Restore
Match the era closely: small unglazed mosaic floors, glazed wall tile to wainscot height, a pedestal sink or furniture-style vanity, exposed shower valves. Best when original details survive in other rooms.
Tile patterns and installationHighland Park, Texas
Bathroom Remodeling in Highland Park, TX
Highland Park's older homes were built with a clear architectural point of view. A bathroom remodel here should work like a new room and still look like it belongs to the house.
Open daily 7 AM to 10 PM. Talk to us about your bathroom.
Older homes with a strong sense of style
Highland Park is one of the two Park Cities, a separate town surrounded by Dallas. Many of its older homes date from the 1910s through the 1940s and were designed in recognizable period styles: Tudor, Colonial, Spanish Eclectic, Mediterranean and more. Alongside them stand large newer houses built where older homes were replaced.
The bathrooms in the older homes tend to be smaller than modern owners expect, with plaster walls, small hex or penny-round floor tile, subway tile on the walls and, in some houses, a built-in or clawfoot tub. They may have been updated once or twice already, sometimes in ways that clash with the rest of the house.
So the first decision in a Highland Park bathroom is usually a philosophical one. Do you restore the period look, reinterpret it, or modernize the room completely?
If you're unsure, look at the rest of the house. Where original doors, trim and hardware are intact, a bathroom that ignores them tends to feel out of place. Where the house has been heavily updated already, there's more freedom to go contemporary.
Three ways to approach a period bathroom
None is wrong. The right one depends on the house, how much of the original survives and how you live.
Reinterpret
Keep the proportions and materials of the era but allow a larger shower, a double vanity and better lighting. This is the most common choice in primary baths.
Primary bath planningModernize
A clean contemporary room, often chosen in newer rebuilds or when earlier remodels already removed the original character.
Full renovation scopeWhat's underneath a Park Cities bathroom
Pier-and-beam floors
Some older Highland Park homes sit on pier-and-beam foundations rather than slabs. That can make plumbing changes easier, since drains are reachable from the crawlspace. It also means the floor has to be stiffened before tile goes down, and any sag or slope in the framing gets corrected first.
Crawlspace pipes are also exposed to outside air during a hard freeze. Insulating the supply lines under the bathroom is an inexpensive precaution to add while we are working down there.
Plaster and old framing
Plaster walls crack when neighboring walls are opened. We plan cut lines and protection so a bathroom project doesn't turn into a hallway repair, and we expect framing that isn't to modern dimensions.
Aging plumbing and wiring
Earlier remodels sometimes left old supply lines, undersized drains or ungrounded wiring in place. When the walls are open, we replace what serves the bathroom.
Planning a bathroom project? Call and tell us what you have in mind. We'll talk through scope and arrange a visit. Open daily 7 AM to 10 PM.
Logistics on tight lots
Many Highland Park lots are close to their neighbors and served by alleys, which shapes how a job is staged.
- Deliveries and debris usually move through the alley when there is one, keeping the street front clear.
- We confirm dumpster placement, parking and work-hour limits with the town before the start date instead of assuming.
- Neighbors get a heads-up before the loudest days, which is usually demolition.
- Upstairs bathrooms in older homes are often reached by a narrow staircase, so we measure the turn before ordering a vanity, a tub or large glass panels.
- Inside, we protect original floors, stair treads and millwork along the path to the bathroom.
- Permit and inspection requirements come from the Town of Highland Park, not the City of Dallas, so check with the town early.
Newer rebuilds need care too
Larger homes built in the last couple of decades bring different issues: primary suites with big glass enclosures, stone that has etched or dulled, and showers that were never properly sloped. Hard water marks on glass and fixtures are a regular complaint. These projects look more like a refresh than a restoration, and they share a lot with what we see next door in University Park.
You'll find every community we work in on the service areas page.
Questions homeowners ask
Who issues permits for a bathroom remodel in Highland Park?
Highland Park is an independent town with its own building department, separate from the City of Dallas. Requirements for plumbing, electrical and structural work are set by the town, so confirm what your scope needs with them directly. We plan inspections into the schedule once the requirements are known.
Is tile a problem on a pier-and-beam floor?
Not if the floor is prepared for it. Wood-framed floors flex more than a slab, and tile cracks when they do. We check joist size, spacing and condition, add blocking or sistered joists where needed, and use a subfloor and underlayment stiff enough for the tile you choose.
Can a new bathroom still suit a 1920s or 1930s house?
Yes. It comes down to choices like tile size and pattern, trim profiles, door and window casing, and fixtures with period-appropriate shapes. Modern waterproofing, plumbing and ventilation go in behind those finishes, where nobody sees them.
Talk to a remodeler
Call about your Highland Park bathroom remodel
One call is enough to tell us what you'd like to change. We'll ask a few questions, then arrange a visit to measure and give you a written scope and estimate.
(469) 249-8764Open daily, 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Tap to call now- A measured, written scope before any price
- Waterproofing flood-tested before tile goes on
- Residential bathrooms in Dallas and nearby cities
Royal Bathroom Remodeling Dallas
2323 Bryan St, Dallas, TX 75201
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