We are just getting prices from contractors in NYC for our 35 sq ft (actually a little less since it's not quite 7 x 5) and prices are $7,500 - $20,000 from 4 different places. The bathroom is over 50 years old and we have just been living with it for a while. It's all contractor work, no DIY. We cannot move plumbing so the layout won't change. I'm not really sure what the $7,500 price includes since the contractor would really not elaborate beyond "a basic bathroom" that includes wall to wall new tile (what we have now). One vendor who did not do a site visit (only looked at photos) came in around $15K. I am waiting on formal proposals from 2 contractors that visited this week and I gave them the wish list below that does not include any fixtures choices or finish choices but they are steering us toward custom and semi custom. One vendor said not to spend too much since we could price out the market for resale (we are not selling anytime soon, if at all) so he came down to $20K from $25K. There is one more contractor on the list that we plan to call for an estimate. A neighbor spent $40K on her bathroom. I have not seen it but just heard the price this week so I will make it a point to visit to have a look. replace bathtub/drain & replace fixtures, adjustable rain shower with separate handheld replace medicine cabinet make laundry hamper area into storage (framed with shelving) demo wall to wall tile, replace tile add recessed storage on rear shower wall install new lighting paint entire room (replace bathroom and bedroom doors - only two doors in the apartment so they should match) replace metal towel bar in shower replace storage cabinets (towels & other products) install vessel sink and fixtures add handheld sprayer for toilet (may get washlet seat if elongated toilet will fit) cover and tile over pipes; add mesh venting remove shower door (install curved shower rod) replace ceramic towel bar (8 hooks?) & switch plate add vertical toilet paper holder upgrade & add electric outlets (2 x 2); not on same circuit as lights Labor only estimates so far: $12,650 $13,200 Materials $3,355 (low) - $7,355 (high) One GC sources and stores the materials which seem to be at least 25% -50% higher for some items than I've seen locally. This post was edited by kdnyc on Tue, Jun 3, 14 at 15:24

Additional information, as Ron mentioned, would be useful. My initial thought and absent any other information it appears that power comes in on wires 1 and 2. Then goes out to the vanity and light/fan on wires 3 and 4. It does appear that you have some extra neutrals in there as well. Are there other wires in the box that aren't shown in the picture? As for light above the vanity, I assume you have access to the joist space above the bathroom? You should see a cable or conduit going down the wall through the top plate. I'm hoping there's a junction box above the vanity. It should be mounted on the side of a stud, so that may give you some clue as to its location. If the box was installed properly, there may be slight bow in the drywall which could be another clue. The last option is to make a small hole in the drywall and go in with a L shaped piece of wire and feel around. You may need to repeat that a couple of times. You also said something about the fan not being vented. Get that done too! Dumping hot, moist air into the joist space is not a good thing.

Charlikin, I think everyone who undergoes a major project feels, at some point, that maybe they shouldn't have even started it. It's natural. It's just that right now with all the problems you can't envision it all coming together. But it will. It always does. In preparation for your meeting tomorrow, I'd come up with a list of 3 things that are most important to you (i.e. preserving as much space as you can, etc) and then prioritize them. That way you can clearly communicate with the contractors what's most important to you. As you go through the meeting, do what you've been doing which is when something doesn't appeal to you, ask for options and the cost of those options. If a solution directly conflicts with one of the three priorities you've laid out, then put it aside (i.e. dropping the ceiling any further is not an option because the ceiling is fairly low already...). I know this entire process is an emotional journey. In the meeting, try to remain calm and businesslike, ask for options and evaluate the pros/cons of those options. If you can't come up with a solution you can live with, I think someone on the bath forum suggested you interview other contractors. I know that would delay your project, but as another forum member has so wisely suggested, when you're ready to settle on something you're not happy with it's time to take a step back and regroup. Of course they said it more eloquently than that. Just this week I was presented with a huge plumbing estimate to do some work outside the scope of my remodel. We called the contractor and explained that there was no way, no how we could afford that solution. After looking at the plumbing again (about 4 of us for quite some time), they were able to develop a solution I could live with that didn't carry any additional cost above my contract. Sometimes you do have to be a little assertive in asking for more options. You'd be surprised how creative people can be when you get a group together to solve a problem. Just try to relax, have a cup of tea (if that's your thing) and know that it will all work out. It always does. Let us know how you make out tomorrow.

I just bought 2 nutone heat, vent light fans for $195 each at Lowes. nice product, 2 sones (very quite) with direction adjustable heat vent in cover. about 2" larger than existing bath fans. perfect imo, to just cut the hole a bit larger. I also installed daylight cfl bulbs. used hardcast brand mastic tape to seal housing to cut in sheetrock before installing cover. also used the mastic tape to install the damper (and penny) to the housing of the bath fan, and the venting to the damper. took about an hour per bath fan. not my first rodeo. I also like panasonic whisper quite fans, but twice the price of the nutone. never liked nutone before, but saw mostly elcheepo bath fans that sounded like a 747 taking off. these were quite nice, and the low sones rating means that they will be used. I recommend running the fan for half an hour after shower. best of luck.