Remodeling Your Shower | Staying On Budget
Remodeling your shower can be quite an intimidating undertaking,
but it really shouldn't be. Once you know what to expect you
will much more at ease. After all, after the kitchen area,
bathrooms are the most expensive rooms in your home to remodel.
The price of fixtures and finishing items such as tile really
add up quick. The direction you take with them will ultimately
influence the price of the project.
The variety of plumbing fixtures is just as vast as the prices
of them. You can spend as little as $30 on a lavatory faucet to
upwards of several hundred. It really depends on your tastes and
how much comparison shopping you do. Tile is also an expensive
material to obtain, sometimes costing as much as $8 for one
square foot. If you have a large area to cover, you can see how
the cost quickly adds up. Countertops are another area of the
bathroom that can eat your wallet, especially if you go with
something like Marble or Corian. Usually if you are remodeling
your shower you are also finishing the rest of the bathroom.
These other costs need to be considered upfront so you stay on
budget.
Some General Bathroom Remodel Prices
For your basic project which could include approximately an 8'
by 5' room, removing and replacing everything expect to pay
minimum of $5,000.00. This can vary depending on your choice of
flooring, fixtures, and vanity but you should plan on at least
this amount. Should you be a do-it-yourselfer and plan on doing
the work without help, you can save considerably. Even if you
just remove the old items you can save, allowing you to upgrade
your material choices.
If your master bathroom is larger than mentioned above, say
around 12' by 8' you can expect the cost to increase. You would
be looking at an almost double cost (at least $10,000.00) since
you would need more materials and larger fixtures. A bigger
vanity, shower, tub, and more cabinets can drive the budget up.
These prices are just estimates and by no means set in stone,
but they can give you an idea of what to expect before starting.
Based on your location you could be looking at more or less, as
some products might be in abundance locally. Anything that needs
to be custom ordered will be quite expensive. You also need to
find a good contractor should you not have the necessary do it
yourself skills for the job. Try to get bids from several
contractors, and check with the town offices to make sure they
are licensed and have insurance. Ask for references before
choosing, and call the previous customers to see if they are
happy with the work. Make sure things didn't run over budget,
and ask them if they would use the contractor again in the
future.
The key to this project is not to be intimidated by it, but also
to do some research upfront and prepare a budget. The more work
you put into the budget before work starts, the less likely you
are to have unforeseen expenses. This increases the likelihood
that you will be happy with the outcome.