Been there... tried to save a few bucks tiling myself and ended up paying twice. Lesson learned the hard way, but hey, at least now I know my limits. DIY isn't always cheaper in the end.
Haha, been down that road myself. Thought I'd tackle the plumbing during our remodel—how hard could it be, right? Ended up flooding half the bathroom and had to call a pro anyway. DIY can definitely save money if you're confident and experienced, but sometimes it's worth paying upfront for peace of mind (and dry floors). Lesson learned here too... sometimes knowing when to step back is the smartest DIY skill of all.
We remodeled ours last year, and yeah, plumbing can be deceptively tricky... learned that the hard way myself. A few things I found helpful:
- Budget-wise, ours ran around $8k total—mid-range fixtures, tile flooring, new vanity, and pro plumbing.
- If you're handy, you can definitely save by doing demo or painting yourself.
- But electrical and plumbing? Usually worth hiring out unless you're super confident. Mistakes there get pricey fast.
Glad you got it sorted without too much damage!
Your costs sound pretty reasonable considering you went with mid-range fixtures and hired out plumbing. We redid ours about two years ago, and it ended up around $6,500 total, but we kept the existing tub and just refinished it. I handled demo myself, which saved a good chunk—though hauling out old tile and drywall was way messier than I'd anticipated. Definitely agree on hiring out plumbing and electrical; I've seen enough DIY horror stories to know my limits there.
One thing I underestimated was ventilation. We upgraded our exhaust fan to something more powerful and quieter, and honestly, it's been a game changer for moisture control. Did you end up doing anything special for ventilation or humidity management? Curious how others approached that part since it seems to get overlooked a lot...
"We upgraded our exhaust fan to something more powerful and quieter, and honestly, it's been a game changer for moisture control."
Yeah, ventilation's easy to overlook until you're dealing with mold later... I usually opt for humidity-sensing fans—bit pricier but totally worth it long-term. Did you consider those at all?