How Much Does It Cost to Remodel a Bathroom?

By Team HomeServe

November 17, 2023

Are your old bathroom fittings giving you sleepless nights? There’s nothing worse than the sound of a dripping faucet to keep you from a peaceful night’s slumber. Old tiles, stained showers and discolored grout make the thought of a relaxing bath after a hard day's work less than enticing. Your outdated fixtures may have you budgeting for a bathroom remodel.

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Bathroom designs and styles have changed over the years. The bright turquoise and mustard yellow fixtures that were once all the rage could now have you cringing when a friend asks to use your bathroom. Older bathroom fittings have also been exposed to a good deal of wear and tear over the years. This can necessitate repairs such as mold removal and plumbing upgrades.

Thankfully, an old bathroom doesn’t have to be a permanent eyesore. Tiles, paint, fixtures and cabinetry can all be easily updated without costing a fortune. Here’s a top-to-bottom pricing breakdown.

Total Remodeling Costs

In remodeling a bathroom, there are many factors to consider. The company that is performing the installation needs to gather a significant amount of information to come up with an accurate quote. Bathrooms do tend to cost a lot more per square foot than other rooms in the house, but it is possible to successfully manage the amount you spend and keep the project on budget.

According to Forbes, it costs $10,000 (CAD 13,288), on average, to remodel a bathroom. The price ranges from $2,500 (CAD 3,322) for a budget project to upwards of $30,000 (CAD 39,863) for a high-end remodel. Costs are a lot lower for small bathrooms, while they’re higher for bathrooms with a lot of fixtures. Whatever the size of your bathroom or the extent of the remodeling required, planning your remodel in phases always makes it a much simpler undertaking.

Why’s There Such a Large Price Range?

Bathroom remodels can mean a wide range of things — from cosmetic upgrades to extensive plumbing work — all of which come with a wide range of costs. And even if you're planning to replace the entire bathroom, the range is still so wide because materials, plumbing and design changes can vary.

How Much Do Cabinets, Fixtures and Materials Cost?

Bathroom Vanity

Vanity cabinet installations can be simple procedures involving a single sink base with plumbing. Complex installations may include custom countertops, linen towers, custom cabinetry, multiple drawers and twin sinks.

An average vanity that includes a cabinet, countertops, sink and faucet can cost anywhere from $300 to $3,800 (CAD 399 to CAD 5,049), including installation, according to Forbes. However, custom vanities may cost substantially more, sometimes exceeding $10,000 (CAD 13,288), depending on size and materials.

Shower

There are many options when it comes to remodeling a shower. Choosing between a prefabricated shower kit, a shower-tub combination or a custom walk-in shower will play a large part in the cost of the remodeling job. Simply adding new shower tiles can have a large impact on a shower's appearance without a large price tag.

According to Bob Vila, the average cost of installing a new shower is $7,350 (CAD 9,766), although The Home Depot says it’s possible to redo a shower for as little as $100 (CAD 133) if you’re using a prefabricated kit. A luxury walk-in with a soaker tub is on the other end of the price scale, and it could set you back up to $20,000 (CAD 26,575).

Toilet

According to Forbes, the prices for new toilets can vary anywhere from $80 to $8,000 (CAD 106 to CAD 10,630), depending on the distance from the wall to the toilet drain, the toilet’s height, the shape of the toilet bowl and its water use. Toilet seats are available in regular and long sizes. Long seats are more comfortable, but regular seats take up less space in smaller bathrooms.

In general, though, expect to pay between $200 to $500 (CAD 266 to CAD 664) for an average toilet you could find at a big-box or hardware store. In terms of installation, Architectural Digest says you’ll pay a plumber between $200 and $300 (CAD 266 and CAD 399).

Bathroom Fixtures

When deciding on finishes for faucets, spigots, shower handles and showerheads, it’s worth remembering that chrome is cheaper than brushed nickel, antique bronze and brushed brass. The prices of sinks can also vary considerably, depending on whether the sink you select is on a pedestal, is wall-mounted or is in a vanity.

The average cost of bathroom fixtures is between $300 and $2,500 (CAD 399 and CAD 3,322), according to HomeGuide data. The cost for high-end and custom fittings is $4,000 to $20,000 (CAD 5,315 to CAD 26,575).

Plumbing: What Does Labor Cost?

A bathroom remodel involves many components, from flooring and tiling to faucets and plumbing fixtures. While all of these pieces play an important part in the overall design of your new bathroom, few are as important as the plumbing. Plumbing in the bathroom encompasses not only the installation of baths, toilets and sinks, but also running pipes to all the water outlets and drains. Costs can be especially high if you want to put a fixture where there currently isn’t one.

According to Bob Vila, the plumbing costs for a bathroom remodel can range anywhere from $45 to $200 (CAD 60 to CAD 266) per hour, with the average overall costs coming in at about $7,000 (CAD 9,301).

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Bathroom Remodeling Costs by Type

Master Bathroom Remodel

The cost to redo a master bathroom has many variables, such as the scale of the project, the choice of fixtures and the level of plumbing work required. The expense of the project will also be affected by the complexity of the remodel and whether you will make use of a contractor, hire subcontractors yourself or tackle it as a DIY project.

Modernize says master bathroom renovations generally run between $7,000 and $30,000 (CAD 9,301 and CAD 39,863).

Small Bathroom Remodel

Many homes come standard with smaller, partial bathrooms as part of the house’s original layout. There are advantages to a small bathroom remodel, as upgrades with high-quality fixtures can be made without having to spend a small fortune.

The price of remodeling a small bathroom ranges from $3,000 to $15,000 (CAD 3,986 to CAD 19,932). However, there are many ways to cut costs and lower the remodeling price — as well as run over budget — depending on the fixtures and materials you decide upon.

Full Bathroom Remodel

The 5-foot by 8-foot (1.5-meter by 2.5-meter) bathroom is one of the standard sizes for a full bathroom. It can accommodate a tub or shower alcove, small vanity and a toilet. The extra square footage means there's more leeway for the placement of bathroom fixtures. The price range for a remodel of this size is between $2,800 and $10,000 (CAD 3,721 and CAD 13,288).

Other Factors to Consider

Before beginning a bathroom remodeling project, there are a variety of factors to take into account:

Plumbing is one of the factors that most often goes wrong in a remodel. Plumbing problems can dramatically increase the cost of your bathroom redo, so it’s always a good idea to leave a buffer in your budget for extra expenses.
It’s beneficial not to have plumbing on exterior walls. Run the plumbing pipes through the floor and the interior walls to avoid any of the plumbing running along the exterior of the house.
Invest in high-quality cabinetry that won’t warp in moist conditions. As these fixtures will be used daily, it's also important to extend their lifetime by making use of quality craftsmanship.
Begin your bathroom renovation from the ceiling downwards. This can prevent damage to any new fittings and will also save a lot of time during clean-up.

Cheap Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

As the cost of bathroom remodeling can put a serious dent in your bank balance, it's well worth considering some smart cost-saving tips:

Refinish your tub; don’t replace it. A tub that is stained or even has a few cracks will look like new with a simple refinish.
Paint your bathroom interior yourself. Very little painting is necessary in bathrooms, as the majority of wall space is occupied by tile, mirrors and large fixtures.
Restrict the amount of wall tile. Tiling is expensive and can be limited to the floor and a strip of tiles along the walls to save on costs.
Refresh grouting and caulking. Old, discolored grout and caulk can make the entire bathroom look down-at-heel. Giving it a refinish will take years off your bathroom at a minimal cost.

All CAD conversions are based on the exchange rate on the date of publication.

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