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

Definitely been there. You nailed it with this:

patching over old stuff just kicks the can down the road

I get why folks want to save money, but in my experience, cutting corners on the stuff you can’t see always comes back to bite you. You might spend more upfront, but you’re saving yourself a ton of headaches (and cash) down the line. Not everyone wants to hear it, but sometimes you just have to gut it and do it right.

I hear you on the “Frankenstein plumbing.” I’ve opened up enough walls to know that if you’re not prepared for a surprise, you probably haven’t done enough remodels yet. People always think it’s just a matter of swapping out a vanity and slapping on some subway tile, but that’s never the full story.

cutting corners on the stuff you can’t see always comes back to bite you

Couldn’t agree more here. In my experience, every time I’ve tried to save a buck by leaving old pipes or skipping waterproofing, it’s ended up costing double later. The last bathroom I did in one of my rentals ran me about $18k, which was way over my original estimate. Demo revealed rotted joists, old galvanized pipes, and some creative “fixes” from a previous owner who clearly thought duct tape was an acceptable plumbing solution. Ended up having to reframe half the floor and replace all the supply lines. Wasn’t fun, but now I don’t have to worry about leaks or angry tenants calling me at midnight.

If you’re doing it for yourself, peace of mind is worth the extra spend. But even for rentals or flips, I’d rather pay upfront than deal with water damage down the road. Some people will say “just patch it,” but they’re usually not the ones footing the bill when something bursts.

That being said, I do know folks who’ve managed to keep things under $10k by doing all the work themselves and not running into any major issues. That’s pretty rare though... at least in older places.

It’s easy to get sticker shock, but once you start opening things up, you realize where the money goes. Sometimes you just gotta gut it and do it right the first time—even if your wallet cries a little.

I get where you’re coming from with the “do it right the first time” mindset, but I’ll play devil’s advocate for a second. Is it always necessary to gut everything, especially if you’re not seeing any signs of leaks or rot? I’ve worked on plenty of bathrooms in 60s and 70s houses where the original copper or cast iron was still going strong—sometimes better than what you get today.

You mentioned,

cutting corners on the stuff you can’t see always comes back to bite you

I’m not saying slap some duct tape on a leak and call it a day (seen that too many times), but there’s a middle ground between patching and full demo. Like, if you open up a wall and everything looks solid, maybe just replace the shutoffs and trap, check for leaks, and move on. Not every job needs to be a total gut unless there’s real evidence of problems.

And about sticker shock—yeah, $18k is wild, but sometimes folks get spooked by those numbers and think they have to go all-in or not bother at all. There’s value in creative problem-solving too. I’ve helped clients keep costs down by reusing existing tile or vanities, or just updating fixtures and lighting for a fresh look without touching the bones.

Curious if anyone else has managed to strike that balance? Sometimes overhauling everything is peace of mind, but sometimes it’s just overkill—especially if the house is already holding up after 40+ years.

I hear you on not gutting everything just because it’s old. Here’s where I land after doing a bunch of these:

- If the plumbing’s solid and there’s no sign of leaks, I’ll leave it—especially if it’s copper or cast iron. Some of that old stuff is built like a tank.
- For rentals or flips, I usually focus on what buyers/renters notice: tile, vanities, lighting. Swapping those out gives a big visual upgrade without blowing the budget.
- Full gut? Only if there’s mold, rot, or obvious plumbing issues. Otherwise, it can be money down the drain (pun intended).
- I’ve seen new PEX chewed up too... nothing like chasing leaks in a “brand new” bathroom.

Honestly, sometimes less is more—especially if you’re not planning to stay long-term.

I get where you’re coming from on not gutting everything, especially when you said:

If the plumbing’s solid and there’s no sign of leaks, I’ll leave it—especially if it’s copper or cast iron. Some of that old stuff is built like a tank.

I’m with you on the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach, but I’ve gotta admit, sometimes I wonder if leaving old plumbing is just kicking the can down the road. Like, I had a 60s-era bathroom with cast iron pipes that looked fine from the outside, but when I finally opened up a wall for a different reason, there was a slow leak that had been quietly rotting the subfloor for who knows how long. Ended up costing more in the long run. Maybe I just have bad luck.

That said, I totally agree about focusing on what people actually notice. Swapping out tile and vanities made a way bigger impact in my last place than redoing the guts. And yeah, new PEX isn’t always the magic bullet people think it is—my neighbor had mice chew through their brand new lines within a year. Wild.

Curious, though: when you’re deciding whether to do a full gut or just cosmetic updates, do you ever factor in how long you plan to stay? Or is it more about budget and what you find once you start opening things up? I always go back and forth—sometimes I think, “I’ll just do the basics,” and then one thing leads to another and suddenly it’s a full-blown reno. Maybe I’m just easily swayed by shiny new fixtures...

Also, anyone else feel like the cost of even a “simple” bathroom update has gotten out of hand lately? My last one (just tile, vanity, paint) still ran close to $8k and I did most of the work myself. Maybe I’m missing some secret hack here.