<p>Thanks for the update. It sounds like you got a lot for your money. I live in a low-cost area, and my VERY small bathroom re-do was quoted at more than $10k. We ended up doing our kitchen, instead … three times as much (included wood floor in hallway & painting hall & family room, as well), but it was a good choice. The bathroom will be next, but I think we will be able to keep the cost down on that now that we have made some good connections as a result of the kitchen remodel.</p>
<p>I am about to put a fairly extensive addition to the back of the house. It will make the kitchen an eat in kitchen and I will put enough of an addition on the second floor that we can have a master bath and laundry up there. Hope to extend our closet area as well. I’ve done a ball park estimate and it’s going to be a big chunk of change. I think that it will make the house much more desirable when it comes time to sell and am optimistic that we’ll at least break even on the cost. Right now my want list has a fair number of luxury items, but I am prepared to jettison or delay some of them if I need to.</p>
<p>Treetop - I’m not concerned about resale value for a remodel – in my case, like mamabear, I’ve lived in a house for 25+ years, and I’m focused on my own comfort as well as necessary repairs. I had mold, peeling wallpaper, leaks, and cracked tile. Once the contractor tore everything out, to no one’s great surprise, we also found rotting floorboards. So basic home maintenance meant that that the bathroom needed to be gutted and rebuilt. As long as I was doing that, it made sense to pay for the quality that I want for my own comfort – for example, to opt for porcelain tile on the floor rather than linoleum, etc. I have other areas of my house that also need work – I think next on the agenda is to replace the carpet. I have no immediate plans to sell, and I don’t think it’s likely that I will sell unless and until I’m ready to relocate out of the area. </p>
<p>I’d also have to do a whole lot more fixing before I could expect the work to pay off with a home sale – I mean, no one is going to pay extra to buy a home with a 1 nice bathroom when the other bathroom and the kitchen look shabby. But at least if I fix the things that most need fixing along the way, the house won’t have to be sold as a fixer-upper. It just makes sense to me to fix what is broken, and to go ahead and do a nice job of the fixing.</p>
<p>Kelsmom, one thing I learned along the way is that the quote for the job isn’t the whole price. My contractor actually “quoted” about $9500 for the job – seemed like everyone wanted to give me a “quote” for under $10K – but that didn’t include the cost of shower replacement, which was the primary reason I was doing the remodel. It was $9500 plus a shower “option” – for me to choose – one price for cultured marble, another for tile. And a whole bunch of costs that were borne separately by me – some for material that I would purchase and supply, some for extra costs that the contractor would pay and charge back to me (like the permit fees). Add to that the clause in the contract about extras – like replacing those rotting floor boards we couldn’t see until the old floor was torn up – and that’s where all the money went. </p>
<p>In fact, one point of frustration for me is that it was really hard for me to get information from people who gave me bids on what was covered and what wasn’t. For example, one person said the job would cost $10K for labor only – but I didn’t have a clue as to what materials would cost and he seemed to want me to buy everything. Another guy gave me a labor quote of “$1000 per day” but never responded to my question, “how many days.” A big part of the reason I chose the contractor I worked with is simply that he was more professional in his communications – he gave me a detailed written estimate, he responded promptly to questions I sent him by email. There still ended up being issues that could have been more clear at the outset - for example, I was miffed that he didn’t tell me the cost of repairing the wood rot in the floor at the time he discovered it – I would have paid anyway, as it had to be done – but I was surprised to be faced with a final bill with several thousand worth of add-ons I hadn’t anticipated. Next time around I’ll know to add a clause to any contract that requires a contractor to inform me in a more timely way, so there are no surprises at the end. It’s not that the bill was in any way unfair – it’s just I had no clue as to what some things would cost. </p>
<p>I would say that, like you, the job has resulted in my making some good connections with subcontractors – I really liked the electrician and plumber, and may very well use them again in the future – and do some other jobs piecemeal rather than a full gut & replace. For example, a kitchen remodel would be really nice, but I think way outside what I can afford – so maybe when the time comes I’ll just go with replacing sink and countertops.</p>
<p>mathmom, that’s very exciting that you’re about to begin! I know you’ve been considering this for a long time.</p>
<p>We did our main bathroom last year. We don’t have a master bath - the bathroom is just outside our door (the kids have their own bathroom upstairs, though theirs is just a toilet and sink). </p>
<p>When we moved in here, there was a toilet in the unfinished basement. We removed it and put a plug in the top of the pipe. Since we only had a shower/bathtub in the main bath, when we gutted that room we then had no shower/tub. So we bought a funky fiberglass shower stall off of craigslist and built a base for it over the basement toilet drain and plumbed a temporary hot and cold line to it. </p>
<p>For six months, I had to go to the second floor to use a toilet and to the basement for a shower. An unheated, unfinished basement. Brrrr.</p>
<p>But once we tore out the bathroom (ourselves), we decided to expand the project a bit by putting in wood floors to match the existing oak floors. And since we were putting them in the bathroom, we might as well pull up the linoleum in the hallway and put in wood there too. And by “put in”, I mean using the slowest floor person ever. He is artistic, but maybe shows up one day a week for four hours.</p>
<p>We did the wiring and insulation, but hired a plumber and the tile folks. Cabinets are custom (from our favorite furniture store). Counter is granite - a remnant piece. We do all the finish work (paint, wood trim) on our projects.</p>
<p>Since we also replaced every single door on the first floor as part of the project, I have no particular clue how much we spent. It would’ve been more if we were on a tight timeline (or less tolerant of slow contractors like the floor guy) or if we had to hire a contractor to do certain items. I’d say we spent about $25k on the bathroom itself.</p>
<p>Our masterbath is approx. 130 square feet. We gutted it down to the studs @4-5 years ago and replaced everything. (When I say “we”, I mean we had a contractor do everything, not us!) We budgeted for $20-25k and it ended up costing us $30k. That was the biggest remodel we’ve done to date and it was so worth it. It’s really luxuorious now. It’ll be terrific for re-sale. I thought we would have been in this home forever, but my H & I have recently decided to move out of state in 3-5 years and now I’m looking forward to the change! Hope I won’t have to do too much remodeling in whatever home we choose next.</p>
<p>We have a really gorgeous shower stall that I am determined to replace with a basic bathtub by the time we have kids too big to bathe in the sink. If that needs to cost anywhere near what you are talking about I think I might cry, and spray my toddlers down with a hose in the backyard when the time comes instead…</p>
<p>VeryHappy, all too true! I finally bit the bullet and realized that I just was never going to get rid of my formal dining room, but I still wanted to connect the kitchen to the rest of the house. Once I made that decision everything fell into place. </p>
<p>I hear everyone on “the quote” vs “the actual price”. I’m pretty upfront about that with my clients. If as an architect I can’t even figure out how much my own kitchen/bath is going to cost, how can I tell them what theirs will? I hope I can afford the nice butcher block and soap stone, but will go the Ikea route if I have to. Currently I’m thinking mostly bead board in the bathroom to save on the price of tiles. I really, really want to spring on these tiles, but will probably just put one or two in the shower. [Fossil</a> Art - Fossil Fish Tile Backsplashes - Green River Fossils](<a href=“Green River Stone Redirect”>http://www.greenriverstone.com/)</p>
<p>That fossil tile is truly lovely! I’m assuming you have to treat it to make it suitable for the heat and steam of a bathroom, but gorgeous! We are just wading into this process. My bro and SIL did gorgeous remodels of their bathrooms and home with an interior designer and architect, but they have WAY more $$$! than us, and even they grumbled about cost and did what they could themselves.</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences. We certainly don’t want nasty surprises and like being forewarned. So much to think of! Will be talking with our friends who did major remodeling twice. I know she did tons of research and pricing and loves the results.</p>
<p>Mathmom, good luck on you plans. I have been enjoying the look I have seen in some recently remodeled public restrooms and motel rooms. The material is matte, gray, textured, large rectangles but may be a scored panel. I have seen it on walls and floors both. I can’t tell what it is - a vinyl or tile or?</p>
<p>mathmom, one or two of those tiles is all you’ll need. They are lovely. The other tiles in the shower can be plain, in a matching color.</p>
<p>Personally, I would frame or somehow mount the panels so I could hang them on the wall and take them with me when I go.</p>
<p>Sis is considering remodel of a 50’s kitchen. In what situations would she be advised to consult an architect? Wall removal? Layout approaches?</p>
<p>Those fossil tiles are beautiful.</p>
<p>Treetoleaf, I’m not sure. I’d guess tile - there are some amazing new tile styles out there like this: [African</a> Grey Wood Texture Porcelain Tile Luxetile](<a href=“http://www.luxetile.com/african-grey-wood-texture-porcelain-tile.html?gclid=CK77qKn8jLwCFdTm7AodFT4A0A]African”>http://www.luxetile.com/african-grey-wood-texture-porcelain-tile.html?gclid=CK77qKn8jLwCFdTm7AodFT4A0A)</p>
<p>I’ve considered putting a fossile tile in a frame, but I really like the look more embedded in a wall. Or on a vanity counter…</p>
<p>I love those Green River fossils!</p>
<p>Porcelain tile - I think that’s it. At the site you linked they had the linen texture I had seen somewhere. The grey stuff used in D’s dorm wasn’t there, unless I missed it. The interesting thing about it, that made me question whether it was tile or not, is how quiet it is underfoot, and how muted the sound is when you tap it on a wall. Thanks!</p>
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<p>mathmom, would you like to weigh in?</p>
<p>When we did our kitchen reno, we consulted an architect early in the process, because we did want to remove walls. She had some very good ideas about where to locate various things in the kitchen and gave us some excellent ideas.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>We did a bathroom remodel, and saved a lot of money by hiring a good friend to do the carpentry, then hired the plumber, tiler, glass installation directly. I served as full-time helper and demo worker and also brought all materials to site. We had a culture marble company construct the custom shower pan, ledges, and sinktop using a cultured granite product that I just love (I hate cultured marble, but the cultured granite is lovely and very durable). The rest of the shower was tiled. Grohe faucets and showerhead from an online retailer. Big expense was the heavy shower glass ($1700) cultured marble/fiberglass pan/countertop installation ($1800). I think the whole bathroom remodel was less than $8000, and with quality finishes — but my friend was just charging us straight labor, and my labor was free, and there was no general contractor. That meant that I took on the cost overruns and dealing with all the issues – including taking materials to the dump, making numerous trips to pick up tile, and epoxy grout, choosing all materials and ordering (and returning them), painting, cutting tile, installing flooring and cleaning up from all the mess. Luckily, I was still teaching at the time, because it took us two summer months from start to finish to do the bathroom and other renovation work upstairs.<br>
I really enjoy working with my hands, and hubby and I have a lot of sweat equity invested in this house. I like to hire people directly and prefer to take on the risk part of the process by paying them hourly. That means they can take their time and do a good job and not worry about losing money if it takes longer than they bid for…and I save by not paying for a cushion.</p>
<p>treetopleaf, the first thing she should do is find out from the building department what the rules are where she lives. Here in NY even enlarging a window is supposed to have stamped drawing from an architect. CT is a a little more lenient. </p>
<p>As an architect, I am naturally biased, but a good architect will give you a consult at a minimal cost. They’ll be able to tell you where bearing walls are come up with some basic ideas for layouts based on my understanding of how they use the kitchen. They’ll have a good idea if you can work with the existing space or if you are better off adding on. I generally come up with the general layout and appliance locations and then have my clients work with the kitchen designers at retail stores. They have better software so you can visual the results and know the ins and outs of all the bells and whistles you can get with cabinetry. And while I worked in interior design for a while, and do have opinions, I am not that interested in spending hours contemplating the merits of soapstone counters vs granite.</p>
<p>I was my own general contractor on one job and will never do it again! Everyone is different. I did not like being the referee. :)</p>