What to Include in a Bathroom Remodel Scope of Work

Updated September 2026 · 8 min read

Three bids come back at $14,000, $19,000 and $27,000. The natural conclusion is that one contractor is cheap and one is expensive. The likelier explanation is that they bid three different projects, because nobody told them precisely what the project was.

A scope of work is the document that makes bids comparable and change orders rare. It's the highest-value hour you'll spend on the whole remodel, and you can write the first draft yourself.

What a scope of work is for

Three jobs:

• Makes bids comparable. When every contractor prices the same defined work, price differences mean something.
• Prevents change orders. Most change orders come from a sentence that meant different things to each party.
• Settles disputes. When there's disagreement about whether something was included, the scope is the answer — for both of you.

It's not an adversarial document. Good contractors like a clear scope, because it protects them from a client who "assumed" the mirror was included.

The sections

1. Project summary and site conditions

A paragraph: which bathroom, its approximate dimensions, the overall intent, and whether the layout changes. Then the practical facts a bidder needs — where they park, which door they use, whether there's another working bathroom, hours they can work, and whether pets or children are in the house.

2. Demolition and disposal

What comes out, how far it goes, and who takes it away. Debris disposal is a real cost that gets omitted from bids and appears later.

• Which fixtures and finishes are removed
• Whether demolition goes to studs and subfloor, or is partial
• Anything to be salvaged or protected — a door, a window trim, a floor outside the room
• Dumpster or haul-away, and who supplies it
• Dust protection: plastic barriers, floor protection along the route, whether negative air is used

3. Rough-in: plumbing, electrical, ventilation

The expensive, invisible part. Be specific:

• Plumbing: which fixtures are relocated and which stay; supply line replacement; new shower valve body (specify the model — valve and trim must match); shut-offs
• Electrical: number and location of new circuits, outlets and switches; GFCI protection; fixture locations; dimmers; heated floor circuit if any
• Ventilation: fan model and CFM rating, and explicitly that it vents to the exterior — not into the attic
• Framing: blocking for grab bars (worth doing even if you don't install them yet), recessed medicine cabinet, niche, bench

4. Waterproofing

Give this its own section rather than burying it in "tile work". Name the system and require it be installed per manufacturer instructions as a complete system — membrane, corners, seams and drain flange from one manufacturer. State the extent: shower walls to what height, the pan, the curb, the niche, and any area outside the enclosure.

This is the item most likely to be quietly value-engineered by the cheapest bid, and the one whose failure costs the most.

5. Tile and surfaces

• Each tile by name and size, and where it goes — floor, shower walls, shower floor, accent, wainscot
• Pattern and orientation. Straight-set, offset, herringbone — labour differs substantially
• Grout type and colour, and whether it's sealed
• Trim and edge treatment: bullnose, metal profile, mitred edges
• Who supplies the tile, and who's responsible if there isn't enough (specify overage — commonly 10–15%)
• Shower ceiling: tiled or not. Genuinely ambiguous and worth stating.

6. Fixtures and finishes schedule

A table, with model numbers. This is where vagueness costs the most.

The "supplied by" column prevents the most common gap of all — everyone assuming the other party is buying the towel bars.

7. Drywall, paint and trim

Moisture-resistant board where required, finish level, paint product and sheen, number of coats, whether the ceiling is painted, and what happens to door and window casing and baseboard. Also state whether the door itself is being replaced or refinished.

8. Exclusions

Write this section. It is the one that prevents arguments.

List what is explicitly not included: work outside the bathroom, repainting the hallway, unknown conditions behind walls, asbestos or lead remediation, upgrading a panel found to be inadequate, replacing fixtures not listed. Naming these doesn't mean they'll happen — it means both parties know they aren't priced.

9. Allowances

If any remain, state exactly what each covers — material only, or material plus installation — and how the difference is settled if you spend over or under. Better still, replace them with real selections. See how to avoid change orders.

10. Schedule

Start date, expected duration, and any known constraints — a holiday, a delivery date, a lead time. Include how inspections are scheduled, since work stops until they happen. A schedule with milestones is more useful than a single end date.

11. Payment and change-order process

• Payment schedule tied to milestones, not dates — deposit, post-rough-in, post-tile, final on completion
• How much is held until the punch list is closed
• That no change order proceeds without written approval
• How change orders are priced, and what markup applies
• Warranty on labour, and how manufacturer warranties on fixtures are handled

Be cautious of a large deposit relative to project size. Payments should track work completed.

12. Completion and punch list

What "done" means: everything functioning, silicone finished, surfaces cleaned, debris removed, and a walkthrough producing a written punch list with a date for closing it out.

Scope checklist

Frequently asked questions