A Complete Guide to Planning a DIY Bathroom Remodel

You can make a good return on investment remodeling your bathroom—particularly if you’re up for the challenge of undertaking the work yourself. But making savings rather than slip-ups means prudent prep work, discerning design decisions, and tricky technical tasks.

Read this guide to DIY bathroom remodeling before you tear down tiles and rip out the bath. It will help you pull together a practical plan of action to keep your project fit for purpose, on budget, and leak-free.

Types of DIY Bathroom Remodels

The type of DIY bathroom remodel you’re undertaking significantly affects the cost, planning, and skill levels you need to complete it successfully. 

Renovation

A mini-makeover can majorly impact a tired bathroom, and it’s the perfect choice for homeowners with limited savings, skills, and time. It might involve a fresh coat of paint and upgrading hardware, lighting, area rugs, and towels. 

When a refresh isn’t enough to breathe life into a worn-out bathroom, bigger renovations are still well within the scope of a full DIY project. This could involve refinishing a tub, retiling, replacing outdated or worn fixtures, and installing bathroom storage to maximize the space.

Full Remodel

Poorly designed spaces that aren’t fit for purpose often benefit from a complete remodel rather than a renovation. A full DIY bathroom remodel involves gutting the space, changing the layout, and installing new fixtures. Depending on the project's complexity, this might be a partial DIY project—you’ll have to call in the pros to handle the plumbing, electrical, or walls. Be prepared to up your budget considerably.

Cost to Complete a DIY Bathroom Remodel

The average cost to remodel a bathroom is $12,000. However, you can save 40% to 65% on labor costs by doing the work yourself. The average range for a DIY bathroom remodel is between $3,000 and $8,000. Budgets vary considerably depending on the size of your bathroom and whether you're renovating or doing a complex remodel. 

You might spend $1,000 to repaint, retile, and refinish your bathtub in a small three-quarter bathroom. Creating a luxury at-home spa in your primary bathroom with a change of layout, high-end fixtures, a separate shower stall, premium flooring, and bespoke storage could set you back $10,000 or more.

Factors to Consider When Planning a DIY Bathroom Remodel

Knowing how much you have to spend helps you set criteria during the planning, design, and purchasing phases. By factoring in the following, you can avoid common DIY bathroom remodeling mistakes and make the most of the space.

Layout

Changing your bathroom layout is a big decision, often adding expense, extra DIY challenges, and building code considerations—especially if replumbing or wall removal is involved. However, adding twin sinks to a busy bathroom or a walk-in shower can be worthwhile if the space becomes more functional and accessible.

Design

Collecting images on a mood board can be an exciting part of the process, helping you to achieve a cohesive, stylish design. Create a bathroom remodel checklist to ensure you don’t miss any important aspects. If a major remodel of your primary bathroom is in the cards, you might even want to hire a local interior designer to help bring your project to life and maximize the space.

Materials

When considering tubs, toilets, tiles, hardware, flooring, lighting, and storage, look at their ease of installation. 

A heavy cast-iron clawfoot tub will be tricky to transport upstairs and could require floor reinforcement. Large tiles might add a sleek, contemporary feel, but they are challenging for a newbie tiler to install, and don’t opt to build a bespoke vanity unit if you aren’t confident in your carpentry skills.

Permits

If you’re making any major changes to the layout of your bathroom, you might have to factor in the cost of a building permit. A big advantage of hiring a contractor is that they typically handle this for you. It might be the least exciting part of a major bathroom remodel, but skipping this step could result in a hefty fine and further remodeling requirements.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

Be realistic about your skill level when deciding if a DIY bathroom remodel project is achievable. With a little time, research, and practice, most savvy homeowners can handle tiling, vanity installation, and hardware upgrades.

Crooked cabinets are easy to fix, whereas an improperly sealed or sloping bathtub or shower can lead to damaging drainage issues and leaks. Don't tackle these big projects if you struggle to fix a leaky faucet.

When your bathroom remodel requires replumbing, electrical rewiring work, or wall removal, it’s best to give yourself a break from the DIY and call a licensed electrician or plumber near you. This limits the chance of costly structural issues, water damage, electrical fire, or safety hazards.