First – Setting Your Expectations
If you are considering a major renovation of your master bathroom be prepared to spend 5-10% of the value of your home to remodel your master bath. That is certainly a lot of money, which means you want to be smart about your approach to the renovation project. Certainly minor and more limited renovations will cost less. By focusing on the major renovation project we’ll cover all of the necessary bases for major or minor renovations.
Second - Examine the Essentials
Before exploring the aesthetics of the bathroom it is best start with the mechanicals. A beautiful, but nonfunctioning bathroom provides no value. The mechanics are also an area where the hidden surprises could appear. First, consider the age and condition of your home and whether or not the plumbing needs to be replaced. You don’t want to replace leaking pipes two months after you remodel your beautiful master bath.
The next mechanical to consider is the electrical system. If you have an older home you might need to upgrade your electrical system in the bathroom to meet current code requirements. While you are looking at the electrical system you also want to make sure that your bathroom is properly ventilated to remove the excess moisture that is created in a bathroom. Excess moisture in a home can allow mold to grow and excess moisture slowly rots your home. Any unwanted water or moisture is the enemy of your home; it needs to be properly controlled.
Third – Exploratory Work
If possible you will want to do some exploratory work to make sure your floor and walls are sound; especially around showers, sinks and toilets where water could have created damages over the years. You’ll want to replace any subflooring or walls if they are damaged. If you find mold you will want to remediate. Mold remediation could be simple or more involved. It just depends on the seriousness of the mold growth.
Fourth – Changing the Bathroom Layout
If you think you want to relocate electrical outlets, exhaust fans, showers, tubs, toilets, etc. Now is the time to explore the cost of doing so. Even if these systems do not need to be replaced simply relocating them could add significant costs.
To replace or move the plumbing and electrical lines it might be necessary to remove portions of floors, ceilings or walls. This is the work that varies from home to home and makes it difficult to create general statements about the cost of renovating your bathroom. These improvements could add quite a bit to the cost of your project, but you need to make sure the mechanics are sound before you do any cosmetic work or you could be wasting a lot of money.
Fifth – Get Qualified Estimates
It is best to get multiple estimates for the cost of the essential bathroom mechanicals. Contact your kitchen and bath specialist or remodeler to arrange for an evaluation and to receive estimates for bringing your master bath mechanicals to up to standards.
Next Steps
Now you know the cost of the basic functions of the master bath. At this point you can start to create a solid budget and get to the more exciting aesthetic elements, which we’ll explore later.
Review:
1. Be prepared to spend 5-10% of the value of your home to remodel your master bath.
2. Examine the essential mechanicals.
3. Conduct exploratory examinations to determine the existing condition of the room.
4. Consider changing the layout and the associated costs.
5. Get estimates from qualified kitchen and bath specialists.
Related Article: How Much Should I Expect to Spend on Remodeling My Kitchen? - Finale
Superior Woodcraft is a local custom cabinet maker from Doylestown, PA – historic Bucks County.
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