Before the numbers
For the Missoula/Bell Field station, at an elevation of 3,189 feet, NOAA's engineering weather data lists a 99% winter design temperature of 0°F and a 1% summer design temperature of 89°F, with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 62°F.
You will find no remodel prices in this guide. What a bathroom costs comes from the room, the products you pick and what a crew finds once the old finishes are gone. Instead, the guide shows how to build a budget one line at a time, which choices swing a quote, and the order in which the work usually runs.
A budget built from lines, not a lump
Ask each bidder to break the price into lines like these, and keep the same lines in your own spreadsheet:
1. Protection and tear-out. Floor covering in the hallway, dust barriers, removal of fixtures and finishes, and disposal. 2. Carpentry. Subfloor repair, framing for a niche or a moved wall, and wood blocking for future grab bars. 3. Plumbing. New valves, drains and supply lines, plus setting the toilet, sink and shower trim. 4. Electrical. Lighting, outlets, the fan circuit and any heated floor. 5. Ventilation. The fan, the duct, the outdoor cap and the control. 6. Waterproofing. The membrane or board system and the flood test. 7. Surfaces. Backer board, tile or panels, grout, paint and trim. 8. Fixtures and cabinetry. Vanity, top, faucet, toilet, tub or shower base, glass, mirror and accessories. 9. Permits and inspections, where the job needs them. 10. Cleanup and the punch list.
With that list on paper, two bids that look far apart often turn out to differ on two or three lines. That is where your questions belong.
Allowances and contingency
An allowance is a placeholder amount for a product you have not chosen yet, such as tile or a faucet. Ask what each allowance assumes, and what happens if your pick costs more or less. A low allowance can make a bid look cheaper than it is.
A contingency is money you set aside in your own budget, not in the contractor's price, for problems nobody can see until the walls open: soft subfloor near the toilet, a corroded valve, a sagging joist or old wiring. Ask the contractor how they will document such a find with photos, price the repair and get your signature before work continues.
Choices that swing the quote
- Keeping fixtures where they are. Moving a toilet or shower drain adds floor work and new pipe runs to a bathroom price.
- Tub or shower. A tub swap in the same alcove is simpler than a tub-to-shower conversion, which brings a new base, new waterproofing and often a new drain.
- Tile size and layout. Large tiles set straight go down faster than small mosaics or patterns. Tile to the ceiling costs more than tile in the wet area only.
- Panels versus tile. Solid wall panels can cut labor and grout lines; ask about seams and trim.
- The valve. A pressure-balancing or thermostatic valve, a hand shower on a slide bar and body sprays each change the plumbing line.
- Glass. A curtain costs least, a framed door sits in the middle, frameless glass costs most.
- Vanity and top. Stock sizes cost less than custom; a stone top costs more than cultured marble or laminate.
- Comfort items. A heated floor, a heated towel bar, extra lighting or a niche each add electrical or carpentry time.
Ask for a base price plus a separate line for each upgrade, so you can drop one without asking for a whole new bid.
Montana's license rule
Effective January 1, 2026, Montana requires construction contractors to hold a license from the Montana Department of Labor & Industry; contractors that held an active Montana registration on December 31, 2025 were converted to the new license.
Ask each bidder whether that license applies to your bathroom job and, if it does, for the number, which you can search on the department's site. Ask also which permits the work needs, who pulls them, and who does the plumbing and electrical. Request proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation before anyone starts.
The order the trades arrive
1. Site visit and selections. The contractor measures, looks below the floor and at the electrical panel, and you choose every product before demolition. 2. Ordering. Special-order vanities, glass and tile go on order early. Ask for delivery dates in writing. 3. Permits, filed by whoever the contract names. 4. Tear-out. The old room comes out; anything hidden gets photographed. 5. Rough-in. Plumbing, wiring, blocking and the fan duct go in, followed by any rough inspection. 6. Waterproofing and flood test. 7. Backer, tile and grout, then paint. 8. Fixtures and glass. Toilet, vanity, faucet, trim, glass and the fan are installed and tested. Glass is often measured only after tile is done, which can add days. 9. Walkthrough. Any final inspection, then a written punch list closed before the last payment.
Living without the room
A bathroom remodel can keep the room out of use for weeks while each trade waits for the one before it and products cure. If this is your only bathroom, ask whether the toilet can be reset at the end of each day during the early stages, and plan where you will shower. Agree on working hours, where the crew parks and which door they use.
Payments and paperwork
Tie each payment to a stage of finished work: a deposit at signing, then payments after rough-in, after tile and at the close of the punch list. Every change should be written and priced before the extra work begins.
Keep one folder with the contract, change orders, permits, model numbers, tile and grout names, warranty papers and photos of the open walls. The next person who works on the room, or the next owner of the house, will be glad of it.