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 Francisco
Bathroom remodeling in San Francisco typically runs $10,620 to $33,040 for a full gut-and-rebuild, with smaller projects like tub-to-shower conversions starting around $4,130. The price lands where it lands because of what’s behind your walls: fog-fed moisture, century-old framing, and the city’s permit process. We work in the Sunset, Richmond, Mission, Noe Valley, and every neighborhood between, and we know exactly what a San Francisco bathroom needs to hold up. Call (936) 259-2607 for a written, line-item price before any work starts.
Why Penhallow Remodeling Is San Francisco’s Preferred Bathroom Remodeling Company
We put the full price and the guarantee in writing before the first tile comes off. Trevor Nash runs our crew, and he’s the one who signs the proposal you agree to. Our 365-Day Done Right Promise means if something fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. That’s not a verbal promise. It’s printed on every contract.
Our technicians are background-checked and arrive in uniform. A live person answers our phones 24/7, so when you call at 7 a.m. before work or 9 p.m. after the kids are down, you get a real answer, not a voicemail maze. We carry KraftMaid and Wellborn cabinetry, Kohler and Moen fixtures, and Cambria and Silestone countertops, so the materials behind the guarantee are as solid as the promise itself.
We know San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection, Planning Department, and the occasional Historic Preservation Commission review backwards. That matters when you live in a 1908 Edwardian flat in the Mission and the permit reviewer wants to know how your vent run preserves the original balloon framing. We pull the permits, we pass the inspections, and we leave the job site cleaner than we found it.
Walk In Shower in San Francisco
Walk In Shower installation in San Francisco runs $5,310 to $14,160 depending on glass enclosure style, waterproofing method, and whether we’re converting a tub or opening a tight footprint in a 1910s flat. A walk-in shower here is not the same job as one in Walnut Creek. In the fog belt, the waterproofing detail decides whether the shower lasts 10 years or 40. We bond a sheet membrane across the entire wet area, not just the pan, and we run the exhaust duct to an exterior cap with a backdraft damper so the wall cavity actually dries between showers.
Why the Rough-In Matters More Than the Tile
Before we set any tile, we inspect the studs, the subfloor, the vent run, and the valve plumbing. In San Francisco’s pre-1915 flats, the bathroom often sits on an interior wall with an exhaust fan that dumps moist air into the wall or attic. That’s the failure we find most often, and it rots framing from the inside out. We fix that before it becomes a $15,000 surprise.
Frameless Glass and Small Footprints
Many San Francisco bathrooms are 5 by 8 feet. A frameless glass enclosure makes the room read as twice the size, but it needs precise square framing behind it. An out-of-square wall by even a quarter inch means a custom glass panel that costs hundreds more. We frame and shim for dead-level openings before waterproofing, so the glass fits the first time.
Bathroom Remodeling Companies in San Francisco
Bathroom Remodeling Companies in San Francisco range from two-person crews working out of a pickup to full design-build firms, and the difference is rarely the hourly rate. The difference is what happens on day three when the crew opens the wall and finds rotted balloon framing behind the shower. A company that handwrote a price on a napkin will stop work and start negotiating. We write the price up front and we write the process for change orders into the contract, so if we do find rot, you approve the line item before we touch it.
What Full-Service Means Here
We handle the full sequence: permit drawings, demo and hauling, plumbing and electrical rough-in, waterproofing, tile, glass, vanity installation, trim, and final inspection. You are not coordinating three trades with three schedules and two disconnected phone numbers. One crew, one written price, one person you can call.
The Written Price Difference
Every Penhallow job starts with a written number before work begins. Not a range, not a ballpark, not a “we’ll see how it goes.” A number you can hold us to. If we find rot behind the wall, we show you the framing, we show you the line-item cost, and you approve or decline before a single stud is sistered.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Francisco
We install KraftMaid and Wellborn cabinets, Kohler and Moen fixtures, and Cambria, Silestone, and Caesarstone countertops. We stock common trim and valve parts for San Francisco jobs, which means a missing shower escutcheon or a stripped vanity hinge does not add a week waiting on a truck. When a product carries its own warranty, like Cambria quartz, it stacks with our 365-Day Done Right Promise. You get two layers of protection, both in writing.
Common Bathroom Remodeling Problems We See in San Francisco Homes
- Exhaust fans dumping into walls or attics. In pre-1915 flats with interior bathrooms, the original vent often terminates inside the wall cavity. That warm, wet air condenses behind the tile and rots balloon-frame studs and subfloor within a few years.
- Green board behind shower tile. Standard drywall or green board absorbs moisture in fog-belt bathrooms where walls never fully dry. By the time we open the wall, the board is crumbled and the framing behind it is stained.
- Particleboard vanities swelling in marine air. A vanity base made of particleboard or MDF will delaminate within a few seasons near the ocean. The base swells, the drawers stick, and the sink basin shifts off level.
- Unpermitted plumbing rough-ins. San Francisco’s DBI requires permits and inspections for any plumbing relocation. We see plenty of bathrooms where a previous owner moved a toilet or shower without pulling a permit, and the homeowner inherits the liability when they sell.
Pricing for Bathroom Remodeling in San Francisco, CA
Here is where San Francisco bathroom remodeling money actually goes.
| Project | Typical San Francisco Cost |
|---|---|
| Full Bathroom Remodel | $10,620 – $33,040 |
| Small Bathroom Remodel | $5,900 – $14,160 |
| Walk-In Shower Installation | $5,310 – $14,160 |
| Tub-to-Shower Conversion | $4,130 – $11,800 |
| Shower Replacement | $3,540 – $10,030 |
| Bathroom Vanity Installation | $945 – $3,540 |
What moves the number? The waterproofing spec (coastal vs. inland), whether the vent run needs re-routing through a hundred-year-old wall, whether the subfloor needs section replacement, and whether you choose a stock vanity or a KraftMaid custom base. We give you a written, line-item price before work starts, so you know exactly what each choice costs. Call (936) 259-2607 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Francisco
Our crews handle Bathroom Remodeling in San Francisco and the surrounding communities: Daly City, Brisbane, Sausalito, and South San Francisco. If you’re within a short drive of the city but not technically inside it, we can still help. Call (936) 259-2607 and we’ll confirm coverage for your neighborhood.
Serving San Francisco, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Francisco 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 About Bathroom Remodeling in San Francisco
Because your exhaust fan almost certainly does not vent to the outside. In the Outer Sunset and much of the fog belt, the original fan terminates inside the wall or attic, so the moisture you are exhausting is being deposited into the framing, not the outdoors. That trapped moisture condenses behind the tile and feeds mold growth on the backside of the drywall, where you cannot see or reach it. The fix is a proper insulated duct run to an exterior wall cap with a backdraft damper. Call (936) 259-2607 for an inspection and a written estimate.
Yes. Any plumbing relocation, any change to the wet-wall framing, and any new electrical work requires a Department of Building Inspection permit and inspection. If you live in a historic district or a building with a protected facade, the Historic Preservation Commission may also need to sign off. We handle the permit package, the scheduling, and the inspections as part of the job, so you are never standing at the DBI counter wondering which form to file.
Three reasons. First, San Francisco’s permit process runs through multiple agencies and takes longer than almost anywhere else in the Bay Area. Second, most of the housing stock is wood-frame and predates 1915, which means more rot discovery, more structural repair, and more careful integration of modern plumbing into balloon framing. Third, the fog belt demands a coastal waterproofing and ventilation spec that inland cities simply do not need. The extra $2,000 to $4,000 on the front end is what keeps the $18,000 re-do from happening in six years.
A bonded waterproof membrane, not green board. Green board is gypsum with a water-resistant paper face, and it fails in San Francisco’s chronically damp wall cavities. We use sheet membranes across the entire wet area, including the seams and corners, so water that gets behind the tile cannot reach the framing. It costs more than green board, but it is the difference between a shower that lasts a decade and a shower that lasts the life of the house.
We stop, show you the rot, and give you a written line-item cost to repair the framing before anything else moves forward. You approve the number before we sister a stud. The price on day one is the price on the invoice unless we find something hidden and you agree to the change. No surprise charges, no “we’ll settle up at the end.” Call (936) 259-2607 to schedule your free estimate.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner at Penhallow Remodeling, serving San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area.