Most primary bathrooms in Yardley and Lower Makefield's 1980s–2000s colonials were drawn by a builder who gave the closet more square footage than the bath. Five by eight feet of bathroom, a single-sink vanity, a tub-shower combination, and a door that hits the toilet. Next to it, a walk-in closet that could hold a small car. When a homeowner asks us to "make the bathroom bigger," the answer is usually in that closet, and the project runs $65,000–$90,000 in 2026 when we combine the two rooms into a real primary suite with the plumbing moved to where it should have been. This is the story of one that also picked up a laundry.

We're a design-build firm in Ambler, about thirty minutes from Yardley, and Lower Makefield is one of the Bucks County townships we work in most.

The Problem: Two Rooms, Wrong Sizes

A couple in a 1994 colonial in one of the Lower Makefield developments off Big Oak Road had exactly that layout. The bath was small enough that one of them showered while the other waited in the bedroom, and the closet next door had a dead corner nobody could reach. What they actually wanted wasn't a bigger bathroom. It was a morning that didn't involve taking turns, and, if we could manage it, not carrying laundry down two flights of stairs.

What We Did

We took the wall between the bath and the closet out, reallocated the combined space, and rebuilt both rooms. The bath grew to roughly nine by twelve feet. The closet shrank to a well-organized reach-in with built-ins that holds more usable clothing than the walk-in did, because the dead corner is gone.

The layout followed the same logic as our Spa & Laundry Master Bath in the portfolio, a primary bathroom redesigned to incorporate a full laundry area inside the suite, with wood-look plank porcelain on the floor, soft brown-veined marble-look tile on the walls, and champagne bronze fixtures. That's rare, and it requires careful planning, but when the mechanicals allow it, a washer and dryer in the primary suite changes how a house lives.

  • The shower moved to the far wall. A 60-inch curbless walk-in with a bench, a niche, and frameless glass, where the closet's back wall used to be.
  • The vanity went double, on the long wall, with a quartz top, two sinks, and drawer storage under each.
  • The toilet got its own alcove with a pocket door, so the room works for two people at once.
  • A stacked washer and dryer went into a closet within the suite, behind a door, with a proper dryer vent to the exterior and a drain pan.
  • Heated tile floor throughout, on a programmable thermostat.

Six weeks on site, about $82,000 all in, and the couple has not taken turns since.

What Moving Plumbing Actually Costs

This is the question that decides whether a project like this is $55,000 or $85,000. Keeping every fixture where it is limits you to what the builder drew. Moving them costs money, but less than people think when the house cooperates.

  • Moving a shower or tub drain: $2,500–$6,000. The cost depends on whether we can get to the joists from below. In a two-story colonial with a finished ceiling underneath, we open the ceiling, run the new drain, and patch. Over a garage or unfinished basement, it's easy.
  • Moving a toilet: $1,500–$4,000. A toilet needs a 3-inch drain with correct slope back to the stack. Distance and joist direction decide the price.
  • Relocating supply lines: $1,000–$3,000. Usually the easy part.
  • Adding laundry: $3,000–$7,000. Hot and cold supply, a drain with a standpipe, a dryer vent to the outside, a dedicated 30-amp circuit for the dryer, and a 20-amp for the washer.

Total plumbing and electrical relocation in the Yardley project was about $11,000. That's the difference between a bathroom that's bigger and a bathroom that's right. If the numbers matter to you, our bathroom cost guide lays out the full tier structure.

What 1980s–2000s Colonials Hand Us

These houses are far easier than the stone homes we work on in Newtown Borough or the Main Line, which is why a project this ambitious lands under $90,000. Drywall instead of plaster. 200-amp panels, usually with room. Engineered joists or dimensional lumber that's straight. The things to watch: the original bath fan almost always vents into the attic (we duct it to a roof cap), the tub-shower surround is often a one-piece fiberglass unit set on drywall with no waterproofing behind it, and the subfloor under the old tub sometimes needs replacing once we see it.

When It's Worth It

The closet-to-suite conversion makes sense when the closet is oversized, the bath is undersized, and you'll be in the house three years or more. It's the single most transformative bathroom project we do in Lower Makefield, and the one homeowners tell us they'd do again first. If the primary bath is small but the closet is too, the answer is a very good bathroom inside the existing walls, which runs $55,000–$75,000 and is still a real upgrade. Our heated floors guide covers the upgrade we'd never leave out of either version.

Permits go through Lower Makefield Township, or Yardley Borough if you're in the Borough, and we file and inspect inside our standard scope. If you've been taking turns in a five-by-eight bathroom, fill out our inquiry form, or read more about bathroom remodeling in Yardley, Newtown, and our approach to custom bathroom renovations.

What a project like this costs today is on our bathroom remodel cost guide, and the room-by-room detail for Lower Makefield is on our bathroom remodeling in Yardley, PA page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a primary bathroom remodel cost in Yardley, PA?

In 2026, a full primary bath remodel inside the existing walls runs $55,000–$75,000. Combining the bath with an adjacent closet into a larger suite, with plumbing relocated and a laundry added, runs $65,000–$90,000.

Can I turn a walk-in closet into part of my bathroom?

Yes, and in Lower Makefield's 1980s–2000s colonials it's often the best move, because the builder gave the closet more space than the bath. We remove the partition, redistribute the space, and rebuild the closet as an efficient reach-in with built-ins.

How much does it cost to move plumbing in a bathroom remodel?

Moving a shower drain runs $2,500–$6,000, a toilet $1,500–$4,000, and supply lines $1,000–$3,000. Adding a laundry to the suite is $3,000–$7,000 for plumbing, venting, and electrical. A full relocation typically totals $8,000–$15,000.

Can you put a washer and dryer in a primary bathroom?

Yes, when the dryer can vent to the exterior and there's room for a drain and dedicated circuits. A stacked unit in a closet within the suite, behind a door with a drain pan, is the layout we use most.

Do I need a permit for a bathroom remodel in Lower Makefield Township?

Yes for plumbing, electrical, and any wall removal, which covers a closet conversion. We handle the application and all inspections with Lower Makefield Township or Yardley Borough as part of our scope.