Bathroom Background

Let’s back up a little and talk about this bathroom remodel. If you missed the first video, pop over to that and come back here when you’re done watching. Here’s a little intro of us getting hyped up to start, and me swinging a sledge hammer for the first time! Awww, my first (intentional) hole in the wall.

Bottom Line

Bathrooms are one of the biggest value-adds for your property. If you’re planning to sell, (or not) a bathroom remodel can seriously up your house’s game. And it’s one of the rooms with the most opportunities to save money, especially if you do it yourself. We’ve gotten pretty good at basic bathroom tile installation, so we were ready for a challenge. I would consider this an intermediate level project. Nothing you can’t handle though if you’ve got some skill with a blade and know your way around a nail gun. Our game plan is to break into the laundry room and turn that unused space into a new shower.

Here’s our basic checklist of the steps in the order we plan to tackle them. Your call will be taken in the order which it was received.

Budget

Let’s talk budget a bit. If you’ve done a remodel yourself, or contracted it out to professionals, you know it can get pricey. I think ~$25,000 is average for hiring labor and materials. We are doing this ourselves and have a firm budget of $2,500. So, just knock a zero off and put that in your pocket. Should be incentive enough to DIY, right?

We’ll break down our budget a little later, but so far, we’re in good shape. It’s going to be tight, but we are determined to come in under the budgeted goal. We’re tracking everything and have a good idea where we can afford to splurge and where we can find ways to save. It’s gonna be fun!

Here’s some bonus footage of us clearing the old bathroom, in our best chipmunk/minion voices. It’s not all glamorous, but if you really want to see everything that goes into a project, we’re going to show you. Next, we’ll be breaking through the laundry room wall, which is where the magic happens.

Tips and Disclaimers

We did in fact use gloves for a lot of the demo, despite Joe saying he didn’t need them. A few words to the wise before you begin:

1. Turn off the heat to prevent dust from clogging up your furnace while you knock through sheetrock. You don’t want that getting the furnace sensor ruined. Or messing up your air quality.
2. Keep it well-ventilated (open a window, runs some fans, etc.)
3. It helps to hang plastic over your entryways so you keep debris and dust to a minimum in your house.
4. Always wear a mask if you’re working with fiberglass or insulation.
5. Finally, make sure you pull a permit if you tear down any walls. Make sure nothing is load bearing. Check your city center for requirements.

Not trying to deter anyone from getting the job done themselves, but follow some basic safety rules and common sense, and you’ll be just fine. 🙂

See you on the other side of the wall!