To tell you the honest truth, a bathroom remodel can be expen$ive. Many people are surprised when they hear what it will cost them to remodel their bathroom (some can cost as much as a kitchen remodel!). While there’s not a whole lot of cabinetry, there is a whole lot of tile, plumbing, and labor that goes into a bathroom remodel. In reality, those areas are where the majority of the cost comes from. So yes, the cost may seem shocking, but it might make a little more sense if we help break it down for you. Learn more below!

Material Costs

The materials in the bathroom play a huge role as this is one of the major costs in a bathroom remodel. As a wet room, there will be a lot of tile. To start, the tile goes on the floors, shower walls, and sometimes the main walls. And most of the time, it’s not just one style or size of tile used. You may have various sizes for the various areas, such as the shower floor vs. the main bathroom floor. Then, there may be a mosaic or something accenting as an inlay. On top of that, calculating the cost for end pieces such as bullnose or chair rail will also need to be considered. To break it down, a 300 square foot bathroom may need over double that in tile depending on the areas you wish to have tile.

Plumbing Fixtures

Let’s be real, the plumbing fixtures for a bathroom are not the cheapest either. And depending on how you want your bathroom to function, the more you add the more expensive. Today, there are endless options for your shower, think shower head, hand shower, rain shower, and more. On top of that, you’ll need the valves, trims, and controls that are required to make these items function.  And let’s not even get into adding body sprays, steam, sound or chromatherapy to your shower!! Plus, plumbing fixtures can cost hundreds of dollars per piece depending on the brand. A freestanding tub alone can cost thousands of dollars.

The Trades

This is the third, and most important reason why bathroom remodels are so expensive. We say this is important because paying for quality is extremely important to us, and with quality comes the price tag. A licensed plumber is critical and we all know plumbers are not cheap! You need confidence the water lines and drain lines are done properly or you may be ripping out that beautiful tile to make repairs. And a highly experienced tile setter will slope the shower floor tile so all the water drains to the drain. Otherwise you get some water that doesn’t drain and instead pools in the corner or some other area of the shower floor. An experienced tile setter will give you an end product that is simply stunning like the bathroom below. In this bathroom you can see many different tile types, shapes, sizes and patterns. This kind of work requires a highly experienced tile setter.