Bathroom Remodel

Cost vs. Value
Bathroom Remodel

2001 Cost vs. Value home

Project (average cost recouped, national)

Minor kitchen remodel (88%)

Bathroom remodel (85%)

Major kitchen remodel (81%)

Family room addition (80%)

Deck addition (77%)

Master suite (75%)

Attic bedroom (74%)

Siding replacement (73%)

Window replacement (69%)

Home office (55%)

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2002 Cost vs. Value Report

2000 Cost vs. Value Report

After the kitchen, real estate pros say, it’s the bathroom potential buyers head for when they’re sizing up a house. Homebuyers’ expectations today are often defined by new construction, where bathrooms are big and contain amenities such as shower seats and whirlpool baths.

Maryland remodeler Matt LeFaivre points out that bathrooms deteriorate faster than kitchens. “They’re used more often,” he explains. “It’s a smaller, enclosed area, and there’s a lot more moisture.” He says clients who have their bath remodeled for between $10,000 and $15,000 usually get most of that back when they sell, for the simple reason that buyers know they won’t have to go out and find someone to remodel it for them.

As a national average, the basic bathroom we describe here costs $9,455 to build, and real estate agents estimate it would return $8,048, or 85 percent of cost, to the value of the home. The cost of building it, though, varies widely. The same bathroom that costs $7,984 in Burlington, Vt., would go for $12,773 in San Francisco.

Design Tips for Consumers

Paint the walls using raking, rag-rolling, or sponging for a more colorful look.—Kurtz
Upgrade the vanity counter to a granite look.—Freysinger
Add a row or two of accent tiles.—Porter

Project Description
Update an existing 5-by-9-foot bathroom that is at least 25 years old with a new standard-sized tub, toilet, and solid-surface vanity counter with integral double sink, medicine cabinet, ceramic tile floor, and ceramic tile walls in tub/shower area (vinyl wallpaper elsewhere).

Region or City	Job cost	Resale value	Cost recouped
East Average	$9,810	$8,829	90%
Albany, N.Y.	9,828	7,591	77
Baltimore	9,632	5,337	55
Boston	11,290	13,333	118
Burlington, Vt.	7,984	6,942	87
Garden City, N.Y.	11,282	16,700	148
Hartford, Conn.	10,322	7,500	73
Lancaster, Pa.	9,640	6,667	69
Nashua, N.H.	8,990	5,313	59
New Haven, Conn.	10,296	11,500	112
Passaic, N.J.	10,300	6,033	59
Philadelphia	9,864	8,678	88
Pittsburgh	9,540	7,575	79
Providence, R.I.	9,252	10,013	108
Westchester, N.Y.	10,146	11,635	115
Wilmington, Del.	8,786	7,613	87
South Average	$8,321	$7,270	87%
Atlanta	9,340	8,000	86
Birmingham, Ala.	8,741	10,500	120
Columbia, S.C.	7,859	4,657	59
Dallas-Ft. Worth	8,737	6,267	72
Houston	9,063	9,750	108
Jacksonville, Fla.	8,070	5,268	65
Knoxville, Tenn.	8,270	6,491	78
Louisville, Ky.	9,430	9,857	105
Miami	8,623	5,750	67
New Orleans	7,752	7,733	100
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.	6,904	5,274	76
Richmond, Va.	7,398	5,315	72
Tampa, Fla.	7,337	6,200	85
Tulsa, Okla.	7,994	8,300	104
Washington, D.C.	9,298	9,688	104
Midwest Average	$9,773	$7,103	73%
Chicago	11,508	11,200	97
Cleveland	10,866	5,500	51
Columbus, Ohio	10,026	10,063	100
Des Moines, Iowa	9,235	6,080	66
Detroit	10,742	9,583	89
Fargo, N.D.	7,278	4,717	65
Grand Rapids, Mich.	8,607	7,340	85
Indianapolis	9,821	6,750	69
Kansas City, Mo.	9,959	4,125	41
Madison, Wis.	10,108	4,900	48
Milwaukee	10,408	8,000	77
Minneapolis	11,163	7,115	64
St. Louis	10,529	9,040	86
Sioux Falls, S.D.	8,126	5,750	71
Wichita, Kan.	8,213	6,379	78
West Average	$9,916	$8,991	91%
Albuquerque, N.M.	8,370	5,095	61
Boise, Idaho	8,258	7,493	91
Colorado Springs, Colo.	8,714	4,400	50
Denver	8,761	6,268	72
Honolulu	11,458	15,500	135
Las Vegas	8,964	5,438	61
Los Angeles	11,380	13,625	120
Phoenix	8,453	6,880	81
Portland, Ore.	10,706	8,214	77
Sacramento, Calif.	11,049	8,360	76
Salt Lake City	8,028	5,125	64
San Diego	10,729	12,160	113
San Francisco	12,773	16,300	128
Seattle	11,260	13,625	121
Spokane, Wash.	9,844	6,375	65
National Average	$9,455	$8,048	85%

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