A recessed medicine cabinet lives inside the wall, so in an older Boston bathroom the wall decides: measure the stud bay first, check what is already inside it, do the lead check before any cutting, and cut plaster-and-lath the slow way.

Before remodeling a small bathroom in an older Massachusetts home, check six things: plaster-and-lath walls, galvanized supply pipes, cast-iron drainage and trap size, old wiring and GFCI protection, ventilation, and the lead paint rules for pre-1978 homes.

Brookline bathroom repair: ceiling cracks, water stains, and mold fixed; new vanity; mirror and light centered. When targeted repair is enough.

Practical aging-in-place upgrades for older Boston-area bathrooms: grab bars with proper blocking, comfort-height toilets, wider doors, slip-resistant floors, handheld showerheads, and better lighting — without the hospital look.

Two bathrooms in Newton rebuilt around a new floor plan: walls came down, new framing and door openings went up, and new plumbing, electrical, insulation, and two fully waterproofed walk-in showers followed — then tile, drywall, vanities, mirrors, and paint. Here is what the real scope of work looked like, step by step.

A Walpole bathroom rebuild: walk-in shower on a mortar base with full waterproofing, a pocket door, a window reframed with decorative glass, a linen closet relocated from the hallway into the bathroom, plus new tile, vanity, shower valve, toilet, exhaust fan, and lighting. Here is what the real scope of work looked like.

Quincy shower-to-walk-in remodel: demo, framing, cement board, waterproofing, and tile — what the job really involved.

A tub or shower liner and a full bathroom remodel solve different problems. Here is a plain checklist for Boston-area homeowners on when a liner can be enough and when it is time to open the walls.

A Lexington homeowner replaced the bathtub — and used the opportunity to take care of the work around it: a new shower valve and drain, full waterproofing with cement board above the tub, new wall and floor tile, a shortened baseboard heater, a scraped popcorn ceiling, and new vanity, mirror, toilet, fan, and finishes. Here is what was done and why each piece happened while the tub was out.