Bathroom Remodeling Gardiner, ME: Modern Baths in Nineteenth-Century Houses
- Newman Homes handles bathroom remodeling in Gardiner, ME, for owners of old houses, where the wall you open is rarely the wall you expected.
- Our shop is fifteen minutes up Route 201 in Augusta.
- Brandon Roberge came to Maine in 2017 after 25+ years of custom home building in Florida and Massachusetts.
- 25+ years in construction, building as Newman Homes since 2017
- Over 200 projects completed in Central Maine
- Affordable work, two-year written warranty
Bathroom remodeling in Gardiner, Maine, priced per bathroom, around the Common, the waterfront blocks, and out toward West Gardiner.
Downtown Gardiner houses are tall and narrow, and the bathroom is usually upstairs at the back. Everything comes up a staircase, debris goes down the same way, and that is real labor in a small room.
The room being small does not make it cheap. Fixtures, tile and plumbing cost what they cost regardless of floor area. Bands run from $12,000 to $35,000 depending on scope and how much tile is going in.
Finish Levels, and Where the Money Goes
For two bathrooms of the same size, selections account for most of the price difference.
In a period Gardiner house, small hexagon and subway tile look right. I prefer them there.
They also cost more in labor than large-format tile because every additional grout joint takes time.
Builder grade. A catalog vanity, a molded tub and surround, ceramic tile, and standard valve trim. The least expensive route through an old house.
Mid range. Semi-custom vanity, porcelain floor and walls, tiled shower behind glass, quartz top, better trim. Fixtures stay in place.
High end. Custom vanity, stone or large-format porcelain, curbless or fully tiled shower, designer valves, heated floor.
What homeowners say
Read more reviews- ★★★★★
Very quick, efficient, and enjoyable to work with. Everyone was so friendly.
Erin R. - ★★★★★
Due to multiple issues we had last summer with a contractor, we started looking early… Newman Homes came right out and gave an estimate.
Jess P. - ★★★★★
Great company to work with. Very communicative and quick with the work.
Michael M.
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Related Services in Gardiner
What the Job Includes Here
Our work covers demolition, necessary sill and framing repair, plumbing and electrical rough-in, waterproofing, tile, fixtures, and a 2-year workmanship warranty.
Elijah prices the room and runs the crew. We sequence the trades and send photos twice a week.
Joe handles the city permit and district questions. Brandon reviews structural work and walks the finish.
You get one contract. The coordination isn’t your job.
Where We Work in and Around Gardiner
We work around the Common and historic district, along the Kennebec waterfront streets, and in the roomier neighborhoods toward West Gardiner and Litchfield.
Downtown houses are older and closer together, so material handling and dust control require real planning.
Farther out, you’re more likely to have a private septic system. Its capacity determines whether a bathroom can be added at all.
When to Schedule Gardiner Bathroom Work
Lead time runs from three to eight weeks, and a little longer when the work touches a visible exterior elevation.
Permits go through City of Gardiner Code Enforcement, which also handles historic district questions.
Bathrooms are indoor work, so we build them all winter. Booking during the cold months usually means a faster start than waiting for spring.
Why the Estimate Holds on an Old House
We publish the misses. Ninety-four percent of our 200+ projects since 2017 have stayed on the original timeline and budget, measured monthly.
An old-house bathroom is where a cheap bid often becomes an expensive job.
We open the floor during the estimate instead of after the contract. Any genuine change is written up for your signature before work continues.
Who We Work For in Gardiner
We work for owners of good old houses who want a bathroom that functions like a new one.
Much of the housing near the Common and along the river dates to the eighteen hundreds. Its bathrooms were fitted into rooms never designed to hold them.
Closets became half baths. Back bedrooms became full ones.
That history is why we open these rooms and inspect them before quoting a number.
Ninety-four percent of our 200+ projects since 2017 have finished on the original timeline and budget. We track that figure monthly.
How Much a Bathroom Remodel Costs in Gardiner
Each figure is for one bathroom. A two-bath project has two separate budgets. Basic updates to a small bathroom usually begin near $12,000. With nicer finishes, the same room moves toward $20,000. A medium bathroom commonly lands near $15,000 and can reach $20,000 to $22,000 at the top of that scope. A larger bathroom update runs from $18,000 to $25,000. When damage requires a full gut and extensive tile work, add $8,000 to $10,000. That’s how these projects reach $25,000 to $35,000. Six factors determine where a Gardiner bathroom lands. We check all six before pricing and break out the numbers by trade.
Vent stack.
Nineteenth-century venting rarely serves a modern fixture group without work.
Subfloor.
Old plank decking often needs an underlayment before any tile is set.
Rot.
Found at the flange and behind tub surrounds, and it is the leading reason a number changes.
Moving plumbing.
Relocating fixtures through original framing is the single most expensive decision available.
Tile versus surround.
A tiled shower costs materially more in labor than a solid surround.
Septic capacity.
Outside the sewer district, capacity determines whether a new bathroom is permittable.
How to Hire for Bathroom Remodeling Gardiner, ME
Here’s the part nobody advertises: Maine has no state licensing standard for general contractors or builders.
The trades are credentialed. Licensed plumbers and electricians complete the rough-in, and they answer to a state board.
The builder answers to the contract, so ask for these five.
And ask how they handle a floor that turns out to be soft at the flange. It’s the most likely problem on your job.
A single fixed price with the trades listed separately, written under Maine's home construction contract statute, which caps what you pay up front at 1/3 of the contract.
Proof of insurance for the builder and each subcontractor, sent to you rather than described.
Tile and fixture allowances stated in writing, so a change of heart has a price attached.
Ours is 2 years, with an A+ BBB record behind it.
Work meeting the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, which Gardiner enforces locally.
Where is our shop?
Directions from Gardiner, ME to our shop in Augusta
125 Community DrAugusta, ME 04330-8156
How We Run a Gardiner Bathroom
- The look comes before the number.A downtown Gardiner bathroom is usually upstairs at the back of a tall, narrow house. What the floor, the flange and the stack are doing decides the estimate, so they get inspected first.
- Line-item pricing, not a lump sum.Fixtures, tile, vanity, glass and both trades listed on their own, with an allowance in writing for what the floor turns up.
- Demolition, then discovery.Whatever comes out from under the old floor gets priced at the unit rate already in your agreement, not renegotiated on the spot.
- Both trades roughed and signed off.Waterproofing follows, and it is the one stage where cutting time shows up years later.
- Tile first, then fixtures, then glass and trim.Templating glass off set tile is the only way it fits, so plan on it arriving last.
- Punch list and warranty.Written down, worked to zero, then 2 years of workmanship coverage.
Start a Gardiner Bathroom Project
Call (207) 480-7700. Brandon usually answers, and the line is covered at any hour.
Email info@newmanhomesme.com and attach photos of the room. We’ll come take a look.