Looking to remodel the master bathroom

davenlei

davenlei

New member
So, the wife is getting an itch to possibly remodel the master bathroom.  Mind you the master bath is not 'HUGE' like in some new developments. With us in there, we can bump into each other getting around.  I would say it is functional for the size house we have. 

I had one quote so far which was way more than I thought it should cost (based on work I had at my old house).  What we are trying to get done is replace the tiling around the bathtub and shower (including the tile on the wall) with 12x12 tumbled travertine, replacing the ceramic floor tiles with 18x18 tumbled travertine, replacing the cabinets, counter top and dual sinks and putting in a vanity in between the two sinks.  The countertop would be tumbled travertine slab.  Replace the Roman faucet fixtures for the tub only.  Finally replacing and adding one wall light fixture and putting in a couple canned lights.  There would be no structural changes or plumbing changes.  Just updating what is there.  Electrical is already at or near where lighting is to go.  The bathtub, shower enclosement, mirror and toilet will all be reused.     

What would you say this would cost?  And, do you have recommendations for a good place at a good price?
 
Replacing finishes is a poor investment. You can't sell your house for more. All cosmetic upgrades depreciate in value. The best home improvement is by adding room count at the cheapest spec level.

Take Portisol and Campanile for example. The buyers bought the 3rd story option for $120-$140/sf and turned around selling their resale at $310/sf for space they had paid only half of the amount.
 
I can recommend someone that does really nice work.
You would have to supply the materials or tell him where to pick them up.
 
irvinehomeshopper said:
Replacing finishes is a poor investment. You can't sell your house for more. All cosmetic upgrades depreciate in value. The best home improvement is by adding room count at the cheapest spec level.

Take Portisol and Campanile for example. The buyers bought the 3rd story option for $120-$140/sf and turned around selling their resale at $310/sf for space they had paid only half of the amount.
Click to expand...

If you're gonna fix anything in the bathroom as an investment, invest in a new septic system...cash money. A good flush is priceless.
 
I am not looking at the upgrades as an investment.  Purely for enjoyment value.  I plan on living here until I retire and the kids are out of the home (so that means 20-25 years or so).  The house is already too big for our needs (we got a good deal) so there is no need for any more space even if we encounter an 'in-law' situation (unless I can dig a basement and build that dream dedicated home theater room). 
We wanted to do the upgrade in the master bath because it was literally the only room in the house the previous owners did not upgrade.  The previous owners spent a few hundred grand upgrading everything in the house with premium finishes/appliances except the master. They even put granite, expensive faucet, stainless steel sinks and flooring in the laundry room.  I don't know why....  So we wanted to just finish it off and do the master so it matches the rest of the house and we wanted to enjoy it in our 20+ years we plan to be in the house.

WoodburyDad,

Please shoot me that contact.  Thanks!



 
  • Like
Reactions: rkp
davenlei said:
I am not looking at the upgrades as an investment.  Purely for enjoyment value.  I plan on living here until I retire and the kids are out of the home (so that means 20-25 years or so).  The house is already too big for our needs (we got a good deal) so there is no need for any more space even if we encounter an 'in-law' situation (unless I can dig a basement and build that dream dedicated home theater room). 
We wanted to do the upgrade in the master bath because it was literally the only room in the house the previous owners did not upgrade.  The previous owners spent a few hundred grand upgrading everything in the house with premium finishes/appliances except the master. They even put granite, expensive faucet, stainless steel sinks and flooring in the laundry room.  I don't know why....  So we wanted to just finish it off and do the master so it matches the rest of the house and we wanted to enjoy it in our 20+ years we plan to be in the house.

WoodburyDad,

Please shoot me that contact.  Thanks!
Click to expand...

I?m new to the forum and still learning my way around.
Sent you the contact info via private message.
Hopefully, I?ve done it correctly and you receive it.
Let me know how it works out.
 
irvinehomeshopper said:
Replacing finishes is a poor investment. You can't sell your house for more. All cosmetic upgrades depreciate in value. The best home improvement is by adding room count at the cheapest spec level.
Click to expand...
I don't think anyone nowadays expects a bathroom remodel to be an investment or some way to increase your sales price.

But I do think that upgrades help you sell your home *faster*.

We want to update because:

1. It needs it... I think our shower is leaking so if we are going to repair it, we might as well make it look nicer too.

2. We will eventually rent this house out, so just like when selling... I feel an updated master bath helps you rent your home out quicker.
 
To do a cosmetic finish remodel from an investment point of view is the worst. Owners do it to achieve a better lifestyle. On the average homeowners move every 5 years. First you really need to assess whether your home is good enough for that duration. When first moving in the first 2 years are the most inspiring years because this is still the honeymoon phase of owning a home. I suggest waiting at least 2 years getting to know your environment and neighbors before thinking about a remodel. Unless you bought your home dirt cheap and the home is a fixer then the remodel becomes eminent just to achieve some normal functional livability.
 
irvinehomeshopper said:
To do a cosmetic finish remodel from an investment point of view is the worst. Owners do it to achieve a better lifestyle. On the average homeowners move every 5 years. First you really need to assess whether your home is good enough for that duration. When first moving in the first 2 years are the most inspiring years because this is still the honeymoon phase of owning a home. I suggest waiting at least 2 years getting to know your environment and neighbors before thinking about a remodel. Unless you bought your home dirt cheap and the home is a fixer then the remodel becomes eminent just to achieve some normal functional livability.
Click to expand...

I understand.  We are not doing it for investment at all.  Purely enjoyment value.  We stayed in our last home for about 10 years before we sold and the only reason we sold at that time was needing a bigger house for a growing family.  Now we are done growing (Made sure of it  :) ).  As I said earlier the new house we are in is actually a lot larger than what we were looking for but bought it because the sellers were very timeline motivated and priced it nicely below market, it is a nice house in a good neighborhood with great schools.  We have been in the house over two years now and we like most of the neighbors and the association is not overly crazy and do well (management wise and budget wise).  My wife and I actually both talked about it and agree we plan on this being our last house before our downsize house after kids and retirement.       
 
What ever you choose now and in a few years the next buyer will hate it. That is what trend is. Curb appeal unfortunately for most homeowners were usually done just right before listing the house to reflect the latest materials and texture.

Trust me someways you all will hate stainless steel appliances. I have seen many trend cycles to draw conclusions. At one time people loved their burnt orange and avocado appliances as much as the glass blocks in houses. Designers swore that black or white appliances would endure the test of time and they were wrong when Stainless pushed white and black into the economy models.
 
Sounds like you are set this being your last house. Do you have a Master Bedroom down or this is a single story home?


davenlei said:
irvinehomeshopper said:
To do a cosmetic finish remodel from an investment point of view is the worst. Owners do it to achieve a better lifestyle. On the average homeowners move every 5 years. First you really need to assess whether your home is good enough for that duration. When first moving in the first 2 years are the most inspiring years because this is still the honeymoon phase of owning a home. I suggest waiting at least 2 years getting to know your environment and neighbors before thinking about a remodel. Unless you bought your home dirt cheap and the home is a fixer then the remodel becomes eminent just to achieve some normal functional livability.
Click to expand...

I understand.  We are not doing it for investment at all.  Purely enjoyment value.  We stayed in our last home for about 10 years before we sold and the only reason we sold at that time was needing a bigger house for a growing family.  Now we are done growing (Made sure of it  :) ).  As I said earlier the new house we are in is actually a lot larger than what we were looking for but bought it because the sellers were very timeline motivated and priced it nicely below market, it is a nice house in a good neighborhood with great schools.  We have been in the house over two years now and we like most of the neighbors and the association is not overly crazy and do well (management wise and budget wise).  My wife and I actually both talked about it and agree we plan on this being our last house before our downsize house after kids and retirement.       
Click to expand...
 
irvinehomeshopper said:
Sounds like you are set this being your last house. Do you have a Master Bedroom down or this is a single story home?


davenlei said:
irvinehomeshopper said:
To do a cosmetic finish remodel from an investment point of view is the worst. Owners do it to achieve a better lifestyle. On the average homeowners move every 5 years. First you really need to assess whether your home is good enough for that duration. When first moving in the first 2 years are the most inspiring years because this is still the honeymoon phase of owning a home. I suggest waiting at least 2 years getting to know your environment and neighbors before thinking about a remodel. Unless you bought your home dirt cheap and the home is a fixer then the remodel becomes eminent just to achieve some normal functional livability.
Click to expand...

I understand.  We are not doing it for investment at all.  Purely enjoyment value.  We stayed in our last home for about 10 years before we sold and the only reason we sold at that time was needing a bigger house for a growing family.  Now we are done growing (Made sure of it  :) ).  As I said earlier the new house we are in is actually a lot larger than what we were looking for but bought it because the sellers were very timeline motivated and priced it nicely below market, it is a nice house in a good neighborhood with great schools.  We have been in the house over two years now and we like most of the neighbors and the association is not overly crazy and do well (management wise and budget wise).  My wife and I actually both talked about it and agree we plan on this being our last house before our downsize house after kids and retirement.       
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Actually second to last house.  In my post earlier I said we plan on being in this house for 20-25 years until the kids are out of the house and we retire.  Then we are buying that small two bedroom ground floor condo/townhouse to live out the rest of our years.  By that time I expect everything in our house to be outdated and people will walk through it thinking "Stainless Steel?", "Granite?", "What were they thinking!".  "It's all about the semi transparent surfaces which switch to transparent when you stand in front of it so you don't have to open the fridge to see what you want".

But to answer your question, we have two masters (one up and the other smaller one downstairs).
 
WoodburyDad said:
davenlei said:
I am not looking at the upgrades as an investment.  Purely for enjoyment value.  I plan on living here until I retire and the kids are out of the home (so that means 20-25 years or so).  The house is already too big for our needs (we got a good deal) so there is no need for any more space even if we encounter an 'in-law' situation (unless I can dig a basement and build that dream dedicated home theater room). 
We wanted to do the upgrade in the master bath because it was literally the only room in the house the previous owners did not upgrade.  The previous owners spent a few hundred grand upgrading everything in the house with premium finishes/appliances except the master. They even put granite, expensive faucet, stainless steel sinks and flooring in the laundry room.  I don't know why....  So we wanted to just finish it off and do the master so it matches the rest of the house and we wanted to enjoy it in our 20+ years we plan to be in the house.

WoodburyDad,

Please shoot me that contact.  Thanks!
Click to expand...

I?m new to the forum and still learning my way around.
Sent you the contact info via private message.
Hopefully, I?ve done it correctly and you receive it.
Let me know how it works out.
Click to expand...

WoodburyDad,

Thanks, I got it!
 
Davenlei or WoodburyDad - can one of you guys PM me the contractor information for the bathroom remodel?  Thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top