What we see on Peoria homes
The median house in Peoria was built in 1966, and 54.5% of the housing stock there predates 1970. 54,526 housing units, 58.2% of the occupied ones owner-occupied, which is a lower share than most of the towns we cover. A good deal of what we look at here is a rental or a recent purchase, and in both cases the useful question is what has to be done now against what can wait. 21.9% of it predates 1940, which usually means cast iron, a floor that has taken eighty years of water, and a room never laid out for a modern shower. The cast iron goes with us.
Bathrooms in postwar houses are typically five feet across with the tub at one end, and the tile is either original or an eighties refresh laid over the top of it. Where those rooms fail is the grout at the tub-to-wall joint. Water has been getting behind it for years by the time anyone notices the floor flexing. Once the surround is out we can see how far it traveled, and that is the point where the honest scope of the job becomes clear. On a shower specifically the real question is usually whether the tub stays at all, because the conversion is much the same job either way.
Housing-age and tenure figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (tables B25034 and B25003), retrieved 2026-08-18.
What the water does here
Illinois American Water, Peoria District publishes a total hardness of 19 to 37 grains per gallon for Peoria, which is very hard.
Water that hard is why a tiled shower in Peoria looks tired years before it should. Calcium comes out of solution on every surface it touches, and grout is porous, so it goes into the joint rather than sitting on top of it. No amount of scrubbing gets it back out. A non-porous High Performance Polymer Acrylic surround has no joint for it to get into, which is most of the reason people who have replaced one do not go back to tile.
Water hardness: Illinois American Water, Peoria District, published water quality information (PWSID IL1435030), retrieved 2026-08-18.
Permits and paperwork in Peoria
Permits for work like this in Peoria come from City of Peoria Building Inspections. You will know at the consultation whether yours needs one, which is the point at which it is still useful to know. We pull the permit and we meet the inspector.
We are licensed and insured. The certificate comes with the paperwork, which saves you having to ask for it.
Where we work from, and what is nearby
Peoria, IL sits in Peoria County, and we serve it from our Central Illinois office at 402 S. Main St., Creve Coeur, IL 61610.
In Peoria that covers 61602, 61603, 61604, 61605, 61606, 61607, 61614, 61615 and 61616. A ZIP missing from that list is worth a phone call rather than an assumption, and you will get a yes or a no on the spot.
Around Peoria that includes Downtown Peoria, North Peoria, West Bluff, Averyville, East Bluff, Sheridan-Loucks, Peoria Heights, Bartonville, Dunlap, Mossville, Chillicothe and Bellevue.
What we can put on a Peoria house
BCI Bathrooms wall systems and surrounds in High Performance Polymer Acrylic or stone-look finishes, from a space-saving enclosure to a full walk-in. Shelving, seating and grab bars go into the wall while it is open, which is the only time they are easy. Low-threshold and barrier-free entries are a design decision, not a retrofit.
There is a showroom at 402 S. Main St., Creve Coeur, IL 61610, with full-size units rather than swatches. Daylight changes a color more than most people expect it to.
Free consultation
Book a free consultation in Peoria
Choose a day and our Central Illinois office calls to confirm the time.
- A free consultation at your home
- A quote with no obligation
- Our office calls to confirm the time
Two things people in Peoria ask
Do I need a permit for this in Peoria?
It depends on the scope, and City of Peoria Building Inspections is the office that decides. We check before the crew is booked and we pull the permit when one is needed, so it is never something you find out about halfway through.
How far are you from Peoria?
Our Central Illinois office is at 402 S. Main St., Creve Coeur, IL 61610, about 20 minutes away, up IL‑29 and US‑24. That is a drive time and nothing more: we do not publish arrival windows, so ask for a date and you will get a real one.

