Bathroom Renovation Cost in Ottawa (2026): Tile, Showers and What Drives the Rest

If you are pricing a bathroom renovation or a bathroom remodel in Ottawa, the first number you find online is rarely the number for your room. A bathroom puts several trades into one small space, and each prices its own part. This guide splits the bathroom renovation cost into the part with published numbers (the tile, waterproofing and shower) and the part that depends on the other trades, explained in words.

All the dollar figures here are already published on our site. They come from our Ottawa flooring cost guide, which is the average of the published 2026 price ranges of four Ottawa flooring companies, rounded, and from our tile and shower cost guides, which add 2026 Ottawa renovation price guides for the shower items. They are a guide for budgeting, not an Agora Flooring price list. Your own price comes in a written quote after a free site visit.

Agora Flooring does the tile, waterproofing and heated-floor part of a bathroom. Plumbers, electricians, glass companies, drywallers and painters do their own parts. For the order the trades work in, see our guide to a bathroom renovation in Ottawa.

Bathroom renovation cost: the tile side at a glance

The bathroom tiling range covers a typical floor plus shower walls, quoted as one job. The shower items show where the money goes inside a shower. A custom walk-in shower is quoted as a whole project because its floor, curb, waterproofing and tile are built together.

Bathroom tile installation cost per square foot

If you want to price the tile area by area, these are the per-square-foot ranges from our tile installation cost guide and our guide to the cost to tile a shower.

The labour figure applies when you have bought the tile yourself. The other rows include the tile. The shower guide uses its own ranges for ceramic and porcelain, and its examples apply them to shower walls, which take longer to tile than an open floor because every row is cut around the valve, niche, corners and ceiling line. In the examples below we use the floor range for floors and the shower guide's porcelain range for shower walls, the same way the published guides do.

Small bathrooms cost more per square foot than large rooms. The setup, mixing, cutting and grouting are spread over far fewer square feet, with cuts around the toilet, tub and vanity. That is one reason the whole-bathroom range starts higher than a quick multiplication suggests.

What the tile part of a bathroom renovation includes

A bathroom tile quote is more than tile and grout. The parts underneath decide whether it lasts, and they are where quotes differ most.

The floor under the tile. Tile needs a flat, stiff floor. Bathroom floors often need low spots filled or a squeaky subfloor screwed down first, and many get an uncoupling membrane over a wood subfloor. If the old floor has to come out, removal is priced separately, at the per-square-foot range above.

Shower waterproofing. Tile and grout are not waterproof. A membrane behind and under the tile keeps water out of the walls and floor, and it is tested before tile goes on. The published range for shower waterproofing is $500 to $1,500. Our guide to how showers are waterproofed explains the systems.

The shower floor. A pre-formed base is the simplest and least expensive option. A tiled floor needs a sloped mortar bed or foam tray under the membrane, which is why it is priced on its own line. A curbless floor needs the most preparation. Our guide to shower pans vs tiled shower floors compares them.

Extras. Niches, benches, metal edge trims, a linear drain and an electric heated floor all add time and material. They have no published average on our site, so they are priced from your plans. For a heated floor, the tile installer lays and tests the cable, and a licensed electrician makes the final connection.

Shower costs: alcove, walk-in or tub-to-shower

The shower is usually the largest part of the tile budget, and the type of shower sets most of it.

A standard alcove shower is about 3 × 5 ft, with three tiled walls. Tiled 8 ft high, it has about 90 sq ft of wall tile. The published example prices porcelain walls at 90 × $12 = $1,080 to 90 × $25 = $2,250, waterproofing at $500 to $1,500, and a pre-formed base at $200 to $800. That adds up to $1,080 + $500 + $200 = $1,780 at the low end and $2,250 + $1,500 + $800 = $4,550 at the high end, so about $1,800 to $4,550.

A custom tiled walk-in shower has a tiled floor sloped to the drain, often a larger footprint, and sometimes a niche, a bench or a curbless entry. As a whole project, the published range is $5,000 to $12,000. Curbless showers sit toward the top, because the floor has to be recessed and the waterproofing extended past the entry. Our walk-in shower guide explains curbs, drains and glass.

A tub-to-shower conversion uses the same tile and waterproofing items as an alcove shower or a walk-in, depending on which floor you choose. The difference is usually the plumber moving the drain from the end of the tub. See our tub-to-shower conversion guide for what that involves.

Example bathroom tile budgets

These examples multiply the published ranges by stated areas. They cover the tile side only: no plumbing, electrical, fixtures, vanity, glass, drywall, paint or permits. Removing old wall tile and the old tub or shower is demolition, and it is not covered by a published figure, so it is left out too.

Small main bathroom with an alcove shower

Take a 5 × 9 ft bathroom with a 3 × 5 ft alcove shower in place of the tub. The floor outside the shower is 45 − 15 = 30 sq ft.

• Alcove shower, porcelain walls with waterproofing and a pre-formed base: $1,780 to $4,550, as worked out above.
• Porcelain floor tile, supplied and installed: 30 × $7.50 = $225 to 30 × $18.50 = $555.
• Removing the old floor, if needed: 30 × $0.50 = $15 to 30 × $1.75 = $52.50.

Tile side total: $1,780 + $225 = $2,005 to $4,550 + $555 = $5,105, so about $2,000 to $5,100, plus about $15 to $55 if the old floor comes out. The low end is below the published $3,500 starting point for bathroom tiling, and that is worth noticing. Adding up the bottom of every range assumes the simplest tile, a flat floor and no extras in a room where setup is spread over very few square feet. Budget toward the middle of the range or above for a small bathroom.

Ensuite with a tiled walk-in shower

Take an ensuite with a 4 × 6 ft walk-in shower tiled 8 ft high on three walls, a mosaic shower floor, and about 60 sq ft of floor tile in the rest of the room. The shower part follows the published walk-in example.

• Porcelain shower walls, about 110 sq ft: 110 × $12 = $1,320 to 110 × $25 = $2,750.
• Mosaic shower floor, 4 × 6 = 24 sq ft: 24 × $20 = $480 to 24 × $40 = $960.
• Mortar bed and membrane under the shower floor: $500 to $1,200.
• Waterproofing the walls: $500 to $1,500.
• Porcelain floor tile in the room: 60 × $7.50 = $450 to 60 × $18.50 = $1,110.

The shower adds up to $1,320 + $480 + $500 + $500 = $2,800 at the low end and $2,750 + $960 + $1,200 + $1,500 = $6,410 at the high end. With the room floor, the tile side comes to $2,800 + $450 = $3,250 to $6,410 + $1,110 = $7,520, so about $3,250 to $7,500, before a niche, bench, linear drain, heated floor or glass. Removing 60 sq ft of old floor adds 60 × $0.50 = $30 to 60 × $1.75 = $105.

The finish changes the number quickly. A marble room floor would be 60 × $25 = $1,500 to 60 × $50 = $3,000 instead of $450 to $1,110. That is why the published range for a custom walk-in shower, $5,000 to $12,000, is wide.

What drives the rest of a bathroom remodel cost

The tile side is often not the largest part of a full bathroom remodel. These items are priced by other trades, and there are no published averages for them on our site, so here is what moves them.

Moving plumbing. Keeping the toilet, vanity and shower where they are keeps the plumbing simple. Moving a drain is one of the largest cost drivers, especially when it crosses floor joists or a concrete slab, or when a ceiling below has to be opened. Changing the shower valve also adds plumbing time.

Electrical. New lighting, ground-fault protected outlets, a fan circuit and a heated floor circuit and thermostat are done by a licensed electrician, with an ESA permit. The more that changes, the more it costs.

Fixtures, vanity and counter. Toilets, faucets, valves, tubs, vanities and counters range from basic to premium, and the choice is yours.

Glass. A single fixed panel costs less than a full door with hardware. Glass is measured after the tile is finished and made to order.

Ventilation. A bathroom fan has to be ducted to the outside. Replacing a weak fan or rerouting the duct adds electrical and carpentry work, and it protects the new tile, paint and the attic above.

Demolition, drywall and paint. Removing the old bathroom, disposing of it, and finishing the walls and ceiling outside the shower are separate work. In older homes, have suspect materials tested before they are disturbed.

Permits and condo rules. Moving or adding fixtures and changing walls may need a City of Ottawa building permit. Condos often require approval, insurance, set working hours, elevator bookings and water shut-off scheduling, which add time. See condo flooring rules.

Hidden damage and contingency. Rot around the toilet flange, old leaks under the tub and soft subfloor only show up once the room is open. Keep a contingency in your budget for what nobody can see before demolition.

What's usually not included in a bathroom tile quote

A tile quote covers the tile work, and the line between trades is where surprises happen. These items are often outside it, so ask who takes care of each one:

• Removing and reinstalling the toilet, vanity and fixtures.
• Moving drains or the shower valve, and setting the valve depth.
• Wiring for a heated floor, the thermostat connection, lights and the fan.
• Demolition of the old shower, tub and wall tile, and disposal.
• Framing changes, blocking for grab bars and glass, and subfloor repairs found after demolition.
• Drywall, paint and the glass door or panel.

Ask your contractor which waterproofing system is included, whether the shower is flood-tested before tile, whether the price assumes a pre-formed base or a tiled floor, and how repairs found after demolition will be priced.

How to compare bathroom renovation quotes

Two bathroom quotes can be far apart and both be honest, because they usually describe different work. Compare them line by line, not by the total.

First, check the scope: the same floor area, the same shower walls to the same height, the same shower floor type, and the same extras such as a niche or heated floor. Next, check what goes under the tile: floor preparation, membrane and waterproofing. A low price often leaves these out. Then check who does what. A general contractor's price may include every trade; a tile contractor's price covers the tile side. Make sure nothing falls between the quotes, such as demolition or setting the toilet back. Last, check whether HST is included, because most prices are quoted before tax.

Agora gives free estimates, in person, by phone, by email or online, and a written quote for the tile, waterproofing and heated floor work. Our bathroom tile and shower page explains how we build showers.

Ways to keep the bathroom tile budget down

Keep the fixtures where they are; it saves plumbing and keeps the tile layout simple. Choose a mid-size porcelain for the walls, and save mosaic, marble and feature tile for small areas such as the shower floor or a niche. Straight or stacked layouts cost less than herringbone or diagonal. Don't cut the waterproofing or the floor preparation: they are a small share of the total and the part that protects everything else.

Frequently asked questions