Bathroom budgets vary more than kitchen budgets, because the word covers everything from replacing a shower in a day to taking a room back to the studs. Working out which one you actually need is the first job.
Three broad tiers
A replacement. The tub or shower is swapped, the rest of the room stays. This is the fastest and cheapest route, and it is the right answer far more often than people expect, particularly when the layout already works.
A cosmetic remodel. New vanity, fixtures, tile, lighting and paint, with the plumbing staying where it is. The room looks new without the cost of re-routing services.
A full rebuild. Back to the studs, waterproofing redone, and often the layout changed. The most expensive, and on the Gulf coast sometimes the only sensible option once you see what is behind the tile.
The line nobody wants to pay for
Waterproofing. It is invisible the day the job finishes and it is the single thing that decides whether the bathroom still looks right in ten years. Humidity here is relentless, and a shower that was tiled over inadequate waterproofing will fail. We do not compromise on it, and we would rather lose a job than skip it.
Things that quietly add cost
Moving a toilet or shower drain on slab. Non-standard glass, which has to be templated after the tile is finished. Upgrading extraction, which is cheap but frequently overlooked. And niches, benches and curbless entries, all of which are worth having and none of which are free.
Ask for it itemised
An estimate broken into demolition, plumbing, waterproofing, tile, fixtures and glass lets you make informed trade-offs. A single lump sum does not. We quote the first way, and we price any change in writing before it happens.
