Atlas variant · DIY edition
Best DIY-friendly states for bathroom remodels — 2026.
A composite ranking of how easy it is for a homeowner to remodel a bathroom themselves — combining permit simplicity, big-box retail density (Wayfair / Build.com / Floor & Decor presence + same-week vanity availability), and tile-shower waterproofing difficulty (the #1 DIY trap in bathrooms). DIY-remodeled bathrooms typically save 30% of the total cost — see your state-specific savings below.
50 states · DIY scoring per methodology below
| State | Permits | Retail | Climate | DIY score | DIY savings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 TXTexas | 8/10 | 9/10 | 6/10 | 74 | ~$7,100 | Read guide |
 OKOklahoma | 8/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 70 | ~$6,200 | Read guide |
 ARArkansas | 8/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 68 | ~$6,100 | Read guide |
 KSKansas | 8/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 68 | ~$6,300 | Read guide |
 INIndiana | 7/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 67 | ~$6,300 | Read guide |
 TNTennessee | 7/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 67 | ~$6,600 | Read guide |
 GAGeorgia | 6/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 66 | ~$6,900 | Read guide |
 NCNorth Carolina | 6/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 66 | ~$7,000 | Read guide |
 OHOhio | 6/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 66 | ~$6,600 | Read guide |
 FLFlorida | 5/10 | 9/10 | 6/10 | 65 | ~$7,100 | Read guide |
 SCSouth Carolina | 6/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 64 | ~$6,800 | Read guide |
 ALAlabama | 7/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 63 | ~$6,200 | Read guide |
 AZArizona | 5/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 63 | ~$7,100 | Read guide |
 KYKentucky | 7/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 63 | ~$6,400 | Read guide |
 MSMississippi | 7/10 | 5/10 | 6/10 | 61 | ~$6,000 | Read guide |
 IDIdaho | 6/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 60 | ~$6,600 | Read guide |
 ILIllinois | 4/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 60 | ~$6,800 | Read guide |
 COColorado | 5/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 59 | ~$8,200 | Read guide |
 MIMichigan | 5/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 59 | ~$6,500 | Read guide |
 MNMinnesota | 5/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 59 | ~$7,100 | Read guide |
 NVNevada | 5/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 59 | ~$7,500 | Read guide |
 UTUtah | 5/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 59 | ~$7,300 | Read guide |
 WVWest Virginia | 7/10 | 5/10 | 6/10 | 59 | ~$6,100 | Read guide |
 WIWisconsin | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 57 | ~$6,600 | Read guide |
 PAPennsylvania | 4/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 56 | ~$7,300 | Read guide |
 DEDelaware | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$7,500 | Read guide |
 IAIowa | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$6,200 | Read guide |
 LALouisiana | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$6,600 | Read guide |
 MEMaine | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$8,000 | Read guide |
 MOMissouri | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$6,500 | Read guide |
 MTMontana | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$6,900 | Read guide |
 NENebraska | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$6,200 | Read guide |
 NHNew Hampshire | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$8,200 | Read guide |
 NMNew Mexico | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$6,700 | Read guide |
 NDNorth Dakota | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$6,200 | Read guide |
 OROregon | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$8,000 | Read guide |
 RIRhode Island | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$8,700 | Read guide |
 SDSouth Dakota | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$6,100 | Read guide |
 VTVermont | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$7,900 | Read guide |
 VAVirginia | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$7,700 | Read guide |
 WAWashington | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$8,400 | Read guide |
 WYWyoming | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 55 | ~$6,900 | Read guide |
 MDMaryland | 3/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 51 | ~$8,600 | Read guide |
 NJNew Jersey | 3/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 51 | ~$9,200 | Read guide |
 CACalifornia | 2/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 50 | ~$10,000 | Read guide |
 CTConnecticut | 3/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 49 | ~$9,300 | Read guide |
 MAMassachusetts | 3/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 49 | ~$9,500 | Read guide |
 NYNew York | 2/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 48 | ~$10,000 | Read guide |
 AKAlaska | 5/10 | 3/10 | 6/10 | 47 | ~$9,700 | Read guide |
 HIHawaii | 3/10 | 4/10 | 6/10 | 43 | ~$11,100 | Read guide |
Main atlas
Bathroom cost by state
Full 50-state sortable cost table.
Open atlas
First-time buyer
Cheapest mid-grade states
Pre-filtered to below-midpoint affordable picks.
See cheapest
ROI atlas
Best ROI bathroom picks
Which states return the most when the home sells.
See ROI
What states are most DIY-friendly for bathroom in 2026?
The top-5 most DIY-friendly states for a 2026 bathroom remodel: Texas (score 74/100), Oklahoma (score 70/100), Arkansas (score 68/100), Kansas (score 68/100), Indiana (score 67/100). These states share three traits: streamlined home-rule permitting, dense big-box bathroom retail (Floor & Decor + Wayfair distribution + Home Depot Pro Desk presence within 30 minutes of most metros), and a deep sub-contractor market for the parts you can't DIY (waterproofing inspection, licensed plumbing reroute).
How much can I save by DIY-remodeling a bathroom?
Labor typically runs 30% of a fully-installed bathroom cost, so DIY savings on a $22,000 remodel land around $6,600. The most DIY-friendly tasks: demolition, vanity removal + replacement, faucet + toilet swap, painting, peel-and-stick floor tile, mounting a pre-fab medicine cabinet, and installing an acrylic tub-shower combo. Tasks that need a pro: tile shower waterproofing (Schluter / Kerdi membrane), licensed plumbing reroute, and electrical work for heated floors or new GFCI circuits.
Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom myself?
Most states allow homeowner-permits for cosmetic bathroom work (vanity swap, toilet replacement, light-fixture swap, like-for-like faucet replacement). Permits are required for: any plumbing reroute (moving the toilet or shower drain), tile-shower waterproofing inspection in some jurisdictions, electrical work (new GFCI circuit, heated floors), and structural changes. Always check your local building department — even within "easy permit" states, a few municipalities have stricter local rules.
What's the easiest bathroom scope to DIY?
A "fixture-swap" refresh is the clear answer for 2026: new vanity + faucet, new toilet, new light fixture, new mirror, fresh paint, and peel-and-stick floor tile. Most homeowners complete the full refresh in a weekend for under $1,500 — and capture most of the visual ROI of a $12K mid-tier remodel. The biggest DIY trap to avoid: full custom tile showers, where a single waterproofing-membrane mistake will cost $5K+ to fix when the shower starts leaking 18 months later.
Which states are the worst for DIY bathroom remodels?
Hardest-to-DIY states cluster around three factors: strict permitting (CA, NY, MA, NJ, CT — multi-step submissions, sometimes mandatory inspector approval for waterproofing membrane installation), thin sub-contractor markets for the must-hire-out work (HI, AK, WY — months-long waits for licensed plumbers), and limited big-box retail density (VT, ND, ME — long drives for vanity pickups and tile selection). In these states, the cost of a general contractor managed remodel is often justified by the avoided friction.