Bathroom Remodel Costs: 2024 Guide
Since the pedestal sink and alcove tub, the bathroom has evolved. San Diego-based designer Tatiana Machado-Rosas told Kitchen & Bath Design News that customers desire “joy and tranquility” in their personalized designs, “a personal retreat with a spa-like atmosphere where they can truly relax.”
Of course, it will also boost their property values.
Bathroom remodels cost $6,622 to $16,744, with a national average of $11,365, or $70 to $250 per square foot, according to 2023 data from home-improvement site Angi. However, this project has limitless possibilities, and expenses can soon rise. A National Kitchen and Bath Association survey revealed that homeowners were spending $20,000 to $30,000 on primary-bath redos in 2020, before “inflation” and “labor shortages” were renovation realities. Today, expenses can reach $50,000 or more.
Although their price has risen, so has their appeal. The 2023 Houzz & Home Study found that 27% of respondents upgraded their bathrooms in 2022, making them the second most common house service project.
To estimate the cost of your dream bathroom, consider its size, the quality of materials, and the number of features you wish to repair or replace.
What to know before jumping in.
Key takeaways
Bath remodeling costs $6,622–$16,744 (but can be much more).
Bathroom remodels cost $70–250 per square foot.
To estimate the cost of a bathroom makeover, you must know the space, quality of materials, and number of parts to be renovated.
A bathroom makeover costs how much?
There are crucial considerations to consider while remodeling a bathroom. First off, why redesign your bathroom? To boost efficiency or functionality? To improve its appearance? Do you want to “keep up with the Joneses” using the latest smart features? These questions will assist determine your project’s scope and budget.
Also consider the remodel’s duration. This is crucial if your home has one bathroom. A bathroom may need to be relocated during a big renovation. Your contractor may be able to estimate how long work will take.
Another crucial stage is creating a project budget. After determining how much you can spend, analyze your remodel expenditures and decide if you need to cut back to stay under your budget. To account for unanticipated expenses, budget a bit more than you think you’ll need.
Bathroom remodel types
The scope of a bathroom remodel determines its cost. For instance, a low-end bath update (new towel bars and paint) may cost a few hundred dollars. A few thousand will go when replacing or refacing a toilet, vanity, or medicine cabinet.
A $30,000 primary bath remodel includes high-end finishes, two basins, and a luxurious bathtub. When you mess with the arrangement, prices reach five figures. After relocation, fixture replacement, and space expansion, “upscale bathroom remodels,” as Remodeling defines them, can cost over $75,000.
Angi research from 2023 shows that demolishing your old bathroom can add $1,000 to $2,300 to the remodeling cost.
Size matters in construction, therefore some bathrooms cost more than others due to their square footage and amenities.
Remodeled powder/half bath
Of course, half baths (powder rooms), at around 30 and 18 to 32 square feet, cost the least to redesign, ranging from $1,500 to $15,000 and averaging $1,400, Angi notes. Not only are they smaller, but they also have fewer features.
Guest bathroom renovation
Guest bathrooms, which average 80 square feet, cost more than powder rooms but less than master/bedroom-adjacent bathrooms to remodel. This is partially because they have less bells, whistles, and fancy finishes, and partly because they are smaller and have less area for fittings. Angi estimates guest bathroom remodels cost $3,500 to $20,000, depending on options.
Master bath redesign
A master bath makeover is obviously more expensive. Because master baths are usually larger, you can utilize the best materials and latest devices and features. Angi estimates a $7,000–$30,000 120-square-foot master bath remodel. Tiles, floors, countertops, and plumbing fall into this category.
Features that affect bathroom remodel costs
Your bathroom remodel’s cost depends on a surprising amount of goods and components. Selection and quantity of materials, items, and fixtures can greatly affect project cost. The following things affect cost:
Number and quality of countertops
Fixtures: Faucets, Plumbing, Sinks
The toilet and bathtubs/showers
- Flooring: Tiles
Lighting
Additional bathroom remodeling costs and considerations
A bathroom remodel’s cost depends on several other aspects.
Location
A bathroom remodel’s cost depends on your region and local cost of living and services. HomeAdvisor, the homeowner-contractor matchmaker, estimates a Peoria bath makeover costs $3,780 to $10,000. Another internet firm, Sweeten, estimates that a “mid-grade” Houston makeover and expansion costs $24,500 and a high-end one $35,500. Sweeten estimates that a 100-square-foot primary bath in New York City costs $60,000 to $85,000 to renovate.
However, bathroom redos vary in price as they become more elaborate, regardless of where you live. That’s due to supplies and labor costs.
Contractor costs
Any renovation project’s labor costs are important, but bathroom remodels have a huge contractor cast.
Contractors and subcontractors include designers, building-permit expediters, demolishers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, tile setters, drywallers, and painters. A recent bathroom renovation article by KBB, the official newsletter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, said, “Coordinating multiple trades is like choreographing a dance troupe.” Schedules must be balanced between giving everyone time to finish their jobs and keeping the job moving.
Sometimes literally: If a worker punches a hole in the wall for the sink drainpipe without examining the vanity requirements, another worker may not be able to install it at the right height. If the shower enclosure is planned before the fixtures arrive and the toilet is not measured, it may not fulfill building codes. There is a minimal distance between a wall and the toilet’s center.
Permits
Home renovations are expensive due to construction permits. The cost varies greatly by country. Angi estimates that construction can cost $100 to $1,000, depending on its intricacy.