While the kitchen is the central focus of homes and the primary room that people want to renovate, bathrooms come in a close second for a home upgrade. And the first question people want answered is how much a bathroom renovation will cost. 

These prices are based on a home in the Truckee/Tahoe area with many purchases made in Reno, Nevada and using local labor. Please adjust pricing if your home is elsewhere. 

While prices vary greatly depending on size and materials, it helps to think about it in the context of a typical bathroom that’s about 60 square feet, a vanity with a single sink, a toilet, and a tub with shower, something like this:

And for illustration purposes, let’s assume a standard 8-foot ceiling and none of the elements will be moved, and all the plumbing and electrical is fully functioning. Lets also assume the floor is fine and the base cabinet will fit into it without any gaps around the perimeter. And, lastly, we need to assume the plumbing connections are all fine and can be confidently connected to, and that the walls around the vanity are square and plumb. 

Choose the Quality

A good way to determine the cost of materials is to base it on the quality you want. I’ve come up with a handy proxy for this using the vanity cabinet and broken it down into three levels.These prices are based on a standard 30” wide two-door cabinet (often used for a sink), without any drawers. 

Level 1: Big Box

Mostly (if not entirely) made of particle board, plastic surfaces, flimsy.Commonly purchased at Home Depot/ Lowe’s, Walmart, Ikea, etc. Very fast delivery or same-day pick-up. $150 to $300

Level 2: Ready to assemble (RTA) or pre-assembled

Quality can vary greatly, but I’ve found Country Kitchens to provide an excellent product at a very reasonable price. Solid wood, pre-finished with durable stain/sealer. Some particle board may be used in the interior. Fast delivery, but not as fast as the big box stores. They can send samples of the finish before you buy. $350 to $500

Level 3: Custom

Hand-made by a craftsman for high-end homes. Solid, high quality wood throughout, very durable. Necessary when walls require a custom fit. Hand-picked wood, high-end finish and stain. Longer delivery. $600 and up

Apply the Quality to the Room

You would then apply this determination to the rest of the room. For instance, everything would be less expensive when matched to a big-box cabinet and nicer when matched to a RTA cabinet, and premium when matched to custom cabinetry. So, by extension, you might use a laminate or a solid surface like Corian countertop on the big box cabinet, ceramic tile or granite on the mid-level cabinet, and quartz or soapstone on the custom cabinet. And these choices would be reflected in everything else – from the faucets to the mirror. 

Essentially, this guidance gives the builder a good idea of your budget without attempting to give you an exact price on the entire job, which is close to impossible without everything already being picked out. It puts both of you on the same page, generally speaking. 

So, to simplify the cost of everything, let’s consider building it out with materials that are based on the level 2 choice above. In this case, the faucets are from plumbing suppliers, the countertop is quartzite or granite or similar and cut in advance and shipped. Hardware and lighting could be from a big box but on the higher end. You get the idea. This is where most people land for quality, durability and cost effectiveness. Here’s how that pricing might play out:

• Tub, tile and shower faucet, grout and sealer $800 – 1,500
• Glass shower door $300 – 1,500
• Vanity (includes cabinet, countertop, sink, faucet and handles) $1,050 – 1,170
• Toilet $150 – 300
• Towel bars, mirror, lighting, switches & plugs, paint etc. $850
• Total $3,150 – 5,320

Determine the Labor

Now that we have an idea of the cost of materials, let’s look at labor.

By far the biggest cost is the labor to tile the tub/shower. Those guys aren’t cheap, the good ones anyway. They will demo the old one, install the tub, connect the drain, install cement board and waterproofing, solder in the faucet, and tile the walls. Larger tiles require fewer cuts so might be done for less money while lots of little subway tiles will likely cost more. Variables include walls that are out of true (but they have ways to flatten and square them up pretty quickly). For this you can expect to spend between about $5,000 and $7,500. Around half of the cost of the entire bathroom.

Next up is the effort to replace the vanity, attach the countertop and sink if needed, install the faucet, replace the toilet and connect everything. Variables here are whether the cabinet requires assembly, whether the walls are square (so that the perfectly square countertop fits neatly) and whether the sink needs to be mounted. This cost can range from about $600 to $1,200.

Installing all the hardware, lighting, mirror, knobs, switches and plugs, can vary greatly. For instance, the mirror could be so heavy that it requires a french cleat, or you don’t want to change the lighting. Plus, there’s lots of measuring and ensuring things are level. For a small bathroom, this would likely run from $600 to $1,200.

Installing the shower door has the greatest amount of sway in the amount of effort required. For instance, an out-of-the-box kit can probably go in for about $300 while a custom saloon style set of two doors could run as much as $4,000. So if you focus on what’s available from a store, installation would likely cost about $500. It may seem simple, but a lot of skill goes into doing it right, and you don’t want to skimp on this critical component. 

The Bottom Line

So, taken all together, you can expect your new level-2 quality bathroom in the Truckee/Tahoe area to cost a total of between $10,850 and $14,220.  

Of course, your builder should be able to advise you on ways to save money. It helps tremendously for these decisions to be made in advance. (And your builder will be happier with you as a client.) Some builders will walk you through these options and help you choose materials that match the look you’re after, but many will charge you for the time so be sure to ask first. Of course, working with an interior designer is the best, but if you have an eye for style and can assemble images into a style board, that works great too. 

I hope this helps you to better understand what your bathroom renovation in the Truckee/Tahoe area might cost. And I hope this perspective helps you to find ways to cut costs. Like, do you really need to replace the shower? If it’s not too bad, you’ll remove half the cost of your new bathroom. Or maybe just do it later (and cover it with a nice curtain) while you enjoy the look of a new vanity and everything else that can add tremendous value. 

Learn more about planning for your next bathroom remodel project: download my free eGuide.

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