How Much Should I Expect to Pay to Remodel My Bathroom?

Reader question: I just bought a new condo, and I would like to redo the bathroom. How much should I expect to pay, and could I save money by doing some of the work myself?

Patrick Coveny: This depends on whether you want to gut the bathroom and start over, or do a superficial remodelling and just replace countertops, toilets and fixtures—that's a very simple re-do. [For a superficial remodel,] a handyman could do it; some of it can be done yourself.

For a gut job, a starting point would be $15,000 to $20,000. It's all labor, and a huge portion of that expense is plumbing. You're asking someone to tear out something and replace something ... That's a typical hall bathroom. A master bathroom is even more. You're talking about new electric, new plumbing and new lighting.

If you do the paint and drywall yourself, you can save 10 to 20 percent, but things get a little hairy when people try to do rewiring and plumbing by themselves. For plumbing and electric, which is key, that requires a contractor.

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