Let’s be honest, most people have no idea in terms of the right cost of renovating a home and this is certainly true when it comes to the bathroom. As you know, remodeling the bathroom usually involves designers or contractors but there are also certain conversions on which you can save costs.
But how can you ensure the best value and the most suitable approach for your circumstances?
Let’s take a closer look at the cost of bathroom remodeling how to compare quotes in such a way that you find the best value available:
How to Compare Bathroom Remodeling Quotes
If you’re like me, you think that any DIY experience at home is either daunting or hugely time consuming. It’s true, some aspects of renovation are pretty straightforward but when the importance of a smooth finish and appearance is so high, it’s better to leave this work to the professionals. Either way, you want to strike the right balance between quality and price to ensure you get the best possible bathroom for your budget – whatever that budget may be!
But exactly how much should it cost to remodel your bathroom?
Cost of Remodeling the Bathroom
As a rule, remodeling the bathroom can cost anywhere between $80 and $250 per square foot. Now, this cost will depend on the quality of fixtures you choose and whether you hire a designer or contractor for the job but the above margin is pretty standard across the board.
With this in mind, you can request the cost of a complete bathrooom suite or price the individual components of a bathroom separately. After that, when you compare the cost of each option, you should see that the fee for installation is the only real variable.
In case you might be wondering, if you do the actual work yourself, you can pay for materials only and save up to 50% of the cost. Needless to say, whether you hire a professional or not, this cost will also depend on whether you opt to remodel the entire bathroom or keep things simple and focus on smaller scale conversions.
Full Bathroom Remodels Versus Conversions
For most homeowners, there comes a time when the bathroom needs a complete overhaul. In this instance, you might want to consider a full bathroom suite and hiring a contractor for the full installation. The truth is, while you might be able to take case of some aspects of remodeling a bathroom, contractors are much faster and tend to have a “one-best-way” approach that provides a better finish.
On the other hand, if you want to stick with simpler remodels, there are some conversions that you can simply purchase and install yourself. As for the actual cost, it really depends on what you need to be installed as fitting certain fixtures is a lot more complex than others.
Here are some of the main conversions you might consider for remodeling your bathroom:
Types of Conversions and Smaller Bathroom Remodels
Bathroom Cabinets and Counters
Installing cabinets and counter tops is one of the easier tasks you can take on in the bathroom. Quite often, you will find that bathroom vanity units come with matching tops and this makes it even easier to pull everything together without the professionals. That being said, mounting these tops can be a rather frustrating process and professionals are likely to work a lot faster.
Takeaway – Cabinets and counters are defintely one aspect you can save on costs through DIY.
Bathroom Floors and Walls
Aside from luxury vinyl, porcelain and ceramic tiles are the most common materials for walls and floors in the bathroom. Unlike the first of these materials, ceramic and porcelain are tricky to install and getting a smooth finish is something that usually separates the work of contractors and homeowners. You can certainly purchase the material and install the floors and tiles. However, contractors will be much faster and more effective in terms of the final appearance.
Takeaway – Unless experience with tiling or flooring, have a contractor take care of installation.
Showers and Bathtubs
As you know, there are many ways to remodel the wash area of your bathroom and the price will depend on whether you choose a standard shower and bathtub or maybe even a walk-in bathtub.
While the installation process for prefabricated showers or bathtubs is reasonably straightforward, refinishing the shower or bathtub is another story. In other words, glazing the surrounding tiles to a nice finish requires quite a bit of skill and experience.
Takeaway – Aside from prefabricated fixtures, seeking the assistance of a contractor is recommended.
Toilet Installation
When it comes to the toilet, you may think that plumbing knowledge is necessary but the truth is, this requires a really simple and easy installation process. For this reason, you can purchase the toilet outright and no professional assistance should be necessary. On the other hand, if you already have a contractor working on the bathroom, it makes sense to have them fit this toilet for you.
Takeaway – You do not need a professional and can purchase the toilet outright.
Should You Hire a Professional for Remodeling the Bathroom?
Well, you may have a reasonable amount of experience with this kind of work and in the case of conversations, DIY is defintely something that can save you money. However, contractors will save you a great deal of time for full bathroom remodels and most likely provide a better finish for your investment. With this in mind, you can certainly do it yourself but whether you have the time or confidence for the job is another matter entirely.
Conclusion
As you can see, many conversations or simpler remodels require no professional assistance and a lot less money. In this sense, you might want to save money by taking care of the basics and then hiring electricians or plumber to come in and tidy things up. At the same time, if you lack experience or confidence with this prospect, it’s best to contact the professionals and it’s also likely that this decision will save you a lot more time, than the money is worth.
Either way, when you weight up the pros and cons, you should see that the cost of remodeling a bathroom is mostly down to the quality and extent of fixtures you choose. After that, the price of installation will depend on whether you do it yourself or seek the assistance of a contractor.
