How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost in Colorado Springs?

Bathroom remodel costs in Colorado Springs run $5,000–$12,000 for a cosmetic refresh, $12,000–$22,000 for a mid-range remodel with custom tile and a new shower, and $22,000–$35,000 for a full remodel with an updated layout. Two local things move your number more than people expect. The first is the house itself: a builder-grade Briargate bathroom from the late ’90s is a very different job from a pre-1950 bathroom in Manitou Springs with original plaster walls. The second is the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department (PPRBD), which gets involved the moment a drain moves or a circuit gets added. I’ll walk through each tier, what actually drives the price, and where I’d spend (and not spend) your money.

What are the three bathroom remodel cost tiers in Colorado Springs?

Most Colorado Springs bathroom remodels land in one of three tiers, and the tier is set by scope, not square footage. Here’s where the projects I price usually fall:

The timeline column is real working time, not just the days a crew is on site. Tile has to cure, inspections have to be scheduled, and custom glass is measured after the tile is done (so it fits the finished opening, not the framing). My post on the right order for a bathroom remodel walks through why each step waits on the one before it.

Tier 1: The cosmetic refresh ($5,000–$12,000)

A cosmetic refresh replaces the surfaces and fixtures while every pipe stays exactly where it is: new vanity, faucets, lighting, mirror, toilet, flooring, and paint.

This is the most common scope I see in the newer parts of town. A lot of Briargate and Northgate homes were built between the mid-’90s and the 2010s with builder-grade bathrooms, and they’re hitting the age where everything still works but looks tired. You’re not opening walls or moving drains. You’re updating what you see and touch every day.

The biggest cost drivers here are flooring and the vanity. Basic ceramic tile or luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring runs $800–$2,000 installed. A quality vanity with a solid-surface top runs $600–$2,500. A new toilet runs $400–$900 installed, and new fixtures run $300–$800 depending on what you pick.

No PPRBD permit is needed for this scope as long as you’re not adding electrical circuits or moving plumbing.

One local note on fixtures: Colorado Springs city water is soft to moderately hard, so mineral buildup isn’t a big deal for most homes on city water. If you’re on a private well (common in Black Forest, Falcon, and parts of Monument), the water can be genuinely hard. For those homes I steer people toward ceramic-disc faucet valves, which resist mineral buildup far longer than the old rubber-washer type, and toward brushed or matte finishes that hide water spots better than polished chrome.

Tier 2: The mid-range remodel ($12,000–$22,000)

A mid-range remodel is everything in Tier 1 plus a new shower, usually custom tile or a tub-to-shower conversion, along with new flooring throughout and often a double vanity or heated floor. This is where most primary bathrooms in Colorado Springs land.

The difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 is mostly behind the walls, and the most important part is waterproofing. Grout is porous, so on every tile shower, water slowly works through it. What actually keeps that water out of your framing is a waterproof membrane (a hidden layer, like Schluter Kerdi, between the tile and the wall). Skip it and the water reaches the backer board (the cement board behind the tile) and then the wood framing, where it rots the wood and grows mold, slowly and out of sight. It’s the most common thing I see go wrong on a failed shower, and I go into the details in my post on why shower pans fail.

A custom tile tub-to-shower conversion at this tier runs $7,000–$16,000. That covers removing the tub, moving the drain, waterproofing, custom tile, and glass. On a slab-on-grade house (common in Briargate and most newer neighborhoods), moving a ground-floor drain means cutting the concrete, which adds $500–$1,500. An upstairs bathroom sits over floor framing, so that particular cost doesn’t apply. My full tub to shower conversion guide covers the process step by step.

Electric radiant heat mats (thin heating mats installed under the tile) run $1,200–$4,000 depending on bathroom size. They’re one of the most-requested upgrades I install, and the reason is simple: Colorado Springs averages below-freezing overnight lows from November through March, and bare tile on a January morning is no joke.

Permits at this tier: moving any plumbing requires a PPRBD plumbing permit, and adding a heated floor circuit requires an electrical permit. Plumbing and electrical permits are pulled per trade, and the work gets inspected before the walls close and again at final. We handle all of it on every project that needs one.

Which shower option fits your budget?

Your shower choice swings a bathroom budget more than any other single decision, and there are really three paths:

• Prefab fiberglass unit ($2,000–$6,000 installed): a molded base and walls that fit together as a kit. Fast, watertight, and a perfectly good answer for a guest bath or rental.
• Grout-free wall systems (walls alone about $1,300–$11,000 for a 5-foot alcove): PVC, acrylic, laminate, Swanstone, Tyvarian, Corian, or large-format porcelain slab. No grout lines to scrub, and a huge range in look and durability. I compare all seven in my grout-free shower walls guide.
• Custom tile ($7,000–$16,000 for a tub-to-shower conversion): the most design freedom (niches, benches, linear drains, any tile you want), and the most dependent on a waterproofing job done right.

If you’re also thinking about grab bars, a curbless entry, or a shower seat, plan them now. Blocking (short pieces of wood between the studs that a grab bar screws into) costs almost nothing while the walls are open. My aging-in-place bathroom post covers what’s worth doing.

Tier 3: The full remodel ($22,000–$35,000)

A full remodel changes the room, not just the finishes: an oversized walk-in shower or tub-to-shower conversion, custom tile throughout, a double vanity, heated floors, better ventilation, new lighting, and often an updated layout.

At this scope, tile is the biggest cost swing. Large-format porcelain tile (24 by 48 inches or larger) needs a flatter wall and floor and more precise labor than standard tile. On upper floors, I also check that the floor framing is stiff enough, because a floor that bends under weight cracks big tile. Installation labor for premium tile runs $15–$35 per square foot depending on tile size and how complex the pattern is. (Full-height porcelain slabs are a different product again, with their own install crew and price, which the grout-free guide covers.)

Cabinetry is the other big driver. A quality double vanity runs $1,500–$5,000, and semi-custom cabinets with upgraded counters are usually what push a project toward the top of the range. (A true gut-to-the-studs luxury build with fully custom cabinetry and moved walls can run higher, but that’s a different project, and it’s rarely what a Colorado Springs bathroom actually needs.)

PPRBD permits are required at this scope for plumbing and electrical work, plus a building permit if walls move.

What drives bathroom remodel costs up in Colorado Springs?

The biggest cost driver in a Colorado Springs bathroom is what’s behind the walls, and the age of the house is the best predictor of it.

The age of the house. In the historic core of Manitou Springs and the Old North End, a lot of homes have original plaster (not drywall) and plumbing that’s been patched for decades. Once the walls are open, that plumbing often needs updating, and plaster takes more care to cut and patch than drywall. Narrow doorways and steep stairs in older homes also limit what can be carried in, which matters for one-piece shower units and big slabs. Newer builder-grade homes are simpler to open up, but they have their own surprises, usually a shower that was never properly waterproofed.

Moving plumbing. Keeping the toilet, sink, and drain where they are is the single easiest way to control cost. Moving them means a plumbing permit and, on a ground-floor slab, cutting concrete.

Tile scope and size. The difference between $4-per-square-foot ceramic and $15-per-square-foot large-format porcelain isn’t just the material. It’s the labor. Bigger tiles need a flatter surface and more precise cuts.

Heated floors and ventilation. Heated floors add $1,200–$4,000. A properly sized bath fan, vented outside (not into the attic), is a smaller line item that I treat as non-negotiable on any remodel with a shower.

What do you get back at resale on a bathroom remodel?

A mid-range bathroom remodel recoups roughly 75–80% of its cost at resale nationally, according to the 2025 Cost vs. Value report, while upscale bathroom remodels recoup closer to 45%. That gap isn’t a knock on nice work. Buyers just won’t pay back every dollar of a luxury bath. If you’re selling within two or three years, a cosmetic refresh or a well-done tub-to-shower conversion usually gives you the best mix of cost, timeline, and buyer appeal. If you’re staying ten years, build the bathroom you actually want to use.

For a deeper look at the wet area alone (pans, glass, walk-in showers), see my bath and shower remodel cost breakdown, and for what we take on start to finish, check out our bathroom remodels page. Every bathroom project gets a written flat-rate estimate before we start, covering materials, scope, and timeline, and the number on the estimate is the number you pay.