Bathroom remodeling in South Jersey
A midrange bathroom remodel cost $27,7671 in the Philadelphia market in the 2025 Cost vs. Value report, the closest surveyed market to Camden County and a bit above the $26,1382 national figure. The bigger local factor is the age of the house: 71%3 of Camden County homes were built before 1980, so plan for older pipes and floors under the tile.
Calls are recorded. One independent company that handles bathroom remodels in the South Jersey area answers.
Updated October 12, 2026
What a bathroom costs on this side of the river
Cost vs. Value doesn't survey a South Jersey market of its own. Philadelphia, across the Delaware, is the nearest city it prices, and its 2025 page is the newest edition.
| Measure | Philadelphia market | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| Midrange bathroom remodel, job cost | $27,7671 | $26,1382 |
| Upscale bathroom remodel, job cost | $85,3341 | $81,6122 |
| Universal-design bathroom remodel, job cost | $45,7491 | $42,1832 |
All three Philadelphia jobs come in a little above the national averages. Read them as a yardstick for a typical job; relocating a toilet or shower drain, and whatever turns up behind old tile, are what push a real quote up or down.
When Camden County's houses went up
Census counts of homes by decade built, for Camden County and for Burlington County next door, home to Willingboro and its Levitt-built ranchers.
| Measure | Camden County | Burlington County |
|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1980 | 71%3 | 55%3 |
| Homes built 1950–1969 | 31%3 | 25%3 |
| Homes built before 1940 | 17%3 | 10%3 |
Camden County's housing runs older than its neighbor's, with close to a third of it from the 1950s and 1960s. A bathroom from that era may still have its first tile and pipes, or a decades-old redo layered over them, so ask how the company prices what it finds once the walls are open.
What homes here are worth
Median value of owner-occupied homes from the same Census survey. Keeping a remodel in line with the house's value matters when it's time to sell.
What bathroom trades earn in the metro
BLS publishes wages for the whole Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington metro and doesn't break out South Jersey. Median hourly pay for the four trades a bathroom usually needs:
| Measure | Philadelphia metro | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers, median hourly wage | $35.99/hr5 | $30.67/hr5 |
| Electricians, median hourly wage | $35.86/hr5 | $30.38/hr5 |
| Carpenters, median hourly wage | $29.70/hr5 | $29.12/hr5 |
| Tile and stone setters, median hourly wage | $34.01/hr5 | $26.77/hr5 |
Every one of these trades earns more here than the national median, and tile setters by the widest margin. That gap helps explain why Philadelphia-area bathroom prices sit above the national averages.
Weather at Philadelphia International
The airport sits just across the river from Camden County. Freezing winter nights and muggy July afternoons both reach the bathroom: supply pipes in outside walls need insulation, and shower steam needs a fan ducted outdoors.
Permits
New Jersey uses one construction code statewide, but the permit itself comes from the construction office in your own town, such as Cherry Hill's code enforcement department. Swapping a vanity, toilet or tub for a similar one in the same spot is ordinary maintenance with no permit; moving fixtures or rearranging the room brings in a permit, and in a detached house only a licensed master plumber or the homeowner may do the fixture work. The state's pages don't list fees or review times, so ask your town's office or the company to plan for them.
- New Jersey's construction code is the same statewide, with no separate local requirements; municipally employed, state-licensed construction officials and inspectors enforce it, and the owner or the owner's agent, such as the contractor, is responsible for getting the permits.8
- In Cherry Hill, the township's Department of Code Enforcement and Inspections makes sure all construction work in the township meets the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code and issues construction permits.9
- Work the code defines as ordinary maintenance needs no permit and no notice to the local code office.10
- Replacing a plumbing fixture with a similar one, without changing the piping arrangement, counts as ordinary maintenance, as does replacing faucets, valves, traps or a dishwasher.10
- In one- and two-family homes, minor work includes renovations that don't alter primary structural members, adding fixtures where the water and drain lines don't need to be enlarged, and up to five new outlets on existing circuits.11
- Minor work still needs a permit, but it can start once the local code office has been notified; each trade then gets one final inspection of what is visible, within three business days of the request.12
- In a detached single-family home, only the homeowner working on their own home or a New Jersey licensed master plumber may replace plumbing fixtures as ordinary maintenance; a home improvement contractor registration alone doesn't allow it under the state's master plumber licensing law.13
Checked October 12, 2026
Before you hire
In New Jersey, ask for the company's home improvement contractor business registration number and confirm it's active with the Division of Consumer Affairs, because registering takes proof of at least $500,00024 per occurrence in liability insurance.
Talk to a pro who handles bathroom remodels in South Jersey
Calls are recorded. You'll be connected to one independent company that handles bathroom remodels in your area. We never call or text you. Privacy Policy ·Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
Bathrooms in South Jersey's postwar houses
31%3 of Camden County homes were built between 1950 and 1969, and in Burlington County the share is 25%3. Those are the ranchers, Cape Cods and split-levels of places like Cherry Hill and Willingboro, where the hall bath may already have been redone once.
Before anything is torn out, ask about two materials common in houses of that age. The EPA lists vinyl floor tile, vinyl sheet backing and flooring adhesives among products that may contain asbestos, which is released mainly when the material is disturbed.14 The EPA advises having an accredited asbestos professional inspect before a remodel that could disturb suspect materials, and not sanding or power-stripping suspect flooring yourself.15
The EPA notes that lead can collect inside galvanized pipe and later reach drinking water, and that solder made before 1986 contained high levels of lead.16 If the supply lines turn out to be galvanized, ask for a price to replace them while the wall is open.
Making the bathroom work as you age
More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.17 The CDC's home fall-prevention checklist recommends grab bars in and beside the tub and next to the toilet, and a non-slip surface on tub and shower floors.18 The National Institute on Aging suggests non-skid surfaces wherever a floor can get wet and a light left on in the bathroom at night.19
In the Philadelphia market, a universal-design bathroom cost $45,7491 in the 2025 Cost vs. Value report, against $42,1832 nationally. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.20 If you plan to stay in a one-story rancher for the long run, say so on the call and ask what the company has built for owners with the same goal.
What happens when you call
When you call the number on this page, the call is recorded and connects you with one independent company that handles bathroom remodels in the South Jersey area. You discuss the job, the schedule and the price with that company directly.
That company pays us for the call. You pay us nothing, and we never call or text you. How we make money
After you're connected
Before you sign or hand over a deposit, check the company yourself. The Division of Consumer Affairs' License Verification System is a real-time lookup; its Business Search finds home improvement contractor businesses by business name, license number or city and lists each one's registration number, license type, status and city.21 Check a New Jersey license
Questions people ask
What does a bathroom remodel cost in South Jersey?
Cost vs. Value doesn't price South Jersey separately. In its 2025 Philadelphia figures, a midrange bathroom remodel cost $27,7671 and an upscale one $85,3341. Your own price depends on the room's size, whether fixtures move, and what's behind the old tile.
Do I need a permit to redo a bathroom in New Jersey?
Not for everything. Work the code defines as ordinary maintenance needs no permit and no notice to the local code office.10 Replacing a plumbing fixture with a similar one, without changing the piping arrangement, counts as ordinary maintenance, as does replacing faucets, valves, traps or a dishwasher.10 Work beyond that goes through your town's construction office. In one- and two-family homes, minor work includes renovations that don't alter primary structural members, adding fixtures where the water and drain lines don't need to be enlarged, and up to five new outlets on existing circuits.11 Minor work still needs a permit, but it can start once the local code office has been notified; each trade then gets one final inspection of what is visible, within three business days of the request.12
Can a remodeling contractor swap the toilet and vanity without a plumber?
In a detached single-family home, only the homeowner working on their own home or a New Jersey licensed master plumber may replace plumbing fixtures as ordinary maintenance; a home improvement contractor registration alone doesn't allow it under the state's master plumber licensing law.13 Ask on the call whether a master plumber will handle that part of the job. New Jersey's State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers licenses master plumbers, who must renew their licenses every two years, and investigates plumbers who break the state's consumer protection laws.22
How do I check a contractor in New Jersey?
New Jersey registers home improvement contractor businesses rather than licensing them, and the Division of Consumer Affairs has warned that some contractors wrongly call their registration a 'license'.23 The Division of Consumer Affairs' License Verification System is a real-time lookup; its Business Search finds home improvement contractor businesses by business name, license number or city and lists each one's registration number, license type, status and city.21 Check a New Jersey license
Sources
Page updated October 12, 2026. How we source our numbers
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Released 2025. Philadelphia, PA (Cost vs. Value market). Industry source.
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, national. Released 2025. United States. Industry source.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25034. Released January 29, 2026. Camden County, New Jersey, Burlington County, New Jersey.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25077. Released January 29, 2026. Camden County, New Jersey, Burlington County, New Jersey.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Released May 15, 2026. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro, Plumbers, United States, Electricians, United States, Carpenters, United States, Tile and stone setters, United States.
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. Released 2021. Philadelphia International Airport (station USW00013739).
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Comparative Climatic Data, average relative humidity, period of record through 2018. Released November 2024. Philadelphia International Airport (WBAN 13739).
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards, The New Jersey State Uniform Construction Code: General Information. Released May 2006. View source.
- Township of Cherry Hill, Building Inspection & Code. No publication date. View source.
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2, Uniform Construction Code: Administration and Enforcement. Released August 17, 2026. View source.
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards, Significant Changes to Minor Work and Ordinary Maintenance. Released March 5, 2018. View source.
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards, Construction Code Communicator, Vol. 35 No. 3, Fall 2023: Minor Work… or Not?!. Released 2023. View source.
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Construction Code Communicator, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Fall 2010): Ordinary Maintenance – Plumbing Fixture Replacements. Released 2010. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Learn About Asbestos. Released July 13, 2026. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos. Released June 25, 2026. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sources of Lead in Drinking Water. Released August 2017. View source.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About Older Adult Falls. Released September 4, 2026. View source.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, STEADI: Check for Safety, a home fall prevention checklist for older adults. No publication date. View source.
- National Institute on Aging, Preventing Falls at Home: Room by Room. Released September 12, 2022. View source.
- National Association of Home Builders, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). No publication date. View source. Industry source.
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, License Verification System. No publication date. View source.
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers. Released December 4, 2023. View source.
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor Business: Alerts. Released December 4, 2024. View source.
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor Business: Frequently Asked Questions. Released March 3, 2025. New Jersey.