What my bathroom remodel cost

10 years ago

I found all the information in this forum super helpful as I was navigating the bathroom remodel process. So, with the hope that I might be helpful to some of you, I thought I would post detailed information on what I really paid for our remodel...

Some things to keep in mind: we are in the Boston area; this was a gut remodel of a small (5 x 6) full bathroom; and we did the insulation, drywall (hanging, taping, mudding), painting, and finish carpentry ourselves, but called in the pros for the plumbing, electrical, and tiling.

Total: $11,351
Demolition/disposal; $1,650
Plumbing labor : $2,668
Fixtures: $1,654
- Including:
- Toilet (American Standard corner): $240
- Sink (Duravit 1930s wall-mount): $376
- Tub (Kohler cast iron): $467
- Faucet for sink (Moen S411): $285
- Tub/shower valve & trim (Delta T17T497): $286
Electrical: $870
- Including:
- Sconce: $140
- Fan: $100
- Labor / additional materials: $630
Tiling: $3,147
- Including:
- Tile: $413
- Labor / additional materials: $2,734
Accessories/Misc: $700
- Including:
- Railing for towel bar under sink: $180
- Shower curtain rod: $40
- Fabric for shower curtain: $48
- Shower curtain liner: $25
- Medicine cabinet: $240
- Towel hooks: $12
- TP holder: $40
- Bath mat / towels: $115
Building supplies: $451
- Including:
- Drywall / tape / mud /screen: $200
- Paint: $126
- Trim / lumber: $125
Permit: $211

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Comments (12)

sloyder
10 years ago
did you make the under sink towel bar unit, or did you buy it. Where did you get the materials? I am also in Boston
bananaz
Original Author
10 years ago
I made it and got the materials from "architectural railings" section of Buyrailings.com. Two 3" wall flanges (part 510), two ball outside ell fittings (part 703), and two half-ball end-caps (part 603), plus tubing (1" diameter) cut to size -- all in chrome or polished stainless. I used epoxy to connect the tubing to the fitting.
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We're saving a lot of money by comparison shopping with several different vendors and by doing a lot of the work DIY. DH did all of the demo, electrical, and plumbing (old house so lots of issues). We're hiring out drywall and tile because we're on a deadline - family's coming in 2 weeks and we're just installing drywall because of all the unexpected setbacks! Bought a nice 69" vanity at Builder's Surplus and a granite remnant from a fabricator who had his own smaller supply of granite. It was a piece that he already fabricated so he gave me a great deal w/installation and double undermount sink cutouts. Definitely shopped around for quotes on fixtures and tub and was able to get the lowest price. Used $10 off coupons for Kohler Archer sinks bought online at Home Depot w/free shipping. Using all chrome fixtures instead of more expensive finishes and using existing toilet. Tile surplus store for travertine floors (99 cents for each piece of 8x12 honed travertine) and 21 cent subway tiles. Home Depot for glass/travertine mosaic detail that I actually like better than any of the mosaics I found at higher end tile stores. I may use a single piece of carerra tile for the bottom of the niches but there's only a few so it's not too much $$. I'm having trouble saving money on the hardware though. I have champagne tastes on a beer budget and like pretty things :-) Restoration Hardware for hooks, knobs, pulls, train rack, shower curtain and towels, Pottery Barn for mirrors and light fixtures, and Ginger hand towel bars and tissue paper holder. I could have spent much less money at the big box stores and these things have definitely added to the budget, but I can't resist. I just like the feel of heavy solid brass! I also splurged on a concealed picture frame medicine cabinet since I wanted extra storage but couldn't recessed medicine cabinets for the vanity mirrors. The concealed cabinet looks just like a picture frame and it's awesome!
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personally, I would disagree with Steve_a on doing the demo yourself. He's right that you can, because it takes little skill and basically brute strength. But it's dirty, it's very heavy stuff (old tile, mudset, cast iron, etc., heavier if your bathroom is old). You're likely to have a problem disposing of the material, since a lot of cities refuse to pick up construction debris. When I demo'd a basement closet that was just old plaster and only about 15 sq. ft. of wall, I probably had to use 10-15 trash bags alone, because each bag can hold only about as much debris as a 5-gallon bucket (or less) before the plastic rips. Demo is, overall, cheap. You don't need skilled labor to do it, so contractors can get people cheap for doing it. Unlike plumbing and electric, and even tile. Also, contractors will have the appropriate tools to do things like break tile -- not just a sledgehammer, but a jack-hammer like implement. Do you want to rent one of those? And they can do it quickly. Assuming you actually need the use of the bathroom, the faster the better. They can do the demo in a day or two, whereas you might need a couple of weekends or more to do it. (or multiply both those numbers by 3-5 if you want). Finally, at least for me, and I'm a bit of a DIY guy, things like demo are the least interesting part of the job. I'm proud of building things because I can look at the end result and smile. Not so much with demo. Of course, you may feel differently, but those are some considerations why I don't think the couple of thousand $$ you'll save doing the demo yourself are worth it.
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raehelen
10 years ago
Thanks,

Am in process of adding up all our costs too. Part of me wants to know, and part of me doesn't! Of course there is no way to calculate the time it takes to 'save' money by sourcing materials and even labour! Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be able to post my own actual costs, I just know now that I am over budget...

Your bathroom looks very well done, timeless design that shouldn't date itself... I think you did extremely well on costs especially since you paid for plumbing, electrical and tiling. We are DIYing everything...and I now have a much healthier respect for why the trades charge as much as they do...so many hidden/extra costs, particularly in tiling...we are now debating whether or not to upgrade to a better tile saw...another added cost that I will not include in my total, but it it is an expense!
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
10 years ago
Very nice, looks good.
enduring
10 years ago
Very nice bathroom. Love the style. Thanks for the itemized list of your project. It is very helpful.
sloyder
10 years ago
Thanks for the info, want to redo my bathroom next year. Same size as yours, don't want to pay more than $10K, have yet to get an estimate.
DwayneHutchins
10 years ago
Very nice bathroom, I like that small cupboard near the wash basin. Is that custom made. i am planning of remodeling my bathroom and your pics are giving me ideas. the drainage system in my bathroom needs to be removed at any cost do I am planning of remodeling the entire bathroom along with that. Thankfully I know a plumbing Inc, Hy-pro plumbing and drain cleaning, who have agreed to do it at the best possible rates. I will post the pics after completing the work.
bananaz
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks everyone!

raehelen - So true about the costs of my time spent agonizing/designing/googling/comparison shopping etc. I now have immense respect for people who design bathrooms for a living (there are so many things to think about!!) and, as you mention, tradespeople. If you have another project you can use the better saw on, seems worth it... Or maybe rent a better one? Thanks for the "timeless" comment: that was one of my goals for the design... probably because I don't want to do this again anytime soon :-)

sloyd -- Part of our plumbing involved moving the toilet flange and reworking the piping for the wall-mounted radiator. If they didn't have to do that, I'm guessing we would have been closer to $10k. So, I think it is doable. I could have also done a better job of repurposing things I already had for the accessories/misc stuff. Good luck!

DwayneHutchins -- Thanks. Yes, the cupboard is custom. It is just a poplar box with fixed shelves, finished off with trim. Good luck with your remodel! Glad you found a reasonably-priced plumber -- makes all the difference!
LE
10 years ago
Wow. You did a great job-- super-functional, cozy, and true to an old house, which is no small thing. Congratulations on a successful project.
beaniebakes
10 years ago
Bananaz.... It's beautiful... you did a great job. I so appreciate material information on the railing. For years I've thought about making something like that for my 1930s wall-hung sink but I never had the time to research sources of materials. My bathroom re-do is postponed for now, but I definitely plan to steal your idea. Thank you!
mmcf
10 years ago
Enjoyed seeing your pics - you really did hit it with the timeless and yet era appropriate look!

But reading a permit cost of $211 made me choke on my coffee. I needed electrical and plumbing inspections (2 new dedicated lines and added a separate shower)... and being in a California Coastal Commission zone, my permit/inspection fees were over 15 X yours!
weedyacres
10 years ago
mmcf: If you're done with your coffee, we recently moved from a place where permit fees for adding on square footage totaled a whopping $100. Adding an entirely new interior bathroom: just $50. And where we live now, no permits required if it's DIY and kept within the existing house footprint.

One of the benefits of living in a small city/town in the midwest. :-)

BTW, not to hijack from the OP: it looks great! I thought the 5x7 bathroom we're almost done with was as small as they can get!

What my bathroom remodel cost

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What my bathroom remodel cost

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