The master bathroom was the first room we tackled as a full gut renovation, and we made a commitment before we started: we would track every dollar and share the full accounting publicly. Not the “approximate cost” or a range — every single line item, including the things that didn’t go right and had to be redone.

The room: 5 feet by 8 feet, a single-fixture bathroom with a tub/shower combo, toilet, and pedestal sink. Original to the house. The plan: gut it completely, move the plumbing slightly, install a walk-in shower in place of the tub, new vanity, new toilet, new tile floor, paint, and updated lighting.

Demolition

We did all demo ourselves over a single weekend. One thing we found: the original ceramic tile (3-inch hexagonal floor tile, actually beautiful) had been installed directly over the subfloor without a mortar bed, and when we removed it, the subfloor came with it in several places. We had to replace about 40 SF of subfloor, which added cost we hadn’t anticipated.

The Full Budget

Plumbing (licensed plumber, required by code): Relocating the shower drain 8 inches for the new configuration, new supply lines to all fixtures, new shower valve — $1,140.

Subfloor repair: 40 SF of 3/4-inch plywood plus cement board for tile substrate — $145.

Shower tile: 4×12 white subway tile for walls (3 walls of the shower enclosure), simple pencil liner accent — tile material only — $280. We tiled this ourselves.

Floor tile: 2×2 white mosaic for the shower floor (slip-resistant), 12×24 light gray porcelain for the bathroom floor — $195.

Tile installation — shower walls: We did this ourselves. Materials only: thinset, grout, tile spacers, waterproofing membrane — $125.

Tile installation — floor: We attempted to tile the bathroom floor ourselves and it was not good. We paid a tile setter to pull it up and redo it — $350 for his labor, plus $85 to replace the tile we cracked during our failed attempt. Hard-won lesson.

Shower door: Semi-frameless single panel, clear glass, brushed nickel — $485 from a local tile supply company (better quality than big-box at the same price).

Vanity and sink: 36-inch solid wood vanity with integrated sink, brushed nickel faucet — $395 from a local cabinet shop selling display models.

Toilet: Kohler Cimarron, elongated comfort height — $310 including wax ring and supply line.

Lighting: Vanity bar (3-light), recessed light in shower, exhaust fan (replaced the existing non-functioning one) — $185.

Mirror: Custom-cut frameless mirror from a local glass shop — $90.

Paint and supplies: Sherwin-Williams Emerald moisture-resistant, primer, brushes, drop cloth — $95.

Accessories: Towel bars (2), toilet paper holder, robe hook — $87.

Miscellaneous: Caulk, silicone, screws, blocking for grab bar future installation, shower curtain rod hole patch, etc. — $55.

Total: $3,847.

What We Got Right

Hiring the plumber. We had originally planned to DIY the plumbing work, but this was a room that had to pass inspection and we were moving a drain. The plumber we used was fast, permitted the work, and the inspection went without issue. The $1,140 included the permit. Worth every dollar.

Buying the vanity from the cabinet shop. We looked at IKEA, looked at Home Depot, and kept coming back to quality issues. The local shop had a display model vanity — solid wood, good quality hardware — for $395. Retail price would have been $950. It took a phone call and a trip, but it was completely worth it.

What We Got Wrong

Attempting to tile the floor ourselves on the first project. Floor tile requires more precision than wall tile — lippage (uneven edges between adjacent tiles) is very visible underfoot, and leveling a 12×24 tile correctly takes skill. We should have hired this out from the start instead of redoing it at higher cost. Now we know: we’ll tile our own shower walls indefinitely. We’ll hire the floor.

Would We Do It Again for This Budget?

Yes, with modifications. We would add about $400 to the budget for better quality tile (the subway tile was mid-grade; we’d go up a tier), and we would immediately hire the floor tile setter rather than attempting it ourselves. Revised realistic budget for a similar project: $4,200–$4,500. That’s still a third of the cost of any contractor quote we received.