Making the decision
Three quotes, $8,000 apart. Which one is right?
The spread is normal. Picking correctly has almost nothing to do with which number is lowest.
$8,400. $13,900. $21,500. Three companies, one bathroom, and no obvious way to choose. This is the most common position homeowners are in, and the instinct — split the difference or take the middle — is close to right but for the wrong reason.
Step one: make them comparable
You cannot compare three quotes that describe different scopes. Before anything else, get all three itemized into the same six categories: demolition and disposal, substrate and waterproofing, wall system and pan, plumbing, labor, warranty.
Most of the time this single step resolves the decision. The $8,400 quote turns out to be an overlay rather than a replacement, or has no waterproofing line, or leaves disposal to you. It isn’t cheaper. It’s smaller.
Step two: find what the expensive one is charging for
If the $21,500 quote itemizes identically to the $13,900 one — same scope, same days on site, comparable system — then the difference is overhead and sales cost, not bathroom. That is a legitimate business model and a poor deal for you.
If it genuinely includes more — frameless glass, a premium system, a longer or better-backed warranty, additional trades — then it’s a real upgrade and you can decide whether you want it.
Step three: check the timeline against the scope
A full tear-out, substrate correction, waterproofing, pan, walls and door is two to three days for two installers. A company promising all of that in a single day is describing a different job than the one you think you’re buying.
For a standard bathroom: $12,000–$18,000 for a shower replacement or tub-to-shower conversion, $19,000 and up for a full remodel including vanity, flooring and fixtures. Quotes far below that are usually missing scope; far above it, on the same scope, you’re paying for their marketing.
See what your bathroom would actually cost
Answer six questions about your space and get a real price range for your project — not a teaser number. Then book a written, itemized quote with a company that works in your ZIP.
Get my price range →Takes about 60 seconds. No cost, no obligation to book.
Questions that separate the three faster than anything else
- “What happens if you open the wall and find damage — what does that cost and when do you tell me?”
- “How many installers, how many days?”
- “Who holds the plumbing license doing the valve and drain?”
- “What exactly does the warranty cover, for how long, and who honors it if you close?”
- “Is this price good for a week, or only tonight?”
That last one matters more than it looks. A price that only exists while the salesperson is sitting in your kitchen is a sales tactic, not a quote. Companies pricing honestly will put the number in writing and let you think about it.
The decision
Once the three are genuinely comparable, pick on scope, warranty and the company — not on the total. In practice the correct answer usually is the middle number, but only because the low one wasn’t the same job and the high one wasn’t a better bathroom.
