usvi-on-line
bathroom remodeling
bathroom remodeling
so our bathroom broke and now we have to fix it --it;s our 'master bath' (HA)
its in a gable end of the third floor and it is SMALL--i have a budget of about 14K to do this (and my contractor is quoting me much higher numbers.....how did this stuff get so expensive?) anyway i am grumpy about this--it cuts into the budget for STJ and other things i like to do.
But, can anyone tell me--good sites to find fixtures, vanities and the like?
because of the size issue we probably will just do a sort of souped up shower--we have the option of getting a 'prefab type of thing (the ones i am looking at run in the 2-3K range? or doing a tiled enclosure and buy a door and a floor--
what do you think is the less expensive option? (I understand that depending on the type the tile can get pricey as well)
any other advice? I was so psyched when we re-did our kitchen , but this project just fills me with dread.....
its in a gable end of the third floor and it is SMALL--i have a budget of about 14K to do this (and my contractor is quoting me much higher numbers.....how did this stuff get so expensive?) anyway i am grumpy about this--it cuts into the budget for STJ and other things i like to do.
But, can anyone tell me--good sites to find fixtures, vanities and the like?
because of the size issue we probably will just do a sort of souped up shower--we have the option of getting a 'prefab type of thing (the ones i am looking at run in the 2-3K range? or doing a tiled enclosure and buy a door and a floor--
what do you think is the less expensive option? (I understand that depending on the type the tile can get pricey as well)
any other advice? I was so psyched when we re-did our kitchen , but this project just fills me with dread.....
< leaving on the 22nd of march...but too lame to figure out the ticker thing again!>
Keep getting prices.
Construction was thriving here and now it's dead, can't imagine it's any different for your area.
Most contractors pad small jobs to make it worth their while but somewhere out there are hundreds of contractors that would do just about any job for a very reasonable price, you just have to look.
Sounds like you've done this before but just in case, money is the only grease that gets things done so part with it carefully and in increments.
Everything is "on sale" in this financial environment, you just have to look and prod.
Construction was thriving here and now it's dead, can't imagine it's any different for your area.
Most contractors pad small jobs to make it worth their while but somewhere out there are hundreds of contractors that would do just about any job for a very reasonable price, you just have to look.
Sounds like you've done this before but just in case, money is the only grease that gets things done so part with it carefully and in increments.
Everything is "on sale" in this financial environment, you just have to look and prod.
Loria, we just recently added a master bath and remodeled our main bathroom. Wow, what a job at the same time.
There's a website called faucetdirect.com. We bought our pedestal sinks and all of our faucets from them. We found it alot cheaper then going to Home Depot or any other place around here. They also shipped for free.
Luckily, husband is great at doing most everything. I won't let him do electrical or plumbing, so we brought somebody else in. The rest was done by husband (Glenn). They both turned out great.
To tell you the truth, the hardest part, I found was picking the right colors to paint the walls
)
We have a double shower in our Master Bath, all tile throughout and used bead board on the bottom half of the walls.
Good luck!
There's a website called faucetdirect.com. We bought our pedestal sinks and all of our faucets from them. We found it alot cheaper then going to Home Depot or any other place around here. They also shipped for free.
Luckily, husband is great at doing most everything. I won't let him do electrical or plumbing, so we brought somebody else in. The rest was done by husband (Glenn). They both turned out great.
To tell you the truth, the hardest part, I found was picking the right colors to paint the walls
)We have a double shower in our Master Bath, all tile throughout and used bead board on the bottom half of the walls.
Good luck!
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
Just my opinion but I hate pre-fab plastic one piece showers - remind me of Motel 6 
You watch everytime you see one now you'll think of me
I also think resale value of a home can be dependent on finishes and if you go "basic" (plain white subway tile or even 4x4 white tile) the cost for a small shower is not that much more than a plastic surround - at least when we remodeled our home in KC it was approx the same $$
Pia
You watch everytime you see one now you'll think of me
I also think resale value of a home can be dependent on finishes and if you go "basic" (plain white subway tile or even 4x4 white tile) the cost for a small shower is not that much more than a plastic surround - at least when we remodeled our home in KC it was approx the same $$
Pia
My husband is a builder and the price sounds about right. When my husband prices a job he always includes installation but the customer is always responsible for purchasing the tile, grout, mastic, any fixtures and lighting fixtures. You can buy tile for .99 sf or 14.99 sf. Same thing with fixture there are $200 toilets and $2,000 toilets. Find out exactly what you are getting.
Just make sure your contractor is licensed and insured and you get plenty of references. There are alot of people out there that will take your money and run.
PS. I like the ceramic tile bath/showers.
Just make sure your contractor is licensed and insured and you get plenty of references. There are alot of people out there that will take your money and run.
PS. I like the ceramic tile bath/showers.
Julie
Live from St.John
Facebook Group
-
chicagoans
- Posts: 1586
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:51 pm
- Location: IL
designerplumbingoutlet.com has good prices on faucets and fixtures. I like Kohler and after checking prices they were among the best.
If you hire a contractor find out what kind of prices you get going through him/her. Our tile prices were cheaper buying through our builder.
Personally I would spend the money to make the bathroom nice. You could spend 25% less and not like it in a few years, and this is a room you will use every day. I would choose tile, and you can shop around and get a cool look without exotic materials. In the foreground of the first pic and lower right of the second pic you can see a pattern we did at the door of our master bath; I think it adds some interest and it's just ceramic tile. (The floor of the shower matches the border of that pattern.) The strip of tile at eye level in the shower is travertine (pricier than ceramic tile), but it's just a thin strip so it didn't add alot of cost.
If the vanity is small you can call a granite fabricator and ask about remnants. Usually you have to buy granite by the whole slab, but if you have a small counter and like something that's fairly popular you can sometimes get a good price on a remnant. That's how my son got a different kind of granite (that he loves!) in his bathroom. He wouldn't have gotten a choice if we had to buy the whole slab.
Light fixtures can get really pricey too, but if you're working with a contractor they can usually get a discount. Or if you have a friend who is a designer, he/she can usually get a discount too. Of course in this economy, it doesn't hurt to ask if you yourself can get contractor pricing. The worst they can say is no.
Depending on how many drawer pulls you need, your cabinetry hardware can add up too! I needed almost 100 knobs and pulls (kitchen and 4 bathrooms) and lots of the ones I liked were like $16 and up! Each! So I got some really cool oil rubbed bronze pulls at Target. They look great. I also got oil rubbed bronze wall plates for outlets and light switches there. Little details, but a nice impact for a low price.
If you hire a contractor find out what kind of prices you get going through him/her. Our tile prices were cheaper buying through our builder.
Personally I would spend the money to make the bathroom nice. You could spend 25% less and not like it in a few years, and this is a room you will use every day. I would choose tile, and you can shop around and get a cool look without exotic materials. In the foreground of the first pic and lower right of the second pic you can see a pattern we did at the door of our master bath; I think it adds some interest and it's just ceramic tile. (The floor of the shower matches the border of that pattern.) The strip of tile at eye level in the shower is travertine (pricier than ceramic tile), but it's just a thin strip so it didn't add alot of cost.
If the vanity is small you can call a granite fabricator and ask about remnants. Usually you have to buy granite by the whole slab, but if you have a small counter and like something that's fairly popular you can sometimes get a good price on a remnant. That's how my son got a different kind of granite (that he loves!) in his bathroom. He wouldn't have gotten a choice if we had to buy the whole slab.
Light fixtures can get really pricey too, but if you're working with a contractor they can usually get a discount. Or if you have a friend who is a designer, he/she can usually get a discount too. Of course in this economy, it doesn't hurt to ask if you yourself can get contractor pricing. The worst they can say is no.
Depending on how many drawer pulls you need, your cabinetry hardware can add up too! I needed almost 100 knobs and pulls (kitchen and 4 bathrooms) and lots of the ones I liked were like $16 and up! Each! So I got some really cool oil rubbed bronze pulls at Target. They look great. I also got oil rubbed bronze wall plates for outlets and light switches there. Little details, but a nice impact for a low price.
-
Jo Ann - VA
- Posts: 756
- Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 11:56 am
- Location: Virginia
-
chicagoans
- Posts: 1586
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:51 pm
- Location: IL
I forgot to mention a couple things that I love about our new master bath.
That double shower is amazing. When we first took a shower in it it seemed huge and at least we weren't bumping bellis, as we put it in a regular size shower.
We also used subway tile in the shower.
The one thing I regret in the shower is now having a tile seat put in. Would have been so confenient for me for shaving my legs or as we age.
A heat light. Wow, during the winter, turning that on for about 5 minutes really keeps the bathroom warm.
The toilet. There's nothing like a toilet called a Toto...suppose to flush something like 16 golf balls with no problem. I figure if you have a problem like that, go to a doctor) I love the lid to the toilet because you just give it a little tap to close and the lid goes down slowly and makes no noise when it closes.
As others have said, try to keep to a white bathroom, so you have the option of changing your colors or towels, shower curtain, etc.
That double shower is amazing. When we first took a shower in it it seemed huge and at least we weren't bumping bellis, as we put it in a regular size shower.
We also used subway tile in the shower.
The one thing I regret in the shower is now having a tile seat put in. Would have been so confenient for me for shaving my legs or as we age.
A heat light. Wow, during the winter, turning that on for about 5 minutes really keeps the bathroom warm.
The toilet. There's nothing like a toilet called a Toto...suppose to flush something like 16 golf balls with no problem. I figure if you have a problem like that, go to a doctor
) I love the lid to the toilet because you just give it a little tap to close and the lid goes down slowly and makes no noise when it closes.As others have said, try to keep to a white bathroom, so you have the option of changing your colors or towels, shower curtain, etc.
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
Jo-Ann, I LOVE that mirror!
We need to redo our master bath also. It is a funny shape. The first part is fine--it is a large marble space that has a big jacuzzi and a toilet and a double sink/vanity thing. But then there is a doorway off to another area that has another (why I have no idea) sink/vanity and a shower. The shower is small, and our plan was to rip it out and the sink also and have that whole space tiled as a walk in shower for two.
We started pricing it out but then decided to just go to St. John instead.
We need to redo our master bath also. It is a funny shape. The first part is fine--it is a large marble space that has a big jacuzzi and a toilet and a double sink/vanity thing. But then there is a doorway off to another area that has another (why I have no idea) sink/vanity and a shower. The shower is small, and our plan was to rip it out and the sink also and have that whole space tiled as a walk in shower for two.
We started pricing it out but then decided to just go to St. John instead.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
liamsaunt wrote:J
We started pricing it out but then decided to just go to St. John instead.
yeah...i was hoping for a spring trip....but two kids need braces and this has to be done (the shower leaks....) so.....keep those ideas coming! and thanks for everything so far--the space i have is very narrow (62") and not so long (in terms of useable space--(about 12 feet)---and along that long end there is a wide doorway (38 inches--we'll probably close that up a bit) on one side and windows on the other...so it's a tricky tricky space....
< leaving on the 22nd of march...but too lame to figure out the ticker thing again!>