@MomofJandL, 1970’s?
Bathrooms are very pricey but so worth it.
I went in thinking my $20k budget for big bathroom (which isn’t big) would be enough but it ended up being $32k and $10K for wee powder room which just got new toilet, vanity/sink/faucet, and new floor - plus a bit of wall that jutted out to fit old and really small vanity, was taken out.
Lol at mermaid. I hate autocorrect as I never proof before hitting send.
Yikes - 10k for that small bath is a racket! That is a project within Mr.’ and my competence; the materials, even the pricy bunch, would be about $2k. Toto toilet $700, floor tile $100, wall tile $200, faucet $200, integrated vanity/top/sink $500, drywall and supplies $50, mirror with LED light $200. No need to prime or do any voodoo drywall if tile/mirror cover the wall. Yikes, your labor is very expensive!
It isn’t just labor, contractors also have things like the cost of liability insurance, workmen’s compensation insurance and the like factored into the cost of the job as well, on top of the labor costs, most contractors operate on about a 10% margin. It is why it is generally cheaper to do it yourself, plus you don’t get the best price from the contractor as well.
We have a wooden soaking tub in the master bath in our second home. I love the looks of it, but it can only be used when no one else is around - it uses all the hot water in the tank.
Any home that might appeal to families with small children has taken have a tub in the main bath.
H has zero time and doesn’t have the skills either - and even if he did he does not want to do anymore DIY projects anymore, even simple ones. He doesn’t even want to mow the lawn anymore and I’m only on 1/3 acre.
My vanity (in both baths) were custom, granite counter w/undernmount sink, Italian porcelain tile on floor, Kohler one piece toilet (which the plumber likes much better than comparable Toto - which he said he is always being called to take out.) Pot light plus new fan put in, too. Since door was too tiny for vanity to fit through (in a previous life had been a linen closet and part of master bedroom closet,) door plus frame had to be removed to get it in.
I heart my new toilets.
As mentioned above, contractors have a lot of overhead. Another bit of overhead is that you need to factor that they have to drive around to about 10 houses, meet homeowners, measure, hours coming up with estimate. They might get 1 of those jobs. So, somewhere they lost about 30 hours to 40 hours getting the one job.
“It isn’t just labor, contractors also have things like the cost of liability insurance, workmen’s compensation insurance and the like factored into the cost of the job as well, on top of the labor costs, most contractors operate on about a 10% margin. It is why it is generally cheaper to do it yourself, plus you don’t get the best price from the contractor as well.”
Gee, musicparent, unless you do the work yourself of hire illegals, that is all included as the cost of labor. 
I am not comparing with zero and not saying that was an actual ripoff. Labor scarcity does affect pricing. Here, even with the current boom, the licensed labor for that bathroom remodel would have been 2xmaterials, so no more than $6k for the project. The only downside of the boom is that there is a longer wait. But as far as free… Me doing it? A few messy weekends. Sort of free. Not fast either.
Lol, another regional difference - local plumbers despise Kohler.
I’m in love with the GC I use. They have done all the work on my home and I couldn’t be happier, I’m sure we couid have gotten the work done for cheaper, but I’d rather pay more and know I’m getting the best workmanship. This GC company has been in business for 100 years and has a stellar reputation in my area. All the workers are on staff so nothing is subbed out. Every project has dedicated project manager. I’ve had the same PM on every phase of my home’s remodel. Plus, there is a designer on staff who works with you on designing layout and picking out every material and fixture, and who prices everything out and does all the ordering, She also did renderings of both bathrooms so I knew exactly what each bathroom wouid look like well before demo started.
^^ Drooling. That sounds awesome!
I remember you saying you waited a long time to remodel your bathrooms @emilybee - they sound beautiful and worth the wait.
Overhead or not, some here are known to overprice on my side of town, assuming we’re all loaded.
Did I mention the 24 square feet of wall I needed prepped (sanded, it was already replastered) and repainted, after some plumbing repair? The quote was several thousand.
LookIngForward, you r for sure being overcharged. I had to redo wall between a bedroom and bathroom. Handyman used green board, some plaster to seal it, then paint. It costs a few hundred.
@leftrightleft, 26 years and they were 34 years old when we moved in (and not in great shape.) We didn’t do anything except basic cosmetic stuff and a very inexpensive kitchen update until 12 years ago. Since then house has been done from roof to basement and everything in between, including a family room addition. Bathrooms were the last major thing to be done. About $190k or so in total we’ve put into the house.
Bookworm, he didn’t get the job, I’ll do it myself. (The wallboard and skim coat are already done.) Same guy wanted to charge 35k to paint the house. Granted, it’s a lot of outdoor surface, but that’s 2-3x what I know my neighbors paid.
Thought of you all on this thread when I saw this vanity at Costco yesterday. Price is lower in the warehouse. I think I paid more than that for a 54" countertop more than twenty years ago.
$800 for 60 inch vanity with white marble counter, two sinks with holes pre-drilled for widespread faucets. The drawers had that lovely soft close.
https://www.costco.com/Carolina-60%22-White-Double-Sink-Vanity-by-Lanza.product.100316319.html
That is a lovely bath vanity.
Several thousand for a 4x6 space? does that include gold paint?! That is a $300 job here at max.
Costco is a good source for home improvement goods. My faucets are from there - love them.
BB, if you’re asking me, it’s 2 sides of the wall between the pantry and kitchen, about 2’ x 6’ each, counter to ceiling. Not even close to the surface of a 4 x 6 room.
Ridiculous. I told his admin no and he called back to assure me his technique was special.
Btw, my grandmother was GC.