Bathroom remodeling in Sammamish — built to pass the first inspection

Walk-in and curbless showers, primary suites and hall baths across the Plateau — Klahanie, Pine Lake, Sahalee, Beaver Lake and the Trossachs. We pull the permit, prepare the city submittal and schedule every inspection.

Proof, not promises

Bathrooms we have finished

Our own completed projects, photographed as they were handed over. Open one to see the whole set — including what the rooms looked like before we started.

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Full-Service, Start to FinishWe Handle the PermitsFinancing Available (OAC)Serving the Eastside & Seattle

What a Sammamish bathroom remodel actually involves

Most of the homes we open on the Plateau were built between the eighties and the two-thousands. The layouts are good, but the showers are usually a fiberglass insert or tile over cement board with no real waterproofing behind it, and the bathroom fan often vents into the attic. A remodel here is rarely just new tile — it is fixing the part you can't see so the new room lasts.

The city's shower rules, in plain English

The City of Sammamish publishes its own shower subpan guideline, and the inspector checks it before any tile goes on. This is what it asks for:

  • Size: at least 900 square inches of shower floor, large enough to fit a 30-inch circle.
  • Entry: at least 22 inches of clear opening to step in and out.
  • Slope: the pan slopes at least ¼ inch per foot to the drain, built into the base — not fixed later with grout.
  • Threshold: on a standard pan, the finished threshold sits at least 2 inches above the drain. Accessible showers are held to a ½-inch maximum threshold.
  • Liner: a listed waterproof membrane, pre-formed corners at the curb, seams overlapped at least 3 inches, and 2×6 blocking between the studs around the pan.
  • Flood test: the pan is plugged and filled with at least 2 inches of water. Any water left standing or leaking means it fails.

We build every shower to that list and photograph each step, so you see the passed flood test before the tile starts. For a curbless shower the detail is different — the floor is recessed instead of stepped — and we confirm it with the inspector at rough-in.

The permit, handled

Sammamish takes remodel applications online, each document as its own PDF: a plan set, a written project narrative, a residential fixture count form, the applicant affidavit and the legal description. If the project adds plumbing fixtures, water and sewer availability certificates may be needed as well. We prepare all of it and answer the city's correction letters, so you never have to call the permit desk.

Ventilation for Plateau winters

Long wet winters and tight newer houses mean bathroom moisture has nowhere to go. We size the fan to the room, duct it outdoors and put it on a humidity sensor or timer — the cheapest line item in the remodel and the one that keeps mold off the ceiling.

Sammamish at a glance

  • Permit prepared and submitted by us
  • Shower built to the city subpan guideline
  • Flood test passed and photographed before tile
  • Fan ducted outdoors, sized to the room
  • Tile laid out and approved before it's set
  • Written workmanship warranty
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Scope

What's included in a bathroom remodel

01

Design and layout

Fixture placement, tile layout drawings and a selections list with lead times attached.

02

Demolition

Contained, dust-controlled, with the surrounding floors protected.

03

Framing changes

Dropping the floor for a curbless shower, moving a wall, adding blocking for grab bars and floating vanities.

04

Plumbing

New supply and drain, valve and fixture rough-in, replacement of anything failing that we uncover.

05

Electrical and heat

GFCI protection, vanity and shower lighting, exhaust fan, and electric floor heat with its own thermostat.

06

Waterproofing

Bonded membrane on the pan, walls, curb, niche and bench — tested before tile.

07

Tile and stone

Laid out to the room so cuts land where they should, with the grout and sealant detailed properly.

08

Fixtures and finish

Vanity, mirrors, glass, hardware, paint and a final clean.

Scope and time

Three levels. Pick the one that matches your bathroom.

Every timeline below starts the day we open the wall, not the day you call.

Level 1 · Refresh
from 1 week

Nothing moves. New tile, tub or shower, vanity, toilet, fixtures and lights in the boxes that are already there. The plumbing stays where it is.

Usually no permit — which is the only reason one week is possible.

Level 2 · Full rebuild
from 3 weeks

Down to the studs. New waterproofing that gets tested before any tile goes on, plumbing and electrical moved, niche, glass, heated floor if you want one.

Permit and two inspections: rough-in before the walls close, then final.

Level 3 · Primary suite
from 4 weeks

Walls move and the footprint changes. Freestanding tub and a walk-in shower, double vanity, custom tile work.

Permit, engineering where it is needed, inspections — we pull and schedule all of it.

Five stages you sign off on — so you never have to be the inspector

A written quote, line by line, within two business days of the walkthrough. Then this:

1
DemolitionWe photograph whatever we find behind the old walls and show you before anything is covered.
2
Plumbing rough-inPressure tested. You get the photo and the result before the walls close — not a promise that it was done.
3
WaterproofingInstalled to the manufacturer’s instructions, flood tested, photographed with the date. Tile does not start until it passes.
4
Tile layoutLaid out dry and approved by you, so the cuts land where they should. Then it gets set.
5
Punch listWe walk the room together, write the list, finish it, and clean the room properly. Final payment comes after that, not before.

One foreman runs all five, in English, and you have his number from day one. Hidden damage is priced separately and approved by you in writing before we keep going — it never shows up in the final invoice as a surprise.

Full bathroom remodel or shower-only replacement: two different jobs

A full bathroom remodel takes the room to the studs. We waterproof it, let it cure, test it, and only then set tile. On a small bathroom where nothing needs to move that is about a week; when plumbing, electrical or framing change, it becomes one of the longer rebuilds above.

If someone quotes you a week on a full rebuild, ask one question: does my job need a permit? If it does, there are two inspections — rough-in before the walls close, and final. Nobody closes a wall in the same week they opened it.

Replacing only the shower is a smaller, separate job: the rest of the bathroom stays as it is. How long it takes depends on the shower system and materials you choose, and on whether the plumbing stays where it is. We confirm the schedule for your specific shower before any work starts.

Good to Know

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit for a bathroom remodel in Sammamish?
Replacing fixtures in the same places often does not. Moving plumbing, adding electrical or changing framing does, and that covers nearly every full remodel. Sammamish takes remodel applications online as separate PDFs: plan set, project narrative, fixture count form and the applicant affidavit. We prepare and submit it.
What does the City of Sammamish check on a new shower?
The city shower subpan guideline asks for at least 900 square inches of floor that fits a 30-inch circle, at least 22 inches of clear entry, a pan sloped at least ¼ inch per foot to the drain, a listed waterproof liner, and a flood test with at least 2 inches of water before tile.
How long does a bathroom remodel take?
Three to six weeks on site for most bathrooms once materials are in hand. The waterproofing and tile stages cannot be rushed — membranes and mortar need their cure time, and skipping it is how showers fail.
Is a curbless shower a lot more expensive?
Somewhat, because the floor framing usually has to be dropped to keep the drain sloped correctly. On a slab or over a crawl space it is very achievable. It is worth it if you plan to stay in the house long-term.
Do you use a waterproofing membrane, or just cement board?
A bonded membrane system over the substrate. Cement board alone is a backer, not a waterproofing layer, and grout is porous by nature. The membrane is the part that actually keeps water in the shower.
Can you add heated floors to an existing bathroom?
Yes — the mats or cables go under the new tile with a dedicated thermostat. It has to be planned before the floor goes down and it needs its own circuit, which we run during the electrical stage.
Do I need a permit for a bathroom remodel?
If you are replacing fixtures in the same locations, often not. If plumbing moves, electrical is added, or framing changes — yes, and that covers nearly every full remodel. We handle it.
Before you commit

Send us photos first. No visit, no obligation.

Not everyone is ready to have a contractor in the house. Text photos of the room to the number below and we will tell you what scope it looks like and what that kind of job normally involves — before anyone comes out.

The walkthrough is freeWe come out, look, listen and measure. There is no charge and no obligation at that stage.
You get it in writingA written quote, line by line, after the walkthrough — so you can read it and compare it, not just hear a number.
Permits and inspections are oursWe pull them and schedule them. You are not the one calling the city.

Ready when you are

Call, text or send the form. We come out, listen, measure, and send you an itemized estimate in writing — no charge and no obligation.

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Let's Talk

Get a free estimate

Tell us about your project — we'll come out, listen, and give you an honest number.

Call or text(425) 981-5887

Email: office@nwhomesremodel.com

Hours: Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM · Sat–Sun closed

Based in Bellevue, WA — serving the Eastside and Greater Seattle

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