DIY Bathroom Remodel: How Much Did It Cost?

We recently completed a full-blown bathroom renovation and one of my most-asked questions is, “But how much did that cost?” So today I thought I would share exactly how much we spent and where every dollar went.

I’m sharing this info with the hope that it will help you estimate and plan for your own renovations. It can be weird to talk about money, but transparency is so helpful in the planning stages, so here we are. Be kind, please!

We were working at such a frantic pace to complete the space in just six weeks that I didn’t keep track of costs as thoroughly as I normally would, but I think this estimate is pretty darn close to what we spent and would only be off by a few hundred if there were small things like caulk and nails that I forgot to account for.

Another tricky part about sharing the budget is that I received free product from two companies in exchange for creating content for them. I have included the cost of the products in this total, but that money didn’t come out of pocket for us since I worked for trade. I still feel it’s important to include to give you a realistic estimate of what things cost.

And now, without further adieu, here’s the cost breakdown.

So there you have it. Do any of these expenses surprise you?

We were definitely shocked at how much money we spent on all the stuff that goes with the tile… cement board, grout, mortar, sealer, etc. The total for all of that stuff was over $500.

I included the cost of the tile saw we purchased, but I am hoping that we will be able to sell it some day and recoup a little bit of that cost. We want to help my parents tile their kitchen backsplash, and then we’ll decide if it’s worth keeping or not. I don’t regret buying the nice tile saw, though, I have to say, because tiling was hard enough with a good saw. I can’t imagine having the extra stress of a junky tool.

I didn’t include the cost of decorations, art, shower curtains, drawer organizers, etc. If it wasn’t nailed down or “installed” I figured that it wasn’t included in the cost of the remodel since we would take those things with us if we moved. I don’t know… is that how you do things like this?

I regret not changing out the tub while we had the chance. The original tub is fine, but it’s amazing how “fine” looks awfully shabby when it’s next to “all-new.” My husband didn’t want to change the tub and I gave in, but I still think it’s a mistake. Oh well! We made it through the most stressful six weeks ever and we’re still married, so that counts for something.

Normally I am a pretty frugal gal, so I’ll admit that when I added up the total cost, it was more than I would have guessed. But this bathroom is a NICE bathroom. Everything is high quality and really luxurious and we basically replaced everything. And I really wanted to push my interior design skills with this one since it was part of a competition, so I just went for it.

Anywhoobs, there you have it. The full budget breakdown of a completely DIY bathroom remodel. Can you imagine how much more it would have cost if we had hired out the labor? Yikes!

Be sure to read the reveal post if you have any source questions. I shared all of the links there.