Bathroom Remodel Budget Breakdown

It's time for Part 02 of our twins' bathroom reveal - the budget breakdown of this remodel! Our clients find it really helpful to know concrete numbers regarding one room remodels like this, so we thought we would give you a sneak peek behind this project to give a better understanding of what it would cost to take on a secondary bathroom renovation, at least here in the Houston area.

Here's a quick breakdown of the major things that we replaced in the bathroom:

- Remove the Tub/Add Walk in Shower and Enclosure

- New Vanity Countertop

- (2) New Undermount Sinks

- New Toilet

- New Plumbing Fixtures

- New Flooring Tile

- New Shower Wall Tile and Floor

- Refaced Cabinet Doors

- New Cabinet Hardware

- New Exhaust Fan

We didn't change the vanity mirror or add lighting fixtures (although we did update with retrofit LED can lights), which can both add quite a bit to a budget for a bathroom. The big priority for us was adding functionality by removing the rarely used bathtub and creating a walk in shower for these massive young men we are raising. Of course I wanted to go all out but honestly since we know this is not our forever home, we decided to keep it budget friendly and invest in durable materials that our boys could use and enjoy now while they're still at home, but are still neutral enough to appeal to a new buyer when that time eventually comes and without breaking the bank.

One place I think we could have saved is with the cabinets. There wasn't a huge need to replace the cabinet faces in the bathrooms, but I did like the idea of having matching faces through the kitchen, living room built-ins, and the bathrooms. Updating cabinets also means updating hinges/glides, and of course I wanted soft close drawers. Utilizing this type of hardware means that your actual drawer space will shrink to accommodate, so don't assume that your organizational boxes/containers will fit again with the new drawers (can you tell we had that problem? Not that I'm truly complaining...I love refreshing with clean new anything any time, ha!).

Now that you know what we prioritized, here's a cost breakdown of the main components of this remodel:

- Countertop Material $1,650

- (2) Undermount Sinks $400

- Plumbing Fixtures $1,200

- New Toilet $300

- Cabinet Hardware $200

- Tile for the Floor, Shower Wall, Shower Floor $1,200

- Labor plus Materials for Cabinet Doors, Glass Shower Enclosure and Hardware $15,000

Total: $19,950*

Keep in mind that we didn't choose material from our local hardware or big box retail store, but we also didn't choose the most high end faucets or tile either...I'd say all materials fell into what I deem "mid-range." Also of note: I also used a vendor who sells quartz material by the square foot rather than by the slab. If we had purchased a countertop slab, you could easily double the price above!

What does this number NOT include*:

• Design Fee: At the time of this writing in 2020, we estimate the design fee for this bathroom project's scope of work would be $5250

• Project Observation Fee: Fee for periodic visits to jobsite to observe the work of contractors to determine whether the contractors' work is proceeding with general conformity with the designer's concepts, answering contractor or client questions once construction begins, helping troubleshoot issues as they arise during construction. Estimated in 2020 at $3750

• Procurement: Time spent purchasing and procuring materials and finishes and managing logistics for sourced items. Some contractors will include this in their scope of work and some will not. Estimated at 8 to 12 hours.

• Contractor Fee: Obviously this number varies by contractor and the scope of work but typically there is at least a 20% contractor fee based on the overall labor and materials that most contractor will add as a line item as their fee for scheduling, managing subcontractors, overhead expenses such as insurance, etc.

These additional fees would bring the overall investment amount for this project to a minimum of $32,940.

Please know that a lot of these prices are tied directly to the region of the country where your remodel is happening. If you want to compare pricing for various common home renovations, click here for a national database that breaks down remodeling cost vs value data by region and cities.

Do these numbers surprise you? Are they spot on for what you thought it would cost to remodel a secondary bathroom? We'd love to hear your thoughts, and answer any questions you may have! Leave a comment below and we'll do our best to help you out!