Idaho bathroom remodeling leads

Idaho homeowners, older owners and newer housing

The Census Bureau counts 167,259 Idaho owner households with a householder aged 65 or older in table B25007 (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). For bathroom buyers this group matters because changes that make a bathroom easier to use with age, such as a walk-in shower in place of a tub, come up often in their requests. The table measures households, not demand for remodeling.

Owner-occupied units number 514,361 out of 713,005 occupied units, per table B25003 (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). Those owners are the parties who receive the contractor disclosures described below.

The median year structure built is 1991 in table B25035 (ACS 5-year 2020-2024), so half of the state's housing units were built in 1991 or later.

Idaho disclosures before and after a remodeling contract

Idaho attaches notices to the contract. The Attorney General's manual (posted April 2018) says the general contractor must give a disclosure statement before entering into a contract over $2,000 with a homeowner. The statement tells the homeowner of the right to:

• have the contractor obtain lien waivers from subcontractors, at the homeowner's reasonable expense
• ask for proof of general liability and workers compensation insurance
• buy an extended title insurance policy covering liens
• require a surety bond, at the homeowner's expense, up to the value of the project

By the end of the project, the manual says, the contractor must give the homeowner a list of subcontractors, material suppliers and equipment rental providers who did work or supplied materials over $500, before final payment (Attorney General manual, April 2018). The manual also notes a three-day right to cancel a home improvement contract over $25 signed at home. For in-home sales generally, the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule is a separate rule.