--- title: 4 Tips for a Gorgeous Bathroom Remodel That Won't Leave You Broke description: A full-scale bathroom remodel recoups only about 55% to 65% of its cost at resale. These tips help you renovate beautifully on a budget. authors: - name: Josh Garskof url: https://money.com/author/josh-garskoff-2/ at_money_since: 2013 articles: 42 covers: - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Shopping former_staff: true published: '2017-02-23T11:00:54.000Z' modified: '2017-02-23T11:00:54.000Z' section: Housing tags: - contractors - DIY - home improvement - home repair - housing - money magazine - remodeling - repair word_count: 403 canonical: https://money.com/bathroom-remodel-budget-renovation/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Bathroom Renovation](https://img.money.com/2017/02/170222_bathroomrenovation.jpg) A full-scale bathroom remodel—even a midrange one—recoups only about 55% to 65% of its cost at resale, so it pays to keep your spending in check. Limit your budget to 5% of your home's value for a powder room or guest bath and 10% for a master bathroom, says Omaha appraiser John Bredemeyer, a spokesman for the Appraisal Institute. Nationally, a midrange remodel averages about $18,000, while an upscale job comes in at around $57,000. Use these tips to stay sane and keep your renovation from blowing your budget. **To Save the Most, Don't Move the Pipes** Keep costs down by installing a new sink, tub, or toilet in the same location as the old one. In a second-floor bathroom, that could save $200 to $500 on each fixture, says design-build contractor Mark Mackmiller of Eden Prairie, Minn., because you won't have to pay to run new supply lines and drainpipes. One caveat: On a first floor, the savings aren't as big, provided you have a crawl space or basement access. **Know Which Splurges Are Worth It ...** There are three features that add luxury and efficiency to a master bath, Mackmiller says. Dual sinks allow you and your spouse to get ready for work or play at the same time. (Figure an added $500 to $2,500, depending on whether you need to steal space from adjacent closets or rooms by moving walls.) A separate walk-in shower and soaking tub are more comfortable than a tub-shower combo ($2,000 to $8,000, again depending on available space). And a toilet room creates privacy while allowing the overall bathroom to be a truly shared space ($1,000 to $5,000). **... And Which Aren't** You'll likely fall in love with all sorts of natural-stone tile options for floors and shower walls. But you can save $500 to $1,500 on the average job by going with a stone-look porcelain tile instead. You'll get nearly the same variety of color and texture but with less cost, easy upkeep, and no sealing required. **You'll Never Regret a Heated Floor** Anyone who has ever set a bare foot on cold tile will appreciate a radiant floor, which is heated by an electric element installed under the finished tile. Set it on a programmable thermostat, and you'll have warm tootsies when you wake up. Radiant heat adds about $500 to $1,000 to the bill, but it will make you feel warm all over. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/bathroom-remodel-budget-renovation/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Housing", "item": "https://money.com/housing/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Home Improvement", "item": "https://money.com/home-improvement/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "4 Tips for a Gorgeous Bathroom Remodel That Won't Leave You Broke" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/bathroom-remodel-budget-renovation/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/bathroom-remodel-budget-renovation/", "name": "4 Tips for a Gorgeous Bathroom Remodel That Won't Leave You Broke", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2017-02-23T11:00:54.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/bathroom-remodel-budget-renovation/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/bathroom-remodel-budget-renovation/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2017-02-23T11:00:54.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "4 Tips for a Gorgeous Bathroom Remodel That Won't Leave You Broke", "articleSection": "Housing", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2017/02/170222_bathroomrenovation.jpg", "width": 2100, "height": 1400, "caption": "170222_bathroomrenovation" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josh Garskof", "url": "https://money.com/author/josh-garskoff-2/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/josh-garskoff-2/#author", "image": "https://img.money.com/2014/06/140605_bio_author_garskof.jpg?quality=85&w=230&h=230&crop=1" } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2017-02-23T11:00:54.000Z", "description": "A full-scale bathroom remodel recoups only about 55% to 65% of its cost at resale. 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