Bathroom Renovation Cost in Ontario: Published Ranges and Peterborough's Permit Rules

The short answer

Four published guides put a full bathroom renovation cost at roughly $12,000 to $40,000 in 2026 (the top is a Toronto guide). Where three overlap, it is about $15,000 to $25,000 if the toilet and drain stay put. Moving either adds roughly $2,000 to $5,000. The City of Peterborough lists "installing or renovating plumbing" as work that needs a building permit, so confirm with the City before you plan a move. These are published ranges, not a quote. Someone has to look at the room to set a real number.

The price you read online depends on who wrote the guide and what they left in the number. This page lays four guides side by side, shows where they agree, and adds what the City of Peterborough's own rules and fee table do to the price. None of the guides covers Peterborough, so treat every figure as an Ontario, Toronto or Canada-wide figure, as labelled.

What four guides say a bathroom costs

All four were published or updated in 2026. Two cover Ontario, one covers Toronto and one is a Canadian table with Ontario cities. Each gives its figure for a full bathroom as a range or an average, not as a quote for any one home.

HomeStars' national guide is lower. It puts the Canadian average at about $14,500, with most homeowners spending $8,500 to $21,000 (HomeStars).

The first three ranges overlap between $15,000 and $25,000, and CostCanada's averages for Kingston, Barrie and Oshawa fall inside that band. Its Toronto figure does not. The lowest low among the four is $12,000 and the highest high is $40,000. HomeStars' Toronto guide gives its own average as $15,000 to $30,000, with most mid-range projects around $17,000. That spread is why this page gives a range and not a number.

Why the guides disagree, and what to ask of any figure

Four checks explain most of the gap.

• How many bathrooms stand behind the range? None of the four pages says. ProScore's page says its figures are "not measured from ProScore listings, contractor quotes, or a pricing survey." CostCanada's methodology page describes each city figure as the result of "a multiplier applied to national baseline costs." Read these as informed estimates, not market prices.
• Is the figure installed, or materials only? HomeStars lists ceramic tile at $8 to $15 per square foot, installed. Get a Better Quote lists ceramic at $8 to $15 per square foot for materials, then adds $8 to $15 per square foot for installation labour. On a 40 square foot shower surround (the size Get a Better Quote uses in its own example) that is $320 to $600 under one reading and $640 to $1,200 under the other.
• Is HST in it? Ontario's HST rate is 13% (Canada Revenue Agency). CostCanada says its estimates include GST/HST. The other three guides do not say. On a $20,000 figure, 13% is $2,600.
• What counts as a bathroom? ProScore prices a powder room update and a high-end ensuite as separate jobs, and HomeStars' national guide does the same at different figures. HomeStars says its whole-bathroom range leaves out extra fixtures such as a new bathtub or custom cabinetry.

The four are separate publishers, but none says which jobs its figures come from, so this page can't show that they are independent of each other. Treat the ranges as approximate, not as independent proof of each other.

Same footprint or layout change: two different jobs

The guides price these separately. Get a Better Quote's mid-range tier keeps the plumbing in the same locations. ProScore and HomeStars both list relocation as an addition to their whole-bathroom figures. Moving a toilet or shower drain is its own line in three guides: $2,000 to $5,000 in HomeStars' Toronto guide (which adds "or more") and in Get a Better Quote, and $2,000 to $6,000 in ProScore. Get a Better Quote says the cost comes from a job that "usually involves opening the floor and re-routing drain and vent lines."

Say you have a bathroom with the tub, toilet and vanity along the walls. This is a hypothetical, worked out from the figures above. It is not a quote for any job.

Case B is Case A plus the $2,000 to $5,000 where the three guides' ranges overlap for a drain move. Finish level moves both rows up or down.

Tub to shower, and the shower membrane

Swapping a tub for a shower is a choice between two lines. HomeStars puts shower installation at $8,000 to $15,000, and describes it as new flooring, wall tiles and accessories. ProScore puts a walk-in shower conversion at $5,000 to $12,000. Together that is roughly $5,000 to $15,000. A new tub is the cheaper line in both: $2,500 to $5,000 in HomeStars and $2,000 to $6,000 in ProScore.

Ask two things about a shower quote. First, whether the shower goes where the tub was and the drain stays where it is. If the drain moves, you are in Case B. Second, whether the whole-bathroom figure already contains the shower. HomeStars' whole-bathroom range leaves out a new bathtub.

The waterproofing membrane behind shower tile is priced two ways. ProScore says $1,000 to $2,500 per wet area. Get a Better Quote says $3 to $6 per square foot installed, which is $120 to $240 on a 40 square foot surround. Both guides call the membrane essential. Ask the estimate to list it as its own line and say what it includes.

What the City of Peterborough adds

The City's list of projects that need a building permit (as of October 27, 2026) includes "installing or renovating plumbing" and "installing, changing or removing partitions and load-bearing walls." Its list of projects that do not need one includes "reinstalling/replacing kitchen or bathroom cupboards without plumbing." It also says plumbing permits are required "for any new plumbing, or modifications to an existing plumbing system."

A moved drain is a change to the plumbing system, so the City's wording points to a permit for Case B. Whether Case A needs one depends on how the City counts the fixture work. Rules differ by property and change, so confirm with Building Services before you start.

The City's 2026 fee table lists residential alterations at $34.00 per $1,000 of construction value plus a $62.50 administrative fee, with a $235 minimum. The application asks for the market value of the construction, and the fee follows it. The table lists a plumbing and mechanical permit for ten fixtures or fewer at $146, plus the $62.50 fee. On a hypothetical $20,000 job the alteration line is $742.50, about 3.7% of the job, and the plumbing line is $208.50. The City decides which line your job falls under.

Those are City of Peterborough rules. If your home is in a township, a different office issues the permit, with its own fees. Renovation permits around Peterborough lists the six offices.

On electrical work, the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) says hired work in your home must be done by a Licensed Electrical Contractor. It says a homeowner or occupant doing their own electrical work files any required notification of work with the ESA. It lists some exemptions and narrower cases, so ask the ESA (who can do electrical work at my property).

If the bathroom is being made accessible

The Home Accessibility Tax Credit is for a qualifying individual: someone eligible for the disability tax credit, or aged 65 or older at the end of the year. In the usual case the home is one that person owns and ordinarily lives in, or expects to. CRA also lets an eligible individual, such as a spouse or certain relatives, claim for a qualifying individual. The conditions are on CRA's page, and the home accessibility tax credit page covers them in more detail. Up to $20,000 a year of eligible expenses can be claimed, and the credit is non-refundable (it can lower the tax you owe but is not paid out as a refund). A renovation done mainly to raise the home's value does not qualify, and neither does buying appliances (CRA).

This is not tax advice. Ask an accountant. If the bathroom is part of a new suite for a parent, a different credit may apply: see the multigenerational home renovation tax credit.

What the appraisers say about resale value

From a range to a number

A range can't see the floor, the walls or the drain. The only way to get a real number is to have someone look at the space. Before you compare quotes, ask each one to state:

• whether HST is in the price
• which permits it includes, and who applies for them
• whether tile is priced installed or as materials
• whether the shower membrane and any drain work are separate lines
• whether the shower or tub is included

Gilbert Brothers gives a free estimate at your home, and the quote for the whole job comes before work starts. Start at the bathroom renovations page or get in touch. The kitchen version of this page is kitchen renovation cost in Ontario.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Ontario?+

Published guides put a full bathroom at about $12,000 to $40,000 in 2026, and at $15,000 to $25,000 where three of them overlap on a job that keeps the plumbing in place. Those are published ranges, not a quote. The only way to get a real number is to have someone look at the space.

Do I need a permit to move a toilet in Peterborough?+

The City of Peterborough lists "installing or renovating plumbing" as work that needs a building permit, and says plumbing permits are required for modifications to an existing plumbing system. Confirm with Building Services before you start. If your home is in a township, call that township's building office.

Are bathroom renovation prices still rising?+

Statistics Canada's bathroom remodel price index rose 1.4% in Toronto, 2.0% in the Ontario part of Ottawa-Gatineau and 2.5% in London in the year to the second quarter of 2026. Peterborough has no index of its own. The percentages are calculated from the index in Statistics Canada table 18-10-0286-01.

Is there a standard cost per square foot for a bathroom?+

Not one worth relying on. A per-square-foot figure only works if you know the room size it assumes and what it includes, and the guides above differ on what a figure includes. Ask for a price for the whole job.

Who files the electrical notification for a bathroom renovation?+

The Electrical Safety Authority says the person doing the electrical work files a notification of work with the ESA, and that a Licensed Electrical Contractor files it when you hire one (ESA). Ask your estimate to say who files what.

Will a bathroom renovation pay for itself when I sell?+

The Appraisal Institute of Canada's brochure, How to Value Your Renovations, lists a bathroom among its top five renovations for return on investment, for a renovation or addition with quality of materials and workmanship consistent with the home and the area. The institute's 2023 consumer guide adds that the return "tends to vary from market to market" and that it is "uncommon to fully re-coup the amount you paid for a renovation." Neither document gives a percentage, and neither does this page. The brochure says a professional real estate appraiser can help you understand what a renovation contributes to the value of the property.