You’re planning a remodel. You’ve spent hours on Pinterest and Houzz studying trends and colors. You know the styles you love. What do you do when you find out that your great taste is a bit of a budget-buster? Here are some tips from Serda Remodeling’s own design consultant for simple swaps you can make to avoid compromising on style, quality, or cost.
Consider these two bathrooms, which happen to be in the same home. They have a similar look and feel: a contemporary or transitional style using medium wood tones, white bath fixtures, white quartz, grey and tan geometric patterns, and black hardware. Can you believe that the cost of the master bathroom on the right was more than double the cost of the hall bathroom on the left?
Lower-level hall bathroom
Master Bathroom
Before we get too far into the cost impact of the design choices, let’s acknowledge that a larger space requires more materials, which add to the cost. Another critical factor in keeping cost down is not moving toilets or drains. In both of these projects, the toilets remained in the same place and the new showers used existing plumbing. Both rooms had some minor structural changes to non-load-bearing walls. Lastly, one vanity is painted and the other is stained; there is no cost difference for these finishes, and the same quality cabinetry (dovetail drawers, full overlay doors) was used in both bathrooms.
Bath pieces
Tub/shower combo with fiberglass surround, single shower head with detachable sprayer
Oversized walk-in shower, fixed shower head with separate hand-held sprayer
Spendy Choice: The master bathroom features an over-sized, custom walk-in shower with multiple valves and shower heads. While the subway and penny tile used in the shower are quite affordable, the labor to frame, waterproof, and expertly tile and plumb the shower was a significant expense. Add to that the additional cost of the glass wall and door and you can see how a custom shower can increase the cost of a project. (At this point, it’s important to note that the homeowners understood these costs at the beginning of the project, and they don’t regret a dime spent on this luxurious shower).
Saver Choice: A fiberglass shower, tub, or tub/shower combo insert with a standard valve and shower head is a perfectly comfortable, stylish, and low-maintenance alternative to a custom tiled shower, and will cost thousands less. Plus, you can add a lot of style with a decorative shower curtain for a fraction of the price of glass shower doors.
Flooring
LVP Flooring with graphic rug
Graphic tile
Spendy Choice: One of the eye-catching design choices in the master bathroom is the grey and taupe graphic tile. Not only was this tile on the pricier side, it was laid by a tile expert and it covers more square footage than the Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) flooring the hall bathroom. The home-owner also preferred tile in the master bathroom, and our design consultant liked the look of this tile with warmth of the stained wood cabinets, which match other wood tones in the home.
Saver Choice: On a cost-per-square-foot basis, most LVP flooring costs less than most tile, and can be installed by a general handy-person. From a style standpoint, our design consultant opted to pair the warm wood-tone LVP with a painted cabinet and an inexpensive graphic rug in the hall bathroom to replicate the colors and patterns in the master bathroom.
Cabinetry
42-inch vanity and custom linen cabinet
112-inch vanity including extra drawers and upper cabinet
Spendy choice: There’s no surprise here - the more custom cabinetry in a given space, the higher the cost. Plus, the larger vanity has many more drawers, which cost more than cabinet doors.
Saver Choice: Opt for a smaller vanity and/or fewer drawers.
Number of Sinks
Spacious single-sink vanity
Extra-long double-sink vanity
Spendy Choice: Similar to the length of the vanity, it’s a no-brainer that putting two sinks in a bathroom costs more than one, especially if you’re converting a single vanity to a double. But it’s not just the cost of the sink and the plumbing that make this a pricier option. Along with two sinks, you’ll also need double the faucets (and possibly extra plumbing), double the vanity lighting, double the mirrors, and double the pulls.
Saver Choice: You’ll probably save at least $1,000 by not having to purchase those extra fixtures when opting for one sink, not to mention the savings on the length of a shorter vanity. You might have to share once in a while, but you might also end up with extra counter space.
Countertop materials
Level 3 quartz
Level 4 quartz
Spendy choice: The master bath features a level 4 quartz countertop, which is more expensive per square foot than the quartz used in the less expensive bathroom. There’s also more of it, since it was used on the longer run of cabinets and on the ledge of the shower. If you like quartz that has a marble look with thick veining (without the high-maintenance and potential for staining that comes with marble!), you’ll be looking at quartz that is level 4 or higher.
Saver choice: The hall bath used a level 3 quartz countertop, and there’s far less of it. There are quite a few beautiful quartz options at this price level, including some with flecks of varying sizes as well as some with light veining. One unintended bonus of the flecked quartz is that it looks cleaner with less maintenance!
No-Compromise Finishes
Many of the design elements in these two bathrooms differ in cost level, but both bathrooms feature the same moderately-priced light fixtures, vanity faucets, and cabinet hardware, and the light greige paint ties it all together. Using the same materials in both spaces was not only cost-neutral, it also creates a cohesive design throughout the house. Add some flair with finishing touches like special soap dishes, plants, candles, and well-framed art, and no one will know that one or more of your design choices was a “saver.”
The Bottom Line
While this post features rooms where nearly everything was more expensive in one bathroom than the other, homeowners most often want to know where they can save so they can afford to splurge somewhere else. Maybe having two sinks and extra cabinetry is important to you, so you opt for a fiberglass tub-shower insert. Maybe you’re empty-nesters and you’d rather have a walk-in shower and only one vanity. Maybe you’d like to add a tub to accommodate your growing family, and you don’t need as many of the higher-end finishes. Regardless of your needs, the Serda Remodeling team is here to help you achieve them.