My take away after reading all of these informative posts is to plan for grab bars, add color with accessories, large tiles less grout, warming bar for towels and big isn't always better. I would warm the floor but having grown up in the North I think I will survive the next 30 or so without a heated floor. Off to purchase grab bars and select larger tile. Thank you for the great suggestions

When our house burned down - well 2/3rds - I was able to move rooms around - moving a hall bath to between the guest bedroom and my mother's now enlarged suite - with a jack-and-jill bath - so she'd have her own bath 99% of the tim. I was then able to create a 8x10 or so closet - huge - that is reached through the master bath. We finally started to share a closet after 23 years of his having to use another bedroom's closet. Then the ugly old master from 1976 was finally updated - jacuzzi tub - separate shower - and our favorite dual marble sinks (sea shell shaped sinks - that drop down from the marble countertop) and a 3 door mirrored medicine cabinet. I used the same vanity, countertop/sinks and medicine cabinet in the jack-and-jill bath. I'm now in the process - 7 years later - of turning it into a Fairy Themed - not cartoonish ones - bath - with artwork, handmade towels with lace and fairy appliqués on top, as well as handmade accessories - sprayed with fairy stickers and gold glitter spray - on a toothbrush holder, two soap dishes, a lotion dispenser and bathroom trash can. I haven't be able to put out the finished touches yet - but at least got everything finished and the room painted a burnt bush rose. I can't wait to see it all together when my cracked heal.

I learned it pays to get samples of colors before buying and painting the room - I just eliminated a horrible baby girl pink - with all the white - it looked like my childhood bedroom! Yuck!

To save money on a bathroom (or kitchen for that matter), keep the same footprint.

We redid 3 bathrooms and our kitchen recently in our house we built 25 years ago. We saved some money by using existing cabinetry and didn't move any plumbing although due 2 leaky upstairs showers had to completely redo them but didn't move any of the existing plumbing. We replaced all our shiny brass hardware with Kohler sinks, toilet and oil rubbed bronze fixtures. We kept Jacuzzi tub and encased it in granite. We added a handshower to tub for easy rinse off while taking a bath. We replaced recessed light over tub with a chandelier and old brass light bars above the sinks with new fixtures. Using a Kohler shower bar we added a rain head shower and 4 option handshower to our walk-in shower which is our favorite item in the update. We kept the carpet and 4 yr. old tile flooring in the toilet/shower area.

I remodeled one and put one in. I learned that limestone stains very easily, so it is not the best on a floor. I used tile for the next bath. I learned that if you buy a soaker tub and also use it as a shower, it can leak from behind the shower curtain. I am not sure if the tub needed to be tilted more or if it just is not suitable for a shower.

I learned that you can use dark grout, so you do not have to clean it all the time. I learned that it is so convenient to have outlets in the closets for electric tooth brushes and hair dryers.

Needless to say, both bathrooms came out great.

Another thing I love is a shower head that has adjustable water pressure. You have to look for this, most just come out full force, unless things have changed since I did my bathrooms.

A master bath remodel is always fun. We have been seeing a lot of spa like bathrooms. A trend we are very fond of and don't see going away anytime soon!

We got rid of the tub and install a 4x5 shower which we lined with heated tiles (as well as a heated floor in the main area of the bath and toilet area. We also borrowed a 4x5 space from the adjacent closet to install the toilet behind "cafe" doors, and because we closed off the window that was in the original tub space we put a new window in that space. There was then room for a 5 foot long vanity, but we opted for only one sink. In 35 years of marriage we can count on one hand the times we've ever both been using the sink space at the same time. The space behind the vanity is one big mirror, but my wife found a really cool framed mirror which she installed over the sink, suspended from the ceiling. We also installed a light behind this mirror, so it casts a lighted "glow" from behind, radiating light and reflecting it out into the room from the wall mounted mirror.

I have not remodeled a bath at all before, but my master bathroom is in dire need of a remodel. I am gathering tile, looking for a dresser or server I can turn into a vanity, flooring tiles to do the remodel in the next few months. I love DIY projects and have a picture in mind of how I want it to look. I look at Houzz pics all the time and have some ideas I can incorporate in my bathroom. I have to remove a huge whirlpool tub, put the shower where that was, add a linen closet where the shower was. Big project, but I am ready to tackle it! I am researching all of it and going to DIY classes at my local hardware store.

I have done 3 master bathrooms and I must say ill never get a basin / sink cabinet on feet ever again. It is so hard to keep it clean underneath . I'd also never accidentally use wall tiles for the floor. ( shop sold them to us anyway- saw us coming I think.)

My footprint was only changed because the entire floor and roof were torched - half collapsed into the floor below - so it was a new clean slate to work with. I would have never moved plumbing otherwise - and I'd STRONGLY advise against moving plumbing if you're on a slab.

Just finishing our first master bath remodel, and have learned alot! It took 6 months. It did involve a complete gut, and added skylights. The contractor was recommended by a friend, but disappointed us with his lack of supervision of his subs, absences for vacation, etc. without letting us know in advance, and long delays when corrections were needed. In fact, they still need to fix some things they broke. (Also, he didn't include painting the walls, etc. in his bid, so the painter had to be there several times to get everything painted. We also had issues with the painter, since we chose to have smooth walls with an eggshell finish, and it shows every imperfection, so had to be redone.) Be sure your contract addresses a completion date, and who will be on the job site. (And do not pay until the project is complete to your satisfaction.) We put in frameless glass for the shower, but wish we had used the glass with a precoated film to make cleanup easier. The sconces we selected for beside the mirrors need to be brighter for applying makeup, wish we had foreseen that, because it will require new fixures if we want to change the amount of light. We like the pocket doors we chose to save space and still have privacy. Very happy with the overall look, and especially quartz countertops, Robern medicine cabinets, and dark cabinets. We did not skimp on quality of materials and glad of it.

The master bath is tiny so tiling to the ceiling keeps the choppiness at bay. However a plaster ceiling is not level so I trimmed out a dado with wood near the ceiling. This kept the tile level. It gives the illusion of the ceiling being level. It is all done in whites so it masks all the imperfections well

When a fire took out 2/3rds of our house - fortunately - we were able to purchase an inexpensive RV to live in on property - and due to my being disabled - I could see if anyone was working every day. My husband would call and learn no one was there and raise cane with the contractor - and he took nightly tours of the progress and quality. If something wasn't up to snuff - he had no problem demanding it be fixed to his satisfaction. I realize not everyone can be home to supervise - nor does everyone his extensive knowledge of all facets of building - but don't take just one person's recommendation - sometimes they might do a good job - especially if it's a smaller job - and sometimes they can mess up constantly like it sounds like you ran into. If you call references - find out the extent - overages - and time delays - not just the finished results you'd get a better picture. In our first home we did a complete to the studs kitchen renovations - did the dry wall and designed and installed all the cabinets ourselves - all we needed was to have the countertop put in. The installer sent from the store - took more time to put in a simple u-shaped countertop - than it took us to do the teardown, drywall and cabinet installation - because he wanted to spend all his time flirting with me. I was so irritated - but don't have the strong personality my husband does - to tell him off - we went a month without a sink! Our recent kitchen remodel took half a day to install the counters - and it's double counters - with a u-shaped + bar height L shaped counter. But - I've toughened up with age - I could have told that guy to get his butt back to work now.

We doubled the size of our master bath that was a mere 5'x10' "hallway" with a single sink, phonebooth sized shower and toilet. We gained the extra space by encorporating our hall bath and taking down the wall in between. We added a new hall bath with a better layout by taking out a hall linen closet and part of our office and its closet. I picked out everything beforehand, but the unforseen can still happen, like the vanities marble top being broken in shipping and a worker's strike at the shipping ports that delayed my replacement vanity. My suggestion is to keep the major plumbing in the same location to save money. We were able to keep the former hall toilet in the same location and build a water closet around it. We also put blocking in the walls for light fixtures, towel bars and mirrors, so things were anchored really well. I wrote measurements on studs and took photos before drywall went up so that we knew exaclty where the blocking was located. Heated floors are a must and worth the money. We skipped the tub and put in a nice sized shower with wall mounted and handheld showerhead, which is nice when it comes to cleaning the shower. I scored the huge doors for the linen closet at the Habitat Restore for $20.00 each.

Spent about 10K for all, but only showing shower pics. Turn around....

lindo baño

I've learned always full gut bathrooms and never take short cuts or be cheap cause its all about having a water tight seal on everything and controlling moisture, and taking your time when you blue print your layout and double check your measurements..cause buying items that look good but doesn't serve a purpose and don't fit will killed your vision,time and money.so my advise..know what you want,how you want it and what kind of benefits will that product serve...oh!!and go above code...stop being cheap

I put in 2'X2' skylight directly over the tub and shower inside of the glass doors. Then I put the vent in one of the vertical walls of the skylight shaft, that way you can't see it and it is quieter.
Because we have hard water I discovered that if you put a small amount of liquid "Jet-dry" (dishwasher drying agent) in a spray bottle and fill it with tap water, then after your shower, spray the doors and walls with the mixture leaves everything spot free. I also use it when washing the outside window as the final step, no water spots. Car windows, too. Oh yeah, it works great after washing Crome fixtures.

We redid two bathrooms last fall. Started with a designer and contractor she recommended and they were great at helping with planning and decisions. In the master, we replaced the jetted tub with a roomy shower with frameless glass; moved the toilet to the former small shower space, and extended the double sink vanity space into the former toilet space, so we no longer bump into each other. We installed grab bars in the shower and by the comfort-height toilet. Favorite things: fixed shower head and handheld; tall vanity upper cabinet between the two sinks, with "spice" racks for medicine bottles inside the double doors and an outlet for recharging toothbrushes and my husband's beard trimmer, keeping them out of view; heated tile floor: beautiful glass pulls and knobs on the cabinetry; and a lighted magnifying mirror hung on the wall. In the hall bath, we kept the same layout but replaced the old steel tub with a new iron tub slightly wider, and removed a tall linen cabinet to make room for a double vanity. Favorite thing: Vetrazzo countertop embedded with green/blue recycled glass and oyster shells on white cottage-look cabinets - spectacular with the spa look.

Wow - those are some beautiful bathrooms - I agree - gut it - but don't move plumbing unless you have to. It's very expensive. It's sad to say I was lucky to have the fire - but the truth is - it got rid of a lot of dated things - like the two 70's style baths on the top floor of the tri-level floor plan we have - got rid of horrible wallpaper throughout the house - allowed me to eliminate useless space and create a nice suite, eliminating a joke of a 4th bedroom - it wouldn't hold more than a daybed if you wanted to be able to walk around the bed. With a clean slate I managed to take out a hall full bath (guest bath, a 1/2 bath is on a different level) - and move it to be attached to my mother's room and the guest bedroom - which also allowed the second bedroom to be suite sized - and created an attached bath for both rooms - a jack and jill with guest room. Turned out to be a God Send now that she's wheelchair-bound.

I will say my biggest regret is the linen closet! Pay attention to storage space. I created a huge closet for myself - but miss my hall linen closet.

I eliminated the old closet opting for one in each bath and an enlarged wall closet for the now joined 3 & 4th bedrooms - but did not pay close enough attention to realize the the framers neglected to enlarge the door size. Another thing to remember - don't assume they will have enough common sense to realize an enlarged wall closet means an enlarged door - I can't even retrofit the correct size - due to electrical lines in the way. I miss a hall linen closet - especially since the extra bedroom closet space is inaccessible.

I'd would strongly recommend a drawing by one party or the other - if it's major construction - like moving walls, etc. to eliminate any misunderstandings - or assumptions - I assumed they'd do the closet door a correct manner.

And - my husband taught me - take the contractors finished by date and double it. Sure enough - the 3 months of repairs to our house took six!

My bathroom photos would not be anywhere near as beautiful - since my improvement was more space allocation than such beautiful tile work.

I've just found out just how important sample paint is - choosing from paint swatch or computer colorizing program is misleading - you generally get a dried product much darker than their paint swatches - or lighter. My gray for the halls -- in sample size - showed it was darker than the swatch and would have been way too dark - and my bathroom color choice was darker as well - but I liked the darker color. My supposedly darker sage paint for a ceiling ended up being a disappointing too light sage-gray instead -- due to not having time to try out a sample. At least it looks "ok" - just not as nice as I'm sure darker would have been.

if hiring someone don't pay hourly, pay by the job. offer incentives for finishing early, penalties for delays. estimate was $12k thirty days. took six months, the with no use, and cost$30k.

Melissa Novak is right about having a set price and completion date. I feel we spent much more than necessary as mistakes made by our contractor were costly due to the increased time hence dollars spent for them. We used a local contractor who we knew and was recommended but now are not even on speaking terms due to his costly mistakes. Once the job was properly completed, it did turn out to be beautiful. After completing 3 baths, kitchen, bar and wood floor installation we don't anticipate doing any more remodeling for awhile and when we do we won't be paying by the hour. Wish we'd read this article prior to starting our project!

I recently redid my master bathroom. I gutted the 1958 bathroom that was 5'x7' and changed the configuration to take a linen closet in my master bedroom. This made my new bathroom 5'x13'! I love it so much and it's now my dream master suite!

We did ours two years ago and love it. I wanted a tub, although I don't use it too often, it is there if I want and my grandsons love it. The space is ridiculously large, but that is what my husband wanted. Before we had a tiny room with toilet and shower, with sink actually in bedroom. The first opening is a pocket door for toilet area and second is for shower. The shower has a skylight that opens, plus fan and light. The frosted window is also for the shower. There is a window and fan in the toilet area.

1. Only use licensed contractors, and don't pay in full until the job is done. Don't break this rule even if they've done work for you in the past or you know them well. People and circumstances change.
   2. Get a really good tile guy.
   3. Make sure your tile is completely flat. Especially larger format tiles are difficult to lay unless they are rectified.
   4. Watch closely what the contractors are doing. Don't worry they might think you are micromanaging. I guarantee you will catch them doing things that would otherwise have to be fixed later.
   5. Much of my materials came from big box stores, but to me it was worth it to get a nice (mid-range) custom vanity with beautiful wood, full extension drawers, that fits perfectly to use every inch of available space. That cost triple the cheapest option. Yet I could have spent triple what I did and that wouldn't have made any additional difference.
   6. Don't feel badly about getting rid of the tub and making a bigger shower, unless your bath is huge.
   7. Small touches make a big difference; lighting fixtures, paint colors. I made lighting fixtures by mounting $100 sconces on $5 lava tiles, and people rave about them.
   8. Bright, bright, bright! Lots of windows, light tile, etc. You can always paint darker but you can't lighten dark materials. And master bathrooms should be bright! In our case, just changing from bright white to light beige tiles made a big difference in how bright the room was..
   

I updated the drapery and the rug, also the lightning , but I couldn t take that purple tile
Off:( I hope it looks ok

DeeDee Diana I like it with the purple! Great drama along with the other white surfaces.

Yes, it started out as fixing a leak in the shower . . .

Mine started because I bought a pretty venetian oval mirror......

Slate, heated floors, whirlpool tub, rain forest showerhead, and lots of storage!!!

Remain flexible! Our 1925's bathroom remodel plan was simple, but the result was a complete gut job. Once we removed the wall tile and bathtub, we realized the original floor, too, had to come up to remove the lead piping and horizontal cast iron sewer pipe. It killed me to do it, but we had no choice. I'm thrilled with the end result, but still crushed we weren't able to save anything but the knobs from the shower.

Have remodeled 5 in 37 years. Each time we were able to tweak the results to get to the last one we did, which was a new build. Things we learned...my wife is cold natured and doesn't like the steam while she is dressing and I am showering, we put two heaters/vents in the bath to help with both. Next time she would like to have one in her side of the closet. They are pretty inexpensive relative to the overall cost.

Pay attention to the tile contractor and how the pattern they are setting the tile in, otherwise you will wind up with odd shaped pieces of tile in the corners and at the ceiling.

I would put in more windows for natural light.

Have a professional do your closets. The average homebuilder tends not to utilize the space as efficiently as it could be.

Look for bargins on materials. We found fall-off pieces of granite from another job to do our countertops at a good price.

Took our new home's two and a half baths down to the studs and created a master bath and closet by moving laundry area behind half bath. Added to overall square footage. Kitchen also taken down to studs and re-done. Re-appraisal says now valued at more than twice what we paid. Lots of work and nightmare with contractor but so worth it in the end!

Begin with an electronic notebook filled with pictures of every bathroom you like, articles you have researched, and a plan BEFORE demolition begins. They will prove invaluable when you meet with contractors. Write everything down with each contractor-be very specific.
Write this phrase on your contract and insist they sign it,"MAKE NO CHANGES WITHOUT MY APPROVAL."


Take the old bathroom and space to the studs. Remove all particle board. Replace old plumbing lines. Use two lights in the shower. Use an exhaust fan/light in the water closet.

Use a 140 CFM fan for the shower. It is very quiet.

Make certain they slope your floors properly if you are doing a walk in shower. Ask questions if you do not understand.

While the walls are removed is the perfect time to blow in extra insulation for warmth or sound proofing.


Order all tile, granite, sinks, fixtures, lights, interior doors, knobs and pulls before construction begins so there are no delays. Keep every receipt.

The very last thing you want is to have your workers to leave your job
site because your products have not arrived. Our products were waiting for them and it worked out beautifully.

The very last thing is purchase high quality shower doors from a reputable glass company if you decide to use them.

I learned that all my preparation, planning, and researching really paid off. Time spent on Houzz was incredibly valuable. I found inspiration from so many others that helped me develop my final vision and design. I didn't use a professional designer so I needed all the help I could find:)

Here's a few of the best changes I made. I got rid of the jetted tub in favor a beautiful soaking tub by Victoria & Albert. A larger frameless glass shower, complete with an adjustable wall mount hand held shower system and a thermostatic valve is a real treat. A large and well placed wall niche along with better ceiling lighting and a new more efficient fan, transformed the entire shower area! On the custom built vanity I opted for more usable drawers instead of cabinets. So glad I did this. After 3 months of use, I really enjoy all the added space to put my "stuff" away. Everything is now so accessible. I decided against marble in favor of a beautiful Silestone quartz counter, now 36" high. I added sconce lighting on either side of the vanity mirrors and three new small LED recessed cans over the vanity, vastly improving and balancing the lighting in that area. This is something I gave a great deal of thought to. Thank you again Houzz. I chose porcelain floor and wall tile over marble for ease of maintenance. While I love the look of marble, the the tile I chose actually looks a great deal like Crema Marfil marble. I am so happy with my choice. I love, love, love my heated floors too, probably the best upgrade I made overall. No more cold feet for me on winter days! Lastly, who knew such a little change could bring such improvement. I saw this idea on Houzz too. I put two beautiful robe hooks right outside my shower door. One has my terry cloth robe, the other is for my bath towel. Is there anything I wish I had done that I didn't? Yes, I wish I had wired for music. At one point the ceiling was open and accessible, making it easy to add it at that time. Oh well....the remodel took enough and I'm soooo glad it is done. It was definitely worth all the effort though!

and since i voted in this, we've decided to redo the master bath in our current house. happily making a new idea book.

My son changed his bath tub area into a shower and part of it for a washing machine ( they have another full bath) but they wanted to have huge shower and a place for their washing machine.

I would have expected contractors to have covered everything before starting or advise people to cover mirrors and other parts of the bathroom area.. they had a contraption that seems to blow dust residue everywhere rather than away from stuff--no idea what it was- but it sure made one huge mess everywhere.

With any bathroom renovation work I would advise, to cover mirrors , toilet sink etc. and try to protect corridors from the flying debris of dust too. Wear a dust mask when checking on work progress.

When remodeling a bath keep in mind this is a place thats going to be constantly hit by water,moisture and humidity.research and take your time when chosing materials such as drywall or backer board ,flooring and shower tile and ect.Yes all that stuff might be pretty but if it can't take being hit with constant water and the elements in that bathroom,then you will be right back were you started at tear down.Ive learned a lot of products are pretty in a bathroom but dont do well with around water and ect..make sure your contractor are familar with products and can tell you why!! not to buy certain products.check the weight load and of floor tile and remember its all about a water tight seal and mold and moisture resistance follow those rules and your bathroom will be maintence free and solid and last for years..

antwon---You give great advice! When DIYers attempt doing bathroom renovations, they often times don't know, remember or want to pay the price for the specifically-made water-resistant drywall that should always be installed in bathrooms, especially around the shower/bath area. They also forget (or just are not aware) that certain materials are more porous and not as appropriate to use in a bathroom as in other rooms of a house. And wallpaper is especially not good to use in a bathroom, as the humidity and moisture will cause it to lift at the seams. Once moisture gets behind that wallpaper, it becomes a breeding ground for all types of mold and mildew. Just stay away from using wallpaper in a bathroom and then you never have to worry or be concerned about it. It is good that you reminded people of all these things, antwon. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with everyone! I'm sure you've saved someone out there from some heartache (not to mention a pounding to their wallets!). This is what this site is all about IMHO. Thanks again, antwon.

I learned that after 10 days without a working shower (tub only in other bath) I will spend any amount of money on a hotel room for the sole purpose of taking a shower.

I have a question. When remodeling our bathroom (years ago!), we decided to put in a skylight, as our bathroom is in the middle of our house and has no windows, so it was very dark. The skylight has been working beautifully, giving us so much light at times that DH thinks he left the light on!! My question is this: It seems that the places where the nails were driven into the drywall around the skylight area are beginning to show through the drywall and paint. You can actually see small round brown spots where the nails are. Is this normal? Why would this happen and what causes it to happen? Does this happen over time, or is there some other reason why this is happening? I think it's strange that it's mainly only happening near the area around the skylight. Is it just due to the fact that there is more light there, so I can see these nails shining through easier, or is there some other reason why this is happening mostly in that area? Is there anyway to remedy (and/or prevent) this problem, other than painting again and putting in brand new nails? I'd hate to have to climb up into that skylight and paint and re-nail that area again if I don't absolutely need to. We used galvanized nails, I believe. Are there some other type of nails that we should have used? I'm curious! Thanks in advance for any info anyone can give me about this. I appreciate it much!

Don't mean to be a hog and keep commenting on here, however, I just have to say.....abramsonka------I love what you did to your bathroom!! I love your new tub!! I think there was a reason why tubs used to be really deep like that years ago and I'm glad to see we're slowly moving back towards those types of tubs. I'm curious though.....is it difficult to clean due to the deepness? Is it hard to reach to the bottom to clean it? Even though I love the tub, I'm on the fence about all the windows. Not sure if I'd want to get out of my tub and see a neighbor looking in at me!! They'd get the shock of their lives, believe me!! :) All the natural light those windows provide is great though, I'm sure, however, I like having my privacy when taking a bath!! (HA! HA!) Your double sink vanity is beautiful as well, although I'm not a huge fan of white cabinets myself. I realize they're immensely popular right now, but anything white would not stay white in my home for very long!! My absolute favorite thing about your new bathroom though is your shower. It's beautiful!! I'm curious about how difficult all the glass is to clean. Do you get much steam/humidity on them? We're actually leaning towards installing a new shower in our bathroom within the next few years and are thinking we'd like to do the all-glass door, however, if it's a bear to clean, perhaps we'll re-think it. What are your thoughts about it? Thanks! :)

Arvilla----Makes you realize what homeless people go through, doesn't it? Perhaps going to the local YMCA or something like that might be cheaper than getting a hotel room. Just a suggestion. Hope you get your shower/bath up and running again soon. It's strange how we take those things for granted, huh?!

We bought a farm with a house built in 1935. Unbeknownst to us, the tub surround was regular drywall - not concrete board - and the plastic imitation tiles were barely glued to it. Over time the moisture made things sag; see first photo. Deciding to do it once and do it right, we selected tile, found a carpenter, and began.

We chose a mosaic tile with some blue in it for trim, as the vanity top has faint streaks of blue; we cut it in half lengthwise to get more mileage out of it. To save money we kept the vanity, but I painted it turquoise to pick up the blue in the top and the mosaic tile, then used bronze craft paint in the millwork.

Home Depot only had 6 of the 8 boxes of ceramic tile in the color we chose, so we got 3 boxes of a slightly darker color. During installation I stacked the tiles 2 of A, 1 of B, and this randomized the two colors nicely. We got bronze colored fixtures, replaced the horrible old medicine cabinet & lights, and added a grab bar to the end wall of the surround. It took 3 weeks, but it is presently the nicest room in the house.

To Sydney Boll: the Y is a nice idea, but where we live the nearest Y is about 100 miles away. One traffic light, no pizza delivery, 2 hotels for hunters & dog sled racers. Very peaceful.

We bought a home 4 years ago, and the master bath was a disaster. We have completely gutted it and got parts if it framed up, cant do it the way we wanted because of small doorway so decided to do tiled walk in 5 ft shower instead of soaking tub as we wanted. Have bought all materials to do shower, also new vanity and lights. Our biggest problem is finding someone in our area to do the tile that is affordable and knows what they're doing. We still have other projects that we have to do as this was a forclosed home with many things left unfinished, have already spent over $20,000 in renovations, and the one bathroom in hallway that has already been done, the ppl that did it messed up alot if things, and now is going to have to be re-done again. Just one very frustrated lady, and wish i knew how to lay and cut tile myself, been a long process and wait time for master bath, then once able to start on it, to find out, apparently we can't afford to pay the ones that actually know how to do the work correctly, and worried we'll end up without a bathtoom period once the hall bath finishes destroying itself. Definitely been some lessons learned.

Remodeled our master bath four years ago. Took out one closet in the hall to provide for a double vanity. Found a local contractor who never advertises anywhere but does what I want and gives great suggestions but does not hard sell. Took out to studs. Added better lighting, heating under tile floor (house is on slab), heated towel rack, high end vanity from Woodpro with six (6) drawers plus pull outs under the sinks, Cabinets by Robern with heated mirrors. Custom fab shower stall by local maker/installer with blocking for future grab bars Fixtures by Hansgrohe (the best). Bought most products on my own and on-line. Contractor did great work under estimate. Wife is extremely happy. Our bath is better than most high end hotels when we travel.

Now working on 2nd bath (partial) and kitchen (another to the studs job) with same contractor.

Listen to the wife, and hire a respected professional. Ha!