remodeling/gutting a bathroom

[calv]

Ok so who's BTDT? We got an estimate last night and I'm scared of what the price is going to be. PRobably at least 10-15k for a new bathroom. BTW, yes we want to gut and remodel everything. Obviously I want the best but that's not realistic. IF you've gone through this what would you recommend to not skimp on and what headaches can you warn us about. ANYTHING else you think I should know?

As always thanks for your help.

Also wondering where you got idea. guess I better start surfing the net for pics/ideas!

[table4three]

No advice, but I'll be watching this thread because we are going to finally attack our master bath in a year or two.

[dules]

We don't have anywhere near the $$ for a gut remodel so are doing the cheapie - removing the blue sink and toilet and replacing with white. Having the blue cast iron tub reglazed in white. Total cost under $600.

I'll be watching this, too, so I can live vicariously through you. :)


Mary

[jayali]

We gutted and remodeled two bathrooms about 4 years ago (wow I can't believe it was that long ago) and we did our kitchen also.

I recommend that before you do anything you know what you want. I knew exactly what I wanted which really helped. It also made the construction part easier - when our contractor needed a decision on something I was ready with it. Look through magazines and rip out pictures of what you like and don't like.

Make sure you and your contractor are in sync. I LOVE our contractor. He totally gets me. He understands that I know nothing of how much things should cost, so when I pick out something ridiculous he reels me in and shows me an alternative. He also understands my taste, so if something I like won't work (like a glass tile shelf) he can recommend an alternative.

We spent WAY too much money on our sinks. Both are pedestal and were pretty pricey (about 3k each). I would not spend that much again. I would still spend a lot on fixtures. I think that they are important and you feel and see them everyday - so I like that ours feel "tight" and "heavy".

Spend a lot of time looking a tile. There are so many beautiful tiles out now. I went for a plain white look and now wish I had done something a little decorative. I would also suggest you stay away from trendy colors. I always cringe when I see my sil's peach and seafoam tiled bathroom. Was beautiful back in the day, but now I think she is tired of it. (Sorry if I offended anyone).

Really think about placement of hooks and towel racks, and totally think about storage. Like if you want a piece of furniture to store towels, make sure you can find one the size you need before you go through with the design. If not come up with an alternative.

Think about the size and type of tub you want. We went with a plain white regular size tub, but there really are so many options. Are you really going to use the spa size tub enough to warrant dusting it out every other day? They are a big open space and when not in use collect lots of dust. Separate shower? We opted to add additional storage and use a shower over tub. Lighting in the bath and shower are critical. Does DH shave in the shower? Put in a mirror and build a shelf for his stuff.

Also think about what you use the bathroom for. Like we don't dress in our bathroom, but some people do. If you do dress in the bathroom you may want to consider a small stool/ottoman. Do you put your make-up on in there? If so lighting will be even more critical.

And my big recommendation is for a great venting fan. Nothing worse then having the steam start to peel your paint.

Have fun! I wish we were re-doing our bathrooms again. I would do lots of stuff the same, but some stuff a little different.

[table4three]

Jeannine -

how did you find your contractor? Was he responsible for everything or did you have to find an electrician, plumber, etc? How long did the remodel take?

Thanks!

[lovin2shop]

We are just about to go through this process. Since we haven't actually done it yet, I look forward to the posts as well. I was thinking that it would cost around 15k also, but the contractor came back with a bid of $25k. Ouch. We are in the process of getting additional bids. I did have plans in mind for the bathroom already that I found in a magazine. HGTV.com was also very helpful for design ideas. There is a section on the designers portfolios that lets you pick the room and the style, and then it comes up with pictures. HTH!

[o_mom]

We did ours two yeras ago and it was around 4-5K altogether. We did not go for a 'luxury' bath as it would be out of place in the neighborhood, but we did enlarge it (2x size), replace toilet and shower. If you look for stock fixtures and don't go crazy with tile everywhere it can be done.

ETA: We had quotes for 3 times that from high end contractors who wanted to do a tile shower and base, wall tile all around, new cabinets, etc. It was not in our budget and quite frankly would not have fit with the rest of the house at all.

Here is everything we did for that price:

Gut existing bath and attached dressing area except for vanity and countertop (the vanity was custom fit and the counter was a cultured marble one piece, so not horribly old or worn)

Frame in enlarged bath with new shower and linen closet

Move shower drain and water lines

Replace toilet

12x12 tile on floor w/ matching 6x6 backsplash above sink - this was not high end tile, just Lowe's stock in a neutral color

Move vanity lights, install recessed lights over shower and one new overhead fixture - wiring and moving switches

Install 36x60 in shower and doors- this is a 3 pc surround on a 1 pc base.

New faucets and shower fixtures - we went with good quality on these.

New hardware on cabinets

New medicine cabinets

Drywall, paint, trim, 3 new doors w/hardware (bath, closet and linen)

[SnuggleBuggles]

We are in the process of remodeling our bathroom, all but the tub/ shower.

We are doing it ourselves though. Slowly, but surely. :) Just picked out the lighting, vanity and counter last night. ALready painted. Already picked out the ceramic tile.

We are anticipating that it will cost $1500-2000 to do it ourselves. It's going well so far. It helps that dh is a perfectionist. :)


Since we are just starting (just ripped up the floor, repaired some bits, and painted) I don't have any advice yet. We also haven't worked with contractors so I know that is a whole other set of issues!

Oh, we got all our idea from the tiles we choose for the floor. We were at Lowes for something else in the flooring aisle and they really caught my eye. From there it just snowballed.

GL!
Beth

[deenass]

The tile guy is in my bathroom as we speak - we've been dealing with a bathroom remodel since November (yes, that does seem like a long time!!!)

Original estimate was for $15K, we decided to blow out a wall and add a closet which added another $3K, then discovered a completed rotted sub-floor which needed to be replaced (and would have needed replacing no matter what). Of course, blowing out the wall created a bigger space which required a different heat source (another $750) and because we made the bathroom bigger, we got a 6 foot tub instead of a 5 foot tub (husband is 6'3" so now he fits in the tub). Of course a 6 foot tub means more tile and needs a "tub skirt" (and the tub was $500 more than if we had bought a 5 foot tub). So, in the end, we may be looking at $20 - $25K. (Um, we also have a cable hook up in this bathroom - yes, we are INSANE)

Get good toilets (look at TOTO) and be realistic about what you want and are willing to compromise on (do you want solid surface countertop or is laminate okay?) In the end, we loved what we loved and so we are sucking up the cost knowing we will not be doing this again ANYTIME soon.

We hired a contractor who brought in the plumber/electrician/demo/tile subcontractors. We pay a 15% mark-up on all those services b/c he deals with them (and is around to let them in the house, etc). That is something you should know up front.

[jayali]

Our contractor was a recommendation from a previous contractor who had done our windows, but had gotten "too big" to do our remodels. I loved our first contractor, so was very comfortable with his recommendation. He is local - lives in the next town, around the block from my best friend's parents. He came over with his then two year old son, and apologized the entire time. I thought it was kind of cute. Anyway, we totally hit it off. I trusted him on EVERYTHING. As a matter of fact he still has the key to our house (when we did the remodeling we weren't living here full time, so he had a key to come and go as he pleased).

He did all of the sub-contracting and I have to tell you that we did have a couple of problems with one of his plumbers (didn't connect a gas hose properly and we had a really bad gas leak). Mike was so apologetic - he came over at 11:00 on a Saturday night while the gas company was here. Needless to say that plumber was NEVER allowed back in our house. I loved most of his sub-contractors enough to have them come back and do the kitchen - which Mike was also the GC on.

We weren't living here full-time so we were never in a real rush. I would say that the bathrooms - completely gutted took about a month. But remember I had picked out everything (including paint) before we started. The kitchen took much longer, but it was the designers fault because he didn't source my floors (stained cherry to look like a slight checkerboard) or my countertops (soapstone and marble) because I think he was hoping I would change my mind on both. The kitchen took about 4 months, start to finish.

I really can't stress enough how important it was that Mike (the contractor) and I were on the same page. He got me and really understood who we were, how we lived and what we were trying to accomplish.

[table4three]

Any chance you are near Chicago? Your contractor sounds great!

[jayali]

Sorry, no. We are in New Jersey and sad to say but Mike is now only doing larger jobs also. Though he did promise to come over and tighten the rail on our deck. Let's see if he does it. It is so hard to find a good contractor. My only suggestions are to ask for lots of recommendations and go with your gut!!

Good luck

[lmintzer]

I'd highly recommend checking out iVillage's home site. Here's a link (mods--if it's not okay to post it, you may delete it--can't remember the rules on links): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/

The "bathrooms" forum is a wealth of information about remodels--pitfalls to look out for (for ex., making sure the contractor uses cement board in the shower area as well as moisture barrier). There is also a gallery with pictures of amazing baths. The cool thing is that they were done by/for real people. I feel this is so much more helpful than looking at design magazines.

The best part about reading the posts on this site is that you'll feel ready to talk to a contractor using the lingo--you'll know what questions to ask, and you'll be less likely to be taken advantage of b/c the contractor will know you know your stuff.

Best of luck--remodels are no fun while they're happening, but I'm sure you'll LOVE your new bathroom!

ETA: more pitfalls (other than cement board and vapor barrier in shower) include making sure tiler uses thinset and not mastic to adhere shower wall tiles. Mastic will eventually let water through but not necessarily in the first year while you are under warranty! If you do a tiled shower floor, make sure the tiler knows how to properly prepare and slope it! Discuss grout line widths with contractor (ours wound up too wide in our shower--don't like the look as well).

Toilets--make sure you pick a good one. We have a new Toto and like it very much.

Hope that helps some.

[Drag0nflygirl]

We managed to get an entire bathroom/walk-in-closet added on to our cape for about $22.5 thousand once all was said and done. We live outside Philly, so it's not like it was less expensive since we live out in the country or anything. Also we went with the mid-priced quote. All the less expensive guys seemed shady.
My best advice is shop, shop, shop! I found 2 Kohler sinks and a toilet on super-duper clearance at HD. ($50 a piece - I won ugly on that one!) They weren't even discontinued - it's the Portrait suite -just for some reason they switched that design to special order only and cleared them out. I had to go to 2 different Depots, but I saved a bundle. Don't hesitate if you see something like that. You can always return it if you change your mind later.
HD also has what I thought was a really good value with their Thomasville semi-custom cabinets. Not all stores have a good display of them, so check a few if you need to.
As far as tubs go, unless you like to take super-deep soaks just go with a stock white or bisque cast iron tub. Kohler and American Standart each make one for about $200. Don't get steel, it can be loud, and acrylic can scratch.
Don't skimp on the faucets. My plumber friend says only Moen. I don't know if you have to be that picky about it, but don't go no-name. Faucetdepot.com saved me a bunch, and their customer service was great when I had to switch one out.
I went with white tile on the walls and a travertine look on the floor - BUT - I found a tile I liked to use as an accent. I did a line of it around the shower and also the back of my shelf/indentation thingy. I found a mexican talevera online for 60 cents a piece, used 2x2's for the surround and 4x4s for the shelf. I would have splurged there if I found something I liked better, but be carefull because tile adds up fast. A good tile guy is your best investment.
Lastly (sorry for the novel - I had a blast with my remodel) if you want to splurge for granite go for it. If one thing is really going to change the look of your bath that's it! Shop around and ask everyone you see - there should be enough competiton in your area so you can find a great price. We ended up spending $100 a linear (lineal?) foot - NOT a square foot.
As far as where I got ideas, I sprawled out on the floor in the design section of Barnes & Nobel...but that was pre-DS.
Good luck!
Nancy