Kitchen remodels were listed as the most common room remodels carried out by most homeowners. However, in recent years, we have witnessed the growth in popularity of bathroom remodels.
Bathroom remodeling projects are good for giving your bathroom increased functionality, and aesthetic appeal alongside personalizing it. Bathroom remodels are common among new homeowners that have purchased a used house. However, homeowners can also opt to remodel and revamp their home bathrooms.
Bathroom remodeling projects can be stressful, especially when one has not planned adequately. Bathroom remodels entail a lot of work, and this is what makes them stressful. Due to their complexity, one must prepare adequately.
One crucial aspect of preparing for a bathroom remodeling project is budgeting. An average bathroom remodeling project costs about $10,000. However, this figure varies depending on your expected expenditure for the project. Due to this, you must budget for the project based on your financial limits.
When budgeting for your bathroom remodeling project, you ought to know all the items and services to include in your budget. In this article, we discuss what you should budget for in a bathroom remodeling project.
1. Material Costs
Before embarking on a bathroom remodeling project, you must set aside finances for buying the required materials. One factor to remember is that if you have chosen to work with a contractor, they will offer to purchase all the materials on your behalf. You should know that when you let the contractor buy the materials for you, you will spend more money since the contractor will charge you more. The added charges by the contractor are to cater to the service of buying the materials on your behalf.
Materials costs take up about 70% of the bathroom remodeling project budget. The materials to factor into your budget often depend on the scope of your bathroom remodel. For a simple bathroom remodeling project, the items to factor into your materials costs include the tiles, countertops, bathtubs, cabinetry, hardware, accessories, etc.
If you are planning to have an extensive bathroom remodeling project, you will include materials such as new drainage pipes. For every material that you factor into your materials costs budget, you must know the specific type or quantity. For bathtubs, you should figure out the design you want, such as deck mount freestanding tubs, clawfoot tubs, etc.
For the tiles, it is vital to have an approximate number of tiles needed for the project. You can get the number of tiles you need for the project by dividing the total surface area of the areas to be tiled by the surface area of the tile you intend to use. Once you have gotten the figure, buy extra tiles in case some have to be cut to fit into corners, or in case of some breakages during transportation or installation.
2. Service Costs
Similar to any other job, it is advisable to hire specialists to work on your bathroom remodeling project, rather than taking it as a DIY project. This is an easy way to ensure guaranteed success and good results for the project. When choosing the specialists to handle the project, you have two options.
You can opt to hire a general contractor. The general contractor will then hire subcontractors for the individual tasks encompassed in the project, such as tiling, electrical wiring, etc. Hiring a general contractor is the best option for those who will not be able to manage the project on their own. However, this option is expensive since the contractor will charge you more than you would be charged if you hire individual specialists on your own.
If your project management skills are top-notch, then hiring the required bathroom remodeling specialists for every task will help you save some money. When hiring all contractors, you should keep in mind that the labor costs of the individual contractors are upon you to cater to. To factor this into your budget, you should be aware of all the contractors needed for various tasks.
With knowledge of the individual contractor charges, you can budget for each. Working with individual contractors also gives you the ability to choose your contractors based on your evaluation of their work or referrals. This is good to ensure that you do not work with unskilled contractors who will offer poor-quality jobs.
The average charges for various contractors required in most bathroom remodeling projects are as follows.
- Plumbers-$55 per hour
- Tile installers-$7 for every square foot
- Electricians-$70 per hour
- Carpenters-$65 per hour
- Handymen-$80 per hour
- Bathroom designers-$150 per hour
From the cost estimates above, it is evident that bathroom designers are the most crucial personnel. It is, therefore, important that you hire a reputable bathroom designer. The bathroom designer will help you pinpoint areas that need to be worked on and those that do not. The bathroom designer can also help you ascertain that the sub-contractors are executing their jobs well to offer exquisite results.
3. Emergency Funds
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Similar to other room remodeling projects, it is common to encounter areas of the bathroom that need to be worked on that were not included in the budget. Emergency funds come in handy once the contractors tear down the bathroom.
Once the bathroom is torn down, it reveals the underlying structures. In bathroom remodels, it is common to encounter water damage, mold, or both. The charges for repairing these range from $2,500 to $7,500. The charges vary based on the extent of the water damage and the size of the bathroom.
Other than water damage cases, you may also need to update dated plumbing or electrical elements in your bathroom to stay up to par with current regulations. With this in mind, you should set aside about $8,000 in your budget for any emergency expense that might come up once the bathroom remodeling project starts.
Conclusion
When working on a budget for your bathroom remodeling project, consult people who have had similar projects. This will help you set a good budget alongside getting the best contractors. With a well-set budget, you are guaranteed a smooth bathroom remodeling project that will not leave you financial dents due to unaccounted costs.
