Bathroom Remodeling in Glen Ridge, NJ
Nearly three of every four Glen Ridge houses were built before 1939. Remodeling a bathroom here means respecting a hundred-year-old house while giving it plumbing, waterproofing and ventilation it never had.
A borough built before the war.
Glen Ridge left Bloomfield in 1895, put in gas streetlamps, and passed New Jersey's first comprehensive zoning ordinance in 1924. The houses reflect that care.
According to the Glen Ridge Historic District nomination, 72.8 percent of the borough's houses were built before 1939, fewer than 3 percent predate 1870, and only about 5 percent were built after 1930. The district has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. The population climbed from 1,960 in 1900 to 7,331 in 1940 and has barely moved since, so there was never a large postwar wave of new construction.
The styles run from Carpenter Gothic to Prairie, with revival houses in between. Bathrooms in these homes were typically small, placed at the back of the second floor, and served by a single stack. The third floor, once servants' rooms, is where many owners now want a second full bath.
What we find behind the walls is consistent: lath and plaster, galvanized pipe that has narrowed with age, a cast-iron tub set in a mortar bed, and wiring that was extended rather than replaced.
How that shapes the work
- We open plaster with a clean line and rebuild the wall so the hallway side stays untouched.
- A third-floor bath usually needs a new vent and drain path. We map it before we quote it.
- Old wiring near water gets brought to today's code with GFCI protection and a proper fan.
- Original fixtures you want to keep, like a clawfoot tub, are pulled, stored and reset.
- Heavy cast iron goes out in pieces, and we protect the stairs and floors on the way.
Bathrooms we build in Glen Ridge.
Owners here rarely want a room that looks new for its own sake. They want a bathroom that could have been there all along, built to today's standard underneath.
- Hall baths with marble or porcelain hex floors, white subway walls and a pedestal or furniture-style vanity.
- Primary baths that borrow a closet or a sleeping porch to fit a real shower and two sinks.
- Third-floor full baths added where only a half bath, or nothing, existed.
- Walk-in showers with frameless glass in place of a tub nobody used.
- Every tiled shower built on Schluter waterproofing, so it is sealed before the first tile goes on.
What a bathroom costs in Glen Ridge.
Houses this age usually need pipe and framing work under the finishes, so plan on the middle to upper part of each range unless the room was fully redone recently.
| Project | Labor only |
|---|---|
| Tub-to-shower conversionThe tub comes out and a tiled shower goes in, in the same spot. | $6,500 – $16,750 |
| Hall or guest bath, full remodelFloor, walls, shower or tub, vanity and toilet. Size and finish level move the number. | $12,000 – $26,000 |
| Primary bathA larger shower, a double vanity, often a tub, a bench or a moved drain. | $23,000 – $50,000+ |
Labor only. The price pays for demolition and disposal, prep, Schluter waterproofing, tile and fixture installation, and cleanup. You purchase every material, including tile, vanity, fixtures, mortar, grout and the waterproofing components, from the list we give you. Permit fees and hidden conditions are quoted separately in writing.
Run the sixty-second calculator
Union County, NJ · April 2025
Finished work near Glen Ridge.
In Union County we rebuilt a primary bath around a freestanding tub under a shell chandelier, with a glass walk-in shower and a bench, and did the guest bath in the same house at the same time. In Warren County we built a curbless shower with a pebble floor and grab bars for owners planning to stay put.
- 4.9 stars, 51 reviews
- Bathrooms
- 200+ finished
- Showers
- Schluter waterproofing on every one
- Registered
- NJ HIC reg. #13VH10766600
What happens after you call.
Four steps, one person in charge, and no extras without your signature. Payments are tied to progress; see the ways to pay.
We visit
Thirty minutes to measure, look inside the access panel and understand what the room needs to do.
We write it down
A scope with a price for each phase, plus the product list you will buy from.
We build it
One point of contact from demolition to the last bead of caulk. If Glen Ridge requires a permit, we file it and handle the inspections.
We walk it with you
The punch list gets finished before you make the final payment.
Glen Ridge bathroom questions.
Is a permit required for a bathroom remodel in Glen Ridge?
Does the historic district restrict my bathroom?
Can you add a full bath on the third floor?
Will you save my clawfoot tub?
How much does a hall bath cost in an older house?
What other towns near Glen Ridge do you serve?
Book a visit in Glen Ridge.
Show us the room. We will tell you what is behind the walls, what it needs, and what that costs, in writing.
Registered and insured, NJ HIC reg. #13VH10766600. Around you: Montclair, Verona, West Orange, Livingston, South Orange. All service areas.
Got it. We will call you.
Expect a call or text from (973) 577-9383 within one business day to set up your visit.