Need to Change Your Bathroom? Do It Yourself vs. Hire a Pro

Changes to the pipes, a new bathtub, a new toilet, new flooring, fresh paint, a new sink and sink basin, and other things can quickly add up to a lot of money. It's hard not to want to do the work yourself, even though you know you'll get it all back at the end.

How Hard Is It to Change the Look of a Bathroom?

Are you able to handle the work by yourself and make it look good? We've all been in bathrooms where something is clearly wrong, like walls that aren't level or a toilet that isn't sitting level. Think about whether you can handle a job that doesn't look very professional.

Getting used to the remodel

Whenever you finish a job by yourself, you can't help but look at the places where you went wrong. This might worry a lot of people. If you can't stand flaws or don't want to look at them every day, you might want to hire a handyman.

How much do you value your time?

Don't forget how important your time is. You might not be able to spend as much time with your kids or partner because you have to work on this job in your free time.

How much room do you need?

A bathroom makeover done by a pro takes four to five weeks. It could take a few months if you do the job by yourself. Can you accept that the area will be a work zone for that long? It's very important to do this if you're redoing your main bathroom or a second bathroom that your family uses a lot.

If you want to remodel your bathroom, you should hire an expert.

A full remodel is a big job that should only be done by experts. Some small repairs, like painting or putting in new taps, can be done yourself and save you money. Professionals should be in charge of the plumbing and floors.

You might not want to spend a lot of money on a full update if the space looks unprofessional, even if it saves you money at first. Another important thing to think about is time. Some projects take longer than a month to finish, even when a group of skilled workers works ten-hour days. If you do this job by yourself, it might take six months or longer.

Bathrooms are important places that buyers and home appraisers look at. The level of the work done by professionals can have a big effect on how much your home is worth. Here are some budgeting tips that will help you save money at the same time.

Who changes the look of bathrooms?

Designers, plumbers, electricians, and general builders who work as part of a full-service company are all examples of bathroom remodelers. Most of the time, you'll work with a contractor who can plan the room and hire other people to do specialized work like plumbing and electrical work.

Pros of hiring a professional to remodel and renovate your bathroom

Bathroom remodelers have a lot of contacts in their field. It's easy for them to find stores that sell fixtures and other items at the lowest prices. As a homeowner, you might pay more for materials than the builder, even after the contractor adds a markup.

Some people don't like to do things themselves. The look and quality of a project might not live up to your hopes if you don't get it just right. You can save a lot of money on good work in the long run if you only need to fix things once.

How to Save Money While Remodeling or Renovating Your Bathroom

There are some ways to save money on your job, even if you're not remodeling the whole thing. You can still get a good return on your money when you update your bathroom on a budget.

Keep the same footprint

When you move a toilet, sink, or bathroom, you have to re-route water and waste lines, electrical outlets, and even structural parts, which can be expensive. In this case, a decorator or furniture designer can be very helpful.

Invest in your own fixtures

What if the bathroom doesn't have normal fixtures? Ask your builder if you can get them yourself. For the time it takes to find and get the hardware, experts usually charge 10% more than the store price. If you buy them yourself, you can save money.

You and your builder might not agree on the items you want. You can be sure you get the right things if you buy them yourself. You might be able to find fixtures at thrift stores. Just make sure that the taps have all of their parts. When you buy something used, like a bathtub, the price can be very low.

Get the Tiles out.

In order to save money, ask your builder if you can take out the old floor and put in a new one yourself. Professionals are happy to follow the rules because it helps them get more done and saves them time.

Always talk to your worker first. Your project might be one of a kind, and the professional you hire might want to know that you will do a good job as part of their project.

Putting in bathroom tiles

To have a professional tile your ceramic floors, it costs around $860 to $2,600. Tile made from natural stone costs around $900 to $2,800.

You can make a deal so that you do this work even if you are working with a contractor on a full bathroom update. You can get pretty good at tiling on an old table before you do your floor, but it can be annoying at first. Think about how much it would cost to buy or rent a tile saw and the other tools you'll need to mix and use mastic, thin-set mortar, and grout.

You should paint your bathroom

Painting your bathroom will cost $380 to $800 more if you hire someone else to do this part of the job. Don't worry if you mess up a lot if you're not good at painting. You will get better. Talk to your contractor about when is the best time to paint given the needs of the job.

Create your own mirror

If you hang the light bulb yourself, you can save $150 to $460 on the cost of having it installed. The tools you'll need costs less than $50 most of the time. You should only hire a pro if the mirror is too big or heavy for you to move.

Refinishing a bathtub

A kit for repainting a tub costs around $60 to $100. Professional bathtub repair, on the other hand, costs around $330 to $600. It's pretty easy to do if you have the right tools, but make sure you wear the right safety gear and protect the objects in the room.

Putting in a new bathtub

It will cost between $1,000 and $5,200 to put in a new bathtub. Putting in your own tub costs between $200 and $2,000, and the pipes and other plumbing supplies cost less than $150. Most bathroom remodelers say that the shower valve should be changed. This can cost anywhere from $50 to $150.

It's a complicated process that needs people who are good at both plumbing and building to make the tub work. Only take it on if you've done work like this before.

Change the toilet.

Professional toilet fitting costs around $520 to $210, so if you know how to do it yourself, you can save that much money. You won't need a lot of experience most of the time. If you want to put the device in a place that needs new plumbing, you should get help from a professional.

Make a Shower

Putting in a shower costs between $1,200 and $5,800 when done by a professional. You can save a lot of money by doing it yourself. All you have to pay for are the supplies. To save money on this job, you'll need to know how to do plumbing, contracting, and maybe even tiling.

Put in your own faucet or sink

Putting in a new tap can cost anywhere from $150 to $340. But many professionals do this work as part of the bigger job and charge much less or nothing at all when they do a full bathroom remodel. Talk to your contractor about how much work will cost before you decide to do it yourself.

A professional will charge around $200 to $550 to put in a new sink. You can do this job too if you know how to join the pipes and figure out how the sink will fit in the mirror.

How to Find and Hire a Remodeling Contractor for Your Bathroom

If you want to find the best bathroom remodeler in your area, do these things:

Read scores and reviews, and use average ratings from sites like HomeAdvisor to compare different contractors.

If someone is working on your plumbing or electricity, make sure they have a license and a promise that they will do a good job.

Get quotes from more than one professional to get a more accurate price and avoid charging too much.

When remodeling your bathroom, it's important to ask the right questions, such as about their formal training, years of experience, recommendations, and written warranties.