Chambersburg, the county seat
Chambersburg is located in Franklin County, is the County Seat, and is a full-service municipality. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts counted 21,903 people there in the Census of April 1, 2020, and estimates 23,376 as of July 1, 2025 (V2025). For 2020-2024 it lists 9,839 households, with 2.19 persons per household.
From here on, the subject is your own bathroom: what it should do better, which choices shape the job and what to ask the people who bid on it.
Name what the room gets wrong
Start with a short list of complaints rather than a mood board. Stand in the bathroom at the busiest time of day and note what bothers you. The mirror fogs and stays fogged. There is nowhere to set a towel within reach of the shower. The vanity has one drawer and a deep cabinet nobody can see into. The door swings into the toilet. The tub is used for storage more than for bathing.
Each item on that list points to a decision: a fan, a hook or bar, a different vanity, a pocket door, a shower in place of a tub. Writing them down keeps the remodel aimed at real problems and gives every remodeler the same brief.
Tub, shower or both
If yours is the only bathroom in the house, think hard before removing the only tub; some households want one for bathing small children or soaking. If there is a second bathroom with a tub, a walk-in shower in this room may suit you better. Ask each bidder to price:
- a new tub with a tiled or panel surround in the same spot;
- a walk-in shower with a low curb in the tub's footprint;
- a curbless shower, which needs the floor recessed or carefully sloped and should be planned before demolition.
Seeing the three prices side by side often settles the question.
Space around each fixture
A bathroom can feel cramped even when it is not small, often because of clearances. On the drawing, ask the designer to show the open floor in front of the toilet, the vanity and the shower entry, and the swing of every door, including the shower door and vanity doors. A vanity a few inches shallower, a wall-hung toilet or a sliding glass panel can free up space without moving a single drain.
Keeping water behind the tile
Tile and grout look waterproof but let moisture through over time. The real barrier is the layer behind them. Ask each remodeler:
- What waterproofing product goes on the shower walls and floor, and how far up the wall does it run?
- How are seams, corners, the valve and the shower head sealed?
- Is the shower pan flood-tested before tile goes down, and may I see it?
- How is a niche or bench waterproofed?
The fan and where its air goes
General advice for any bathroom: an exhaust fan should send damp air outdoors through a short, smooth duct to a wall or roof cap, never into an attic. Ask how the fan's airflow was matched to the room, what control it has (a timer or humidity switch keeps it running after you leave), and how loud it is. A fan that is too noisy tends to stay off.
Registration, permits and the trades
Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires every contractor who performs at least $5,000 of home improvements a year to register with the state Attorney General's Office.
Questions to ask each remodeler:
- Are you registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office as a home improvement contractor, and what is the registration number?
- Which borough permits does this job need, and who pulls them?
- What state license, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Who does the plumbing and the electrical work, and are they employees or subcontractors?
- When will inspections happen, and will I get copies?
Ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation, and call your insurer if you have questions about your own policy while the work is under way.
Lining up the bids
Give every bidder the same written scope and ask for line items you can compare:
- demolition, haul-away and protection of floors and hallways;
- plumbing changes, with each moved drain or supply listed;
- the waterproofing product and the flood test;
- tile by name and size, grout type and the area covered;
- vanity, top, faucet, toilet and shower valve with model numbers;
- glass door or curtain;
- the fan, its duct route and its control;
- lighting and outlets;
- permits, cleanup, the schedule and the written warranty.
Ask how many days the room will be out of use, and plan around it if this is the only bathroom. Ask how damage found under the floor or behind the walls will be documented and priced, and tie each payment to a finished stage of work.