worked for are the best advertisement we have. Our Bathroom Remodeling team works every job like we’ll see you at H-E-B on Saturday, because we probably will.
Every completed job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something isn’t right, one call brings Tom back. That’s not a marketing line; it’s on every contract.
Our Bathroom Remodeling Services in San Antonio
Full Bathroom Remodeling
A full gut-and-rebuild in San Antonio means different things depending on your house. A 5×8 bathroom in a 1990s suburb is straightforward. The same footprint in a 1920s craftsman on the East Side might mean removing caliche block, repairing a shifting pier-and-beam floor, and rerouting plumbing that hasn’t been touched since the Truman administration. We quote both jobs honestly. The suburban one shouldn’t cost what the craftsman costs, and the craftsman shouldn’t get a cheap number from someone who doesn’t know what’s behind the tile.
Walk-In Showers & Shower Remodeling
Walk-in showers are the most requested bathroom upgrade we see in San Antonio, especially in homes where the homeowners plan to age in place. Curbless showers require careful floor work, and in San Antonio that means accounting for expansive clay soil. A slab that shifts seasonally will crack a poorly prepared shower pan. We use Schluter waterproofing systems on most shower builds because they handle movement better than traditional mortar beds.
Tub-to-Shower Conversion
In San Antonio’s pre-1950 housing stock, a tub-to-shower conversion gets complicated fast. Cast-iron tubs from the 1920s and 1930s weigh 300 to 400 pounds and often won’t fit through bathroom doorways. We cut them out in place. Then there’s the drain line. Moving from a tub drain to a shower drain usually means cutting through the subfloor, and in pier-and-beam homes that’s often the only access we get. It’s routine work for our crew, but it’s the kind of routine that turns into a surprise invoice if your contractor didn’t know to look before quoting.
Vanities, Tile & Fixtures
Whether you’re updating a powder room in Terrell Hills or a full bath near Woodlawn Lake, we install what you pick, not what we have left over. We work with Sterling fixtures and Grohe valves, and we’ll tell you honestly if a particular vanity won’t survive a San Antonio bathroom’s humidity swings. Mildew resistance matters here. We’re happy to recommend materials that hold up, and we’ll install whatever you decide.
What happens when you call
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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 San Antonio
We install Schluter waterproofing systems, Sterling tubs and shower bases, and Grohe valves and fixtures. These aren’t mystery brands off a van. You can look them up, read the specs, and know exactly what you’re paying for before we order anything. We maintain strong relationships with local San Antonio suppliers, which means faster lead times on special-order tile and fixtures when you’re mid-project and realize you want the heated floor after all.
Common Bathroom Remodeling Problems We See in San Antonio Homes
- Load-bearing caliche block walls: In 78204 and 78207 especially, pre-WWII homes often have interior walls built from caliche block. It looks like adobe, is dense and irregular, and will collapse if a contractor cuts into it without shoring first. Local inspectors trained on wood-frame construction frequently miss it on initial assessment, which means the contractor who didn’t know is the only thing between you and a partial collapse.
- Expansive clay soil movement: San Antonio’s Vertisol clay swells and shrinks by several inches through the year as rains come and go. A bathroom remodel built without accounting for that movement will crack tile grout and shower pans within a season or two.
- Hidden additions with no permits: Decades of informal additions throughout 78202 and 78203 mean many bathrooms were added or extended without permits or proper structural work. We find junction boxes buried in walls, plumbing that doesn’t vent, and floors that were never tied to the original foundation.
- HDRC review triggers: In King William, Lavaca, and Dignowity Hill, even changing a bathroom window size can trigger a Historic and Design Review Commission review. Contractors who don’t do this work regularly in San Antonio’s historic districts won’t file the certificate of appropriateness, and the stop-work order lands on the homeowner, not the contractor.
Pricing for Bathroom Remodeling in San Antonio, TX
Here’s what we quote in San Antonio, based on the work we actually see.
| Service | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Bathroom Remodel (full, typical 5×8) | $9,000-$28,000 |
| Small Bathroom Remodel (powder room or half bath) | $5,000-$12,000 |
| Walk-In Shower Installation (including curbless options) | $4,500-$12,000 |
| Tub-to-Shower Conversion | $3,500-$10,000 |
The spread is real. A powder room in a newer home off Loop 410 is a different job than a full bath in a 1920s King William home with caliche block walls, a shifting pier-and-beam floor, and HDRC review. What doesn’t change is how we quote: scope in writing, allowances in writing, change orders in writing. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate, and we’ll walk your bathroom with you before we put any number on paper.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Antonio
If you’re in Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, Kirby, or Windcrest, we cover those too. The same owner-operated crew, the same written change orders, the same 90-Day Done Right Promise. Bathroom Remodeling in San Antonio and the surrounding communities is what we do every day, and we schedule work the same week you call if we have an opening.
Serving San Antonio, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Antonio 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 San Antonio
Yes, and in most cases you need two things: a building permit from the City of San Antonio and a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic and Design Review Commission if the alteration affects an exterior wall, window opening, or roofline. Interior wall moves still require building permits, and if the wall is load-bearing caliche block, the permit review gets more involved. We pull permits on every eligible job and handle the HDRC paperwork for you. Call (877) 610-1318 if you’re not sure which review applies to your house.
Because that tub probably weighs 300 to 400 pounds, won’t fit through the doorway, and has to be cut apart in place, and the drain line beneath it likely runs through a pier-and-beam subfloor that needs access from below. A contractor who does this work in San Antonio’s 78202 and 78203 neighborhoods quotes for the hours and the labor. A contractor who doesn’t know the difference quotes low, then hits you with a change order. We’d rather quote it honestly the first time. That’s what written scope is for.
Yes, but it requires cutting into the slab to recess the shower pan, and that cut has to be done correctly or the seasonal movement of San Antonio’s expansive clay will crack the pan and the tile. We use Schluter waterproofing and proper substrate preparation on every curbless shower, and we’ll tell you honestly during the estimate whether your slab is a good candidate or whether a low-threshold shower makes more sense for your floor. Estimates are free. Call (877) 610-1318.
San Antonio’s noise ordinance restricts construction noise to the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, with no work on Sunday. In denser neighborhoods like 78204, being a good neighbor means we stage tools and materials on your property, not the street, and we coordinate demolition days so the loudest work happens in the morning. We’ll map out the schedule with you before we start.
Because in pre-1950 San Antonio homes, particularly in 78204 and 78207, interior walls that look like simple partition walls are sometimes load-bearing caliche block, dense compressed limestone masonry that doesn’t behave like modern CMU. Cutting into it without shoring has caused partial collapses on remodel jobs. In a 1930s craftsman bungalow in Woodlawn, our crew found a hidden load-bearing caliche block wall behind the existing shower surround. We shored the structure, then worked with the city inspector to document the wall before rerouting drain lines through the pier-and-beam subfloor, avoiding a change order that would have stalled the project for weeks. We assess every wall before we cut into it.
Call Barrett & Sons Construction for Your San Antonio Bathroom Remodel
If you’re planning a bathroom remodel in San Antonio, don’t guess what’s behind your walls. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk your bathroom with you, look at the foundation, check for caliche block, and tell you exactly what the job will cost in writing before you commit. Free estimates. Written change orders. Permits pulled and inspections signed. A live person answers the phone 24/7. And you get the 90-Day Done Right Promise on every contract we write. If it’s not done right, Tom comes back.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving San Antonio since 1998.