Bathroom Remodeling Services – What you should know Before You Hire!
Note to reader: Bathroom remodeling services vary in price across the United States. This article is about home remodeling in Vancouver WA/Portland OR and the surrounding areas. Materials and labor costs vary, widely throughout the country. Prices in this article are anecdotal and are not meant to be taken as a national average costs. Time and costs are based off of our own experience as general contractors.
Bathroom Remodeling in Vancouver, WA & Portland, OR
If you are reading this, you may be searching for remodeling contractors in Vancouver, WA or Portland, OR. You may have also heard stories of $15,000, $30,000 or even $50,000 bathroom remodels. Maybe, you received a bathroom remodeling quote for one of those prices and thought, “why is this so expensive?” We have done full home remodels in the $20,000-$50,000 price range and are also intrigued by the quotes for bathroom remodeling services in the Portland Metro Area. The average size of a full bathroom in America is 40 square feet (5′ x 8′). Lets take a bathroom remodel quote of $15,000 and divide it into 40 square feet, $25,000/40sf = $625 per square foot!
In addition to what seems like astronomical pricing, a 40 square feet bathroom could take weeks – months to remodel. A full bathroom remodel requires design, permitting, plumbing, electrical, rough carpentry, finish carpentry, painting, ect. There are a lot of parts that must fit together at a specific time, for a bathroom remodel to flow nonstop. How does a remodeling contractor make get all these parts to move together without delay?
Continue reading and we will break down bathroom remodel costs and some real budget eaters. We will discuss how long a bathroom remodel can take, based on the size and complexity of the job. We will also give you some examples of bathroom remodels that we have completed on the cheap.
How Long Does a Bathroom Remodel Take?
Before we break down costs, let’s dive into how long a bathroom remodel can take to complete. The short answer is, it depends on the complexity of the job. A full demolition and bathroom re-build may take a month or more, unfortunately. Not always, but it could happen. A very small bathroom remodel/update could take two days, it really all depends. Let’s look at a couple examples of scopes of work and how long we predict they would take to complete.
Small, low cost bathroom remodel example, “The Small Fry”:
- Replace the vanity/sink.
- New toilet.
- Install new plumbing fixtures (faucet and shower kit).
- New towel racks/ TP holder.
- Paint walls/ceiling and millwork.
This is an example of the scope of work that would take no more than a 2-4 days for a crew size of two to complete. The total cost would be $2,000 – $3000 (cost will be broken down below). If you are happy with your flooring, shower and placement of your plumbing/electrical then this is a very quick and affordable bathroom remodel. Don’t let contractors and designers talk you into all the bells and whistles if you don’t need them. A bathroom remodel of this size would be an in and out job. You would have strangers working in your home for just a few days as opposed to a month.
Full bathroom remodel with all the bells and whistles, “The Full Monty”:
- Demolish bathroom down to studs.
- Add/move electrical (an example would be add recessed lights).
- move plumbing (an example would be converting your tub surround into a walk-in tile shower and changing toilet location).
- Install new drywall.
- Build walk-in tile shower.
- Tile bathroom floor.
- Install new luxury vanity with quartz counter tops
- New high-end toilet
- High-end faucet, shower kit and towel racks.
- Install new bathroom door and mill-work.
- Paint new drywall and mill-work
Subcontracting
Here, is where we get into the mean and potatoes of how long does a bathroom remodel take, or how long CAN it take for that matter. Most remodeling contractors will sub-contract trade specific work like plumbing and electrical to other companies and even painting. To sub-contract work means that a general contractor is hiring a different contractor company(s). The general and the sub-contractor will sign contracts between themselves. The sub-contractor will then complete the scope of work, specified in the contract. After the sub-contractor completes their work, the general contractor pays them and the contract is ended. Potentially, you could hire a general contractor for bathroom remodeling services, and the GC (general contractor) could sub-contract the entire job without you ever knowing. Mass subcontracting is common in commercial construction, not residential but it is possible.
Due to the fact that the GC will most likely need to hire subcontractors, if a subcontractor gets held up then the entire work flow stops. Let’s use electrical as an example. So far the project is moving smoothly. Demolition was completed and the plumber finished their work. Now we need the wiring completed before we can close up the walls and continue with the rest of the bathroom remodel. We get a call from the electrician explaining that they cannot start for an additional week. These kinds of situations are common and mean that the entire project will take a week longer than expected if the GC does not have a back up electrician who can start in short notice. Repeated delays like this could easily push a 4 week contract into an 8 weeks. In construction, there are many moving parts and delays are common!
Permits
Unlike the first example of a small bathroom remodel, this luxurious Full Monty bathroom remodel requires multiple permits. Permits are expensive (especially in Multnomah County) and can take a long time to acquire if they are not submitted properly. This bathroom remodel will require plumbing, electrical, drywall installation permits and a shower pan test/inspection.
Adding Everything Up
So, how long does a bathroom remodel take? “The Small Fry” should not take more than one week, two if there are delays. Unfortunately, “The Full Monty” is not so easy to predict. Taking into subcontractors and permits into consideration, a luxury bathroom remodel could take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2+ months. Sorry, for the huge range but it is difficult to answer how long bathroom remodels take without knowing the specifics of your bathroom. Hiring a huge design/build company with designers and tradesmen all in house would be the fastest route. This would also be the most expensive route, most likely. Speaking of expenses, let’s get into some costs.
how long does bathroom remodel take
how long bathroom remodel
Bathroom Remodel Costs – How Much is Too Much?
As mentioned, earlier, the most affordable bathroom remodel is going to be “The Small Fry.” The amount of work required to complete a bathroom remodel of this caliper is minimal so the cost is going to be minimal. Simple as that. On the opposite end of the spectrum is “The Full Monty.” This is a complete luxury re-build, requiring multiple tradesmen, permitting, etc. “The Full Monty” will cost is a high budget project, prepare to spend! Before we get into numbers, you should be reminded that we are discussing prices for bathroom remodeling in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR. If you live in Dallas, TX, we do not know how prices there will compare to the Portland Metro area. Different parts of the US have different material costs and labor prices.
The Small Fry
Let’s use a 5′ x 8′ bathroom for our costs example. Those are the dimensions of an average, full bathroom in the US. The Small Fry is going to cost anywhere from $2,000 – 3,000. The price depends on what kind of fixtures and vanity you buy. Going with the cheap Home Depot/Lowes options will put you in the $2,000 range. Luxury fixtures will land you in the $3,000+ range. Labor should not cost more than $1000 – $1,500. Replacing bathroom fixtures, installing a new toilet/vanity is two days of work for a professional.
The Full Monty
It is much more challenging to know what the costs of a remodel would be for The Full Monty. Without knowing exactly what the client wants we are forced to throw a range out there. $15,000 – $30,000 is our shot in the dark for The Full Monty. Although we can’t give you the tightest price range, we can give you some advice when undertaking a bathroom remodel of this complexity. Always get multiple quotes! Get 3-5 quotes from contractors when doing large bathroom remodels. You’d be surprised by the price ranges that you will receive. Two contractors will bid in the $15,000 – $20,000 price range while three others will bid in the $30,000 – $45,000 price range. Home remodeling really is crazy and receiving multiple quotes will teach you that there is no concrete pricing when it comes to remodels!
Shower Remodel – The Hidden Cost
If you are still wondering why bathroom remodeling is so expensive then lets talk about shower remodel costs and tile! Shower renovation costs completely eat away at bathroom remodel budgets. Is part of your bathroom remodel is getting rid of your old fiberglass tub and installing a custom tile shower? Well that could easily cost 50-75% of the whole budget. Heck, just packing the shower pan in a 3′ x 3′ shower could cost $500 – $1000 Shower tiling is jobs are very expensive. Extra waterproofing steps must be completed which add extra time to the job. With materials and labor, a custom tile shower could cost $20 – $40+ per square foot. It is very detail oriented, skilled work and tile itself is quite pricey. A shower remodel cost could be $5,000+ for a 3′ x 3′ shower.
how long does it take to remodel a shower?
Going off of the custom tile shower remodel example, a 3′ x 3′ shower remodel would take about one business week. After the shower pan is completed, the slope must be inspected by the local building and planning office. Once the slope is inspected, a leak test must be completed and inspected. Testing for leaks involves plugging the drain and filling the shower up with water. A line is drawn at the top of the water level and is left for 12 – 24 hours. When the inspector comes back they check to see if the water has moved below the line. If not, then there are no leaks and the inspection passes. Once the slop and waterproofing is signed off on, the tile contractor can finally start setting tiles. A tile job of this size would take a professional tiler 2-4 days to complete.
Cheap Bathroom Remodel – Some Examples
Here are some pictures of inexpensive bathroom remodels we have done in the past. These should give you and idea of mall Bathroom Remodel costs and what can be achieved. These bathroom remodels are all in the $2,000 – $5,000 price range. With the exception of the tile bathroom in the fist picture, the work done to the other two bathrooms included:
- Replacement of shower, vanity and toilet.
- Skimcoat and re-texture walls.
- New fixtures.
- Luxury vinyl plank flooring.
- Tile or marble backslash over vanity.
- New mill-work.
- Full re-paint.
As you can see by the before and after pictures, you can achieve massive improvements to your outdated bathrooms without spending $25,000. An affordable bathroom remodel is possible if you are content with clean and simple look. Not every bathroom remodel has to look like it belongs in a multi-million dollar mansion. However, if that is the look you are going for, the go for it!
Conclusion
Hopefully you have learned a thing or two about bathroom remodels. Different remodeling contractors can charge vastly, different prices so always get 3 – 5 quotes. If you are in the market for a small bathroom remodel, go with a smaller company. They will provide the same quality for a lower price. If you want “The Full Monty,” and you want it done quickly, look into large design/build remodeling services. You goal for a bathroom remodel should be to achieve the look you desire in a timely manner for a price that you do not have to question whether you are being ripped off or not. Residential remodeling is not cheap so do your diligence!