We don't have a master bath - just a rather large hall bath, and I have no doubt that we will have overimproved for the neighborhood. We live in a working class area with a mix of single and multi-family housing. We love the area though and have no plans to leave it. We did splurge on some areas (fixtures mostly) and went super low budget on other areas (tile). What we could have gotten on the $15k for a 100+ sf bath (a huge luxury in this area to begin with) would have been a lot of fiberglass and home depot grade faucets and wasted space. To me it wouldn't have been worth the bother/hassle to end up with crap for $15k. Instead we have a cast iron clawfoot tub, a nice walk in shower and a pair of sinks with granite remnant countertops and a bathroom in a classic style that will last the rest of our lives. For the extra $10k (half the price of a mid-grade car) will have a bathroom that is beautiful, classic, functional and durable. I'd rather share my almost 7 year old honda accord with my husband than have a new car and a cruddy bath.

Wow. I thought the poster wrote a pretty darn good post. (S)he likes the contractor. The contractor has done good work in the past. The contractor in the past seemed to be priced fairly for the market the poster is in. Had the poster been remodeling another basement; ie doing comparable work, that's one thing. But kitchen and bathroom work? They are completely different animals when it comes to bidding and building. The poster isn't screaming in internet outrage at the bid. He's simply looking for a warm fuzzy that the bid is good. I think he already knows the bid is good. But again...what's wrong with coming to the GWeb community to look for that warm and fuzzy. If he was a Yankee fan, hey, I'd be piling on too. But for totally different reasons. But a Red Sox fan in Westchester County? C'mon folks. We need to help the decent people in this world. So my reply? Yes, the bid (42K) taken at face value is high. It's high because $42K is a lot of money. Factor in your location. That brings it more into scale. Your materials. High end materials generally require more care when installing, that can elevate the price a bit. The scope of work: Demo. Framing. Messing with the building's thermal envelope. Electrica, plumbing, insulation, waterproofing, painting, yadda yadda. It's a full-scope job. I never mind being asked about money. If you're happy with the contractor, then just have a conversation with him. If the following fits how you feel, then feel free to frame it into your conversation. Tell him the bid is higher than you thought it would be, but you understand it due to the scope of work. Tell him that you can bump your budget to meet his bid. However, ask him to identify any areas where savings might be achieved. Also ask him to identify areas where there may be cost overruns. It's not that you're looking to knock the price down. You're not. But not exceeding the bid is important. Let him know you're simply looking for possibly contingency built in to the bid. ie if you go over in demo and repairs, can we absorb that overrun elsewhere without compromising the overall project. Good luck!

It sounds like it's not about budget, so much as DIY. Everyone has a budget and the more you look, the more ideas you're going to get. Nothing is timeless, everything will seem dated and no one has the perfect kitchen...it doesn't exist. There may be a wonderful kitchen that is just right for you, but no kitchen is perfect for everyone and should be universally copied. And, if anyone feels embarrassed about posting their 'budget' kitchen, I don't think I've ever seen a finished kitchen criticized. It's done, the money is spent and everyone praises the positives and overlooks any negatives...as it should be. The only exception is a very nice, high budget kitchen that was criticized for being unrealistic to cook in. That was a little low, IMHO and I think the same care should be taken with all posters, regardless of budget. Of course, for a kitchen in progress, or initial plan....the comments might be a little more negative and direct. It's not too late to make a change and improve your function or layout. Also, everyone has materials they like and they often suggest others use them, because they've enjoyed them. That doesn't mean other choices are not equally wonderful, but they may not have experience with them. Just my two cents...and I think that's my current budget! LOL Good thing I already bought the paint and vinyl floor tiles. Yes, my kitchen is a low budget, fix up and I'm very excited. When I catch my breath (and my pocketbook recovers) from husband's illness...then my farmhouse remodel is the next kitchen. But, I plan to use formica, painted cabinets (would love to find some to reuse/unfitted) and white appliances, my bunny back splash tile...in other words 'low budget' but that's my vision. If I have $300 or $30,000 I would probably have the same vision :)

@ raehelen, Thank you, and YES, I am soooo happy that the granite/BS search is behind me!! LOL @ jancy, the cabinet color that I chose was Coffee Clutch. The code for the color is D1-7. I have read of many others using Bittersweet Chocolate by BM and Black Bean by SW. But, the Coffee Clutch looked great to me at Ace, so I chose it. I did have to sand the cabinets to rough them up, and I primed them with a tinted primer first. I think I used Zinser 123. The cabinet and trim paint goes on really nice. I just brushed it on and it went on nice and smooth. Almost smooths itself out. Just use long strokes and plan on 2 coats. It dries hard and shiny. I did not have to poly over it. I painted them over a year ago and they've held up beautifully! The other nice thing was that the wood grain still shows through. It came out really well. Don't be afraid... go for it!! :)