Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable Bathroom Remodeling Across Burlingame
Most full bathroom remodels in Burlingame run between $9,000 and $28,000, and the job typically spans two to four weeks depending on whether you’re moving walls, replacing drain lines, or working inside an older home’s existing footprint. That’s the honest range, and it’s the first thing you should know before calling anyone. We’re Sawyer Remodeling, part of the Relay Home Co. family since 2005, and we put that price in writing before a single tool comes off the truck. Call (254) 272-5876 and we’ll walk the space with you, build the scope, and give you a number you can actually plan around.
Why Sawyer Remodeling Is Burlingame’s Preferred Bathroom Remodeling Company
Burlingame homeowners don’t have time for contractors who quote low and vanish. Our local reputation is built on the Relay Standard: a live arrival time, photo updates before and after, and a written price before work begins. When we say we’ll be at your house on Tuesday at 8, that’s when the uniformed, background-checked technician shows up. You know who’s walking in before we knock.
We run jobs across Burlingame from the Easton Addition up into the Burlingame Hills, and we know the housing stock. Pre-1940s bungalows near Broadway have different bones than the mid-century ranchers off Adeline Drive, and a bathroom remodel that ignores those differences ends in a surprise change order. Our team plans for what’s inside the walls before we open them.
Every project carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if something isn’t right after we close out, we make it right, in writing, for a full year. That’s not a marketing line. It’s attached to every job we sign.
Styles & brands we work with
Tub to Shower Conversion in Burlingame
A tub to shower conversion is one of the most common Bathroom Remodeling upgrades we handle in Burlingame, largely because so many homes here still carry the original cast iron tub from the 1940s and 1950s. In a standard 5×8 hall bath, the work typically runs $3,500 to $10,000, and it involves removing the old tub, assessing and usually replacing the drain assembly, waterproofing the surround, and installing a low-threshold shower base with a frameless glass enclosure if that’s the direction you want.
What Happens to the Old Drain
Older Burlingame homes often have 1.25 inch or 1.5 inch galvanized drain branches feeding into a cracked cast iron closet bend. California code requires a 2 inch drain for a shower, which means the conversion frequently includes opening the subfloor, replacing the trap and branch line, and sometimes running a new vent. This is a permit-inspected item, not something you skip or patch over.
Waterproofing and Curb Details
We use Schluter edge trim at the tile-to-floor transition and a full waterproof membrane behind the tile, not just a cement backer board. It’s the difference between a shower that stays dry for 20 years and one that rots the sill plate inside a decade. You’ll see every layer documented in photos before it gets covered.
One Day Bath Remodel in Burlingame
A true one day bath remodel in Burlingame works when the existing tub footprint, valve location, and drain are in good shape and we’re swapping surface materials: a new tub or shower base, wall surround, trim kit, and fixtures. That job can genuinely close in a single day, and it typically falls in the $5,000 to $12,000 range for a small bath. If we open the wall and find galvanized drain lines or a rotted subfloor, the calendar shifts and we tell you before the end of that first day.
What Stays in Place
The one day format assumes the plumbing rough-in stays where it is. Moving a shower valve or relocating a drain line adds days because it adds demolition, framing, and inspection. We’ll tell you during the estimate whether your Burlingame bathroom is a candidate, and we’ll show you exactly which line items would push it past a day.
Material Choices That Move Fast
If you want Cambria quartz or a Kohler cast iron shower receptor, we can hold that ship date with our supplier network and still stage it for a one day install. The catch is lead time on the material, not the labor. Confirm your selection early and we’ll lock the calendar around it.
Trusted Brands We Service in Burlingame
We install Kohler fixtures, Moen valves, Cambria and Caesarstone surfaces, and KraftMaid cabinetry on Burlingame jobs every month, and we keep common trim kits and shower bases stocked through our Bay Area supply relationships so we’re not waiting on a slow ship from a warehouse across the country. When you specify Grohe for a tub-to-shower conversion or Silestone for a vanity top, we quote against the actual manufacturer allowance and show you that number on the written estimate. No mystery supplier, no switch-out at delivery. The same goes for our project materials: on shower remodels that need new wall framing or leveling, we use Sakrete floor patching products when subfloor correction is required, and we’ll name it in the line items so you’re not paying for a brand we didn’t actually buy.
Common Bathroom Remodeling Problems We See in Burlingame Homes
- Cast iron and galvanized drain lines. Pre-1940s Burlingame homes carry original drain stacks that have rusted from the inside out. A visual inspection today won’t catch a pin-hole leak behind the wall; the camera scope during rough-in will, and that’s a code-mandated replacement item.
- Undersized vent stacks. Many older Burlingame baths share a single 1.5 inch vent that can’t handle a modern double-sink vanity and a shower running together. You’ll hear gurgling in the trap. The fix means running a new vent, and the walls have to be open for that.
- Dry rot at the subfloor. The marine air off the bay keeps crawlspace humidity high, and a tub that’s been leaking for years often leaves the joists and subfloor soft. We see this on roughly half the older Burlingame homes we open up. It’s a framing repair, not a patch job.
- Narrow side-yard access. Homes built along the El Camino corridor and in the flatlands have tight setbacks. That means dumpsters and material staging go in the front yard, which affects the order we demo and the path we haul debris. We plan for it in the schedule, not on the fly.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for Bathroom Remodeling in Burlingame, CA
Here’s the honest breakdown for Burlingame, no phone call required to get a ballpark.
| Project | Burlingame Price Range |
|---|---|
| Full Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Small Bathroom Remodel | $5,000 – $12,000 |
| Tub-to-Shower Conversion | $3,500 – $10,000 |
| Walk-In Shower Installation | $4,500 – $12,000 |
| Shower Replacement | $3,000 – $8,500 |
| Bathroom Vanity Installation | $800 – $3,000 |
What pushes a Burlingame job toward the top of the range? Permit-required drain and vent replacement, subfloor repair, moving a wall or a plumbing stack, and premium surface selections like Cambria slabs or a custom frameless glass enclosure. What keeps it lower? Keeping the footprint, reusing the existing rough-in, and installing mid-line fixtures. Your estimate is free, it’s written, and it itemizes every one of these costs. Call (254) 272-5876 and we’ll send someone out to scope it properly.
We Also Serve Cities Near Burlingame
Along with our work across Burlingame, our crews regularly run Bathroom Remodeling projects up and down the Peninsula: San Mateo, Millbrae, San Bruno, and Belmont. Same written pricing, same permit handling, same 365-Day Done Right Promise. If you’re a few blocks over the city line, you’re still in our local service loop.
Serving Burlingame, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Burlingame area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Bathroom Remodeling in Burlingame
Yes. Burlingame’s building department requires permits for any bathroom remodel that opens walls, changes drain or vent piping, moves electrical, or alters the shower pan. Inspection sign-off covers the rough-in phase (drain, vent, water lines, and electrical before walls close) and the final phase (fixtures, waterproofing, and water-tightness). If the work is unpermitted, it surfaces at resale or during a later inspection and you’ll pay to open the walls and correct it. We pull the permits, schedule the inspections, and document the sign-offs in writing. Call (254) 272-5876 if you want us to check your specific scope.
A full Burlingame bathroom remodel runs $9,000 to $28,000, with small baths at $5,000 to $12,000 and tub-to-shower conversions at $3,500 to $10,000. The biggest drivers are permit-required drain and vent replacement in older homes, subfloor and framing repair, plumbing stack relocation, and premium surfaces. A written estimate from us will itemize each driver so you see exactly why your number is your number. Estimates are free: (254) 272-5876.
Yes, a one day bath remodel is realistic if the existing footprint, valve location, and drain condition support it. For Burlingame’s older homes, the honest answer is that we won’t know for certain until we scope the drain and subfloor, because many pre-1940s bathrooms hide galvanized piping or dry rot that legally and structurally must be addressed first. We’ll tell you during the free estimate whether your specific bathroom qualifies. Call (254) 272-5876 to book the walk-through.
We install Kohler, Moen, and Grohe fixtures; Cambria, Caesarstone, and Silestone surfaces; KraftMaid and Wellborn cabinetry; and Schluter waterproofing systems. Every brand is written into your estimate as a named allowance with the actual cost, and you approve the number in writing before we order. No brand switching at delivery. Ask us for the current lead times when we scope your Burlingame project.
Plan on two to four weeks for a full remodel: one week for demolition, rough-in, and first inspection, then tile and waterproofing, then fixture installation and final inspection. Material lead times for Cambria slabs or custom cabinetry can add a week or two if not ordered early. In the Burlingame Hills, we gutted a 1950s hall bath with a cracked cast iron closet bend and a 1.25 inch galvanized branch line. After permits and inspection sign-off, our crew ran a new 2 inch PVC drain and vent, reset the subfloor, and installed a Kohler tub-to-shower conversion with Moen fixtures and a Cambria vanity top. Final walkthrough was clean, the punch list closed in two days, and we documented the allowance usage in writing so the owner saw exactly where their budget went. That job ran three weeks including inspection scheduling. Call (254) 272-5876 and we’ll give you a calendar tailored to your scope.
Start With a Written Price in Burlingame
You shouldn’t have to call three contractors and decode three vague estimates just to know if your bathroom remodel fits the budget. Call Sawyer Remodeling at (254) 272-5876. We’ll schedule a walk-through, scope the job against Burlingame’s permit and housing realities, and hand you a written, itemized price before any work starts. The invoice you approve is the invoice you pay, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise covers you for a full year after the final walkthrough. That’s the deal, plain as it gets.
Written by Luca Romano, Owner at Sawyer Remodeling, serving Burlingame, CA since 2005.
