"How to keep the cost down?" Plumbing fixtures: One of the larger avoidable expenses in a remodel is rerouting plumbing. If you can keep your fixtures where they are, that'll save you a bit. With that written, some fixtures are easy to relocate, some more difficult and more expensive. A toilet can be tough to move, as the floor joists come in to play. If a toilet is moved within the same joist bay, that's a bit easier than having to cut through or head off joists. In general, sinks are easiest to move. Showers and tubs in between. Material choices: You can get decent looking tile and surface treatments for reasonable cost. If you want to "bling it up" you can add accents of more expensive materials. Along that same vein, you can sort of "future proof" the look of the room by not choosing fad materials. Along the same line as the "bling" comment, you can design to an everyday look and use trendy accent pieces to punch up the look of the room. It's easy and inexpensive to repaint a room, or to change towel colors a couple of times a year. It's more expensive and messier to retile. Tile. What pattern? What width grout line? Will the pattern fit in the space that's being tiled in a logical manner? If the "basic pattern" will result in slivers of tile at the end of a course, how to adjust the pattern to get rid of those slivers. Grout type. Grout color. Don;t get stuck having to choose a tile pattern or a grout color the day work begins. Easiest is to have a photo of the pattern you want Show it to the installer. "Can you do this?" Yes? No? Why not? Your other question "...how much research and work I should do on my own?" Research may save you money, dovetailing into your "keeping costs down" goal. The more you know going in, the more planning you do, the less likely that you'll end up with an unbuildable design or detail that doesn't show itself until construction is under way, or the expense and timeline delay ramifications of a change order. Definitely make sure the room fits together. Windows are accessible. Doors and drawers can be opened and closed without knocking in to something else. That your fixture placements meet basic building code requirements. Lighting fixtures are properly located for the appropriate task. Mirror reflection versus windows. Waterproofing. Probably the biggest killer on this website is rotting showers and tub surrounds. You want waterproofing in your shower or tub surround. Least expensive is demo the walls to the studs. Staple 6-mil polyethylene sheeting to the walls and drape the bottom edge of the plastic over the tub or shower pan flange. Cement board then goes over the poly, screwed to the studs. Tile goes on the cement board. More expensive is using a topical membrane. There are several "roll on" or "trowel on" liquid membranes out there like RedGard and Hydroban. There are others, those seem to be the two most commonly used on this forum. There are sheet membranes like Kerdi and Nobel. Again, there are other sheet membranes as well. To use a topical membrane, you'll typically demo to the studs, then screw cement board to the studs, then apply the topical membrane over the cement board and then tile on the membrane. Shower pan: Myriad options. You can used a preformed pan. Some are cast iron, some are plastic/synthetic. You can go deck mud with CPE membrane. Deck mud with topical membrane. Biggest sin there is contractors installing a sheet CPE or CPVC membrane flat on the floor. The membrane itself needs to be sloped. Again, if cost is an issue, you can go with a manufactured shower pan, or a bath tub, and use shower or tub surround panels. No tile. Easy. Reasonable expense. Shower valves? You can spend an easy $1k on a shower valve and the pretty trim kit to go with it. Or you can use a Symmons Temptrol valve. Everything you need for about $100. So...educate yourself. Ask questions. "How will they build the shower walls, from the stud-to-tile?" Make sure they can explain their steps and the rationale behind their materials and methods. So, a few ideas. Good luck!

Sure, this is actually the upstairs of the house that we are looking at. Yes, it would be a disaster to have that layout downstairs! Downstairs we have a small half bath. The other obvious location for a bath would be the library, but we only use that bedroom in the summer as it's ridicuously cold and there is no obvious way to run plumbing up there. Part of the reason for the existing plan is to get rid of the plumbing in the exterior wall that freezes fairly regularly. We had a pipe burst years ago before I learned to leave taps running and that was a mess! Planning to move the plumbing so that it comes up through the linen closet and the pantry below it. This will at least help with the problem. The basement under the main section of the house is concrete floor and functional, but under the smaller 1790s section where the linen closet is is crawl space. I just ordered a thermometer to put under there to track for the next couple months and figure out if I need heat tape.

Thank you Toddinmn --- the bath windows are all in a separate room from each of the main areas. 1) Basement (partial den bath connected to a stair tower are 100 series). The 3 story stairs are e series, but there is no visual connection between any of the noted 100 series proposed bathroom windows. In comparing the samples, the finish really looks pretty similar -- maybe a 10% difference to the 'scruciating' eye, but otherwise pretty darn close. Windows to tub (to your other question) are roughly 8" away -- I'll do a drop in. But I'll also do trim so can match that entire master bathroom trim of e series windows (black) to trim -- interesting question...what is your thought? Perhaps no one (other than me?) would ever notice they are different in the bathroom? I wonder if anyone has regrets in installing wood interior e series windows in a bathroom... Does that help clarify? The 4" trim could be color matched to the 100 series so most people wouldn't necessarily notice --- maybe? That would save me a good $2k in windows and heck, it all adds up! I really just wonder if I am overthinking the e series (wood interior) in a bathroom and go with the 100 composite in moisture areas. Thanks so very much!

Adjoining tile areas should be the same. You wouldn’t put two different woods on the floors.