A bathroom renovation in Ajax usually costs between $18,000 and $45,000 for a complete project. The price depends mostly on the size of the room, whether the tub stays or becomes a walk-in shower, the condition of the floor and walls behind the old finishes, and the fixtures you choose. This guide explains how a bathroom renovation in Ajax is priced, what the work involves day by day and how to plan one around a busy household.
TGV Construction Group Inc. has completed more than 300 projects across the GTA and Ontario since 2017, including many in Durham Region. For nearby guides see the Pickering bathroom guide and our Whitby basement guide; for a regional view, read the average bathroom renovation cost. The service is described on our bathroom renovation page.
Ajax homes and their bathrooms
Ajax is a town of commuters and young families, and much of its housing is townhouses, semis and detached houses on modest lots. In the southern neighbourhoods closer to the lake, and around Pickering Village, many houses date from the 1970s and 1980s. Their bathrooms are often small, with a tub-and-shower combination, a narrow vanity and an exhaust fan that does little. After forty years, the floor around the toilet and the wall at the tub spout are the two places where we most often find water damage.
North and north-west Ajax, including the Nottingham and Williamson areas, was built mostly after 2000. These bathrooms are newer, with sound framing and modern plumbing, and the projects are about upgrading builder finishes: replacing a fibreglass shower with tile, adding a double vanity, improving lighting and storage. Ensuites in these houses are usually long and narrow, which makes the shower design the main decision.
What shapes the cost of a bathroom renovation in Ajax
Tub, shower or both. Keeping a tub with a new tiled surround costs less than converting it to a walk-in shower, which needs a new drain position, a sloped base and glass. Removing a separate shower and corner tub in a newer ensuite to build one large shower is often good value.
Plumbing moves. In a townhouse, the bathroom often sits over the kitchen or living room. Moving a toilet means opening that ceiling to reroute the drain, and the ceiling repair below has to be included.
Size of the tiled area. Tile only in the shower and on the floor is the economical choice; full-height tile on every wall adds material and labour.
Repairs behind the finishes. Soft subfloor, a cracked toilet flange or a rotted sill under a window in the shower are found at demolition and priced with your approval.
Accessibility features. A curbless shower, bench and grab bars add some work but are much cheaper during a renovation than as a later retrofit.
Fixtures and glass. A stock vanity and a framed sliding door keep the budget down; a custom vanity, a quartz top and frameless glass raise it.
How the job runs
- Site visit in Ajax. We measure the room, check the floor around the toilet and tub, look at the fan and its duct, and ask who uses the bathroom and what bothers them about it.
- Quote you can compare. Each part of the work is priced on its own line, so you can see the cost of keeping the tub against building a walk-in shower.
- Choose and order. Tile, vanity, toilet, valve and door or glass are selected together and ordered before work starts.
- Prepare the house. We protect the floors and stairs between the door and the bathroom and close off the room against dust.
- Remove the old bathroom. Fixtures, tile, drywall and old underlay come out, and the subfloor and framing are exposed.
- Check and repair. Water damage, a broken flange or undersized framing is shown to you and priced before any repair is done.
- Rough-in for the new layout. Plumbing and drains are adjusted, the fan is vented to the outside, and electrical work is done by a licensed electrician.
- Waterproofing. The shower or tub walls get a proper backer board and membrane; a tiled shower floor gets a sloped base and membrane.
- Tile, trim and paint. Floor and wall tile are set and grouted, edges are trimmed, and the rest of the room is primed and painted.
- Install, test and hand over. Vanity, toilet, trims, lights, mirror and accessories are installed and tested, and we walk through the finished room with you.
Timeline
Plan on one to three weeks to choose and receive materials and three to five weeks of site work for a full bathroom. A small powder room is often done in one to two weeks. We tell you in advance which days the water will be shut off and when the room will be unusable.
Permits in Ajax
The Town of Ajax issues building permits under the Ontario Building Code. A permit is needed for a new bathroom, for relocated drains or vents and for structural changes, but usually not for replacing finishes and fixtures in place. Electrical permits go through the Electrical Safety Authority and are filed by the licensed electrician. Townhouse owners in a condominium corporation should read its rules on renovations and shared plumbing stacks before dates are set. Our permit guide for the GTA covers the general process.
Things worth planning early
- Ventilation. Small Ajax bathrooms without a window need a fan sized for the room and ducted outside; otherwise the new paint and caulking will show mould within a couple of winters.
- Storage in a small room. A recessed niche, a medicine cabinet set into the wall and a vanity with drawers rather than doors make a compact bathroom easier to use.
- Floor heat. Bathrooms over a garage or on an outside wall are often cold; a heated floor mat is easiest to add while the floor is open.
- Safe surfaces. Choose floor tile with a slip-resistant finish, especially in the shower and for children or older family members.
- Comparing quotes. Make sure each price includes the membrane, the outside fan duct and an allowance for subfloor repair. Our guide to comparing renovation quotes has a checklist.
Example: a townhouse bathroom in south Ajax
A 1980s townhouse has one full bathroom upstairs: a tub with original wall tile, a small vanity, vinyl flooring and a fan that vents into the attic. The family keeps the tub but replaces the surround with new backer board, a membrane and porcelain tile with a niche, installs a wider vanity with drawers and a new toilet, adds a properly ducted fan and lays a tile floor. At demolition the subfloor at the tub apron is soft and a strip is replaced. The project takes about three and a half weeks on site and sits in the lower half of the Ajax range. The same bathroom with a walk-in shower and glass instead of the tub would move toward the middle.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a bathroom renovation in Ajax?
Most full bathroom renovations in Ajax cost between $18,000 and $45,000. A townhouse main bathroom that keeps its tub and layout usually sits in the lower part of that range; an ensuite converted to a large walk-in shower with frameless glass and heated floors sits near the top. A written quote after a free site visit gives you the figure for your room.
Do I need a permit for a bathroom in Ajax?
Not for replacing fixtures and finishes in the same places. A new bathroom, moved drains or vents, or a change to a structural wall needs a building permit from the Town of Ajax and inspections.
Can you make a bathroom accessible for someone with limited mobility?
Yes. Common changes are a low-threshold or curbless shower, a fold-down or built-in bench, grab bars on solid blocking, a comfort-height toilet, a wider door where the wall allows and slip-resistant tile.
We have one bathroom in our townhouse. How do we manage?
Tell us at the first visit. We order everything in advance to keep the room open for the shortest time and plan the sequence so a toilet can be reinstalled temporarily at the end of the day during the early stages where possible.
Do you also work in Pickering and Whitby?
Yes. We work across Durham Region, including Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa and Ajax, and across the rest of the GTA.
Ask for a bathroom renovation quote in Ajax
We renovate bathrooms in Ajax, Pickering, Whitby and across the GTA, from compact townhouse bathrooms to full ensuites. The visit and the written quote are free.
Phone (365) 363-6995, email estimating@tgvconstructiongroup.ca, or tell us about your Ajax bathroom project on the Get a Quote page.
