- January 22, 2022
- Jenn Lambert
Anyone in the design/remodel/construction business gets asked this type of question often. While there are a ton of variables (size, scope, material, labor etc) and each project is unique, it is nice to have a baseline to draw from. I have recently completed a couple of bathroom projects and thought I would do a cost breakdown. We used budget-friendly to mid range products
Permits
An often overlooked expense is permits. In our area it is not a huge expense (about $400), but the price can vary greatly depending on your municipality, so be sure to ask.
Demo
Dumpster rental in our area cost between $250 and $500 depending on the size of the dumpster. Labor for demolition can take one day or up to 3 days. Old houses with tile on metal lathe is brutal to break up, heavy, and slow going for removal. Is it a gut job down to the studs and the house has plaster and lathe that comes off in pieces rather than sheets? Is your bathroom up a flight of stairs or in the far corner of the house? If so, and their isn’t easy access, than there is prep work to flooring in other areas and clean up involved. You can probably plan on $1500-$2500 just for demo.
Unexpected Finds
Once demo is complete you can assess what you are dealing with and this is where you may find some unexpected problems. You may find mold, asbestos, or some rotten subfloor or studs. Mold and asbestos remediation can both be quite expensive about $3000-$5000 for each. Replacing subfloor or a few studs isn’t a significant expense ($20/sq ft) in our area.
Electrician
The cost for an electrician will depend on how much is changing. Are you changing the layout in the bathroom and need to move lights, outlets, switches, and fans? If you are keeping the layout generally the same and just updated to a different style light, the cost will be relatively low $100-$200. If you are making big changes and changing the location of anything or adding anything (electric in-floor heating, electric baseboard heating, heated towel rack, outlets in the vanity), this cost can quickly escalate. They will have to come to your home during the rough-in (everything behind the drywall), and then come back for final (everything outside of the drywall). You could be spending upwards of $3000.
Plumber
Similar to the electrician this cost can vary greatly depending on the scope of your project, however if you are remodeling a bathroom plumbing cost is a guarantee, even if you are only replacing fixtures. In our last bathroom, the only layout change we made was going from a single sink to a double sink. The plumbing cost was $1600. This did not include any fixtures (I will cover that below). As you can see if you were changing the layout, this cost could easily double.
Drywall
After all the rough in is complete, it is time for drywall. $2-$5/sq ft seems to be an average range for our area. For a small 8×8 bathroom, I would expect to spend about $800-$1000 for drywall.
Tile
There is a large range for tile costs, but average can be from $2 to $25 a square foot. For a shower surround, floor, and wall tile that can add up quickly. Labor can range from $15 to $50 a square foot. And niches or special designs would be extra. For a recent kids/ guest bath the cost was $5500 for materials and labor and we used tile that had a price range of $6-$10/ square foot.
Paint
Painting in our area average is $3.00-$4.00/sq ft. For a small bathroom that could be $200-$500 and go up from there for larger spaces.
Vanity
You might be able to find a stock double vanity starting at about $1000 but that will offer no customization options. This will not be the highest quality and will likely not last for years. After going through a bathroom remodel most people do not want to tackle that again for many, many years. This is one area where I would invest in a quality piece. Semi-custom or custom vanities can be upwards of $5000 and that doesn’t include any extra storage pieces (make up tables or linen cabinets,etc.)
Finishes
Finishes for a bathroom would include tub, toilet, sinks, shower faucet, sink faucets, paper holder, towel rings/bars, hooks, mirrors, lights. For a budget-friendly to mid-range project the total would be $4000-$5000.
Designer
Most designers will have a minimum design fee or a minimum number of rooms. For one bathroom this size you could plan on a $1500 design fee. Disigners are usually hired separate from the contractor.
Contractor/ Builder
Builders either do a flat fee or cost plus, with cost plus being most common. They typically charge 12-20 percent of the project cost. For a small project, they will likely charge a higher percent. If you are doing a large renovation or whole house project, the percentage might be a little lower. I chose 15% for my calcualtion. Although the room is small, it still requires several sub contractors to hire and project manage.
Professionals
Let’s discuss professionals…the electricians, plumbers, tile installers, drywallers, painters, designers, contractors. Reputable professionals are worth it! They will be licensed and insured and they will stand behind their work. If there is a problem, they will figure it out and fix it.
Totals
We now have some numbers to work with. If you have a small kids/guest bath, you make very few changes to layout and function, you find nothing unexpected, you want nothing custom, and you choose budget-friendly to mid-range products…you are starting at a budget of $22,500 and going up from there. Homeowners often experience sticker shock when renovating and wonder where all of the money is being allocated. As I stated earlier there is a ton of variables regarding size, scope, material, and geographic location, but I hope this might help as a starting out point to get a rough idea.
| Permits | 400 + |
| Demo | 1500-2500 |
| Unexpected Finds | 0-10,000 |
| Electrician | 200-3000 |
| Plumber | 1600 + |
| Drywall | 800-1000+ |
| Tile | 5500+ |
| Paint | 200-500+ |
| Vanity | 3000-5000 |
| Finishes | 5000+ |
| Designer | 1500 |
| Contractor | 2800 |
| Total | 22,500- |
