Bathrooms are the most-requested interior remodel in the country, and the one where a small change in scope makes the largest change in price.
What it costs here
A cosmetic update in Hinsdale, meaning new fixtures, vanity, tile and paint with the layout untouched, generally runs $8,000 to $18,000. A full mid-range remodel is more often $20,000 to $35,000.
A primary suite with a custom shower, a freestanding tub, heated floor and relocated plumbing moves past $50,000 without being extravagant. The jump between those tiers is almost entirely about whether the plumbing moves.
Moving the toilet three feet is the most expensive three feet in the house.
What drives the number
Four things, in roughly this order of impact.
- Whether the layout changes. Keeping the fixtures where they are can halve a bathroom budget.
- Tile. Material cost matters, but the labour difference between a simple field tile and a herringbone with a niche and a curb is larger.
- The shower. A prefabricated pan and door is a fraction of a fully waterproofed custom shower with a linear drain.
- What is behind the wall. In older Hinsdale homes, opening a bathroom often reveals galvanised supply lines or wiring that should be replaced while it is accessible.
Where to save without it showing
Keep the plumbing where it is. Use an expensive tile in a small area, like the shower niche or the floor, and a good plain tile everywhere else. Choose a stock vanity in a standard size and spend the saving on the counter and the fittings.
The fittings are where people notice. A cheap faucet feels cheap every single day, and it is one of the smaller line items in the room.
What older Hinsdale houses add
Expect to find something. Subfloor that has taken water around the toilet, old supply lines, a vent that was never quite right. In a house built before 1960 this is close to a certainty.
Budget for it rather than hoping. Ten per cent held back for what is behind the wall is the difference between a discovery and a crisis.
What you get back
Bathrooms consistently return well at resale, and more importantly they are used every day by everyone in the house. The daily return is the real one.
If you are remodelling to sell, keep it clean and broadly appealing. If you are remodelling to live there, build the shower you actually want. Those are different projects and they should be budgeted differently.
