Bathroom Remodeling in Lombard, IL

Lombard is one of the most mid-century suburbs in the western suburbs: the median home was built in 1971, and more than half the housing stock dates from 1950 to 1980 — 17.3% from the 1950s, 18.6% from the 1960s, and 17.8% from the 1970s. With a median home value around $335,700 and 70.8% owner-occupied, neighborhoods like Lombard Meadows (1950s ranches), Abbey Woods, Eastview Terrace (1948–66), and the Oakton Dr townhomes define the market. So a Lombard bathroom remodel is rarely a cosmetic job. It’s a gut job: cast-iron drain lines, fiberglass tub-shower combos, and two-wire electrical that predates modern GFCI rules. And the village’s own building division tells you exactly what’s expected — its official remodel handout is the best quality screen a homeowner can have.

What’s Actually Inside a Lombard Bathroom

When the median home in a village was built in 1971, the walls of most bathrooms have a story to tell. Lombard’s 1950s ranches — especially in areas like Lombard Meadows, where 1955 ranch listings note full basements with a rough-in for a second bath — typically hide cast-iron drain stacks that are now 60–70 years old and corroding from the inside, galvanized steel supply lines with restricted flow and rust, and two-wire ungrounded electrical that was legal in 1955 and won’t pass modern bathroom code today.

The footprints are small, too. A classic Lombard hall bath is often a tight 5-by-8 or similar, which means layout decisions carry outsized consequences — there’s no room to absorb a mistake. But there’s also a Lombard-specific opportunity: the basement rough-in. Many 1950s ranches were sold with full basements and a roughed-in second bath — drain stub, vent line, supply caps, waiting for a homeowner. The hardest part (getting a drain under the slab) is already half done, which makes adding that second bath one of the highest-value projects in Lombard’s market, where many homes still have a single full bath for a three-bedroom house.

If your home is in Abbey Woods or Eastview Terrace, the era shifts slightly but the theme holds: 1960s–80s baths with builder-grade fixtures overdue for replacement, and plumbing and electrical that need to come up to current code the moment walls open.

Lombard’s Remodel Handout Is Your Contractor Quality Screen

Here’s something most suburbs don’t give you: an official, written checklist of exactly what a bathroom remodel must include. The Village of Lombard Community Development — Building Division (255 E Wilson Ave; (630) 620-5750) publishes an official “RESIDENTIAL BATH & KITCHEN REMODEL” handout, and it spells out the requirements in plain terms. A bathroom remodel permit application needs:

• An existing-layout plan showing what’s there now
• A proposed plan with fixtures showing what’s going where
• A complete electrical plan, including GFCI protection on all bathroom receptacles and receptacles within 36 inches of each basin

Read that electrical requirement again. GFCI protection on every bathroom receptacle, and a receptacle within 36 inches of each basin. In a 1955 ranch with ungrounded two-wire circuits, that single line means a real rewire of the bathroom — the single biggest safety upgrade most of these homes can get, and it’s non-negotiable under the permit.

This is why the handout is a selling point, not red tape. Any legitimate contractor working in Lombard must pull a permit and bring the bathroom’s electrical up to the handout’s standard. That makes your screening simple: ask a contractor to walk you through the village’s RESIDENTIAL BATH & KITCHEN REMODEL handout before you sign. A contractor who knows Lombard will know it by name. One who waves it off — or tells you a full gut “doesn’t need a permit” — is telling you everything you need to know.

Lombard’s Water: Lake Michigan, Two Suppliers

Lombard’s drinking water comes from Lake Michigan, purchased through the DuPage Water Commission (sourced from Chicago’s Jardine plant). One nuance worth knowing: a portion of the village — Lombard Heights — is served by Illinois American Water, which is also Lake Michigan-sourced. So wherever you are in the village, your bathroom is fed by treated municipal surface water.

We don’t publish hardness numbers here because they shift with treatment and season — check the village’s annual water quality report or Illinois American Water’s report for Lombard Heights for the current figures. The practical takeaway for your remodel: municipal surface water behaves very differently from well water, but it’s still worth talking to your contractor about fixture selection for mineral resistance — especially if you’re investing in glass shower doors, where protective coatings or squeegee-friendly designs keep them looking new far longer.

What Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost in Lombard?

Lombard’s price bands track the western-suburbs market, with the mid-century gut job being the most common project in the village:

• Hall bath refresh (fixtures stay put): $8,000–$18,000. New vanity, toilet, fixtures, re-tiled tub surround, fresh paint. The honest entry point — and genuinely sufficient for a 1970s or 1980s bath whose plumbing is sound.
• Mid-range full remodel: $20,000–$45,000. Gut to the studs, waterproofed shower system, tile floor, quartz vanity top, new lighting, exhaust fan, and — critically in Lombard — electrical brought up to the village’s GFCI requirements. Where most Lombard hall baths land.
• Primary suite: $30,000–$60,000+. Curbless or walk-in shower, double vanity, heated floors, custom glass. Less common in the ranch stock, more common in later two-story builds and Abbey Woods homes.
• Layout changes: ~$80,000+. Moving the toilet or shower drain in a 1950s ranch means opening floors, re-running plumbing, and very likely replacing corroded cast-iron drain lines — budget a real contingency for what the walls reveal.

The Lombard-specific wild card is adding a second bathroom from a basement rough-in. A rough-in saves the cost of breaking the slab and running a new drain, but the project still needs a full permit, plumbing and electrical to current code, framing, waterproofing, and finishes. Price it as a complete bathroom, not a quick add-on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have you remodeled bathrooms in Lombard before?

Honest answer: this site is a free service that connects Lombard homeowners with independent local bathroom remodeling contractors — we don’t claim a project portfolio in every neighborhood. What we do is match you with contractors who actually work in Lombard, know the village’s RESIDENTIAL BATH & KITCHEN REMODEL handout requirements by name, and have gutted the kind of mid-century bath your home likely has — whether that’s a Lombard Meadows ranch or an Eastview Terrace split-level. Ask any contractor we connect you with for Lombard-specific references before you sign.

Do I need a permit to remodel my bathroom in Lombard?

For anything beyond cosmetic work, yes. The village’s official handout requires a permit application with an existing-layout plan, a proposed plan with fixtures, and a complete electrical plan meeting the GFCI requirements. Call the Building Division at (630) 620-5750 if you’re unsure where your project falls.

Why does the electrical plan matter so much in a Lombard remodel?

Because the village’s handout requires GFCI protection on all bathroom receptacles and receptacles within 36 inches of each basin — and most 1950s–1970s Lombard homes have ungrounded two-wire electrical in the bathroom. Meeting the handout usually means a real rewire of the bathroom’s circuits. It’s the biggest safety upgrade in the project, and it’s non-negotiable under the permit.

My 1950s ranch has a basement rough-in for a second bath. What does finishing it involve?

The rough-in typically gives you a drain stub, vent connection, and capped supply lines — the hardest underground work is partly done. You’ll still need a full permit, plumbing and electrical brought to current code, framing, a waterproofed shower or tub area, and all finishes. It’s one of the highest-value projects in Lombard, where many three-bedroom ranches still have a single full bath, but price it as a complete bathroom, not a quick add-on.

How long does a bathroom remodel take in Lombard?

A hall-bath refresh runs 1–2 weeks; a full gut remodel 2–5 weeks. Add time for the village’s permit review and inspection scheduling — and for mid-century homes, add contingency for cast-iron drain replacement or subfloor repair once walls are open. Get the timeline in writing.

What’s the most expensive surprise in a mid-century Lombard bathroom?

Corroded cast-iron drain lines. They look fine until you open the wall, then the replacement — opening floors, re-running the drain, new venting — can add thousands. A good contractor opens walls early, inspects the drains, and prices the job on what they actually find, not what they hope is in there.