How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost?

Perhaps you've been toying around with the thought of remodeling your bathroom — maybe for resale, or maybe because you can't stand to walk into your linoleum-tiled bathroom any longer. You may be asking yourself these questions:

• How much will your bathroom remodel cost?
• How long will your bathroom remodel take?
• What should you consider for a small bathroom remodel?

After combing through research, talking to professionals, and tracking down a real home owner to share her DIY bathroom remodel experience, we have the bathroom remodel answers that you’ve been looking for.

How much will your bathroom remodel cost?

If you plan on just changing the paint, hardware, and light fixtures, then you can expect to spend a few hundred dollars. If you are planning to rip out tile, sinks, flooring, and countertops, then plan on spending a few thousand dollars — price varies greatly depending on materials, contractors, square feet, unexpected problems, and desired upgrades. Below are general gauges that you can use to help measure the cost you should to set aside for your bathroom remodel budget.

Average costs

• Due to several varying factors, pricing ranges anywhere from $2,000 to a $55,000 upscale bathroom overhaul.
• You can usually expect an ROI of 70 percent on your bathroom remodel if you're planning to sell your home in the near future, a better ROI compared to updating bedrooms.
• Labor costs 40%–70%* of your whole budget.
• Materials costs 30%–50% of your whole budget.

Labor costs

Expect labor to cost 40%–70% of your budget. For example, if your materials cost $4,000, your labor could cost $6,000. If you’re hiring hourly, an average wage for a general contractor is $50–$75 per hour; however, labor costs fluctuate depending on your location.

*Those who opt to do DIY bathroom remodel work will save on labor costs, but run into the risk of encountering or creating bigger problems that could end up being costly.

Materials

The kind of materials you use to remodel your bathroom affect the total price dramatically. 

For example, a stone bathtub can easily cost over $10,000, while a classic white fiberglass or acrylic bathtub will cost you around $300. Think about how you want to spend your money. For example, look for cheaper options like choosing quartz countertops that mimic the look of a more expensive marble countertop and other material swaps that you can make.

Unforseen costs

When remodeling your bathroom, it’s difficult to budget for all of the costs that come up. There might be issues with plumbing, electrical or mold. The remodel might take more time than you think which could incur more labor costs.

How long will your bathroom remodel take?

As always, the time will vary greatly by the scope of your remodel as well as your choice of contractor and unexpected problems that may arise. Below are timelines and estimates provided of how long a bathroom remodel should take with hired contractors and professionals. 

• A small bathroom remodel can take around 3–6 weeks.
• A large bathroom remodel can take around 6–12 weeks. 

Average bathroom remodel timeline

Keep in mind that this reflects the ideal timeline. It is very likely that unexpected problems will arise, such as plumbing issues or traces of mold. Certain workers may be sick or overscheduled, causing a delay in the workflow. Wrong parts may be delivered, or parts may not be delivered at all. The point is that there are a plethora of things that can go wrong. Always give yourself an extra couple of weeks to complete your remodel if you have a strict deadline

What should you consider for a small bathroom remodel?

A small bathroom remodel will require a bit more detail-oriented planning to ensure that your bathroom is as functional as it is beautiful. Plan ways to maximize your small space, both with logistical changes as well as with design changes.

Perhaps it is in your best interest to re-work the plumbing to ensure that your bathroom is maximizing its space. You'll be surprised how possibly switching the location of your shower with the sink can add a few square feet of usable space.

In addition to logistical changes, here a few small bathroom remodel ideas to keep in your budget when trying to maximize your space.

•  Make storage space as purposeful in design as it is in function.
•  Mirrors help to accentuate the space and make it appear larger.
•  Showers with a glass door rather than a shower curtain help visually expand the bathroom.
•  Busy patterns and decor can be mistaken for clutter; opt to go more minimal.
•  For a few bonus tips that go more in-depth on this topic, check out our insights here.

Do you still feel unsure about the gritty details of a whole bathroom remodel process? In her own words, homeowner Carmen Smith shares three tips she learned through experience with her DIY small bathroom remodel project — the triumphs, mistakes, and lessons learned:

If you start a project without a plan or timeline in place, there is a good chance you will fall short in some areas. Don’t believe me? We thought we 'planned' out our huge gut job of a bathroom remodel and what was supposed to be a six-week timeline turned into nearly 11 months. Our final project was exactly our vision, but the process was brutal. Here are my top three tips that could help you remodel your small bathroom succesfully:

1. Be sure of your timeline

This one is super important. Really take the time to sit down and look at your calendar. Do you have any trips planned? Do you have any upcoming life events like weddings, birthdays, or anniversaries that will take you out of town? If you can’t get it done in six weeks, then don’t shoot for that. Wait until you have some nights and weekends clear to get this done, especially if you have young children.

2. Have a budget

A real one. A realistic one. If I’m being honest, we wanted to get this bathroom done for under $5,000 (and believe it or not, we were very close to that!), which meant we would be doing this all ourselves. There is no way we could have paid someone to do this for that budget. If you have expendable funds, that’s great. If you’ve been saving a long time for this, that’s great too. The less you can do without going into debt, the better and more relieved you will feel when it’s done.

3. Know your limits

If you learn anything from reading this, please heed this advice. This one point can derail the first two. If you think you can handle sheetrock but then mess something up, you will end up spending more money and way more time trying to fix it. My husband felt he could do anything and everything, and as it turns out, there was a lot of information available that proved helpful. At the end of the day, determine how much your time is worth.

Bonus Tip: Where should you start with your bathroom remodel?

First things first, you need to start talking to a few different bathroom remodel companies and general contractors. They will let you know what they can do in your desired budget.

Second, now that you have the logistics figured out, it is time to give a little more thought to your design. Check out these timeless bathroom decor tips to help point you in the right direction.