I am going to have a couple people over in the next two days to price a bathroom renovation.

Here is what I want to have done.

Tile over existing counter top.
New light fixtures,
two new mirrors
25 sq feet of floor tile
tear out of garden tub, replace with tile shower stall with bench and nich.
Same toilet and sinks
paint

All of the fixtures are to be mid end. Not high or low end stuff.

The wife and I are thinking 4,000.

What do you think that should cost. We live in rural NC, 30 min from raleigh.

Thnaks ,
John

well i am in the middle of the bathroom remodeling project too...so Iam new to this too and urgently looking for websites with ideas and designs......if you know any please post it here ......please don't post this website remodel-bathrooms.com as I already know about.


thank you for you help in advance.....

I assume with that number your buying all the material and that is the labor cost. Not enough in NJ and a little short in Ga. Remember you need to get permits, the contractor has insurance to pay. labor to pay, workmans comp to pay, unemployment to pay. Trucks, tools to purchase etc. I am sure you can get someone to do it for that, but your not going to get any quality for that kind of work.
You are also watching to many home shows, that offer prices on what things cost when the home owner does it themselves. Most of these shows are several years old and the jobs are typically located in areas in the country that do not cost much to live in.
I would add at least one to two grand to that price plus materials if you want it done by someone that will call you back when you have a problem.

My reply will be long but sort've in answer to your post.

Are you doing any of this work yourself? $4K doesn't really sound like much if you aren't. IF you can do any of the above mentioned work yourself, do it.

The following is what we're going to do in our bathroom.

Everything in our 10 x 8 bath will come out and plumbing/electrical will be moved. We currently have 4x4 tile on the walls (ft up the wall) and hexagon 3x3 on the floors, a toilet, a 3x5 shower w. doors and tile, and a 36" vanity and linen cabinet. We also have to repair flooring damaged from a old, slow leak so the subfloor has to be worked on as well as any other water damage caused because of settling. Nothing is going back where it was.

As we are in the rental prpty maint/mgt we're at Lowe's nearly every day and I'm forever looking for items I can use. I just picked up one of their signature 48 inch vanity and matching linen cabient for $350 marked down from almost $1200. I also picked up a $140 faucet for $30.

Now on to the more expensive stuff. We're going to put in a 3x4 shower in the cultured marble (from a specialty place as it's $500 cheaper than the little shower at Lowes) and a new vanity top and a pivot frameless shower door (that's still iffy). Those items alone are going to run me over $2000. The tile will be the cheapest thing we do I'm sure. I'll replace my current mirror and light fixture as well. As I said, plumbing and electrical will be moved and we're doing all of it.

In all, were we to hire out just the labor of removing the tile, repairing and replacing any subfloor, joists and/or putting down new backerboard, moving the waste pipes, water supply lines and electrical.. we're talking $4k just in that..

End of last summer 06 I remodeled our 8x10 bath. I gutted it to the studs ran new electric where needed all new exhaust fans lights etc.Replaced insulation,drywall,tile,vanity, tub,shower and fixtures and any plumbing pipe that looked questionable, (cheaper now while the walls were open)I did 100 percent of the work myself and spent just shy of 6500.00 and this was mid range materials.

I hate to brake it to you, but $4,000 is very unrealistic.Tile work itself may cost $4,000. Considering a contractor/plumber will have to demo the tub, reframe it, then the shower pan it self will have to be built. The tile setter will have to come in and install the shower floor, usually and 3x3 tile, then do the shower walls (after the plumber has installed the rough in valves for the shower faucetry) Are you going to have a listello instealled ( an eye level decorative design) What kind of doors will you use? the past 3 jobs I have personally worked on the shower doors (which range GREATLY ie"framless or framed, slider, hinged, what kind of glass, etc) averaged $1,300. Is the tile going to be installed in a diagonal or split brick pattern? Mid price tile averages about 5$ a SF here in pennsylvania. (not including labor.) Please get at least 3 estimates form reputable contractors. aSk your neighbors and friends for reccomendations. oh by the way, I am a bath and kitchen designer for a general contractor.! Good luck!!!!!

$4000 seems low for a bathroom remodel. However, calculate based on materials and the average labor cost (you can get estimates of hourly costs and the time required with a few phone calls) and then multiply that by 1.5 to ensure that you can handle the budget and any unexpected items that arise.

John,
I would agree that I hope you are only talking about labor. In Massachusetts, this work would probably cost you around $15,000.
First of all, I would never title over an existing counter, especially in a bathroom. Anywhere there is a lot of moisture, I would only put tile on Wonder Board or DuRock. The same goes for the floor, and especially the shower stall. I would tear out what's there, re-insulate, and install two layers of plastic under the cement board.
Even using, "middle of the road fixtures and tile," there is a lot of work to be done in a small area. You can't have five people working in a small bathroom. Good luck.

As a Southern Connecticut remodeling contractor, specializing in kitchens and bathrooms, I agree with the postings which stated that your budget is "optimistic", to say the least. Especially should you read, digest, and assimilate the posting from HomeCareClub regarding the subject of overhead for those legitimately in the business. People expect us to be properly licensed/registered, insured, knowledgable, honest professionals, able to pull the appropriate permits, have a vehicle carrying $6--16 thousand dollars worth of tools, but don't want to pay for what it costs to carry that kind of overhead burden. And, don't get me started on the subject of hiring ILLEGALILLEGAL immigrants and paying them cash at the end of each day, to save money.

A typical 5' x 8'bathroom gut/remodel in this area is in the $12--15k range, when done right. "Done right" means, among other things, replacing all feed lines with new, if they are more than 20 years old, since it makes absolutely no sense to put all new tile and fixtures in, all of which might afterward need to be torn out in the event of a pipe or fitting springing a leak. This is especially so if well water is involved, since often the water, while perfectly safe for drinking, might be acidic, leading to internal corrosion of the pipes, valves, and fittings, or have sediment which leads to build-up inside the pipe system, leading to reduced flows, uneven feed pressure, and, eventually, pipe or fitting failure, requiring the same tear-out of all the new stuff.

"Done right" also means having a proper vent fan exhausting to the exterior of the house, with insulated exhaust ducts that do not droop, to prevent condensation ponding, and back-draft dampers to prevent cold drafts from coming into the conditioned space. "Done right" means a quiet, powerful system, such as a FanTech or Panasonic system, with proper controls which ensure that the fan will actually get used. Read: "expensive". "Done right" also means adequate lighting, with adequate wiring and switching, to ensure that personal grooming tasks can be accomplished properly, and that an adequate number of G.F.C.I.-protected outlets are provided for the electric toothbrush, blow-dryer, electric curlers, electric razor, etc. "Done right" also ensures that all piping within walls is sleeved with foam insulation, both to prevent moisture condensation on the cold water lines, and to ensure that the hot water gets to its point of use without losing too much temperature to the surroundings. "Done right" means well-insulated, easy operating, low-maintenance window(s), and adequate thermal insulation, not only on the exterior walls, but also in the ceiling and interior walls, for "accoustical privacy". "Done right" means including appropriate blocking between the studs to support the addition of grab bars, whether now, or down the line, as we age in-place. "Done right" means that the sub-floor is solidly fastened to the joists, and is thick and stiff enough to support the tub,toilet, vanity, tile, and live loading that will be imposed on the finished flooring, without deflection, which would cause the tile or stone flooring to crack. "Done right" means using appropriate tile backer board, and that the tile and grout are properly sealed, after allowing adequate time for curing.

The professionals among us know these things, and more, and are able and willing to deliver the goods. But, obviously, "done right" comes at a cost. While I don't begrudge anyone doing their own work, it is always best to do it right, and not take short cuts. If you don't do it right the first time, you will eventually have to do it over sooner than you had expected, or will have to pay to have it done over, the right way.

To W. J. Parker - Amen, you've "done right" with your answer. Thanks

To Contractor's Wife: Thank you.

The best thing that a forum of this nature can do is to help out those who don't know, while educating them in what constitutes the right thing to do. If I have accomplished anything along those lines, then I am grateful for the privilege.

We are doing 4 bathrooms right now - and each is over 3.5K. Some involved as few changes as new lights, fixtures, paint, trim, new counter and new shower door - while others are a complete gut with new plumbing and electrical configurations. Range from 3.5 to 12K for each bathroom, all of which are being done with mid range items.

quote:

Originally posted by Ralph Osgood:
In Massachusetts, this work would probably cost you around $15,000.
First of all, I would never title over an existing counter, especially in a bathroom. Anywhere there is a lot of moisture, I would only put tile on Wonder Board or DuRock.

Thanks Ralph, W.J. Parker and everyone who shared an idea of costs,

I'm a DIY-er because of my income but I would wait and save up my money so the job could be "done right".

I must confess I want to lean to a family business rather than a large chain store. I picture the money earned being used to pay his/her property taxes, school for the kids, etc so the money stays local (but I will replace roofs on my own, so I tend to view things differently).

When I have $10K - $14K saved up, how many quotes should I collect?

I wonder if there are contractors that will do the 'serious' work and I could do what I totally can do (drywall, tile, fixtures). Or perhaps it's like "bringing a steak to a restaurant and paying to have it cooked". (Isn't that the BEST expression? hits the nail on the haed).

Don't wish to offend professional contractors; I'm just semi-poor.

Thanks!

As they say in the real estate business, "location - location!" I hope the guy's bathroom is done by now, but let's remember that rural NC is likely much different from NJ or even SC. In WV, we're having a non-licensed guy gut our bathroom, install new tub wall tile & sheet flooring, tub fixtures, lights, sheet rock & insulation for $1500 - labor & materials. He admits he underbid to get some inside work, but so far, his work appears ok. It's a rental house & my wife's winter project, so I'm only "advising" on this stage of the game, but the miscommunication is the biggest hassle (tween worker & me) and knowing it may only be a 15 year job.

We checked his references, but around here, you can't get anyone reputable to touch a bathroom remodel for under 10k. We're not looking to invest that much in 60-70k house so there you have it! Location, location!

Wait until you have an insurance loss o the home. Your insurance company WILL look into the condition of the bathroom, If they suspect that it has had recent work. And you did not get the proper permits and licenced contractor to do the job. Good luck collecting the insurance money, And good luck getting any from the local guy that did the work.
Dont forget to have plenty of insurance on him when he breaks his leg in your house and sues you.

quote:

Dont forget to have plenty of insurance on him when he breaks his leg in your house and sues you.

Not all contractors are scumbags. No doubt there are some but don't be scared to hire them. Just try to check references. And I personally wouldn't sue the home owner if I broke my leg. Generally if a contractor breaks his or her leg, its her or her fault. Thats what insurance is for.