Does a bathroom remodel add value to your home?
Updated
Short answer
Part of Primary (Master) Bathroom Remodels.
The question is usually really two questions: will it help the house sell, and will you get the money back. The first is often yes. The second is almost never a full yes. If you are planning a larger primary bath, the primary bathroom remodel page covers scope and price.
What the report measures
The Cost vs. Value report, published by JLC and Remodeling, prices a fixed project scope in each metro and asks real estate professionals what it adds at resale. Chicago is the nearest metro in the report; Rockford is not listed, so these are the closest regional figures available, not Rockford figures.
The midrange bath project is a 5 by 7 foot bathroom with a new 30 by 60 inch porcelain-on-steel tub, a ceramic tile surround, a pressure-balanced shower control, a solid-surface vanity top and a ceramic tile floor. That is a fair picture of the hall bath in a lot of older Rockford houses.
The 2025 Chicago numbers
| Project | Job cost | Cost recouped at resale |
|---|---|---|
| Midrange bath remodel | $24,072 | 66.4% |
| Universal design bath | $38,963 | 61.1% |
| Upscale bath remodel | $76,524 | 34.2% |
| Midrange bathroom addition | $56,165 | 48.1% |
Source: Cost vs. Value 2025, Chicago (JLC / Remodeling). Nationally the same midrange project recouped 80%, with a job cost of $24,072 in Chicago against $26,138 nationally.
What the numbers say
- Modest beats lavish. The midrange project got back about two-thirds of its cost. The upscale project got back about a third. Spending more bought a nicer room, not a better return.
- Accessible is not a penalty. The universal design bath (curbless shower, thermostatic valve, comfort-height toilet, 36 inch door) recouped 61.1% in Chicago, close to the midrange project. The accessible bathroom page covers that work.
- Adding a bathroom costs the most. A midrange addition ran $56,165 and recouped 48.1%. Finishing a bathroom inside existing space, like a basement, is a different and usually smaller job; see adding a bathroom.
Why it can still be the right call
A dated or damaged bathroom is one of the rooms buyers notice first, and a leaking shower is a repair, not a choice. The report measures resale value against cost on a finished project. It does not measure the cost of leaving water damage in place, and it does not measure the years you use the room. If you plan to stay, the use is most of the value.
The property tax side: the Homestead Improvement Exemption
A remodel can raise your assessed value. Illinois softens that for owner-occupied homes.
Homestead Improvement Exemption, 35 ILCS 200/15-180
“The amount of the exemption shall be limited to the fair cash value added by the new improvement or rebuilding and shall continue for 4 years from the date the improvement or rebuilding is completed and occupied, or until the next following general assessment of that property, whichever is later.”
In plain terms: up to $75,000 of added value is exempt for 4 years. Ask your township assessor how to apply. It does not reduce what the remodel costs, but it keeps the tax bill from jumping right away.
Spend where buyers look
The midrange project in the report is ordinary on purpose: new tub, new tile, new vanity, new floor, new safe valve. That is the job that returns the most per dollar. The keep-a-tub guide covers the most common resale question, and every price range is on the bathroom remodel cost page.
Quick answers
Is a bathroom remodel worth it for resale?
Partly. In the 2025 Cost vs. Value report for Chicago, a midrange bath remodel recouped 66.4% of its $24,072 cost at resale. The rest is paid back in use, not price. See the cost page.
What bathroom upgrades add the most value?
By the report's numbers, a midrange remodel (66.4% recouped in Chicago) returns far more of its cost than an upscale one (34.2%). New fixtures, tile, vanity and a safe shower valve are the core of the midrange project.
Does an accessible bathroom increase home value?
The universal design bath in the 2025 report recouped 61.1% in Chicago, about the same as a midrange remodel. It cost $38,963 there. More on the cost page.
Will a bathroom remodel raise my property taxes?
It can raise the assessment, but Illinois exempts up to $75,000 of added value on an owner-occupied home for 4 years under the Homestead Improvement Exemption. Ask your township assessor.
Is there Rockford data on bathroom remodel resale value?
Not in the Cost vs. Value report. Chicago is the nearest metro it covers, so its figures are the closest regional numbers, not Rockford figures.
Planning a bathroom?
Tell us which bathroom, what you want changed and anything you have noticed. We reply with a price first.