Which bathroom scope are you leaning toward?
Houzz found 75% of bathroom renovators upgraded the shower and 27% the tub.
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Bath Project Notes · Planning quiz
Bathroom remodel quiz: find your scope and check the numbers
This quiz asks ten questions about your bathroom's condition, the people who use it and your plans, and about the facts that drive cost. Each answer explains the source, from Houzz's bathroom study to EPA WaterSense. At the end you will know whether you are looking at a refresh, a conversion, a walk-in shower, an accessible remodel or a full renovation, and why.
Start the quiz0 of 10 answered
Homeowners often arrive at a tile store with a pattern in mind and no idea whether the pan under the old tile is sloped. The quiz forces the earlier questions: is the shower assembly sound, does the fan duct outside, does anyone use the tub, who will use the room in five years, and what does the budget actually cover. It also checks a few numbers, because knowing that labor is half the bill or that the tub-out reveals damage more often than not changes decisions.
There is no score to pass. Every explanation links back to the stat that supports it, and the result points to the service page that matches. Take it before the calculator if scope is open.
What the quiz is testing, and why those questions
The first cluster is condition: soft floor at the drain, stains below, grout, the fan's duct. A sound shower makes a refresh possible and can save half the budget, since labor is 40% to 65% of a bathroom bill and most of it goes into the wet area. The second cluster is people: who uses the room, whether anyone bathes, whether a walker or wheelchair is in the picture now or soon. Houzz found 68% of bathroom renovators considered special needs; the quiz asks so the scope can too.
The third cluster is numbers you should know before a pro visits: what a membrane is, how long the room is down, what a WaterSense toilet saves, what a conversion costs. A homeowner who knows the glass takes three weeks plans a curtain; one who knows 37% of renovators overspent holds a reserve; and one who knows Houzz found only 27% of bathroom renovators upgraded a tub asks whether the tub earns its space.
What to check in your bathroom before answering
Four quick inspections make the condition questions accurate. Press the shower floor at the drain and at the curb with your foot; any give means water under the tile. Look at the ceiling directly below the bathroom for stains or bubbled paint. Run the fan with a tissue held to the grille; if it does not hold, the fan is weak or the duct is blocked, and if you can, look in the attic for where the duct goes. Check the grout in the shower corners and along the floor line for cracks and missing sections.
For the people questions, think five years ahead: AARP found 75% of adults over 50 want to stay in their home, and the bathroom is usually the room that decides it. For the budget questions, know that HomeAdvisor's average is $12,151 and Houzz's medians are $13,000 across all remodels and $22,000 for a major one; where you expect to land tells the quiz which tier to assume.
How to read your result
If your answers point to a refresh, keep the shower and read the renovation page section on what a refresh includes. If they point to a conversion, read the conversion page for what the tub-out reveals. If they point to a walk-in shower, the walk-in shower page explains the assembly to demand. If they point to accessible remodeling, the accessible page has the dimensions. If everything is failing, it is a renovation.
Then vote in the polls to see whether your scope is the common one, and take the result to the request form. Write the scope in the first line of the brief so every pro prices the same job, and mention the quiz answers that surprised you; those are the ones worth a pro's opinion.
Homeowner polls
What other planners are choosing
What is the main problem with the bathroom now?
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Quiz questions, answered
Is the quiz result a recommendation to hire someone?
No. It recommends a scope and links to the matching service page, which explains what that scope includes and what a proposal should name. Whether and whom to hire is a separate decision made after collecting written proposals through the contact page.
What if I get most of the number questions wrong?
Then the quiz did its job. Each explanation links to the source, and these are the numbers that most often surprise homeowners in a pro's first visit. Knowing that labor is half the bill, that tile is not waterproof and that glass takes three weeks changes what you ask and how you read the proposal.
Can two people in the household take it separately?
That is a good idea. Disagreements about the tub, the entry or whether the shower is really failing surface quickly when each person answers alone. Compare results, then read the comparison for the pair you disagree on before requesting estimates.
Does the quiz account for my region?
Not directly. The scope logic is the same everywhere; costs, slab foundations, humidity and one-bath housing differ by region. After the quiz, read the locations hub for regional adjustments and use the calculator, which states that coastal metros can run above national figures.
Why does the quiz ask about the fan?
Because a fan that vents into the attic or barely moves air is the most common reason a new shower grows mold within a year, and because it is cheap to fix while the wet wall is open. The tissue test at the grille takes ten seconds and tells you whether ventilation belongs in the scope.
What if my bathroom needs two scopes?
Most do. A conversion is a shower rebuild plus tub removal; an accessible remodel is often a conversion with blocking and a wider door. The quiz picks the dominant scope and the service pages explain what each includes. The services hub has the sequencing.
How long does the quiz take?
About five minutes for ten questions. Reading the explanations and following the links to the stat cards takes longer and is the useful part. Retaking it after a site visit, with better information about the pan, the drain and the fan, often changes the result.
More free tools
Free toolBathroom remodel cost calculatorSize, material tier and complexity in, a realistic budget range out.
Free toolBathroom comparisons: the five decisions that change the assemblySide-by-side tables for the decisions that change the price most.
Free toolBathroom remodel polls: see what other homeowners are choosingSee what other planners chose and add your vote.
Read the service guides
Service guideComplete Bathroom RenovationA complete bathroom renovation rebuilds the bathing area, vanity, toilet, floor, wall finishes, lighting and ventilation together, and may move drains, walls or the door.
Service guideWalk-In Shower InstallationA walk-in shower installation rebuilds the bathing area from the subfloor up: a sloped base, a drain bonded to a waterproofing membrane, wall board and membrane, a valve, tile or panels, and an enclosure with a defined entry.
Service guideTub & Shower ConversionsA tub-to-shower conversion removes the bathtub and builds a shower in its alcove, usually with a new drain, a rebuilt substrate, a waterproofing membrane, new walls and an enclosure.
Service guideAccessible Bathroom RemodelingAccessible bathroom remodeling plans the room around a specific person's transfers, reach, mobility aid and likely future needs: turning space, a curbless shower, blocking and grab bars, a comfort-height toilet, a reachable vanity, nonslip surfaces and a wider door.
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