So what is the cost of a bathroom & closet renovation? I’ve only had this question a handful of times, to be honest. It’s not as though I feel the need to answer this question because everyone has been asking. But I do feel like it’s super valuable information for anyone thinking about a renovation. I figured I’d do my best to break it down for you since I’m about 90% done with the money spending part of my renovation (or at least I know what everything is going to cost from here on out).
A couple things to note before I dive in.
- My bathroom renovation is unique in that the space that we are turning into a bathroom was NOT a bathroom before. Meaning we had to plumb the entire thing. BUT it wasn’t a full addition since it’ was already a part of the square footage of our home. Likely, you’ll either be creating a new addition, building brand new, or renovating an existing bathroom space. So I feel like ours was more costly than a simple bathroom renovation but less expensive than a full on addition.
- I’m taking on as much of the labor myself as I possibly can. There are some things that I just don’t know how to do and don’t feel as confident trying for the first time in this space. I hope to be able to watch as my contractors take those on and maybe pick up a new skill or two.
Click Here to check out my Closet Design
Click Here to check out my Finishes/Fixtures Guide for my Master Bathroom
General Construction Costs: $3500
To make my space ready for a bathroom, The floor had to be raised to meet the height of the majority of my house (there is about a 3 ft step down into my bedroom) and to allow plumbing to be run under the floor. Jason, my contractor, and his guys helped me finish the demo that I couldn’t, raised the floor, built some walls, ran electrical, etc. They still aren’t finished so this number will likely go up a bit, I think. You don’t realize how many little things have to be done until you start doing them.
Plumbing Costs: $4500
This involves 2 different things. The initial plumbing was/is $2000. That involves running the pipes, adding the valves for the fixtures. All the underground plumbing stuff that you don’t see.
The fixtures themselves were around $2500. This is an area that you as the homeowner have complete control over. I needed 2 sink faucets, a tub faucet, and a shower system. I went with mid-range prices on my selections but you can technically go as budget friendly or over the top as you’d like.
Flooring: $3000
The floor tile I selected was around $2500 (same tile for bath and closet). I’m estimating that with the additional material costs, I will be somewhere around $3000. This is another place where you can save or spend. My tile cost about $6 a sqft. There are certainly cheaper options but I had my heart set on a certain look. And if you’re doing a small space, this is a great place to splurge a little and add a big design element.
I’m also doing all of the installation myself and the rooms combined are about 300 sqft. So this saved me a good deal of money as well.
Shower Install: $4200
I’m having my plumber also waterproof my shower for me. The cost for materials and labor for that are around $3000. I will do the tiling myself here as well and I was able to get all my tile for around $500. I’ll also need to get shower glass installed. I’m estimating (based on zero data) that it’ll be around $700 for that installation. I went with a less expensive shower tile here but some thing that I really do love and am super excited to see installed.
Paint: $500
I’m estimating this as well. But I already have the closet mostly painted, so I’m assuming I’ll need about 4-5 more gallons of the various colors & finishes to complete the spaces. Hopefully, I’m over estimating on this one, but I wanted to give myself wiggle room.
Closet Built Ins: $7500
This is going to completely depend on your closet size as well as your needs. My carpenter quoted me $7500 for the whole closet. It’s around 180+ sqft so I felt so good about this quote. I originally was going to tackle this myself, but after his quote came back so great, I decided to go this way instead. This doesn’t include doors, but there are only a few doors on the upper cabinets. Construction on this should start asap and I’m more than excited about it.
Lighting: $1400
I was determined to have a GIANT, FABULOUS chandelier in the closet and I found a modern, yet classic shape that I love for around $800. The ones that I really wanted were pushing $2000 each so I made a compromise in this area for sure. I have one nice pendant in the bathroom that was $400. The rest of the budget was the inexpensive sconces for my vanity and some top rated can lights from Amazon
Doors & Windows: $2000
This renovation involved adding 4 new doors. Our master bedroom wasn’t previously used as such, so it didn’t have a door. The closet was separated from the bedroom using an exterior sliding glass door, so that had to be replaces. We also added a door for the water closet (room that holds the toilet) and a pocket door to connect the bathroom and closet. The space we’re using as our bathroom had no windows and I really wanted to add a window here, so that was an addd expense as well.
Stone: $3000
If you’ve been following along on IG, you likely saw my experience stone shopping for the countertops. I ended up falling in love with a moody, dramatic marble slab. I was so afraid of the cost of the install, but it ended up being close to my budget. My first budgeting go around, I budgeted $2000 for the stone. But I didn’t realize at that time that I’d also need a counter in my closet vanity area. So I knew I was looking at a bit more than I originally planned. Such is life with renovations. This price also involves out sink basins.
Bathtub: $650
I fell in love with a simple, modern that was only $650. You can go MUCH more expensive with tubs but I feel really good about my choice and I cannot wait to soak in it.
Drywall: $2300
This is what is currently happening in my house this week, which means it’s starting to look like an actual room. The materials and installation for the bathroom and several large patches in the closet came down to $2300.
Extra Stuff: $who knows$
My door knobs cost about $700 (for 6 sets). I’m adding shiplap to the ceiling which I hope to keep under $500. And my vanity build and door cost is yet to be determined.
Total: $35000 (about $100 per square foot)
I’m hoping that with everything above and added costs here and there, we’re going to keep it under $35,000 (I could puke typing that). My original projected budget was $25000. After really chatting about the project and planning for it – back when we bought the house- we knew we were looking at $30k at least. And as anyone who has ever done a reno before knows, you always go over budget. So, we’re feeling alright at $35k. Prayers that nothing unexpected pops up between now and then, though.
