Primary bath remodel in Highland Park

The situation

This is a primary bath we remodeled in Highland Park. Larger houses, older details, and finish work that has to look like it belongs — that is the 60035 stock we get called for. A primary bath is not a fixture swap. It is layout, waterproofing, tile, vanity, shower, lighting, and the last wipe-down.

Highland Park houses reward a careful crew. Trim, tile, and hardware get noticed. We were on this job as a licensed electrician and remodeling contractor from Northbrook — one crew, not a tiler, a plumber, and an electrician on three calendars.

The room had been lived in. The family still needed a working bath in the house. Occupied-house work is the point of how we schedule: a path, a temporary setup if the plan needs it, and weekday hours so the rest of the house can function. Highland Park is twenty minutes from the shop. We do not treat it as a long-distance add-on — it is regular work, same crew, same weekday hours.

Highland Park is about twenty minutes from Oak Ave. We treat it as regular work, not a long-distance add-on. Occupied-house rules still apply: a working bath somewhere in the house, weekday hours, and a calendar you can plan around before waterproofing starts. East Highland Park, Ravinia, and the houses west of the tracks get the same crew.

Scope and approach

A primary bath starts with a look in person. Layout first — what stays, what moves, whether the shower can be a walk-in, whether the vanity can grow without fighting the door. Then waterproofing, the pan or receptor, the valve, the tile, the lighting, the fan, and the finish hardware.

Electrical in a bath is GFCI, a fan that actually vents, lighting that does not leave a dark shower, and a circuit that can take the loads. Plumbing is the valve, the drain, the supply, and the fixture set so it is quiet. Same people on both.

Highland Park houses reward a careful crew, and the finish work has to look like it belongs — trim, tile, and hardware get noticed. We stay on the job through the last wipe-down so you are not coordinating a tiler, a plumber, and an electrician on three calendars.

• Look at layout, waterproofing, and existing plumbing and electrical
• Demo and protect the rest of the house
• Rough plumbing and electrical; village inspection when required
• Waterproofing, tile, vanity, shower glass or door, lighting, hardware
• Final wipe-down — a primary bath that is ready to use

Materials and brands

Tile, vanity, and fixtures were the homeowner’s selection. We set them, waterproof behind them, and leave the room usable. Lighting and fan work sit with a licensed electrician. We do not name a fixture brand here that was not on the job.

Waterproofing is the part you never see and the part that fails first if it is rushed. We do not tile over a hope.

Permits and code

The City of Highland Park inspects plumbing and electrical work that goes beyond a like-for-like fixture swap. A primary bath remodel usually needs that look. We pull the permit and meet the inspector. Building Division handles residential permits for 60035 — we do not ask a homeowner to open a wall and hope.

Timeline and result

Primary baths take more than a Saturday. Waterproofing and tile have to cure. We tell you the calendar before demo, keep the rest of the house livable, and work 8:00 to 4:30 on weekdays. East Highland Park, Ravinia, and the houses west of the tracks all get the same crew. If you have a similar bath in Highland Park, call (847) 778-8053.

Building Division is who we meet. You should not be opening a wall and hoping the inspector never comes. Tile, vanity, and fixtures stay the homeowner’s selection; waterproofing and the licensed-electrician work stay ours. Call (847) 778-8053 if you have a similar primary bath in 60035.