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Hiring a professional for home remodeling projects always sounds like a great idea, until you receive their quote to complete the project. With high labor costs, even DIY small bathroom remodel projects can be very costly. In this post I will give you a DIY bathroom renovation cost example, which happens to be one of my favorite bathrooms that we renovated!

When budgeting for a bathroom remodel, remember that one way to save money on your project is to perform the work yourself! Of course, you want to be sure to obtain any necessary permits to do the work. If you perform the work, you are only paying for material costs. Depending on the materials you choose, the total cost for your bathroom remodel is really up to you.

While an interior designer can help you design the bathroom of your dreams, it isn’t always in the budget. With the help of Pinterest and Instagram, you can develop your own bathroom remodel ideas! There is no shortage of fabulous inspiration available.

Before actually completing a bathroom renovation, I would not have been able to tell anyone about the cost of doing it. The purpose of this post is to give you just that – an idea of the costs. You may choose more or less expensive materials and hire someone to do all the work. Those things will change the costs, but at least you will have a starting point!

 

Background

This was the first home that my husband and I renovated together. It was also the second house that we looked at with our realtor. As soon as we walked into the house, I knew it was perfect.

The house was built in the 1970s and was chock-full of ’70s decor. The trim was painted in Harvest Gold, and you couldn’t walk three feet without seeing yourself in a mirror. It was 3,200 square foot with four bedrooms and three baths.

We were going to have to remodel every room in the house. Fortunately, most of the work was cosmetic, so that we could do most of it ourselves. Both of us had demanding full-time jobs then, so we did the work at night and on weekends.

We knew a little about home renovation before we started, but we learned most of what we know now from reading, watching videos, and making and fixing mistakes.

My husband and I are both very detail-oriented and prefer to do things right the first time. That is a great trait when it comes to quality, but it is hell on a schedule! We do good work, but we are slow as molasses!

The point of telling you our backstory is to encourage you. With all the tools, videos, and educational content available now, a person can learn how to do anything!

The bathroom remodel for which I will be breaking down the costs was our daughter’s bathroom. It was the second bathroom we renovated, so we had a better idea of what we were doing by this time.

 

Before Renovation

 

Above is a photo of the bathroom in its original state. I am sure that in its time, it was considered a lovely bathroom! It was time to make some changes, though.

Essentially, we took the bathroom down to the studs and started over. The bathroom was around 50 square feet and included a single vanity, a toilet, and a combination tub/shower.

List of Improvements

• Installed new sheetrock
• Installed a new bathtub
• Installed backer board
• Installed new tile
• Installed new flooring
• Installed new trim
• Installed new toilet
• Installed new double vanity
• Installed tile backsplash
• Installed new sink faucets
• Installed new tub/shower faucet
• Installed new pendant lights
• Installed new mirrors
• Installed new towel rods

After Renovation

 

Bathroom Remodel Costs

As everyone is painfully aware, the cost of everything has increased significantly over the last couple of years. I decided it would not be helpful to give you outdated pricing, so I researched the products we used and am showing the current pricing.

It is important to note that the pricing shown below does not include labor, taxes, or any shipping. In addition to the pricing discussions below, I will provide a table showing the itemized costs and a total.

Sheetrock

Sheetrock is currently priced locally for around $15 for an 8′ x 4′ sheet of 1/2″ lightweight sheetrock. For a bathroom of this size (around 75 SF), we probably used 9 – 10 sheets. To complete the project, you will need sheetrock, screws, tape, and sheetrock mud. It will cost approximately $200.

Bathtub

We installed the Delta Classic 400, which is an alcove-style bathtub with an integral apron. Depending on the retailer, you can expect to spend a little over $300 for this or a similar bathtub.

Backer Board

For backer board in showers, there are many options available. We purchased Go-Board from KBRS to use in our shower. It is very lightweight and easy to cut.

They also sell a Waterproofing Accessory Pack, including the gauging fabric, sealant, and liquid liner. You should expect to spend around $65 for the waterproofing and backer board.

Shower Tile

We used a combination of white Ivy Hill Catalina til sizes with Mapei Avalanche grout. The tile is currently priced at $10.99/SF and $8.79/SF for the two sizes. Let’s assume an average cost of $9.89/S for our purposes.

For approximately 85 SF of tile, mortar, grout, a trowel, a float, a couple of sponges, a couple of buckets, and tile sealer, the cost would be around $1,000. Make sure to check out my post, Tile Grout: How to Choose the Perfect Grout for Your Shower!

Floor Tile

We used the 12″ x 24″ Cote D’ Azur Brushed Black Limestone tile from Floor & Decor with Mapei Avalanche grout for the floor. The current cost of the tile is $4.99/SF. For the tile, mortar, and grout, you could expect to spend around $500.

Trim

We used 1″ x 8″ x 3/4″ pine finger joint primed board for the base and 1″ x 5″ x 3/4″ pine finger joint primed board for the door casing. The trim would cost around $100.

Toilet

We purchased a pretty basic 2-piece Kohler toilet. I don’t have a record of the ones I bought, but I have linked a similar one here. They cost around $200.

Double Vanity

The original bathroom had a single vanity. We thought installing a double vanity would make sense if we had the space. It is a 60″ solid wood vanity made by Legion Furniture. The retailer from whom we purchased it no longer sells it, but I found it here for what appears to be the lowest price. Their current price is around $1,350. I also replaced the knobs, which cost around $30.

Backsplash

I used leftover tile for the backsplash, which worked well, but if you had to account for it, you could assume around $40.

Sink Faucets

We purchased the Symmons Dia Widespread Two Handle Faucets for the faucets in Brushed Bronze. I loved them. I loved them so much that I put them in two bathrooms. Their current price on Amazon is around $250 each.

Tub/Shower Faucet

We installed the Delta Trinsic Monitor 14 Series Tub and Shower Faucet in Champagne Bronze. With the rough-in valve, you can expect to spend around $300.

Light Fixtures

For the pendant lights, we installed the Anchondo 1-Light Single Globe Pendants. They are currently priced at $189 each at Wayfair.

Mirrors

We installed the Rosario Arch Metal Wall Mirrors above the vanity. They are currently priced at $200 each.

Towel Rods

We purchased the sweetest brass towel rod from Shoppe Amber Interiors. The large towel rod is currently $60.

 

Summary

In this post, I gave a DIY bathroom renovation cost example. I described the materials and current prices for those we used in our bathroom renovation. Your costs will change depending on who does the work and the type of materials you choose, but I hope you have a starting point.

If you want to update your bathroom’s look without doing a complete renovation, you might enjoy my post 8 Inexpensive Bathroom Upgrades to Make Today!