Bathroom Remodeling in Tennessee

It depends on price and county. Statewide, a contractor's license is required before bidding any project of $25,000 or more (TN Board for Licensing Contractors). For projects between $3,000 and $24,999, a home improvement license is required in nine counties — including Davidson, Shelby, and Knox, which cover Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville. Check any license at verify.tn.gov.

National benchmarks apply well here: the average bathroom remodel is $12,142, with most projects between $2,500 and $30,000 (Angi 2026). A midrange full remodel runs about $26,138 and a universal-design bathroom about $42,183 (Zonda Cost vs. Value 2025). Note that many Tennessee remodels fall in the $3,000–$24,999 band that triggers the home improvement license requirement in the big-metro counties.

Use the state's official verification site, verify.tn.gov, which covers both full contractor licenses and home improvement licenses. Confirm the license is active, matches the business name on your contract, and carries a monetary limit at or above your project cost.

Permits are handled by local codes departments. In Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville, moving plumbing fixtures, altering drains, or running new electrical circuits generally requires permits and inspections, while like-for-like cosmetic replacement usually does not. Your contractor should pull permits — that's standard practice for licensed pros.

Yes — Tennessee's occasional hard freezes are notorious for bursting pipes precisely because homes here are often built with plumbing in crawl spaces, attics, and exterior walls. If you're remodeling, it costs little to insulate supply lines, keep new plumbing out of exterior walls, and add shutoffs so you can isolate the bathroom during a cold snap.

Homes plumbed in the 1940s–60s commonly used galvanized steel supply pipe, which lasts about 40–50 years (Roto-Rooter), and cast-iron drains last roughly 50–60 years (InterNACHI). In older Memphis and Knoxville neighborhoods especially (median build years 1970 and 1974, per ACS), remodelers frequently find corroded galvanized lines and scaling cast iron behind the walls — replacing them during the remodel avoids opening finished walls later.

Nationally, a midrange bathroom remodel ($26,138) recoups about 80% of its cost at resale (Zonda Cost vs. Value 2025) — among the best returns of any interior project. In fast-appreciating markets like Nashville, an updated bathroom is a strong differentiator; in older housing stock like Memphis's, it can be near-essential for competitive listings.

A walk-in tub averages about $13,100 installed (HomeAdvisor 2025), and a full universal-design bathroom remodel averages $42,183, recouping about 61% at resale (Zonda Cost vs. Value 2025). A more budget-friendly path is a tub-to-shower conversion with grab bars and a low or zero threshold, which averages about $3,000 (Angi 2026).