I went through something similar about a year ago. Ended up spending around $8k total, but I did a lot of the smaller stuff myself (painting, fixtures, etc.). Totally agree on the eco-friendly upgrades—my dual-flush toilet and low-flow showerhead have noticeably cut down my water bill. Honestly, no one's ever asked me what brand my faucet is...but they do comment on how nice and modern everything looks.
"Honestly, no one's ever asked me what brand my faucet is...but they do comment on how nice and modern everything looks."
Haha, totally relate to this—people notice the vibe way more than the brands. Our remodel ran us about $10k total, but we splurged a bit on heated floors (worth every penny, trust me). Did most of the demo ourselves and saved a chunk that way. Definitely second your eco-friendly choices too; small changes really add up over time.
We did ours for around $7k, but we skipped the heated floors (though I admit, they sound tempting...). Instead, we focused on water-saving fixtures and LED lighting—initially pricier, but the long-term savings are noticeable. DIY demo definitely helps cut costs, but plumbing was something we didn't dare tackle ourselves. Did you run into any unexpected issues during your DIY demo? We found some old water damage behind the shower wall that set us back a bit.
"DIY demo definitely helps cut costs, but plumbing was something we didn't dare tackle ourselves."
Same here—plumbing's just one of those things best left to the pros. Found some sketchy wiring behind our vanity though... previous owner clearly fancied themselves an electrician. Glad we caught it early. Also went with low-flow fixtures and LEDs; upfront costs sting a bit, but the utility bills dropped noticeably. Heated floors sound nice, but honestly, thick bath mats do the trick just fine.
Totally get steering clear of plumbing, but honestly, heated floors might be more budget-friendly than you'd think. We ended up installing electric radiant heating mats under tile in our small master bath—it wasn't a huge area, so materials weren't too pricey. Installation bumped the cost a bit, but nothing crazy, and now we barely need to crank up the heat in that room during winter months. Have you compared the long-term savings from heated floors versus extra heating or thicker mats? Might balance out better than you'd expect over time.
Also agree 100% about sketchy wiring—found some nightmare DIY work behind our old medicine cabinet. Makes you wonder what else people hide behind walls...
