how much did your bathroom remodel run you (roughly)?

I get what you’re saying about measuring three times, but honestly, sometimes I think you just have to accept a little bit of “close enough” with these old houses. My place is from 1915 and nothing is square, plumb, or level. I spent hours trying to get the new tub to line up perfectly with the walls, but after a while I realized it was just never going to look like a new build. There’s a certain charm to the quirks, right? I mean, if I wanted everything perfect, I probably wouldn’t have bought a house with original wavy glass windows.

On the PEX tools - yeah, the cheap ones are a gamble. I actually borrowed a higher-end crimper from a neighbor after my first attempt ended in a slow drip behind the wall. Not fun. But I will say, I’ve had better luck with the push-to-connect fittings in tight spots. They’re pricier, but for a couple connections behind the shower where I really didn’t want to risk another leak, it was worth it.

Your $4,200 sounds about right for dealing with lath and plaster. I tried to save some of mine, but it’s like opening a can of worms every time. Sometimes I think the “just patch it” approach is underrated - unless you’re dealing with a full-on crumble. Anyway, I guess my point is, sometimes you have to let go of perfection and just work with what you’ve got. These old houses keep us humble.

Yeah, I hear you on the “close enough” philosophy - old houses really do have a mind of their own. My 1920s bungalow is the same way. I spent a whole afternoon trying to get a reclaimed door to fit a bathroom opening that was somehow both too wide and too narrow at the same time. At some point, you just embrace the weird angles and hope your guests find it “charming” instead of “drafty.”

I’ve also had my share of PEX drama. Tried to save money with a bargain crimper and ended up with a tiny leak that took weeks to track down. After that, I switched to those push-to-connect fittings for the trickier spots - totally worth the extra cost for peace of mind, especially when you’re working behind old plaster.

Lath and plaster is its own beast. I tried to reuse what I could, but half the time it crumbled if I even looked at it wrong. I ended up patching more than replacing, just to keep some of that original character. There’s something satisfying about making it work instead of gutting everything. Perfection’s overrated anyway - quirks tell the story.

Old houses really are a different animal. I’ve run into the same thing - nothing’s ever square, and you end up spending more time figuring out how to make things “good enough” than actually installing anything. Honestly, I think you’re spot on about quirks adding character. I’ve learned the hard way that chasing perfection in these places is a losing battle and just eats up your budget. Curious, did you end up saving much by patching the lath and plaster instead of gutting? Sometimes I wonder if the extra labor is worth it, but I get wanting to keep the original vibe.

It’s wild how much time goes into just making things “look right” in these old spaces, isn’t it? I totally get wanting to keep the original lath and plaster - it does have a certain vibe you just can’t replicate with drywall. But I’ve seen projects where patching ends up costing nearly as much as replacing, once you add up the labor. Did you run into any surprises behind the walls? Sometimes I wonder if it’s more about preserving history than actually saving money... but I get why you’d go that route.

Yeah, I hear you on the lath and plaster. I tried to keep mine too, but honestly, the patching was a pain and not cheap. Ended up finding some old knob-and-tube wiring back there, which was a whole extra headache. In the end, I spent about $14k on my bathroom, mostly because of those “surprises” behind the walls. Sometimes I think it’s more about the character than the cost savings, for sure.