Archive for December, 2006

OK, only kidding but it got you attention right. Over the last few years I know several people that fully remodeled a bathroom. Are you sitting down before I tell you the cost? Well the cheapest was $14,000 and the highest is on-going at $19,000. That that is nineteen-thousand pictures of President Washington not Italian Lira. Even using contractors a bathroom remodel dragging on for year is not uncommon [eeek!].

So what can an enthusiastic geek, patient wife and a few tools manage on a $2,000 budget? We spent ~$1K more than really warranted for the fun of ‘competing’ with the crowd who spend $19K The ‘miserly $2K’ bought us the following Beat-the-Joneses bragging rights :
. Spanish Marble on the floor (i.e. not the cheap Chinese stuff)
. Italian ceramic tiles on the walls
. A (low-end) whirlpool tub
. A semi-upmarket vanity and top (not cheap!)
. Semi-upmarket brushed nicked fixtures

All-in-all I think I spent ten to fifteen solid days and my wife assisted at least half of that time. With lessons learned we hope to knock out the second bathroom in about five days, but it will not have a custom framed tub, need the floor leveling etc.

So was it worth the effort? Absolutely – with occasionally re-caulking that bathroom should last until this subdivision is torn down. For those think of remodeling or moving: it is only a 5′x10′ bathroom and still feels no where near the luxury of most new suburban houses, even though it is better appointed.

This post is long enough already, so I’ll end with a few photos, you can view all the photos after this jump. If people are interested I will fully write up remodeling the next bathroom. We hope to soon rip out the kitchen too so watch this space.

Why did I buy an ex-rental house again?

Almost two days of work were needed to install this bath!

Attention to detail, no corner-cutting-contractors here

Pimped!