Guest Bathroom Renovation Recap

As promised, with each room Emmett and I renovate, we kick things off via video and wrap them up in the same way. Click through to watch our guest bathroom renovation recap… where we share our final thoughts, challenges we encountered, the timeline, the budget (a highly requested topic), and a couple things we’d do differently, as well as notable moments from the renovation. This is a fun post! 

RECAP

Let’s dive right into the video recap. Be sure to watch until the very end because Emmett accidentally spills the beans on our next big project. Haha! Oops. Oh well- we’re all friends here… no secrets.

The name of this renovation was TILE. So much tile. I’m really pleased with how the space turned out though and all that tiling was well worth it in the end. I actually got a manicure last week, which is something I hardly ever do, but my hands were begging for it. I’m happy to say, I can now unlock my phone via fingerprint again. Anyway, moving onto the timeline…

TIMELINE

This renovation took place over the course of 8 weeks. It was pretty fast given the size of the room and amount of work we had to do. There toward the end, I honestly didn’t think we’d make our deadline. We pulled a LOT of late (1 – 2am) nights. Here’s how the timeline looked:

• weeks 1 & 2 // demo
• weeks 3 & 4 // framing, plumbing, electrical rough-in
• weeks 5, 6, & 7 // drywall, cement board, priming, waterproofing, tile, and millwork
• week 8 // finishing work- install light fixtures, paint, grout, install plumbing fixtures, install door, style & photograph

BUDGET

My goal on the blog has always been 100% honesty & transparency… so if that means sharing the numbers and cost for each project, so be it! It’s important to know just how far your dollar will go and what it will get you when renovating. For our budget, keep in mind our guest bathroom is BIG. It’s literally the size of one of our old bedrooms and spans 11 feet across- that obviously meant ordering more material. The size of your space definitely influences the cost. I’m breaking down our estimated bathroom budget below. I also tried to link everything!

• toilet lever // $34
• toilet // $449
• toilet seat // $105
• bathroom vanity // $2,834
• vanity hardware (13) // $263
• bathroom mirrors (2) // $600
• shower trim // $518
• vanity ottoman // $86
• pendant lights (2) // $140
• semi flush mount // $100
• exhaust can lights (2) // $240
• paint // $140
• shower niche marble materials // $20
• toilet paper holder // $45
• marble remnant slab + fabrication // $800
• bathtub // $707
• shower rod // $7
• towel hooks (3) // $75
• widespread faucets (2) // $868
• subway tile (19) // $1,273
• base tile (60) // $165
• black pencil liner (140) // $135
• bullnose subway tile (35) // $26
• chair rail tile (140) // $270
• floor tile (94) // $1,784
• wallpaper (1 roll) // $285
• millwork // $750
• building materials / plumbing materials / electrical materials // $1,500
• burl vanity table (we made it) // $750
• vanity sconce // $90 (with DIY shades)
• interior door // $300
• door hardware // $283
• accessories + linens // $650

TOTAL = $15,292

I think that’s an amazing price for the quality, aesthetic, and all of the material that went into the space. Emmett and I are both really thrilled with how things turned out and we’re guessing we saved at least $15k doing the labor ourselves. If you plan to hire a contractor for a similar project, you should budget for at least $30k.

Lots of bloggers are FINALLY starting to share budgets and begin the important discussion in regards to money. Thanks to HGTV and other home improvement shows, lots of people have a very skewed reality of what home projects actually cost. To compare another bathroom budget, check out my friends Chris & Julia’s budget breakdown of their master bath. They hired the labor out, so that can give you an idea of how much a contractor would cost.

RESOURCES

In case you missed anything or didn’t get to follow as closely as you would’ve liked, you can find every single guest bathroom related blog post linked below! For all other resources, visit the “shop my house” page.

• Our Guest Bathroom Design Plan & Before Images
• Guest Bathroom Reveal
• How to Choose Cohesive Bathroom Plumbing Fixtures
• How to Install Mosaic Floor Tile + Marble Mosaics
• Ways to Upgrade Your Toilet + A Roundup of Favorites
• Stocking a Guest Bathroom for Visitors
• How to Make Subway Tile Look Classic, Not Basic
• Selecting Interior Doors & Hardware Style
• Extra Long Shower Curtain DIY
• Choosing a Vintage Rug for the Bathroom
• A Day in the Life Of : Renovating
• Double Sconce Easy Shade Upgrade
• Ways to Customize a Readymade Bathroom Vanity
• How to Plan and Design a Shower Niche

Whew!! There is A LOT of good stuff crammed into that list. I’ll wrap things up by saying THANK YOU for following along, cheering us on, and for offering your encouragement during this project. Renovating is always a rewarding challenge and we couldn’t have done it without you. I’d love to answer any questions or comments below!