Bathroom Remodeling in Smyrna, GA
A Bathroom That Fits the Way You Live Now.
For Smyrna homeowners planning to stay put, whether that's a 1970s ranch with one cramped hall bath or a newer townhome with a primary bath that never quite worked. Learn which changes make the biggest difference, then tell us what you have in mind.
Two Very Different Starting Points
Smyrna's housing covers a wide span of decades. Census estimates show roughly one in four homes was built before 1980, while more than a third have gone up since 2000, including a large share of townhomes. That mix matters, because the right bathroom plan depends heavily on which kind of home you're starting with.
In an older single-family home, the hall bathroom was often designed around a standard 5-foot tub, a small vanity and very little storage. The question there is usually whether the room can work better with the same footprint, or whether moving a fixture is worth it.
In a newer townhome, the bathrooms are usually in better shape, but they may be narrower, share walls with a neighbor and come with HOA rules. The goal is often a primary bathroom that feels less generic and works better day to day.
- Median year Smyrna homes were built
- 1990
- Homes built before 1980
- 28%
- Homes built since 2000
- 36%
- Townhomes and other attached homes
- 17%
- Owner-occupied homes
- 59%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for all housing units in the City of Smyrna, via Census Reporter. Estimates have margins of error.
Bathroom Remodeling for Smyrna Homes
Whether you're updating an original hall bath or rethinking a townhome primary bath, a Smyrna bathroom project can cover any of these areas.
Explore Bathroom Remodeling- Showers and BathtubsFrom a more spacious walk-in shower to a comfortable soaking tub, consider which bathing features would better suit your routine, available space and preferences.
- Vanities and StorageMake everyday routines easier with a vanity that provides enough counter space and practical storage.
- Layout and Space PlanningA bathroom's layout affects how easily you move between the shower, vanity and other fixtures.
- Tile, Fixtures and FinishesFrom tile and lighting to faucets and shower fixtures, consider the details that will shape your bathroom's appearance, maintenance needs and everyday usability.
Projects That Make Sense in Smyrna Homes
Most Smyrna bathroom projects fall into one of these directions. Start with the one that sounds most like your bathroom.
Rethinking the Original Hall Bath
If your older home has one full bath shared by the whole household, a better vanity, a recessed medicine cabinet and a more usable tub or shower can take pressure off busy mornings without adding square footage.
Tub-to-Shower in a Small Room
When the tub in a 5-by-8 bath rarely gets used for soaking, replacing it with a walk-in shower can make the room easier to use every day. Keep one tub somewhere in the house if young children or resale matter to you.
Making a Townhome Primary Bath Your Own
Newer townhome bathrooms often work fine but feel builder-standard. Upgrading the shower, lighting and vanity storage can make the room feel finished without moving plumbing that other units may share walls with.
Adding a Second Sink Where It Fits
A double vanity helps when two people get ready at the same time, but it needs roughly 60 inches of wall. In tighter rooms, one wider sink with more drawer space is often the more useful choice.
Starting a Smyrna Bathroom Project With Us
Just South of Marietta
Smyrna sits just south of Marietta, where we're based, so a project here is close to home for us.
Ranch or Townhome, Both Covered
Smyrna's older ranch homes and newer townhomes call for different plans. This page covers both, and your quote request can say which one you have.
City of Smyrna or Cobb County
Some Smyrna mailing addresses are outside city limits. The permit section of this guide links both offices so you can check yours early.
A Description Is Enough to Start
You don't need a finished plan. A description of what bothers you about the bathroom is enough to start, by phone or through the form below. Photos and rough measurements help once the conversation is underway.
Should You Keep the Layout You Have?
Keeping the toilet, sink and tub or shower where they are usually makes a remodel simpler, because the drain and supply lines stay put. In a Smyrna townhome, where plumbing may run through shared walls or stacked units, that advantage can be significant.
Changing the layout is worth considering when the room fundamentally doesn’t work. Common signs:
- The door swings into the vanity or the toilet.
- There’s no place to put a towel within reach of the shower.
- Two people can’t use the room at once, even though they need to.
- The tub takes up the most space but gets the least use.
A good test: list what bothers you about the room, then ask whether any of those problems would still be there after new finishes. If they would, the layout is part of the problem.
Where the Budget Does the Most Good
In an older home, the order usually looks like this:
- Hidden problems first. Soft spots in the floor, a slow leak at the tub or signs of past water damage should be dealt with before anything else.
- Ventilation. Many older bathrooms have a weak exhaust fan or none at all. Moisture that can’t escape shortens the life of everything you install.
- The fixtures you use every day. A comfortable shower and a vanity with real storage matter more day to day than premium tile.
- Finishes last. Tile, hardware and lighting style are where it’s easiest to scale up or down to fit the budget.
In a newer townhome, the first two steps are often in better shape, so more of the budget can go toward the shower, vanity and lighting.
Shower or Tub?
Start with how your household actually uses the room. If the tub mostly holds a shower curtain, a walk-in shower may be the better use of the space. If you bathe children, or the bathroom you’re remodeling is the only one with a tub, keeping a tub is usually the safer choice.
A tub-shower combination with a glass panel instead of a curtain is a good middle ground in a small hall bath. It keeps the tub while making the room feel less closed in.
If you’re still weighing the options, our Bathroom Remodeling page walks through the tradeoffs in more detail.
Storage and Lighting in Smaller Bathrooms
Smaller bathrooms benefit most from storage that doesn’t take up floor space:
- A recessed medicine cabinet between the studs
- A vanity with drawers instead of a single open cabinet
- A niche built into the shower wall for bottles
- Shelves above the toilet or behind the door
Lighting is the other quick win. A single ceiling fixture casts shadows on your face at the mirror. Lights on both sides of the mirror, or a fixture above it plus good overhead light, make shaving, makeup and cleaning easier. Any new wiring should be done by a licensed electrician.
Permits and Your Address
Permit requirements depend on the work and on whether your home is inside Smyrna city limits. The City of Smyrna Building Division handles properties inside the city. Homes with a Smyrna mailing address outside the city fall under Cobb County Residential Permitting. Confirm which applies before work begins, and ask whoever does the work which permits they will pull.
Smyrna Bathroom Remodeling Questions
Straight answers to questions Smyrna homeowners often ask before starting a bathroom project.
Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom in Smyrna?
It depends on the work and on which government covers your address. Inside Smyrna city limits, permits are handled by the City of Smyrna Building Division. Some homes with a Smyrna mailing address are in unincorporated Cobb County instead, which uses Cobb County Residential Permitting. Its page links to a tool for looking up the jurisdiction of any Cobb County address.
My townhome has an HOA. Does that change anything?
It can. Many associations have rules about work hours, noise, contractor access and changes that affect shared walls or plumbing. Some require approval before work starts.
Read your association's documents or ask the management company before you finalize plans, so the schedule isn't held up after demolition begins.
How much does a bathroom remodel cost?
It varies widely with the size of the room, whether plumbing moves and the finishes you choose. Our Bathroom Remodeling page lists general planning ranges for cosmetic updates through full remodels. Treat them as a starting point for budgeting, not a quote for your bathroom.
Is it worth keeping the tub in my only full bathroom?
Often, yes. If your home has one full bath and you have young children, or you expect to sell in the next few years, a tub is usually the more flexible choice. If the home has another tub, or nobody in the house uses one, a walk-in shower may serve you better day to day.
Can a small older bathroom be made to feel bigger?
Usually, even without moving walls. A wall-hung or narrower vanity, a clear glass shower panel instead of a curtain, larger floor tiles with fewer grout lines, better lighting and a recessed medicine cabinet all make a small room feel more open.
How long will my bathroom be out of commission?
A like-for-like update takes far less time than a remodel that moves plumbing or changes the layout. The Bathroom Remodeling page explains typical ranges. If it's your only full bath, plan ahead for where everyone will shower during construction.
Tell Us About Your Smyrna Bathroom
Let us know what kind of home you have, which bathroom you're thinking about and what bothers you most about it now. A few photos and rough measurements help, but you don't need a finished plan to start the conversation.