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PGT Bathroom Remodeling: The Houston Owner’s Guide
A full PGT bathroom remodel in Houston typically runs $9,000 to $28,000 installed, depending on whether you’re doing a tub-to-shower conversion, full gut renovation, or walk-in shower with custom glass. Most owners call us after a shower pan cracks, tile starts separating from the wall, or a PGT window above the tub has been leaking slowly into the framing. You find it when the grout lines near the window sill turn dark and the wall feels soft to the touch – that’s the moment you’re not buying a bathroom remodel, you’re replacing water-damaged substrate and the window that caused it.
Penhallow Remodeling Houston is an independent remodeling contractor. We’re not affiliated with PGT, but we’ve torn out and rebuilt enough PGT-fitted bathrooms across Meyerland, Spring Branch, and Sugar Land to know exactly how those windows and the walls around them behave in Houston’s humidity.
Which PGT Models This Applies To
If your bathroom has a PGT window – most commonly the PGT WinGuard or PGT Premier line in older Houston homes, or PGT 5500/7700 series in newer builds – the failure pattern is the same: the window’s weep holes clog with Houston pollen and mineral scale, condensation gets trapped, and water finds the path of least resistance into the drywall and framing below. The remodel isn’t about the window itself. It’s about the wall cavity the window has been quietly rotting.
The compatibility gotcha: PGT bathroom windows installed before roughly 2015 were often set without sill flashing that extended past the water-resistive barrier. That means the leak travels horizontally inside the wall before it ever shows on the drywall surface. By the time you see a stain, the damage usually extends 12 to 18 inches beyond the visible edge. We remove tile and cement board (the moisture-resistant layer behind your tile) until we hit clean, solid framing, then build back with a flashed sill pan before the new window or new tile goes in. We also work with KraftMaid cabinetry, Cambria and Silestone countertops, and Kohler or Moen fixtures on the rebuild side, same as we do on any Penhallow bathroom.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your PGT Bathroom Remodeling Is Failing
- Dark grout lines along the wall below the PGT window. Water is wicking through the sill and down the cement board. The grout is stained from moisture behind the tile, not from surface mold. Cleaning it won’t fix the path the water’s taking.
- Caulk that keeps pulling away at the window-to-tile joint. The window unit is moving with Houston’s hot-cold humidity cycles, and the framing around it has swelled. Recalk is a temporary patch. The movement hasn’t stopped.
- A soft or spongy spot in the drywall or tile below the window. The substrate has been wet long enough to lose structural grip. Pushing on it with a finger tells you more than any moisture meter. If it gives, the cement board behind it is mush.
- Mildew smell that comes back within a week of cleaning. That’s not a ventilation problem. The cavity behind the tile is wet and never dries. Houston’s 70-plus percent average humidity means the wall stays damp between showers, year-round.
- Loose tiles that rattle when you tap them near the window. The thinset has debonded because the substrate below is saturated and moving. Tiles don’t come loose from normal use. They come loose when the wall they’re attached to has failed.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
Penhallow gives you a written price before any work starts, and it’s the number on the invoice. No change orders because we missed something on the walk-through. Here’s how PGT-related bathroom remodel costs break down in Houston:
- Small bathroom remodel with PGT window repair and tile replacement: $5,000-$12,000
- Full PGT bathroom remodel with new tub or shower, window reframing and flashing: $9,000-$28,000
- Tub-to-shower conversion with new sill flashing and wall rebuild: $3,500-$10,000
- Walk-in shower installation with custom glass and rerouted plumbing: $4,500-$12,000
What drives the number up: how far the water traveled, whether the framing below the PGT window needs sistering or complete replacement, and whether you’re keeping the existing footprint or changing the layout. The labor and materials are itemized on the written quote. Every install includes our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if it fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. If a repair we made fails, the second visit is free, including the re-inspection.
DIY or Call Us?
You can check a few things without opening the wall. Look for cracked grout lines below the window, tap the drywall, run your hand along the sill for softness. That tells you if you have a problem. What you shouldn’t do is start pulling tile or cutting into the wall around a PGT window in an older Houston bathroom. Once you open that cavity, you may find the structural framing has been wet for years. A wall holding up a second story near Meyerland, where clay soil shifts with every rain cycle, is not a place for guesswork. We also won’t leave you with a half-finished bathroom. The crew shows up in uniform, background-checked, and the job site is cleaned end of shift, every day.
Call (254) 527-5340 and tell us what you’re seeing. We’ll schedule a free estimate and give you the straight number before any work starts. Give me the straight story on what you need, and I’ll give you the straight number on what it costs.
FAQs
Done right, with the window sill flashed correctly and the wall rebuilt with proper cement board and waterproofing, a PGT bathroom remodel in Houston should last 20 to 30 years on the structural side. The tile, grout, and caulk will need normal maintenance, but the wall cavity stays dry, and the window stops leaking. Our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the workmanship for a year, and material warranties from KraftMaid, Kohler, or Moen run separately and longer.
If the damage is contained to the window opening, we can replace the rotted framing, install a new or rebuilt PGT window with proper flashing, and retile the affected area. The full remodel happens when the shower pan is cracked, the layout needs to change, or the water ran under the subfloor. We’ll show you the scope during the estimate and price it accurately the first time. Call (254) 527-5340 for an exact quote – estimates are free.
Most PGT-related bathroom remodels take 2 to 4 weeks from demo to final grout, depending on how much framing replacement is needed and whether you’re changing plumbing locations. The estimate includes a defined arrival window and a schedule. You’ll know which days the crew is there and what’s happening each stage. No surprises on the calendar, none on the invoice.
We source PGT-compatible replacement windows directly through PGT’s Houston distribution network and keep common sealants, flashing tapes, and shims on the truck for sill repairs during the remodel. If the window itself is still sound, we rebuild the sill flashing and keep it. If the unit is warped or the glass seal has failed, we order the correct size through PGT and install it as part of the remodel. You get one written price for the whole job.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Houston at Penhallow Remodeling Houston, serving Houston and nearby areas.
