Bathroom Remodeling in Union, NJ
Bathrooms in Union's postwar housing are usually a standard 5-by-8 with a 60-inch alcove tub. That predictability is useful: the fixtures fit known dimensions, and the surprises at demolition are fewer than in an older house.
- NJ HIC Reg. #13VH12107200
- Based in Irvington
- 14+ years in North Jersey
Union Township's housing went up mostly in the 1950s and early 60s, and its bathrooms reflect that era's conventions closely. The typical one is 40 to 45 square feet with a 60-inch alcove tub on the wet wall, a toilet, and a vanity or wall-hung sink. Many houses have a second bathroom, either a primary bath off the main bedroom or a half bath on the lower level of a split.
- Median year built
- 1956of 22,068 housing units
- Built before 1940
- 20.4%60.6% before 1960
- Single-family detached
- 62.7%85.7% in 1–4 unit buildings
- Owner-occupied
- 71.5%9.05 sq mi, Union County
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates. Figures describe Union township, Union County, NJ.
What postwar construction means for a bathroom
The advantage of a 1956 bathroom over a 1926 one is predictability. Alcove dimensions are standard, which means replacement tubs and shower pans fit without modification. Framing is regular. Walls are drywall or plaster over rock lath rather than plaster over wood lath. Supply piping is more often copper than galvanized steel.
That does not mean nothing goes wrong. The two failures we find most often here are a tub surround that has been leaking behind the tile for years, damaging the subfloor at the apron and sometimes the framing below, and a bathroom exhaust fan ducted into the attic instead of outside, which moves the moisture problem into the roof structure rather than solving it.
The other thing worth establishing early is what sits below the bathroom. A ranch on a slab, a split-level with a room underneath, and a colonial over an open basement each present a different answer to whether fixtures can move and whether a curbless shower is realistic.
What we handle in a Union bathroom
Full remodels, shower rebuilds, tub-to-shower conversions, walk-in showers, tile, vanities and accessible layouts, with the plumbing, electrical and framing that goes with them. Permits filed with the township.
Two bathrooms both needing work? There is a sensible way to sequence that. Worth a call.
Call (862) 218-7292Tub-to-Shower Conversions in Union
The standard alcove in these houses is close to ideal for conversion: 60 inches long and 30 to 32 deep, which makes a genuinely comfortable shower. The tub comes out, the drain relocates from the tub position near the wall to a shower position nearer the center with correct fall and venting, and the alcove is rebuilt with a proper waterproof assembly and tile. Over a basement or a lower level, the drain work is straightforward; over a slab it means cutting concrete, which is a bigger job. One to two weeks and a permit. See tub-to-shower conversion.
Walk-In Showers in Union
A low-curb walk-in with a single fixed glass panel is the most-requested finish here and it suits these rooms well, nothing swings into the vanity and the room reads considerably larger. Whether a fully curbless entry is realistic comes down to what is under the floor: over a basement or a lower level, the shower floor can be recessed from below; over a slab it is harder. A linear drain lets the floor slope in one plane, allowing large-format tile and catching water before it reaches the bathroom floor. See walk-in showers.
Bathtub Replacement in Union
Colored fixtures from the 1950s and 60s are the usual reason for a replacement here rather than any failure. These tubs are frequently sound. Steel and early acrylic tubs come out whole; where cast iron was used, it usually gets broken up in place. The important expectation to set is that the surround comes with the tub, because the tile laps the flange and matching decades-old tile is not realistic. This is also the moment to replace the valve with a pressure-balancing type. See bathtub replacement.
Full Bathroom Remodels in Union
Three to four weeks of active work if the layout stays put, and in these houses the layout usually can stay put because it was sensible to begin with. Everything comes out to the studs and subfloor, damage at the tub apron and around the flange gets repaired, plumbing and electrical are brought up to current requirements, the fan gets ducted properly to the outside, and the room is rebuilt. Because there is less to discover here than in a prewar house, estimates tend to hold. See full bathroom remodeling.
Bathroom Tile in Union
Floors in postwar houses are generally flatter and stiffer than in the prewar stock, which makes large-format tile realistic without extensive preparation. Where the bathroom is over a slab, the substrate is excellent and radiant heat is worth considering, since a slab floor is genuinely cold underfoot. Whatever goes down, movement joints at every change of plane take flexible sealant rather than grout, which is the reason old bathrooms crack in the same corner year after year. See bathroom tile.
Bathroom Vanities in Union
The standard 5-by-8 will usually carry a 30- or 36-inch vanity comfortably, and in a primary bath a 48- or 60-inch unit is often possible. Below 60 inches, a double sink means two cramped bowls with nowhere to put anything, so a single sink with generous counter is normally the better room. Comfort height at 34 to 36 inches is now standard and suits most adults better than the 30-inch cabinets these houses were built with. See bathroom vanities.
Accessible Bathroom Remodeling in Union
Ranches have a real advantage here: everything is on one level, so a fully accessible bathroom does not depend on solving a staircase. Within the room, a low-curb or curbless entry, a wider door, a comfort-height toilet, a hand shower on a slide bar and solid blocking for grab bars are all straightforward during a remodel. In a split-level, the half-flight between levels is a genuine constraint, and it is worth planning around which bathroom is on which level. See accessible bathroom remodeling.
Permits and inspections in Union
Union Township's Building Department issues and inspects construction permits under New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code. Bathroom work altering plumbing or electrical requires one, which covers a shower rebuild with a new valve, a tub-to-shower conversion and any full remodel. Rough plumbing and electrical are inspected before anything covers them.
Township of Union, Building Department
- Department: Building Department
- Address: 1976 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
- Phone: 908-851-8509
Contact details verified September 2026. Permit requirements depend on your specific scope of work and can change, so the department above is the authority on what your project needs, not this page.
Where we work in Union
Across the township, Vauxhall, Battle Hill, Putnam Manor and the neighborhoods toward Springfield, Elizabeth and Cranford.
Bathroom work in Union
Tell us the room, and what is on the floor below it. That is most of what we need to be useful.
Where Union sits, and where we work
Union Township spans about nine square miles of Union County between Hillside, Irvington, Maplewood, Springfield, Elizabeth and Cranford.
Union boundary map not yet published.
Import maps/kml/union-nj.kml into Google My Maps, then paste the embed URL into
src/_data/locations/union-nj.json.
Township of Union covers about 9.05 square miles of Union County. Boundary drawn from U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line data.
Bathroom questions from Union homeowners
Our tub is pink. Can it just be replaced?
The tub, yes. The tile around it, almost certainly also yes, and that is the part people do not expect. The tile laps over the tub flange, so removing the tub means breaking at least the lower courses, and matching sixty-year-old tile is not realistic. Plan on a tub and a surround together rather than a tub swap.
Is a curbless shower possible in a ranch on a slab?
It is more difficult, because a curbless shower needs the shower floor to sit below the surrounding floor and on a slab you cannot drop the framing. There are approaches involving recessing into or building over the slab, and they are more work. A two-inch curb delivers most of the benefit and is considerably simpler. Where the bathroom is over a basement or a lower level, curbless becomes much more achievable.
We have two bathrooms that both need work. Do them together or separately?
Separately is usually more comfortable, because you always have one working bathroom. Together is more efficient, since the demolition, permits, deliveries and trades are consolidated. If the house can tolerate having only one bathroom for a few weeks, doing them back to back rather than simultaneously is often the best compromise.
What usually turns up at demolition in these houses?
Less than in a prewar house, which is the main advantage. The recurring finds are water damage at the tub apron where the surround has been leaking behind the tile, a soft spot around the toilet flange, and occasionally a bathroom fan that was ducted into the attic rather than outside. All routine to correct while the room is open.
Can a split-level bathroom be enlarged?
Sometimes, by taking space from an adjacent bedroom or hall closet. The constraint is that in a split-level the plumbing wall often serves more than one level, so moving fixtures can have effects above or below. It is worth establishing what else is tied into that wall before planning around a bigger footprint.
Call about your Union project
Standard rooms, known dimensions, fewer unknowns. Describe what you want changed.