gutting bathroom

[krixxer]

I know this is a long shot but I'm in a pinch.

 

I have an old condo that needs a new bathroom as this one is from the 50's.

 

This is a small apartment bathroom but it needs to be gutted; tiles, paint, tub, hardware, fan, toilet etc...

 

I almost pissed myself when the first guy gave me a quote but I'm in no mood for another project I just want it done.

Can't understand how this guy thinks it will cost $6500 for a 6x8 bathroom.

 

what do you guys think something like this should cost me?<BR style="mso-special-character: line-break">

 

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[Gerritt]

I would say he is a tad high but not out of the ball park...

 

Removal of old floor, new underlay, mesh/backer board, mortar, tile, grout

fix/repair holes etc, 1 gallon primer, 2 gallons finish, roller sleeves etc

Removal of old tub, New tub, waste and over flow, what is the surround? more tile?

removal of old sink and counter top, new sink.. probably new flex lines etc, new faucet

removal of old fan, new fan installed

removal of old toilet, new wax gasket, new flex line, new toilet, more then likely a new shut off as well.

plus the dumping fees, use of his truck, his insurance, his workers comp etc

Labour.

 

He is supplying all the materials and fixtures

 

I would without seeing it.. ballpark around 5200-6200

 

G

[craigdritchie]

Hard to say since the cost of the new tile and fixtures can vary quite a bit. Toilets alone range from $100 to $3,000+. A simple faucet for the bathroom sink can go from $39 to $400+. Tile prices are all over the place. How fancy do you want to go?

 

Gerritt's breakdown gives you a good outline of the scope of work, but that's also going to be contingent on there being no mold issues, and everything being up to code. If it's from the 50s, chances are that nothing (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) meets present building code standards, so that will add to the expense. And being a bathroom, there's probably some amount of mold to deal with too.

 

Wife and I are presently renovating an older house. Haven't seen your bathroom so it's hard to say, but $6,500 do do a gut job doesn't seem terribly out of line.

Edited November 30, 2012 by Craig_Ritchie

[bubbles]

My bathroom that was about the same size cost me close to 4k and I did all the work. That is all my wife's fault though.

[GbayGiant]

3 piece Bathrooms cost between 5 and 10 g's and more. Last bathroom I worked on was 35 g's. Tile, fixtures. Very expensive!

Unless you want to do the work yourself and save half or more with the cost of labour.

Edited November 30, 2012 by GbayGiant

[krixxer]

I would say he is a tad high but not out of the ball park...

 

Removal of old floor, new underlay, mesh/backer board, mortar, tile, grout

fix/repair holes etc, 1 gallon primer, 2 gallons finish, roller sleeves etc

Removal of old tub, New tub, waste and over flow, what is the surround? more tile?

removal of old sink and counter top, new sink.. probably new flex lines etc, new faucet

removal of old fan, new fan installed

removal of old toilet, new wax gasket, new flex line, new toilet, more then likely a new shut off as well.

plus the dumping fees, use of his truck, his insurance, his workers comp etc

Labour.

 

He is supplying all the materials and fixtures

 

I would without seeing it.. ballpark around 5200-6200

 

G

 

 

You’ve done this before eh?

Point for point with the quote I got.

 

So the next question.... how horrible can this go if I do it myself?

 

 

[Gerritt]

Yes I have done many and my pricing uses the absolute basics. 100.00 toilet, 100.00 sink, 50.00 faucet

 

Zero frills.

 

it can go from smooth to a nightmare in a hurry if you dont know what to expect or look for. I can see the waste and overflow being a pain in the ass for the average home owner especially because you don't have access from underneath...

 

Other then that its straight forward enough.... but then again I haven't seen the space.

[Skipper D]

Yes I have done many and my pricing uses the absolute basics. 100.00 toilet, 100.00 sink, 50.00 faucet

 

Zero frills.

 

it can go from smooth to a nightmare in a hurry if you dont know what to expect or look for. I can see the waste and overflow being a pain in the ass for the average home owner especially because you don't have access from underneath...

 

Other then that its straight forward enough.... but then again I haven't seen the space.

 

 

Gerrit tell him the standard mesurments for all the hole locations before its to late , thats where the nightmares start if he gets them wrong

[Fisherpete]

I'm in the middle of this myself with the ensuite off my bedroom... it's a bit bigger than yours at 10'x5'.

 

Two weeks ago, I decided to repair a leaky tub faucet. A drip had almost become a stream. I shut off the water main, removed the handle to the faucet, and started removing the cartridge - which was so old and brittle that it shattered inside the mixing valve. I was able to remove it by breaking it into pieces and pulling them out with pliers, but damaged the threads inside the mixing valve body in the process... the new cartridge stripped while putting it in and leaked even worse... this now meant that the wall would have to be opened up and the mixing valve/faucet replaced!

 

At this point, I looked at the original steel tub, which had already been reglazed once by the previous owner, but was now peeling again, looked at the acrylic tub surround which had been installed by a drunken orangutang and had a crack in the main section, looked at the dated vanity... needed a coat of paint... and half a day later, the bathroom was gutted. Tub out. Arylic surround, layer of tiles underneath, drywall - out. Old plumbing fixtures - out. Vanity - out. Flooring - out - and this by far was the hardest and messiest to remove.

 

I have since redone all the bathtub/shower/vanity plumbing, including installing shutoffs, installed a new acrylic deep soaker tub, drywalled the tub alcove with DensShield, bought a sweet faucet/shower set, bought a new faucet for the vanity, new towel bars, toilet paper holder, etc... all really nice fairly high end stuff. I will be re-using the mirror above my old vanity (it is new), and the toilet (also new). I have also bought a high end waterproof laminate flooring - a few friends of mine have used it in their bathrooms and have had no issues with it. I am fairly handy, but am learning as I go with much of the work. You can find out pretty much how to do anything on Youtube if you look!

 

I am around $1500 in so far. I will likely spend another $400-500 on tiling the surround, around the same for a new vanity and countertop, a few bucks for some new baseboards, then all I need is some paint and two blinds for the windows. All said and done, probably around $3000, and it's going to be a sweet looking bathroom. It's going slow, a few hours here and there at a time, but probably saved me at least $4000 when all is said and done.

 

Peter

Edited November 30, 2012 by Fisherpete

[Gerritt]

All drains have already been placed skipper, and being a condo I not sure the legalities of altering base building plumbing. I know in some buildings you have to use their plumber or their electrician... or they will not allow the reno.

 

G

[mr blizzard]

As Gerrit mentioned it is not an out of the ballpark quote if it incccludes materials and labour. But it is still alot of money namely yours.

 

Two years ago I had a quote to do our bathroom when we lived back in Barrie. I had the same reaction.

 

With some amazing advice from some fellow OFNers I ripped out our bathroom including tearing our floor out right down to the floor joists.

 

With patience and some time you can save a great deal of money. If there is an area you are not comfortable with such as just for an example, electrical you could hire some one just for that specific job.

 

Having said that sometimes it is better to bite it just to get the job over and done with depending on your schedule. I would be that way with shingling.

[Skud]

I am doing a couple washrooms that are 5x7 and only 2pcs each. They are costing $3000 each and that is with cheap tile and average fixtures.

[laszlo]

I work in the industry and strickly labour speaking it should be between $4,000 - $6,000

if your keeping the fixtures in the same location.

 

The material is another story. How much you spend is up to you.

[Fish4Eyes]

Given where you live I would not cheap out, you will thank yourself if you go to sell, especially if the rest of your living space is nice. I went all out on my bathroom sparing no expense, but I did save quite a bit of money because I shopped around and got quotes. Don't allow the contractor to supply you your fixtures, toilet, tub, tiles and sink(s) they are pocketing extra money here. Start keeping an eye out on the weekly flyers from Home Depot, Rona, Lowe's and pick things up as they appeal to you when on sale. www.faucetdirect.com has good prices as well that you can compare to or order from (even after shipping is taken into consideration). After my reno I asked myself why I am not a tiler for a living as he charged me 1300$ (other quotes were even higher)for a 5x11 floor and L cove shower surround. 5 hours of work over two days

 

Let me know if your looking for a quality contractor.

Edited November 30, 2012 by Fish4Eyes

[tb4me]

These threads always crack me up.. I once made a comment on a bathroom reno on here, got blasted for it as being a "know it all renovator". That quote is very fair..If you wanna do it yourself go for it, but that price is very fair. I think you will find that if you do indeed do it yourself you will save maybe $1500.00 but is the 100 plus hours of spare time you will put into it worth it? Think about it that way..

[rob v]

why not offer to do the demo yourself ? might save some $'s that way ? and lets' face it, if you're anything like me - ripping stuff out is a lot easier that putting it back together.

[bare foot wader]

it's a fair price, right in the ballpark

 

not a contractor myself but work quite often with a friend who is an independent...many, many guys will cut corners where ever possible, keep that in mind when you consider a lower quote

 

also keep in mind that you can easily overpay, it is good to question and ask around....any decent contractor will give you a couple of references to talk to

[aplumma]

It is a very fair price consider also it is a condo. with the access and the parking being a premium. This is to say nothing about elevator usage and demo removal... Nothing but a nightmare in my experience. I would ask for a list of products he plans to use and make sure they are brand name and inspections and permits are pulled as per local codes are done for insurance reasons.

 

 

Art

[workwear]

having done a few in my days also....gerritt is bang on with an average bathroom....ive also seen some bathrooms that cost a small fortune...20k plus...

 

last house i worked in the toilets were close to 8k each!!!...yes they came with a shooting under spray , heated seat and a heated blower to warm up your tush....unreal

[krixxer]

thanx guys, I feel much better spending the coin now.

 

looks like I will have a new bathroom by xmass.

 

The contractor lives a few floors down from me. He has been working in the building since he moved in a few years back so we went to a few appts to look over his work and all the owners seems real happy with the quality of work. In the end I gave up 3K up front, work starts in a week.