Before and After: Real Bathroom Remodels in Kendall and Palmetto Bay

Real Bathroom Remodels from Miami-Dade Homes

Every bathroom remodel starts the same way. A homeowner stares at their tired bathroom and wonders what it could look like. The grout is stained. The fixtures are dated. The layout just does not work anymore.

We get it. We have walked into hundreds of Miami-Dade bathrooms that looked exactly like that. And we have walked out of those same bathrooms with something the homeowner was genuinely proud of.

Here are three real projects we completed in Kendall, Palmetto Bay, and West Kendall. No stock photos. No vague descriptions. Just what we actually did, what it cost, and what surprised us along the way.

Project 1: Kendall Master Bath ($16,000)

The home: 1978 CBS construction. Single-story, 3-bed/2-bath. The primary bathroom had not been touched since the house was built.

What we were working with: Pink ceramic tile from floor to ceiling. A heavy cast iron bathtub that nobody used. A single vanity with a surface-mounted medicine cabinet. Fluorescent lighting that made everything look worse. The exhaust fan barely worked, and you could see moisture stains creeping along the ceiling.

What we did:

• Removed all the pink tile and the cast iron tub
• Installed a walk-in shower with a curbless entry and frameless glass enclosure
• Put in a 48-inch floating vanity with a quartz countertop
• Used 12x24 large format porcelain tile on the floor and shower walls
• Added a linear drain in the shower floor
• New LED recessed lighting and a proper exhaust fan
• Fresh paint on the ceiling and upper walls

The surprise: That cast iron tub weighed close to 300 pounds. Getting it out without damaging the hallway took some creative maneuvering. We also found water damage behind the shower wall where the old tile grout had failed years ago. We replaced the damaged drywall with cement board before tiling, which added about half a day of work.

What went well: The large format tile completely changed the feel of the room. Fewer grout lines make a smaller bathroom look bigger. The frameless glass shower enclosure opened up the space in a way the old tub-and-curtain setup never could.

The homeowner's reaction: She told us she had been embarrassed to have guests use the master bath for years. Now it is the bathroom she shows off first. Her exact words were, "It looks like it belongs in a different house."

Total cost: $16,000 (including all materials, labor, and the unexpected wall repair)

Project 2: Palmetto Bay Hall Bath ($11,000)

The home: 1967 ranch-style, 4-bed/2-bath. The hall bathroom served the kids and any guests. It had the original pedestal sink and a tub/shower combo with small mosaic tile that was starting to crack.

What we were working with: A pedestal sink with no storage. The homeowner had a plastic shelf unit wedged in the corner for towels and toiletries. The tub itself was in decent shape, so the homeowner wanted to keep it. The tile around the tub was cracked in several spots with dark mold visible in the grout lines. The lighting was a single fixture above the mirror, and the exhaust fan was louder than a lawnmower.

What we did:

• Removed the pedestal sink and installed a 36-inch vanity with drawers and a soft-close cabinet
• Kept the tub but removed all surrounding tile
• Retiled the tub surround with a clean white subway tile and a gray accent strip
• Installed a new shower valve and handheld showerhead combo
• Replaced the single light fixture with a 3-light vanity bar
• Put in a quiet exhaust fan (under 1.0 sone)
• New mirror, new toilet, and new tile floor
• Fresh paint throughout

The surprise: The floor underneath the old vinyl had a section of thin-set from a previous tile job that someone had just covered over. We had to grind that down before laying the new tile. It was not a big deal, but it added a couple of hours.

What went well: Keeping the tub saved the homeowner around $3,000 to $4,000 compared to a full tub removal and shower conversion. The new subway tile looked clean and timeless. Adding the vanity with storage made the biggest practical difference. No more plastic shelf in the corner.

The homeowner's reaction: The dad said the bathroom finally looked like it belonged in 2026 instead of 1967. The kids actually started keeping it cleaner because they liked how it looked.

Total cost: $11,000 (materials, labor, and the floor prep work)

Project 3: West Kendall Master Bath ($22,000)

The home: 2001 two-story, 4-bed/3-bath. The primary bathroom was original to the house. It had a large garden tub that the homeowner never used and a small separate shower stall.

What we were working with: A garden tub taking up a massive amount of floor space. The separate shower stall was barely 30 inches wide. The double vanity had builder-grade laminate countertops with worn edges. The lighting was two Hollywood-style vanity strips. Everything worked, but nothing felt modern.

What we did:

• Removed the garden tub completely
• Built a large walk-in shower in the tub's footprint (roughly 5 feet by 3 feet)
• Installed a rain showerhead on the ceiling plus a handheld on the wall
• Put in a frameless glass enclosure with a hinged door
• Replaced the vanity countertops with quartz and added undermount sinks
• Refaced the existing vanity cabinets with new doors and hardware
• Installed LED recessed lighting in the shower and above the vanity
• Added a lighted mirror with built-in defogger
• New tile floor throughout

The surprise: The garden tub had a small deck around it that was framed with wood. When we pulled up the tub, some of that framing had minor water damage. Not structural, but we replaced those sections before building the shower pan. This is common in South Florida homes where humidity is always working against you.

What went well: The homeowner got a shower that is nearly twice the size of the original stall, and we reclaimed all that dead space from the garden tub. The rain showerhead was something she had wanted for years. Refacing the vanity cabinets instead of replacing them saved roughly $2,500 while still making everything look brand new.

The homeowner's reaction: She said the garden tub had been a "waste of space" since they moved in. She uses the new shower every single day and said the rain showerhead alone was worth the project. Her husband said he wished they had done it five years ago.

Total cost: $22,000 (including all materials, labor, cabinet refacing, and the framing repair)

What These Projects Have in Common

Three different homes. Three different budgets. Three different scopes. But they all share a few things:

We worked with what was already there. In Palmetto Bay, keeping the tub saved thousands. In West Kendall, refacing the cabinets instead of replacing them cut costs without sacrificing looks. A good remodeling team finds those savings for you.

Older Miami homes have hidden issues. Water damage behind tile. Old thin-set under vinyl. Minor wood rot. It comes with the territory in South Florida. We budget a small contingency for surprises, and we tell homeowners upfront that they should too.

The finished product changed how the homeowner felt about their home. That sounds dramatic, but it is true. A bathroom you are embarrassed by is a bathroom you avoid. A bathroom you love is one you actually enjoy using every day.

Thinking About Your Own Bathroom Remodel?

If your bathroom looks like any of these "before" scenarios, you are not stuck with it. Whether you want a quick refresh or a full rebuild, we can walk through your space and give you a straight answer on what it would take.

Check out our bathroom remodeling services for more on what we do. If you want to understand costs before calling, read our bathroom remodel cost guide for 2026 pricing.

Ready to talk about your bathroom? Call us at (786) 363-7039 or request a free estimate online.