Bathroom Remodeling in Pompano Beach, FL

Bathroom remodeling in Pompano Beach usually means updating a room that has not changed much since the building went up. American Community Survey figures put the median year built for housing in the city at 1974, and about two out of three units date from 1950 through 1979. The city grew from 5,682 residents in 1950 to 38,587 in 1970, and many bathrooms from that era still have small alcove tubs, original tile, tight vanities and exhaust fans that barely move air. We replace them with rooms that are easier to use and easier to keep dry.

Condo or house: why it changes the job

About half of Pompano Beach's housing units are in buildings with ten or more units, and roughly three in ten are detached houses. In a condo, the association's rules come first. Pompano Beach's kitchen and bath remodel permit checklist asks for an association approval letter for the scope of work on anything other than a single-family home, and for units on the second floor and above it asks for a flooring limits plan and a sound test report showing the new floor assembly meets a 50 rating for both airborne sound (STC) and impact sound (IIC). That affects which tile underlayment we can use. Florida's condominium law also says a unit owner may not do anything inside the unit that would adversely affect the safety or soundness of the common elements, which is why work near shared walls, slabs and plumbing risers is reviewed carefully.

In a house, the questions are different: what is under the floor, how the drain lines run through the slab, whether earlier repairs were done well, and whether a wall can move to make room for a larger shower.

Permits for bathroom work in Pompano Beach

Florida law makes it unlawful to build, alter or repair a structure without first getting a permit from the local building department. Pompano Beach's checklist says the installation, alteration or major repair of a bathroom requires permits, filed on Broward County uniform permit applications by licensed contractors in each trade involved: building, plumbing, electrical and, for a bath exhaust fan, mechanical. Inspections typically follow the work: plumbing rough and top-out, framing, drywall fastening, electrical rough and finals. Florida's construction lien law also covers the Notice of Commencement: when the direct contract is greater than $5,000, a copy of the recorded notice has to be filed with the building department before the first inspection. We list each of these steps in your estimate and build them into the schedule. The city's checklist notes that each project is unique, so confirm current requirements with the city's building department.

Humidity, mold and ventilation

Pompano Beach has a tropical monsoon climate with hot, humid summers and about 55.6 inches of rain a year, with June and September the wettest months. Bathrooms here fight moisture from both the shower and the air outside. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally 30 to 50 percent, and running a fan during and after showers. In a remodel, that means a properly sized exhaust fan ducted to the outside, a waterproofing membrane behind the shower tile rather than just cement board, sloped shower floors that drain completely, and grout and caulk chosen for wet areas. When we open walls in an older bathroom and find mold from an old leak, the EPA's guidance is that areas larger than about 10 square feet call for professional remediation; we tell you what we find before going further.

Bathrooms for aging in place

About one in five Pompano Beach residents is 65 or older, according to the 2020 census. Many remodels here are about safety as much as looks: replacing a tub with a low-threshold or curbless shower, adding blocking in the walls so grab bars can be anchored, a comfort-height toilet, a handheld shower on a slide bar, a fold-down seat and lever handles. These changes are easier and cheaper to build in during a remodel than to add later.

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How to modernize an outdated bathroom

Not every room needs to be gutted. If the layout works and the shower pan is sound, a new vanity, mirror, lighting, toilet and floor can change the room in a few days. If the tub is the problem, a tub-to-shower conversion fixes the part you use every day. A full remodel makes sense when there are leaks, soft spots, failing tile, or when you want to move fixtures. At the estimate we tell you which of these fits your bathroom and what each costs.

What a typical full remodel includes

• Measuring the room and agreeing the layout, fixtures and finishes in writing
• Association approval (condos) and permits filed before demolition
• Dust containment and floor protection from the entry to the bathroom
• Demolition down to the studs and slab where the scope calls for it
• Plumbing and electrical changes, followed by rough inspections
• Waterproofing the shower and testing it before tile
• Tile, vanity, toilet, glass, fan and fixtures installed, then final inspections
• A walk-through with you and cleanup before we leave

Pompano Beach is home base, including the beachfront condos along A1A, the neighborhoods along the Intracoastal and the canals, and the inland subdivisions east and west of Dixie Highway. We also work in nearby Broward County and south Palm Beach County communities such as Lighthouse Point, Hillsboro Beach, Deerfield Beach, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, Margate, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Tamarac and Boca Raton. Each city runs its own building department with its own forms and inspection scheduling, and each condo association has its own renovation rules, work hours and approval process. Each area page covers what applies there, and we confirm the requirements for your address before your estimate is final.