Grout that has gone dark no matter what you scrub it with, a tub and shower combination that’s awkward to step into, a fan that hums but never clears the mirror. Bathrooms like that are common in Selma, where the median home was built around 1979.

The 1970s hall bath

Census estimates put about 21 percent of the city’s homes in the 1970s, its largest building decade. Hall baths from that era usually have a tub with a tiled surround, a single vanity with a laminate or cultured-marble top and the original valve. Once grout and tile fail, water can get behind the wall, so a remodel often starts by tearing out the surround and checking the framing and backing.

If nobody bathes in that tub, a walk-in shower with a low curb or a bench is often the bigger quality-of-life change. A recessed niche keeps bottles off the floor, and a hand shower on a slide bar makes cleaning the stall easier.

If someone still takes baths, a standard replacement tub in the same location keeps the drain where it is. A freestanding tub needs more floor space and a different drain and filler setup, which usually points to a primary bath rather than a hall bath.

Softer water than you might expect

Selma’s water system has been run by Cal Water since 1962, and it draws from groundwater wells. The utility’s 2025 water quality report for its Selma District lists average hardness of about 53 parts per million, which Cal Water classifies as soft, though readings ranged from 17 to 140 depending on the source.

For a remodel, that means scale is less likely to drive your fixture choices. A matte or dark finish is less of a gamble on white spots, so you can focus on valve quality, spray pattern and how easy the fixture is to clean. Our fixtures and water guide covers what matters in each case.

Older baths from before 1950

Around 14 percent of the city’s homes went up before 1950. Bathrooms in those houses can have cast-iron tubs, galvanized supply lines and plaster walls, and the floor framing may need attention before new tile goes down. Whole-house repiping is outside a bathroom remodel and involves licensed plumbing trades, so if galvanized lines turn up, that is discussed during the consultation.

Lead-safe rules from the EPA also apply to any home built before 1978 whenever painted walls, trim or doors are disturbed. That affects how the room is taken apart, how dust is contained and how the space is cleaned before new work begins.

Clearing the steam

A fan that hums without clearing the mirror is usually undersized, clogged or poorly ducted, and moisture that lingers works its way into grout, paint and the ceiling. A remodel is the time to size the fan to the room and duct it outside, and our bathroom ventilation guide explains how. If the new fan needs its own circuit, that part goes to a licensed electrician and is reviewed at the consultation.

Storage and easier daily use

Single vanities from the 1970s often have one door and a drawer at most. A vanity with full-depth drawers, a medicine cabinet recessed into the wall where the framing allows, or a tall linen cabinet can add storage without moving walls.

Grab bar blocking is cheap to add while the walls are open and much harder to add later, so it’s worth including even if nobody needs grab bars yet. A comfort-height toilet and a shower bench round out a bath that works for more people.

Permits through the Building Division

Bathroom remodels inside city limits fall under the City of Selma Building Division, which issues plumbing, electrical, mechanical and building permits from City Hall on Tucker Street. Changes such as moving a drain, relocating a toilet or adding a circuit for a heated floor bring a permit into play. See our guide to local remodel permits, and expect permit needs to be confirmed during the in-home consultation.

Sizes, scope and the planning range

Size is the estimator’s first bathroom question: small means about 35 to 50 square feet, medium about 50 to 80, and large or primary about 80 to 150 or more. A small hall or guest bath with a tub-to-shower conversion and standard tile sits toward the lower end, while a primary bath with custom tile, a freestanding tub and frameless glass sits toward the top. Choosing ceramic or porcelain over handcrafted, imported or natural stone tile is one of the simplest ways to keep a hall bath toward the lower part of the range.

Planning bands for bathrooms run from around $15,000, where most projects start, to around $25,000 for a typical remodel, with primary suites, layout changes and premium selections reaching $30,000 to $40,000. Run the bathroom estimator to see your own range, then book a free in-home consultation if it fits; our shop is about 25 minutes from Selma.