The good news is that it is relatively easy to recover 93 to 98 percent of your investment if you decide to sell your house. Furthermore, a bathroom remodel claims one of the highest ROIs compared to all other interior and exterior projects.
How Much Does it Cost to Remodel a Small Bathroom?
Across the United States, homeowners report spending around $7000 to $12,000 to remodel a 5×7 bathroom using mid-range quality materials. Besides, an upscale remodel would make use of high-end fixtures, accessories, tile, and paint that will cost around $14,000 to $18,000.
In addition to professional labor and materials, a bathroom remodel costs around $160 to $280 per square foot. On the other hand, a low-end bathroom remodel using budget materials would cost around $135 to $150 per square foot.
The above estimate includes the following:
- All new fixtures (Toilet, tub, sink, or shower enclosure)
- Tiled walls and flooring
- Fresh paint on walls and ceiling
- Upgrading or refinishing cabinets
- Lighting fixtures
You must note that updates like plumbing, electric work, and moving around of toilet, sink and shower are not included in this bathroom remodeling process.
Construction Costs
One of the most prominent factors to impact your total budget is the contractor and labor local cost. Professionals charge different rates, depending on the geographic location.
High-income suburbs and cities will have labor rates significantly higher than the national average. For instance, remodeling a small bathroom in Washington DC can cost around $12,000 to $15,000, while a similar bathroom in Fairfax will run $9,500 to $13,000.
Professional labor will constitute the majority of your spending. Further, it usually comes to be around 35 to 40 percent of the total. Cabinetry and countertops constitute approximately 20 percent. Bathroom fixtures account for nearly 20 percent, and installing new flooring makes up about 9 to 10 percent of the total cost.
Hiring a designer to assist you with your bathroom style and layout will cost around 4 to 5 percent of your total budget. Most professional designers typically charge between $70 to $130 per hour.
Sourcing the materials yourself can save you hundreds of dollars. If you hire a general contractor, they will include materials in the total price. Consequently, you may be able to find better deals, beautiful accessories, and building materials than what the general contractor would offer you.
Demolition of the old fixtures, flooring tile, etc., yourself can also save you around $500 to $1000, depending on the amount of work involved. Finally, it all comes down to how much of your time you want to spare on this project or paying more and leaving everything to the professionals.
Vanity and Cabinetry Costs
In a small bathroom, your focus should be on small bathroom storage solutions. However, if you don’t have sufficient square footage to space, think of vertical and floating wall-mounted bathroom accessories.
A good quality single floating bathroom vanity unit will cost you around $400, and you can purchase a basic single-standing vanity for as low as $120 to $150.
A large cabinet system will a dual floating sink vanity will cost you around $600 to $2000. Moreover, you can expect custom build cabinets and shelving to start from $100 to $250 per square foot.
Bathroom Countertop Costs
If you are doing an upscale remodel, installing custom countertops seems to be a no-brainer. Marble, granite, quartz, tempered glass, and soapstone are popular material choices for bathroom countertops.
On average, you can expect to spend around $40 to $70 per square foot to install basic granite and quartz countertops. Further, higher variants of granite and quartz would cost you $80 to $120. Besides, marble and soapstone countertops would cost you $95 to $140 per square foot.
Toilet and Sink
When it comes to a bathroom remodel, and choosing toilets and sinks, there is a wide range to choose from. They differ in quality, design, style, and, most importantly, price. Here’s a breakdown of toilet and sink costs:
Pedestal sink:
Budget: $50 to $60
Average: $150 to $300
High-end: $500 to $1,100+
Wall-mounted sink:
Budget: $80
Average: $150 to $300
High-end: Starting at $550 to $600+
Console sink:
Budget: $120 to $150
Average: $300 to $600
High-end: $1,000+
Toilet
Budget: $90 to $130
Average: $160 to $370
high-end: $650 to $3,525 (Some models even have an integrated bidet system)
Tile Installation Cost
You can re-tile the entire bathroom or do only specific parts. Homeowners who have a low budget for a bathroom remodel or want to save money should install new floor tiles, paint the walls, and add an accent tile backsplash around the vanity.
Depending on the materials you wish to use, a professional tile installer will usually charge around $550 to $1,300 to put up an accent wall. You should consider working with a remodeling contractor near you to ensure that you get your bathroom tile right.
The cost of installing tile flooring alone in a 5×7 bathroom is $1,200 to $1,900, depending on the materials used and the complexity of the job. Furthermore, this price is for installing a 1×1 foot tile. Installation of smaller tiles will cost more because of being more labor-intensive.
The average cost to install tile on the bathroom floor runs from about $28 to $35 per square foot, including materials. Budget materials will cost around $6 per square foot, including cement board subfloor, screws, grout, and tile.
Labor charges for the installation of tile start at $21 to $24 per square foot.
Installing Light Fixtures
Choosing the right bathroom lighting ideas is an important aspect of a bathroom remodel, especially if it doesn’t have any windows or skylights.
On average, prices for bathroom vanity lighting are $120 to $450, depending on the design and finish. A bathroom chandelier can cost as little as $100 but can go up to $2,000 or more, depending on the number of lights and style.
If you are looking forward to installing recessed lighting, you will have to hire a professional electrician. Moreover, the cost is $120 to $200 per light.
How to Save on Small Bathroom Remodel Cost
If money is tight and you’re pretty handy, you can try doing most or all of the bathroom work on your own. As mentioned earlier, contractor labor is expensive and constitutes approximately 40% of the total cost, if not more.
Keeping aside plumbing and electric work, you can get away with spending $2,500 to $4,000 on a small bathroom remodel if you DIY the rest of the labor and purchase the materials yourself.
