Let's Remodel This Other Bathroom!
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s time to start on the next remodeling project at my house. I promise this will be the last as my sanity and bank accounts are running VERY LOW! A few weeks ago I began step one of my 12-step design process, which is “Estimating the Costs” so I can establish a realistic budget. As you all know, I’ve always been transparent about the remodeling costs on my hall bath and kitchen projects and this one won’t be any different.
In addition to establishing a budget, I also had to decide if I could afford adding a freestanding tub. I compared the cost of replacing the existing cabinets and counters ($3400) vs. the cost of a new tub ($3000). It was an obvious decision and I’m counting down the days until I’m soaking in a bubble bath!
Before we get any further, let’s take a quick tour of how my bathroom looks today…
In addition to meeting with two plumbers (more on that later), I got an estimate from my tile installer, cabinet shop and countertop fabricator. These four items total most of my remodeling budget, which I’ve established as $25,000 and I’m going to do my very best to keep to that number. Here’s a breakdown of each line item:
Now that I’ve completed step one, it’s on to step two which is “Make Your Selections”. This is will the longest and hardest part of the process. Here are a few mood boards I’ve put together as I begin this step.
The biggest takeaway from this project, so far, has been to get another estimate if something doesn’t feel right. I have a long list of vendors I’ve used over the years. They’ve done a great job and have been fair with their pricing. When it was time to start getting estimates, I reached out to a local plumbing company I’ve used for many years - for my client projects and my own. They came out and promptly gave me a quote for $9,000. I then went back and forth multiple times requesting they separate the tub work so I could decide if I could afford it. I never received a reply. So, I asked around for recommendations and called another local company to provide me an estimate for the exact same work. Their quote was for $4,150. Crazy, right? I’m assuming that company #1 made a huge mistake or they are just too busy to deal with small projects and priced it accordingly. Either way, I’m looking forward to working with this new company.
If you haven’t downloaded by FREE bathroom design guide, please click on this link. It walks you through all the steps I used for my previous projects, as well as this one.
Thanks for Reading!
Jennifer