Bathroom Remodel – Philadelphia, PA
This 35-square-foot bathroom remodel in Northeast Philadelphia had a more involved scope than its square footage suggests. A new partition wall was built to separate the bathroom from an adjacent closet — structural work that is not typical in a straightforward remodel. On top of that, the vanity area got three mirrored surfaces: a center mirror flanked by two medicine cabinets, each with its own light fixture. And the tub area was fitted with three corner shelves for storage, alongside a 6-inch backsplash running across three walls at the vanity.
What This Project Included
- Full demolition
- Green board drywall where needed
- Cement board on floor and tub/shower walls
- New bathtub installation
- Full-height tiled tub surround
- Additional wall tile in the tub zone
- 6-inch tile backsplash on left, right, and back walls at vanity
- 4-inch polished engineered marble threshold at door jamb
- Tension-mounted shower curtain rod
- New shower faucet and vanity faucet
- New sink installed with homeowner-supplied vanity
- Center mirror above vanity
- Two mirrored medicine cabinets flanking the center mirror
- Light fixture above medicine cabinets
- Three corner shelves in the tub area
- New tile flooring throughout
- New toilet
- New exhaust fan
- A new partition wall is separating the bathroom from the adjacent closet
- Framing, drywall, electrical wiring, and a new interior door for the partition wall
- New electrical outlets and switches
- Full paint and new baseboards
- Towel ring, towel bar, toilet paper holder with blocking
- All plumbing and electrical to code
The Partition Wall: Adding Structure to the Layout
Building a partition wall to separate the bathroom from an adjacent closet was the most structurally involved part of this project. This kind of work requires framing, drywall, electrical work for the new wall, and a new interior door with casings — it is essentially a small construction job within the larger remodel. The partition added privacy, defined the bathroom boundary properly, and gave the adjacent closet a finished wall on its bathroom side.
New outlets and switches were installed as part of the electrical work associated with the partition and the overall remodel. All electrical was brought to the current code throughout.
Vanity Area: Three Mirrored Surfaces
Rather than a single mirror or one medicine cabinet above the vanity, this bathroom uses a center mirror flanked by two medicine cabinets — one on each side. Each medicine cabinet has its own light fixture. The arrangement provides storage on both sides of the vanity and lighting distributed across the full width of the mirror surface rather than concentrated in the center. It is a more functional setup for a bathroom that gets regular daily use, and it gives the vanity wall a more finished, symmetrical character.
A 6-inch tile backsplash was installed on the left, right, and back walls at vanity height — covering all three exposed wall surfaces around the sink area. Six inches is enough to protect the wall from daily water contact at the sink without tiling all the way to the ceiling, and running it across three walls rather than just the back prevents the two side walls from showing the kind of water damage that painted drywall accumulates near a sink over time.
Tub Area: Three Corner Shelves
Three corner shelves were installed in the tub area. Corner shelves in a tub zone are a practical storage solution because they use space that is otherwise dead — the corners of a tub surround where nothing else would go. Installing them during tile work means they can be set flush with the surrounding tile and properly waterproofed, rather than clipped onto a curtain rod or standing on the tub ledge afterward. Three shelves give the tub area enough storage for the daily items that would otherwise end up stacked on the ledge or balanced on the edges.
The tub surround was tiled full height. A tension-mounted shower curtain rod was used rather than a wall-drilled version — in a full tile surround, drilling through finished tile for a curtain rod bracket creates a penetration in the waterproof surface that has to be carefully sealed. A tension-mounted rod avoids that entirely.
Marble Threshold and Flooring
A 4-inch polished engineered marble threshold was installed at the door jamb, creating a finished transition into the bathroom. New ceramic tile was installed on the bathroom floor throughout. Both choices are consistent with a bathroom that was rebuilt to last rather than refreshed to look updated.
What This Project Delivered
The finished bathroom in Northeast Philadelphia is a properly rebuilt 35-square-foot space with a functional partition wall, a well-organized vanity with distributed lighting and storage, practical tub-area shelving, and a full tile installation from the floor through the tub surround. At $10,800, this is a mid-range full remodel for this size and scope in the Philadelphia area — the partition wall adds real structural work that would not be present in a straightforward bathroom update.
Bathroom Remodeling in Philadelphia
Rowhouses and twin homes in Northeast Philadelphia are common settings for bathroom remodels where the existing layout no longer makes sense or where an adjacent space needs to be properly separated. Belmax Remodeling works throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding region.
For more on our bathroom work, visit our bathroom remodeling service page. Homeowners in Philadelphia can also visit our Philadelphia bathroom remodeling page for more completed projects in the area.
Considering a Similar Project?
Bathroom remodels in the 35-square-foot range that include a partition wall build, full tile, three-mirror vanity setup, and tub corner shelves typically fall in the $10,000–$13,000 range in Philadelphia. This project came in at $10,800, completed July 2025. To discuss what your bathroom would involve, request a free estimate.