Bathroom Remodels by Size

You're looking for a small bathroom remodel but you don't want it to expand into something huge?

You're not alone. We are all preparing to work from home for the rest of 2020 and at least part of 2021. Here are the top phrases people use when sharing why they want their bathroom remodeled now:

• It's just time!
• It's so old, I can't even clean the grout anymore.
• The fiberglass insert is so old, and gross. I need a tile shower!
• My kids need a cleaner bathroom, this old stuff is so worn out I can't really get it clean anymore.
• The whole family keeps going through my bedroom to use my bathroom. Enough!

Boy, do we know how it feels to shop for the perfect remodeler for a small project that needs to be done relatively quickly. Seems like all of San Diego is choosing to improve, not move simultaneously.

But don’t worry. You’re in the perfect place! 

In this article, we will answer a few questions so you can make a great decision about your 5x7 small bathroom remodel.

If you're looking for the most cost effective route, you just found it. Don't reconfigure the room, add, remove or move any walls.

Just gut and replace all your finish materials and update the plumbing and electrical so they meet the current code.

You may have the opportunity to take over a closet space, build a bump out, or expand into the office. All layout changes involve framing, and framing is a lot more labor and materials than a quick-and-dirty "small" bathroom remodel. 

If you want to change your layout, then you're looking at "major" costs in a "small" space and it may be cost prohibitive if there are other things you want to do in the home in the next few years.

Possible Layout Options

There are options, ad infinitum when looking at what you could do in your small bathroom. However, here are two notes on separating the plausible ideas from the best ideas:

1. It is best to do the separating and hash out a few details before dropping money into design.
2. It is partly the responsibility of your contractor
3. BONUS TIP: If you ask "Is it possible?" you will usually receive a "Yes" because that is true based on the building code, etc. But the top five concerns of home owners always include cost...

Please help out your contractor by asking "Would you do this in your house?" or "Do you see a good way to solve xyz problem?"

Let's consider a few of the ideas that are most cost-effective and therefore most popular:

Using a closet - closets are not difficult to move and they are arguably less cherished than the bathroom. Most of us have increasing need for storage, linen cabinets, etc.

Consider this framing option to create a bathroom that could comfortable have more than one person or sibling in there at the same time.

Adding a shower wall - many second or third bathrooms still have fiberglass shower/tub combos.

These are outdated and no one has time to bath anymore. Build a shower wall or have 2 sides of a custom glass shower enclosure. You'll love yourself for it.

Honorable mention goes to: Adding a bump out - The idea is great and they are oh-so-cute.

But do you really want to send plans to the city, have an 8 week delay while your project sits in each department, then have to pour footings for a few square feet in your guest bathroom, hall bathroom, powder room, or half-bath?

Nah, we'd skip it. Typically when you see a bathroom bump out, it's going to be a large bathroom or the master.

Can You Tell Me The Price Per Square Foot?

What a great idea! Sounds reasonable enough, right?

Look at all the bathrooms you've built over the last five years, find the cost per square foot for each, find the sum total cost per square foot, and divide by the number of bathrooms. Ta-da! Average price per square foot!

Not so fast. We would LOVE it, if estimating remodeling projects were this easy.

Hopefully we will make your day if we are able to five you a loose ballpark range based on our experience. That we can do. 

There is a good reason for site visits a doing our due diligence before producing an estimate...a few dozen reasons actually. 

• how old is your plumbing?
• when was the last remodel?
• which waterproofing method do you prefer and do you want a lifetime warranty with that waterproofing?
• is this bathroom one of many phases, or a part of a larger remodel?
• are you including your finish materials or not?

Rather than make dozens of assumptions as we chase a moving target, give us a call today (858) 775-7628 to provide specific information about your small bathroom and your unique requirements.

Large or Small Tiles?

We usually get this question because home owners are wondering if they can save on material or labor costs by choosing a specific size. The logic goes something like this:

• "Larger tiles are popular right now so are the large tiles more expensive? If they are, what sizes still look good but would be less expensive?"
• "Smaller tiles still have to be installed like large tiles, so is the labor way higher for small tiles? Can I save more labor the bigger I go?"

Great questions, but here is how it really works from our perspective:

• Large tiles in a large space are relatively efficient to install. 
• Small or medium tiles in a small space are efficient to install.
• Large tiles installed in a small bathroom can actually create more work even though there are fewer tiles because you'll have a lot of labor cutting and prepping them.
• The tile on a shower floor, also known as the shower pan, will almost always by 2" x 2" or smaller. This has two benefits: 
  1. The additional grout frequency between smaller tiles allows more friction, grip, and safety. 
  2. The small 2" x 2" or 1" x 1" tiles are sold pre-installed on a mesh so you will not have 10x the labor to install individual tiles that are a tenth of the size of a larger tile. 

How Can I Figure Out The Cost Range?

The best way to find the range is to speak to actual contractors. 

Websites that claim to have up-to-date data from home owners "in your area" are:

• Not invested in the accuracy of that information
• Not accountable for the accuracy of that information
• Not actually contractors engaged in building anything
• Not thorough in the information gathering process, so many costs are not reported
• They are paid to gather your name and email address, so the lower the prices they list, the more likely you are to provide your information. Not fair to you.
• Their algorithms include homeowner feedback from 20 years ago. Can you imagine trying to budget for a road trip using the "average" gas prices since 1999?

If you chat with real companies, you'll find that some are high, some are low, and some are in the middle. But if you started online, and now ALL the contractors seems high...there is a problem with your source of information.

Why Choose Teknik for Your Small Bathroom Remodel?

Still not ready to call? That's okay, you can call us tomorrow, although you'll be in line behind every person who takes action today. And don't worry, you'll be 100% protected with our Spoiled Rotten Customer Guarantee!