| When remodeling magazines and home improvement television programs feature mega-baths that occupy 200 square feet of floor space and carry price tags of $20,000 and up, the goal is often to inspire homeowners to achieve similar results. But how many folks have that kind of room and budget for a bathroom remodel?
Most residential bathrooms sport a footprint only a third that size, often matched with an equally modest checkbook balance when it comes to renovation. Neither of those factors, however, should deter you from creating a dream bath of your own.
Thankfully, bathrooms are mostly personal spaces that can actually benefit from the coziness and convenience that tend to define smaller rooms.
Typically, the cost per square foot is higher than for any other remodeling project, but with smart choices, this is a project with a big payoff. Return on investment is high for bathroom renovations, especially for master baths.
The key to containing bath renovation costs is to keep layout changes to a minimum, which means not relocating plumbing fixtures unless the change provides big gains in features or convenience.
Even with that limitation, you can completely transform the room, because everything else – fixtures, surfaces, lighting, cabinetry – is fair game. But nudging a sink or toilet over just a foot often requires rerouting of water supply and drain lines, quickly adding costs that may not be reflected in terms of notable improvement.
The compact size of most bathrooms isn't necessarily an insurmountable obstacle.
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