Do It Yourself vs. Professional Bathroom Remodel

Come on, admit it: no one really wants to remodel their own bathroom. Bathroom remodeling is all plumbing, electrical, and tile work, highly skilled trades. It’s also dense work: every square foot counts. It can be ugly and intimidating when you discover rotting subfloors and beams under leaky showers. Call a plumbing expert or property service providing company 

Except for that one factor: money. If it weren’t for the costs, no homeowner would be able to remodel their own bathroom.

Money is the lens to look at, even more so than with other home projects.

Can you do it yourself? Of course. But should you? My short answer is summarized at the end, but first, let’s break it down.

 Cost

You can save 50%, and often more, by remodeling your own bathroom.

What is the price of luxury? The “luxury” I’m talking about isn’t in the form of creating a Tuscan-tiled, spa-inspired bathroom paradise; it’s the luxury of having someone remodel your bathroom while keeping your hands nice and clean.

Doing the work yourself means retaining all material costs but eliminating all labor costs. Most DIYers can resurface their bathrooms, especially when choosing contractor-grade materials.

Time frame

You can save time, weeks or even months, by hiring professionals to handle the job.

Your head will spin as you watch the remodelers do a number on your bathroom.

In the morning, you don’t have a shower. The workers come, and you go to work. You come home. Now there is a shower.

If you’re used to the glacial pace of self-remodeling, the above scenario is a mind-blowing experience, like watching a time-lapse movie.

If you only have one bathroom, it is imperative that you hire professionals.

Floors

Bathroom flooring installation is relatively simple for the DIYer, and it’s even easier with certain types of flooring. You gain nothing by having the professionals take care of those easy-to-install sidings like a luxury vinyl plank.

Given the limited space in most bathrooms, you can really take your time developing your ceramic tile learning curve; there is no need to boost this task. If you adjust your aesthetic to accept luxury vinyl plank (which is looking better and better, by the way), you’ll have the floor in an afternoon. In fact, hiring flooring professionals to install luxury vinyl is almost unthinkable, it’s easy to install.

Walls

If they’re worth their weight, sweepers will almost always produce flawless bathroom walls. Even the best homeowner ends up with anomalies that need to be ignored or conveniently covered up.

 Installing moisture-resistant green tile in bathrooms is not that different from hanging conventional drywall in other areas of the home. The mud and sanding to a smooth finish is what separates the homeowner from the drywall contractor who does it every day. If you can accept defects, you’ll save money by hanging and finishing yours.

Counters and cabinets

Homeowners can do it. With the exception of large bathrooms, homeowners will gain little by having professionals install cabinets and countertops.

For the long, continuous runs of counters and cabinets found in kitchens, tolerances are tight, and it’s often a great advantage to have a professional install them. But for smaller bathroom spaces, you’ll most likely be purchasing a bathroom vanity unit in a prescribed width that you can easily manage yourself. Most come bundled with vanity unit tops, making countertop installation a breeze.

Sink installation

DIY this if you already have plumbing; rent it if you don’t.

As long as the supply pipes reach your sink location and the drainpipe runs out, sink installation is easy. You do not need a plumber to install your sink.

If not, you may want to seriously consider bringing in a plumber.

Shower/Tub Installation or Refinishing

Many homeowners choose to outsource this task, even if they are DIYing other areas of their bathroom.

Installing a shower is difficult when you build your own shower pan and tiled walls. While you can do this, anything is possible, to me, this is the breaking point in the DIY vs. professional. I prefer to have a professional opinion on this work. Installing a prefab shower brings this project more into the realm of DIY.

Rebuilding your tub/shower yourself can produce acceptable results. Hiring a glazing company will give you a better finish, mainly because the companies do a better job of preparation.

 Painting

You make little money hiring a painting company to paint your bathroom. Do it yourself.

I would seriously consider hiring a painting contractor to paint large spaces, exterior or interior throughout the home, but not for small wall spaces in bathrooms.

Summary

Unless your bathroom is unusually large, you can do most of the DIY subprojects of this larger project. For core-level bathroom remodels, many DIYers still hire electricians and plumbers but do the rest themselves. For surface-level remodels, this is a moot point, as you won’t have to deal with electrical and plumbing, therefore you can do it all yourself.