Bathroom Remodel in Summerlin, Las Vegas

A bathroom remodel in Summerlin depends a lot on which village you live in. The first families moved into The Hills in March 1991, Del Webb began Sun City Summerlin's 55-plus homes in 1989, and later villages such as The Willows, Red Rock Country Club, The Ridges and The Paseos followed between 1997 and 2003. A 1990s hall bath and a custom primary suite in The Ridges are very different projects.

In the older villages, original tub surrounds, builder vanities and cloudy shower doors are typical reasons to remodel. In custom homes, the work is more often about matching stone, frameless glass and fixture finishes the first owner chose, and replacing what hard water has dulled.

Most of Summerlin sits inside the City of Las Vegas, where the Building and Safety Division at 495 South Main Street issues permits. Summerlin South, which includes Downtown Summerlin, Red Rock Country Club and The Ridges, is unincorporated Clark County, so permits there go through the county's Building and Fire Prevention office on West Russell Road.

The city's homeowner guide shows where the line usually falls. Replacing a sink, toilet or exposed faucet in the same spot needs no permit, while relocating plumbing during a remodel, altering pipe inside a wall or under a floor, and installing a bathroom exhaust fan all do. Permit-level plumbing and electrical work is done with or by a contractor holding the right Nevada license where the law requires it.

Summerlin's tap water comes from the Las Vegas Valley Water District, which rates it very hard at about 16 to 17 grains per gallon. On frameless glass and polished chrome, that shows within days. A linear drain with large porcelain tile, grout sealed one shade off the tile color, and a squeegee hook on the wall do more for upkeep than any cleaner. If a whole-house softener is part of your plans, remember the city guide treats it as permit work of its own.

A standard Summerlin bathroom usually comes in at $2,290 to $13,490, and a primary bath at $8,990 to $26,990. Frameless glass, natural stone, a curbless entry and moving the drain push a project up; keeping the layout and choosing porcelain keep it down.

Text a few photos of the bathroom and the shower to (702) 553-1671 for a first range. After measuring, we send a written, itemized price with demolition, waterproofing, tile, fixtures and glass each on its own line, so nothing is lumped together. Debris is bagged and hauled away as it comes out, and the bathroom is swept before we leave each day.