Our house was built with a cheap acrylic tub/shower unit 20 years ago. It started getting difficult to clean just five years later. At around 15 years, it developed a small hole in the sidewall. (We think it was from bathing the dog and her sharp nails.) We had one kid in college and another who was very ill at the time = no money. We patched the leak and I kept getting more and more creative with the cleaning products just to make it look decent. Finally, kiddo #1 is healthy and kiddo#2 is graduated. We're about to embark on the long needed bathroom remodel. Unfortunately, we are still on a budget. The only thing I didn't want to budge on was NO ACRYLIC TUB. But our bath, the only full one in the house, is up the stairs and around a tight corner into a small 8x5 room, with the tub at the back. Our bath guy says, sure, he can put a cast iron tub in there but he'd probably have to remove, then rebuild, a wall to do so. There would go the budget. My alternative is to use an acrylic unit because they have a little "give" and he could get it into the room without demolishing anything. "I don't want acrylic!" I say, but he tells me there are nicer ones than that piece of junk I have in there now. How much nicer? Really nice. Of course you still have to build a floor up around the bottom of it and put in some insulation if you want it to feel like cast iron though. "And how much is that going to cost?" I ask. And the answer is -- too much. "There is another option," he says. Then he pulls out this gorgeous hunk of solid surface material and tells me he can put in a walk in shower made out of that stuff, with a premium showerhead and control for the same price as doing an "okay" job of installing a mid-range acrylic unit. Did I tell you I only have one full bath? No other tub in the house? I'm going with the walk in shower anyway. THAT'S HOW MUCH I HATE ACRYLIC. BTW, according to shower guy, the lifespan of an acrylic tub is 20 years. Hope this helps.

Considering that home values are in decline at an average of 1/10th to 1 full percent per month depending on where your are, I wouldn't consider that a good way to decide what your budget should be. A better way to avoid over improving is to compare the upgrades you want to do with the current trends of your neighborhood. If you live in an older neighorhood with more modest homes, you may want to go with a less expense asthetic and avoid really high end materials. If you live in a more upscale neighborhood, it would be wise to only consider a higher end look.

1. Put in a kneespace - I like that and it looks like it's doable given the layout. 2. Replace cultured marble with granite and 2 undermount sinks - Absolutely. 3. Not sure what to do about mirrors. - One large mirror. 4. Maybe replace the cabinets. - I would keep the cabs - they're nice. You can add some after-market slide-out containers under the sinks. 5. Tub - Keep it but add the same color tile as the flooring as a surround. 6. Shower - Doesn't look big enough for dual heads to me. Shower without a curb is a code no-no. If you want to remodel as handicapped, you may find yourself facing a lot of codes for the bathroom and total house that may add up to a big budget-buster.

@Couture Vert, I would gladly pay double that flat fee for a good design. By the way, I mistakenly thought the first designer was a CKBD. She is actually an AKBD so that is probably why she has a smaller fee. I'm looking forward to meeting with the experienced CMKBD this weekend. I'll keep you posted.