Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable Bathroom Remodeling Across West University Place
A full bathroom remodel in West University Place typically runs $9,000 to $28,000, with walk-in shower installations landing between $4,500 and $12,000. Most projects we handle in the 77005 zip code take two to four weeks once permits clear West U’s building department and demo begins. If you’re planning a bathroom remodel in West University Place and want a written, line-item quote that accounts for the city’s permitting rules from day one, call Barrett & Sons Construction at (877) 610-1318. We’ll walk the space with you, measure, and hand you a scope that won’t fall apart at inspection.
West University Place is different from every other job site in Harris County, and we treat it that way. It’s an independent city with its own building department, its own inspectors, and its own wind-load and elevation standards. A bathroom remodel two blocks inside the West U city line has to satisfy West U, not Houston. We know that. Our crews are in West University Place every week, and Tom Barrett answers the phone himself when you call.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is West University Place’s Preferred Bathroom Remodeling Company
We’re not a franchise and we’re not a call center. Barrett & Sons Construction was founded in 1998, and Tom Barrett’s name, address, and license number are published where anyone in West University Place can look them up before signing a contract. His sons run the crews, and the crew that shows up at your house in West U carries the Barrett name on the truck and on their uniforms. That matters in a city like West University Place, where neighbors talk and a contractor’s reputation follows him down the street.
What sets us apart with West U homeowners is that we already know what their bathroom remodel requires before they do. We’ve pulled permits through West U’s own building department enough times to know which inspector schedules which trade sign-offs, where setbacks bite into a small-lot bungalow, and which fixtures meet the city’s current code. The last thing a homeowner on College Street or Vanderbilt wants is a crew that assumed Houston rules applied. Ours don’t assume. They check.
When you call (877) 610-1318, a live person answers, 24 hours a day. Not an answering service. Not a voicemail that promises a callback. If you’re in West University Place and you want someone to come look at a dated hall bath off University Boulevard and tell you straight what it costs to fix, we’ll be there on time, with a tape measure and a notepad.
Our Bathroom Remodeling Services in West University Place
We handle the full range of Bathroom Remodeling work, but in West University Place three jobs dominate the call volume: walk-in shower installations, tub-to-shower conversions, and frameless glass shower enclosures. That’s the natural result of a housing stock split between 1930s and 1960s brick bungalows and new custom infill homes, where aging tubs and dated surrounds look especially out of place.
Walk-In Shower Installation
A walk-in shower installation in West University Place runs $4,500 to $12,000, depending on whether we’re working with a slab foundation or pier-and-beam framing and how much waterproofing the existing wet wall needs. In older homes near Braes Bayou, we frequently find the original mortar bed wasn’t tied to current drain assembly standards, so we re-rough the pan and set the drain to West U code before tile goes in. The permit gets pulled through West U’s building department, not Houston’s.

Tub-to-Shower Conversion
Converting a tub to a shower in West University Place costs $3,500 to $10,000. On 1930s bungalows with the original cast-iron tub, we typically cut the tub out rather than trying to drag a four-hundred-pound fixture down a narrow hallway. That’s the practical difference a local crew knows. We also verify the existing shut-off valves still hold before we open the wall, because in older West U homes the original valves are often buried behind tile and corroded past saving.

Frameless Glass Shower Enclosures
Frameless glass enclosures are a common finish on West U remodel because they make a small bathroom read larger. We measure and order tempered glass to fit the actual opening, not the manufacturer’s closest stock size. On custom infill homes off Bellaire Boulevard where the shower is already framed larger than typical, that matters. The glass is anchored to structure that’s been checked for the wind-load requirements West U enforces, even on interior walls.

Vanities, Tile & Fixtures
Vanity installation in West University Place runs $800 to $3,000 for the labor, plus the cabinet and top. We carry KraftMaid cabinets and Cambria quartz for West U customers who want materials they can look up before we ever cut a check. Tile work follows the same rules as the rest of the bathroom: membrane, backer, thinset, and grout applied in the right order, with the drain slope measured twice before the inspector sees it once.

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 West University Place
We don’t put mystery brands off a van into West University Place homes. When we set a Cambria top or hang a new vanity, you see the brand name on the box and you can look up exactly what you’re getting. For bathroom work we regularly spec Schluter waterproofing membranes and American Standard or Kohler fixtures, because those hold up in the humidity a Southeast Texas bathroom adds to the house year-round. We keep common drain assemblies and shower valve rebuild kits stocked for West U callbacks, which means a leaking valve a week after punch list doesn’t leave you waiting on a freight order.
Common Bathroom Remodeling Problems We See in West University Place Homes
- Gumbo-soil movement under pier-and-beam bungalows. The black clay under West U shrinks in dry summers and heaves after rain, so an old bathroom’s framing has often moved a quarter-inch or more. We sister the joists and re-tie the load-bearing header before any tile goes down, because tile doesn’t flex.
- Houston permits stuck on a West U job. We’ve lost count of how many times a West U homeowner called us after their Houston-based crew pulled a City of Houston permit for a job inside West U’s boundary. The West U inspector has no record of the project, the tear-out is done, and the wall is open with no sign-off. We pull the right permit from the start and schedule through West U’s own department.
- Missing wind-load strapping on second-story baths. West U inspectors check for it, and the fix after rough-in means re-opening closed walls and writing a change order nobody budgeted for. Our quotes include the strapping from the start.
- Standard drain assemblies near Braes Bayou that don’t meet freeboard. Low-lying streets that flooded in Harvey now fall under elevation-certificate rules, and ground-floor bathroom rough-ins can require specific drain heights. We know which streets those are and spec the work accordingly.
Pricing for Bathroom Remodeling in West University Place, TX
Every West U estimate we write is a line-item scope, not a phone number with a handshake. Here’s where the biggest bathroom jobs land in West University Place:
| Service | Price Range in West University Place |
|---|---|
| Walk-In Shower Installation | $4,500 - $12,000 |
| Tub-to-Shower Conversion | $3,500 - $10,000 |
| Full Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 - $28,000 |
What moves a full bathroom remodel toward the top of that range is the same list every time: water damage hidden behind old tile, the need for joist repair under a pier-and-beam floor, and fixtures specified at a higher grade. What should never move the price after a contract is signed is a surprise. Every change at Barrett & Sons Construction comes to you as a written change order before any work happens. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free, written estimate in West University Place.
We Also Serve Cities Near West University Place
If you live just outside West U, we handle Bathroom Remodeling in West University Place and the surrounding communities too. We serve Bellaire, Houston, Alief, and Stafford with the same permit-first approach and the same written pricing. Call us and we’ll confirm which building department has jurisdiction over your address before we schedule anything.
Serving West University Place, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the West University Place 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 West University Place
Your Houston contractor can’t pull a City of Houston permit for a West U bathroom remodel because West University Place is an independent municipality with its own building department, its own inspectors, and its own permitting jurisdiction. A Houston permit is worthless two blocks inside the West U city line, and a West U inspector has no record of a permit issued by another city. The tear-out gets done, the wall is open, and the project stalls with no sign-off until a West U permit is filed and the work is brought current. Every Barrett & Sons bathroom remodel in West University Place starts with the West U permit pulled before demo. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll verify jurisdiction before any work begins.
West U’s building code requires specific wind-load strapping on structural connections in second-story remodels, and the West U inspector checks for it at rough-in. If the strapping isn’t there, the fix means re-opening walls that were already closed. Our West U quotes include the required strapping and the inspection coordination from the first scope, so you’re not handed a change order after the inspector leaves a red tag. Call (877) 610-1318 for a written scope that includes West U’s wind-load requirements.
A bathroom remodel with permits pulled, inspections signed, and the full permit file in hand shows your insurer the work meets West U’s current building code, which generally keeps the remodel from raising your premium after a windstorm or water event. When a West U homeowner can show the inspector signed off, the claim conversation goes differently than when the work was done without permits. On a 1930s bungalow near Braes Bayou, our crew documented the wind-load strapping and the West U inspector signed off, and the homeowner pulled our permit file to show their insurer. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll make sure your permit file is something you can hand to an adjuster.
Ground-floor bathroom remodels on low-lying streets near Braes Bayou can require elevation-certificate compliance and specific drain and finish heights that standard shower pans and drain assemblies don’t meet. Homes that flooded in Harvey now fall under freeboard rules, and a West U inspector can fail a rough-in that was built to generic heights. We know which streets fall into that zone, and our quotes account for it before demo, not after. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll check your address against West U’s flooding overlay before we write the scope.
A West U bathroom remodel quote should include a West U permit, West U inspection scheduling, wind-load strapping where the code requires it, elevation-specific drain heights for low-lying streets near Braes Bayou, and a written change order process for any scope change. A Houston quote typically assumes Houston permitting and Houston code, and the differences surface later as failed inspections and change orders you didn’t budget for. Every Barrett & Sons West U quote includes the permit line, the strapping, and the written change order process from day one. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free written estimate that holds up at inspection.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving West University Place with permit-first bathroom remodels and written pricing on every job.
Schedule Your Free Bathroom Remodeling Estimate in West University Place
Before you sign anything, call (877) 610-1318. Tom Barrett will answer, ask about your house and your street, and schedule a time to walk the bathroom with you. You’ll get a written, line-item scope that includes the West U permit, the inspections, and every allowance in writing. In West University Place, that’s the difference between a bathroom that passes and a wall left open waiting on a permit.







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