Cost to Remodel Bathroom…What no one wants you to Know
Are you amazed at how high the estimate you received was? Are you frustrated with the lack of transparency in the construction industry? Most “home improvement and remodeling” companies would never discuss price over the phone. For some companies it is because that prospective client has to be exposed to a high pressure sales pitch in order for the salesperson to close a bathroom remodel deal. For more reputable companies, they have learned from experience that estimating costs without seeing the potential area being discussed or understanding all of the customer’s ideas and choices can really create issues down the road.
Bathroom and home remodeling costs hinge around three main factors:
1. Finish Costs - These costs include the cost of the bathroom tile, vanity style, countertop material, custom cabinetry, quality of the plumbing fixtures, shower/tub style and choices and type of shower enclosure.
2. Changing Bathroom Footprint - Moving walls, moving toilets and sinks from one place in the room to another, these changes mean additional costs to relocate electrical and waste and feed plumbing lines.
3. Labor Rates – There is a reason that the construction industry has one of the highest business failure rates. There are a couple of factors here.
1. There are many so called contractors that are not properly licensed in Central Massachusetts, they have little or no workman’s compensation or liability insurance, don’t pull the proper building permits and pay illegal employees under the table. All these factors mean they can charge a very low labor rate compared to a fully licensed and insured, fully above board remodeling contractor. CORE Remodeling Services does everything above board and we pay all the taxes and workman’s comp and liability insurances that come with that.
2. There are also many great remodeling contractors out there that do fantastic work. The problem is many do not fully understand the business side of running a remodeling company and they do not charge a fair mark up for their work in order to make a profit. When this happens, many customers get a great deal for a while, until the contractor can no longer stay in business. The average successful contractor needs to charge between a 40 to 60% mark up on their labor and materials to make an 8 to 10% net profit. For some reason, people are willing to pay a 200 to 300% mark up when they buy a pair of jeans, but think that the professional home remodeling trades’ person that will spend three weeks or more, working 10 hour days to make their home beautiful is charging way too much. Does not make sense sometimes but it is true.
Finish Costs:
These items represent what the bathroom will ultimately look like. Bathroom tile can range from a inexpensive Home Depot special of $ 0.79 per foot to $15 per foot for quality Marble. Tile material cost represents about 10% of the average bathroom remodel cost, before the cost of installation. Most high quality porcelain tile and deco strip is about $1,500 for a 75 square foot bathroom. Custom cabinets run about $2,500 for units up to 48” long. Pre-fabricated vanities are approximately $1,200 if constructed with plywood sides. Expect to spend around $2,000 - $3,000 in mid-level plumbing fixtures (vanity faucet, tub / shower & fixtures, sink, toilet, medicine cabinet), Kohler, Delta, Grohe and Sterling are a few of the quality brands that CORE uses. Frameless & Semi Frameless shower doors can range from $1,200- $2700 depending on size and complexity of the installation. These are the actual costs to the contractor, before their required overhead and profit markup needed to run a profitable remodeling company.
Changing Bathroom Footprint:
Some bathrooms are poorly configured or you may just want a change that requires us to change the footprint. These changes can cause the price of the bathroom remodel to rise. Moving a toilet or bathtub will affect the hidden plumbing. To move a sink, toilet or tub, the final cost for the cost of relocating will be on average $1,100.00 per fixture moved. We have to cut floor joists and re-run drain & water lines and sometimes will mean additional framing to ensure building code requirements are met, which is an additional cost. Moving walls and doors is another area that drives costs. Many times this requires additional planning and engineering and then the framing & finish costs. On average moving a wall and door will cost between $2,000 to $4,000 when all's said and done. Again, these are at the remodeling contractors cost.
Basic level $30k +: Standard fiberglass shower surround, standard vanity with an integrated top and with vinyl flooring. This is with a good design and price conscious materials.
Basic Bathroom completed by CORE Remodeling Services bathroom Remodel - milford, MA
Mid-Level $35k +: This bathroom if outfitted with good quality fixtures usually found at bathroom supply houses. Tile options for walls usually are higher quality tiles and have patterns. Tile shower & bath areas usually have custom niches and/or corner shelving. The vanities can be higher quality prefabricated cabinets or smaller custom vanities and granite tops with undermount sinks and quality faucets from manufacturers like Kohler, Moen and Grohe or similar. Shower doors are usually custom frameless or semi frameless glass. This is truly a beautiful bathroom with high quality materials and craftsmanship.
Mid-range bathroom in UPTON, MA by core remodeling services
Upscale $60k +: Luxury Level bathrooms are designed and built to give clients a “in home spa experience”. Examples of that would be a shower with wall jets and ceiling rain showers. Jet tubs with built in heaters are commonly installed. In many cases the custom vanities are comparable to a piece of fine furniture. Wall tiles can vary from limestone, marble, granite or natural stone.
Upscale Bathroom in Ashland MA , by CORE Remodeling Services
We hope this article helps you better understand what goes into the costs of a bathroom remodel project and the different things to consider. Please visit us on our Website or you can call CORE Remodeling Services today at 888-959-2673 (CORE) to discuss your project ideas and have a no commitment phone consultation. We always recommend going to review what makes us different and how we do business.
