Lafayette in the Census QuickFacts
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts gives Lafayette, IN a population estimate of 71,238 for July 1, 2025 (V2025), and a population of 70,783 in the Census of April 1, 2020. For 2020-2024, QuickFacts puts the median value of owner-occupied housing units in Lafayette at $172,800.
Where the tap water comes from
A drinking-water fact for the city: Lafayette Water Works runs two well fields with fourteen active wells, each about 80 to 100 feet deep. They draw from the Teays Aquifer, which formed in a buried pre-glacial river valley. At the utility's two treatment plants the water gets chloramine for disinfection, phosphate for corrosion control and fluoride.
NOAA's engineering weather set has no station near Lafayette.
Write down what is wrong with the room
A remodel goes better when it starts from complaints rather than from pictures. Stand in the bathroom for a few minutes with a notepad and list what annoys you:
- Is there nowhere to set things down by the sink?
- Does the door hit the toilet or the vanity?
- Is the mirror lit from above only, so faces fall into shadow?
- Does the shower take a long time to run warm, or does the temperature jump when someone flushes?
- Does the mirror stay fogged after a shower, or is there a stain on the ceiling?
- Is the tub used, or only stepped over?
Each item on that list becomes a line in your bid request. A contractor can then show how the plan answers it, rather than selling you a look.
Small rooms, honest layouts
A compact bathroom has a narrow range of workable layouts, and a good remodeler will show you the options on paper before talking about tile. Ideas worth asking about:
- A pocket or barn-style door so the swing no longer fights the fixtures.
- A wall-hung or narrower vanity to open floor space, with a medicine cabinet recessed into the wall above it.
- A shower in place of the tub, if no one in the house bathes, with glass rather than a curtain to make the room read larger.
- A niche between studs for bottles, so nothing balances on the tub edge.
- Blocking in the walls now, so grab bars can be fastened later without opening the tile.
Ask what each change does to the plumbing. Some of these leave the pipes untouched; others mean opening the floor.
Fixtures you will use every day
Spend time on the things you touch. Sit on a display toilet and try a few heights. Turn the handles of the faucet and shower valve you are considering: lever or knob, single control or separate volume and temperature. Ask the plumber whether the valve being quoted is pressure-balancing or thermostatic and what that changes in use. A hand shower on a slide bar helps with cleaning the shower and with bathing children or anyone who prefers to sit.
If the old valve is staying, ask whether its cartridge can be replaced and whether the new trim fits it. If it is going, ask about the access panel and where the shutoffs will be.
Underfoot
Bathroom floors take water, grit and cleaning products. Porcelain tile, sheet vinyl and luxury vinyl plank are all common choices; each has its own needs for the surface below. Ask what the installer will do about a floor that flexes or is out of level, how the floor meets the tub or shower base, and how the joint around the toilet is sealed. If you like the idea of a warm floor, decide before the rough-in so the electrician can plan the circuit and thermostat.
Permits, licenses and who does what
Ask your questions plainly and keep the answers in writing:
- Which city permits does the job need, and who pulls them?
- What state license, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Who will do the plumbing and the electrical, and are they your employees or subcontractors?
- Will the permit inspections be scheduled by you or by me, and who needs to be home?
- Can you show proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation?
Call your insurer with any question about your own homeowner's policy during the work.
A bid request that makes quotes comparable
Send every remodeler the same packet: photos of each wall, a sketch with measurements, your complaint list and the list below. Ask them to answer in that order.
- removal, disposal and dust protection for the rest of the house;
- each fixture that stays and each that moves;
- the shower or tub base, the wall waterproofing by product name and whether the floor is flood-tested;
- floor and wall finishes by product, with the area covered;
- vanity, top, toilet, faucet, valve and trim with model numbers;
- the exhaust fan's airflow and sound ratings, the duct route and where it ends outdoors, and the control that runs it;
- lighting, outlets and any heated floor;
- permits, inspections, cleanup and the written warranty.
Finally ask how many working days the bathroom will be out of use, what happens when damage turns up behind the old finishes, and how payments match finished stages of the work rather than calendar dates.