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Bathroom Remodeling in Grand Rapids — Fixed-Price Design-Build

8+ years building in West Michigan · Fixed-price contracts (the quote is the price) · 3D design sketch on the first visit · 2-year workmanship warranty · 4.7★ on Google

Real bathroom remodels for Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, Ada, Cascade, Wyoming, Kentwood, and the surrounding communities. No shower-liner gimmicks. No allowance games. The price we quote is the price you pay.

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4.7 Google Rating (19 reviews)
Licensed Michigan Builder #262300501
2-Year Workmanship Warranty
Fixed-Price Contract Guarantee
A Quick Look at the Work

See a Real TC Bathroom Remodel

Watch more bathroom walkthroughs on our YouTube channel

Where We Work From

Serving Grand Rapids & West Michigan

619 36th St SW, Wyoming, MI 49509 · By appointment only — we come to you for in-home consultations. · Open in Google Maps →

The Thornapple Difference

Why Grand Rapids Homeowners Pick Thornapple for Bathrooms

Three real things separate a Thornapple bathroom remodel from the typical Grand Rapids remodeler. None of them are slogans.

Fixed-Price Certainty

The Quote Is the Price

An estimate is a guess. A fixed-price contract is binding. Once design and scope are locked, the number we put in writing is the number you pay — no allowance games, no end-of-project reconciliation, no surprise change orders. The only way it moves is if you choose to change scope, and that's priced and approved before any work happens. See how the process works.

3D Design on the First Visit

You See It Before You Buy It

Our in-home consultation is a working session, not a sales pitch. We measure your space, build a real 3D model in front of you, and hand back a budget range tied to actual scope choices — tile, fixtures, shower configuration — before you commit to anything. You walk away knowing what's possible in your bathroom and what it would cost.

Real Remodel, Real Warranty

Not a Shower Liner. Not a One-Day Swap.

Some West Michigan companies will install a Jacuzzi shower over your existing tile in a day. That's not what we do. We do real bathroom remodels — permits, waterproofing, plumbing, tile, electrical — backed by an honest 2-year workmanship warranty. Not a 25-year product disclaimer with carve-outs you'll never read.

Project Portal Access

You Always Know What's Happening

Every Thornapple client gets a private project portal with the full schedule, photo updates after each day on-site, change-order history, and a single point of contact. Most contractors expect you to manage them. We expect to manage the project so you don't have to.

Bathroom Remodel Types We Handle

Five Kinds of Bathroom Project — One Process

A primary suite and a basement powder room are very different jobs. The Thornapple process — discovery, design, fixed price, build, walkthrough — is the same for both.

Primary (Master) Bathroom Remodel

The room where your morning starts. Curbless tile shower, freestanding tub, double vanity, water closet, layered lighting, heated floors. Often pairs with a closet redesign next door. See full detail on luxury bathroom remodeling in Grand Rapids.

Guest & Hall Bathroom Remodel

The bath your kids share, your in-laws use, your dinner guests see. We treat it like the visible front door of your home that it is — vanity, tile, fixtures, lighting, and ventilation upgraded as a unit.

Powder Room Refresh

The smallest bath in the house often does the most styling work. Wallpaper, statement mirror, custom vanity, and lighting that makes the room feel curated rather than ignored. Quick to design, quick to build — usually 2 to 3 weeks.

Basement Bathroom Build

Adding a full bath to a finished basement — or upgrading an existing rough-in into something usable. Below-grade plumbing, ejector pump considerations, ventilation, and waterproofing all factor in. Often built as part of a basement finishing project.

Accessibility & Aging-in-Place Remodel

Curbless zero-threshold showers, comfort-height fixtures, reinforced walls for future grab bars, wider doorways, slip-resistant tile that still reads as luxury. Built so today's bathroom quietly serves the next 30 years. Detail on our accessibility remodeling page.

Curbless Walk-in Shower Conversion

Removing a tub you don't use and building a real tile-and-mortar curbless shower in its place. Done right — with proper slope, linear drain, and waterproofing membrane — this is the single most-requested upgrade in West Michigan primary baths.

How the Project Runs

Our Fixed-Price Design-Build Process

Five phases, no surprises. Every one is documented in your project portal so you always know where you are.

  1. Discovery (2–3 hours, in-home, free). We measure the space, listen to how you actually use it, build a 3D model in real time, and hand back an honest budget range tied to scope choices. No commitment.
  2. Design. We refine the 3D model, finalize tile, fixtures, vanity, and layout, and pull every sub-trade into the same set of plans. You see everything before anything is ordered.
  3. Fixed-Price Proposal. Itemized line by line. The number is binding once you sign. No allowance games. No "we'll figure it out later." This is the difference between a Thornapple project and most Grand Rapids remodelers.
  4. Build. Permits pulled, dust barriers installed, portable restroom for the crew on-site so they never use your other baths. Daily photo updates in your portal. Single point of contact. Inspections scheduled and coordinated.
  5. Walkthrough & Warranty. We walk every detail with you before final payment, fix anything that isn't right, and back the workmanship for two years.

Want more detail on any phase? Read the full design-build remodeling process — or jump straight to booking a discovery call.

Real West Michigan Numbers

What a Bathroom Remodel Actually Costs in Grand Rapids

Below are honest 2026 ranges for Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, Ada, Cascade, Wyoming, Kentwood, and Rockford bathrooms. Pricing depends on scope, square footage, and finish level. Final pricing is locked into a fixed-price contract after the design phase. For a deeper breakdown, read our full bathroom remodel cost in Grand Rapids guide or run a quick estimate in the cost estimator.

Refresh

$15,000 – $25,000

A focused update for a guest or hall bath — new vanity, fresh tile, modern fixtures, lighting, paint, and flooring inside the existing footprint. Plumbing stays where it is. The right fit when the layout works but the finishes feel decades behind your home.

Mid-Range Remodel

$30,000 – $40,000

A full remodel inside the existing walls — new tile shower with frameless glass, custom or semi-custom vanity, quartz tops, upgraded plumbing and electrical, designer lighting, and quality finishes throughout. Minor layout tweaks and small plumbing relocations included.

Luxury Primary Bath

$40,000 – $50,000+

A spa-quality primary bath — curbless tile shower, freestanding soaking tub, double vanity, heated floors, premium fixtures, custom tile work, millwork-level finishes. Includes meaningful plumbing relocations and the kind of details you notice every morning.

Full Suite-Plus

$60,000+

Primary bath taken to the studs and reimagined — wall removals, expanded footprint into adjacent space, custom steam shower, designer stone, integrated closet redesign, and a full systems upgrade. Right when you want the room to feel like a private wing of the house.

Pre-1970 homes in Heritage Hill, Eastown, Creston, Ottawa Hills, and Garfield Park sometimes carry a meaningful adder once we open walls — galvanized supply lines worth replacing, cast-iron drains, plaster lath behind tile, framing that needs reinforcement for a heavier modern shower assembly. We plan for those realities in the discovery phase and price them into the fixed contract so they don't become surprise change orders mid-project.

Permits & Timeline

Permits and Timelines for Grand Rapids Bathroom Remodels

Any bathroom project that relocates plumbing, adds electrical circuits, or touches structural framing requires a building permit. Which department reviews it depends on your address. The City of Grand Rapids handles work inside the city limits. Grand Rapids Township, Cascade Township, Ada Township, and Plainfield Township each have their own building departments — with their own inspection schedules. Forest Hills, depending on the neighborhood, sits inside either Grand Rapids Township or Cascade Township jurisdiction.

Thornapple pulls every permit, coordinates every inspection, and handles every interaction with the building department as part of the fixed-price contract. You never have to chase a sign-off or call a sub-trade. The full breakdown lives on our Grand Rapids remodeling permits page.

On timeline: most Grand Rapids bathroom remodels run 4 to 8 weeks from demolition to final walkthrough. Powder rooms can finish in 2 to 3. A full primary suite with custom tile, plumbing relocation, and longer material lead times can push toward 10. We map every milestone before the first piece of demo — and the whole schedule lives in your project portal. More detail in our bathroom remodel timeline guide.

Modern bathroom remodel in Grand Rapids with frameless glass shower and custom vanity by Thornapple Construction
Recent Projects

Three Recent Grand Rapids Bathroom Remodels

Real Thornapple projects, real West Michigan homes. Descriptive names — no client names, no street addresses.

Spa Sanctuary Bathroom — curbless walk-in shower, freestanding soaking tub, and double vanity in a Grand Rapids primary bath remodel by Thornapple Construction
East Grand Rapids · Primary Bath

Spa Sanctuary Bathroom

A primary bath taken down to the studs and rebuilt as a daily spa retreat. Scope: curbless walk-in tile shower with linear drain, freestanding soaking tub, double vanity with quartz tops, custom tile feature wall, heated tile flooring, layered lighting, and an upgraded ventilation system. Designed and built in the East Grand Rapids / Gaslight Village style.

See the Project →

Modern Sophistication Bathroom — frameless glass shower, statement tile, custom vanity in a Cascade Township remodel by Thornapple Construction
Cascade Township · Modern Primary

Modern Sophistication Bathroom

A dated 1990s primary bath transformed into a clean-lined modern retreat. Scope: bold statement tile, frameless glass shower enclosure, custom floating vanity with integrated storage, statement pendant lighting, and quartz tops. Layout stayed inside the existing footprint — the transformation is entirely about finishes, fixtures, and how the room feels at 6 a.m.

See the Project →

Classic Retreat Bathroom — dual vanity, freestanding tub, and integrated aging-in-place features in a Forest Hills remodel by Thornapple Construction
Forest Hills · Lifelong-Design Primary

Classic Retreat Bathroom

A classic-meets-modern primary bath built for a Forest Hills family planning to stay in the home for the next 30 years. Scope: custom tile, dual vanity, freestanding tub, curbless walk-in shower with built-in bench, reinforced wall blocking for future grab bars, slip-resistant tile that still reads as luxury. Aging-in-place features designed into the architecture rather than added on later.

See the Project →

See All Thornapple Projects →

What Our Clients Say

In Their Own Words

“More than accommodating, professional, personable, and kept me updated every step of the way. Communication and work completed was high quality.”

A
Ashley G.
Bathroom Remodel

“Nate and Austin are great to work with, can pivot throughout the project and address obstacles that sometimes arise. Communication was constant and the result was exactly what we asked for.”

M
Michelle S.
Whole-Home Remodel

“Incredible! Reliable, friendly, hardworking, passionate about their work. Highly recommended.”

D
Debi A.
Home Remodel
Bathroom Remodels Near You

Neighborhoods We Serve

From our Wyoming office at 619 36th St SW, we cover Grand Rapids and the surrounding West Michigan communities. From a primary bath in East Grand Rapids to a curbless shower in Forest Hills to an accessibility remodel in Ada, the same fixed-price, design-protected process runs every project. Pick your neighborhood below for local detail.

Lifelong-Design Bathrooms

A Bathroom Designed for the Next Thirty Years

For many of our clients in Forest Hills, Ada, East Grand Rapids, and Rockford, this is the home they intend to grow old in. The neighborhood, the light through the windows, the proximity to family — none of that needs to change. The bathroom does. And the goal isn't a clinical, institutional space. It's a beautiful primary bath that quietly makes life easier as the years go on.

We design for that future intentionally. A zero-threshold tile shower that reads as luxury today and becomes essential tomorrow. Comfort-height fixtures and wider doorways that disappear into the architecture. Reinforced walls so grab bars can be added later without tearing into tile. Layered lighting that protects against falls without ever feeling fluorescent. Slip-resistant tile that still feels like stone underfoot.

Done right, you won't see the planning. You'll see a bathroom that simply feels good — at fifty, at seventy, at every stage in between. The full breakdown lives on our accessibility remodeling in Grand Rapids page, and a longer read in our aging-in-place remodeling guide.

Curbless walk-in shower designed for aging in place in a Grand Rapids primary bath remodel by Thornapple Construction
Common Questions

Answers Before You Even Have to Ask

The real questions Grand Rapids homeowners ask before booking a bathroom remodel — not the generic ones the other guys recycle.

Most Grand Rapids bathroom remodels land in four bands. A focused refresh inside the existing footprint runs $15,000 to $25,000. A full mid-range remodel with a new tile shower, custom vanity, and upgraded plumbing and electrical typically runs $30,000 to $40,000. A luxury primary bath with curbless tile shower, freestanding tub, double vanity, heated floors, and meaningful plumbing relocation lands at $40,000 to $50,000+. A suite-plus build that pulls walls and expands the footprint starts at $60,000. Every Thornapple project is locked at a fixed-price contract once scope is finalized — the price we quote is the price you pay. Full breakdown in our bathroom remodel cost guide.

Almost always, yes. Any project that relocates plumbing, adds or moves electrical circuits, or touches structural framing requires a building permit. Which department issues it depends on your address — City of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Township, Cascade Township, Ada Township, and Plainfield Township each have their own building departments and inspection schedules. Forest Hills, depending on the sub-neighborhood, sits inside Grand Rapids Township or Cascade Township jurisdiction. A simple cosmetic refresh — paint, vanity swap, no plumbing changes — usually does not require a permit. Thornapple pulls every permit and coordinates every inspection as part of the fixed-price contract. Full detail on our Grand Rapids remodeling permits page.

Most Grand Rapids bathroom remodels run 4 to 8 weeks from demolition to final walkthrough. A small powder-room refresh can finish in 2 to 3 weeks. A full primary suite with custom tile, plumbing relocation, and longer material lead times can push toward 10. Pre-1970 homes in Heritage Hill, Eastown, Creston, and Garfield Park sometimes add a week once we open walls and find galvanized supply lines or cast-iron drains that should be replaced while access is open. Week-by-week breakdown in our bathroom remodel timeline guide.

On a Grand Rapids bathroom remodel, the three biggest cost drivers in order are: tile work (material plus skilled labor to waterproof and install, especially curbless showers), plumbing relocation (moving a toilet flange or shower drain into a joist bay it wasn't designed for), and cabinetry/vanity choice (a fully custom millwork vanity can cost three times a semi-custom one). Fixtures, lighting, and glass come next. Demo and drywall are the smallest line items but the most disruptive day-to-day.

Yes — older Grand Rapids neighborhoods are a meaningful share of our work. Pre-1970 bathrooms commonly have galvanized supply lines that need replacement, cast-iron drains worth keeping where they're intact, plaster lath behind tile, and original framing that may need reinforcement to support a heavier modern tile-and-mortar shower. We plan for those realities in the discovery phase and price them into the fixed contract — so they don't become surprise change orders mid-project.

Yes — this is a focus area for many of our Forest Hills, Ada, East Grand Rapids, and Rockford clients staying in the home they love. We design curbless zero-threshold showers, reinforced walls so grab bars install cleanly later, comfort-height fixtures, wider doorways, and slip-resistant tile that still reads as luxury. Done right, you won't see the planning — you'll see a bathroom that quietly makes life easier at 50, at 70, and at every stage in between. Full detail on our accessibility remodeling page.

Yes. If you have at least one other working bathroom in the home, you can keep using it through the entire project. We install plastic dust barriers to contain the work zone to the bathroom being remodeled, and we bring our own portable restroom for the crew so they never use your other baths. Your daily routine stays close to normal.

An estimate is a guess that can move. A fixed-price contract is a binding number after the design and scope are finalized — the price we quote is the price you pay. No allowance games, no surprise change orders, no end-of-project reconciliation. The only way the price changes is if you choose to change the scope, and that change is priced and approved before any work happens. This is the single biggest difference between Thornapple and the typical Grand Rapids remodeler.

4.7★ Google (19 reviews)
Licensed MI Builder #262300501
2-Year Workmanship Warranty
Fixed-Price Contract Guarantee

Your Bathroom Deserves Better. So Do You.

It starts with a free discovery call — a quick conversation to talk through your project, get honest answers, and see if we're the right fit. No commitment. No pressure. Just clarity.

Book Your Free Discovery Call

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