I plane to renew my bathroom. The pink don't go with me and it's way to small. I would like to take some of my son room and make it larger. The extension my husband can do it(I hope). Now the rest It's up to me. The only thing I'm a little afraid is that this was a foreclosed house that was moved to this location in 1961. I think it was build in 1951 not to sure about that. my concern is asbestos and things like that. I noticed that there's vinyl flooring on top of tiles and hope they are OK to remove. How would I know if it is asbestos and if it is what would be the cost to remove it? Also how much would the pluming cost us?

About the only sure way for the asbestos would be to have somebody local check. Asbestos tiles are hard and brittle. The good news is that asbestos tile is about as stable as it can get - there is a very low asbestos content anyway and even if broken, almost all fibers are contained. Also, it's possible to remove all newer floor coverings down to the asbestos and then go back with a new layer - all without disturbing the asbestos tile.

Plumbing costs (and all other costs) are hard to estimate on-line. A ballpark for a plumber to come in and move supply and drains around would run about $300 to $450 per fixture, but that will vary greatly depending on how extensive the plumbing job is and even what part of the country you live in. Here too, your best bet is to get some local estimates.

I will say this: If we were hired to take an existing bathroom and enlarge it by partially moving into another room - meaning that it's a total bath makeover - it would be difficult to get the price down below $10K to $12K.

if you mean "sun room" instead of "son's room" for the extention... beware. it is very likely there is no foundation under a sun room, hung off the side of the house like a lean-to. you can't extend a structured room onto that flimsy deck of cards without ripping it down and structuring it over a new foundation. double Jaybee's estimate if that's the case.

It is my son's room will just need a small section to make the bathroom with more walking space. and I'll be able to make the shower larger. wow 10k is a lot for such a small space that I can't even put a tub. You have to understand I live in a small cottage only a 1000sqf. For sure will have to do it myself and get my girls to come and help me. Boy now I'm curious how much would cost to renew the kitchen? I would just love to remove the wall separating the kitchen from the dinning room.

quote:

Originally posted by blueseana:
Boy now I'm curious how much would cost to renew the kitchen? I would just love to remove the wall separating the kitchen from the dinning room.

Sit down first.

You there?

Comfortable?

OK, Here we go........

For a total kitchen remodel - new layout, flooring, cabinets, countertops, appliances, lighting etc. A cheap one with lower end (builder grade cabinets, laminate tops etc) will run at least $20K. Better grade materials (tile floors, solid surface tops, good cabinets with lots of features) Will easily go for $35K. That's for a moderately sized kitchen.

It is amazingly easy to spend well over $50K on a kitchen.

You can stand back up now.

don't think she can, Jaybee. medic!!

I'm thinking the removal of the dividing wall is a good ten grand all by itself, because I'm betting it's a load-bearing wall.

kitchens and bathrooms are absolutely the most expensive rooms in a house to change around. every system is involved, as well as permanent fixtures that are needed beyond any other room.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: swschrad,

About the load-bearing wall I will check but I think (or hope)that I'm save on that part. I guess it's time to make my husband break his back...lol. I'm still waiting for him to do the driveway. I guess that some painting will do wonder. Thank you for the pricing.

i will say this: If your house is a typical rancher style in that you have a kitchen towards the middle of the back of the house with a door going to a dining room next to it on the end and then a larger living room in the front then....

....removing that wall is a pretty good remodel. that common wall between the kitchen and dining is usually not load bearing, especially if the roof framing is engineered trusses. (You still need to get it checked out before removing though). We've done a lot of remodels like this and it really opens up the kitchen. The dining area becomes less formal and more a part of the kitchen. It's a good remodel plan all around - even helps to sell the house as the layout is more modern and open.

My home is more like a bungalow, living room with a arch that goes to the dinning room and the kitchen on the back.From the dinning room there is a small hallway that straight is the bathroom to the left and the right are the bedrooms. If it's a bearing wall will I have the same problem with my son's room to increase the bathroom? Is the solution to put a metal bean? I'm loosing hope here for renovation. We used all our investments in the purchase and the moving, well not all the rest went on the water pump and the electric. The good thing I don't have to worry about the electrical, when they told us there was some electrical problems they forgot to mention that all of it was stolen, between those two jobs and some painting went the rest of our savings and now I'm just trying to see how much more we will need to make this place my home ....

The only safe and sure way to determine if an interior wall is load bearing is to have somebody with structural knowledge actually look at what you have. Even though there are many here with that kind of knowledge, there is really no other way, even if you had some good pictures.

On the flip side of that is the fact that even a load-bearing wall can be removed - especially if there is going to be a new wall nearby. If there is no upstairs then moving a wall becomes even easier. In short, don't let the fact that most of us here have to err on the side of caution when it comes to structure and pricing discourage you too much. Yes, remodeling is expensive but if you have some basic building skills you can do much of it yourself with some direction. Or, some contractors will be willing to take the project to a certain stage of completion and then let you finish the rest. Even if it's only for painting, flooring and trim you can shave quite a bit of money off a remodeling bill if you can do those things by yourself.

Just think: If you won the Blog Cabin you could sell it and use some of the money for a really kicking remodel.

Yeahhh I should dream about that...But reality kicks in. You have to have luck to win and I'm all out of that. Well never had to start with. But thanks. Keep up the good work and thanks for the prices.

I agree with Jaybee, removing the wall will make the area seem so much bigger. First though,find someone in your area that can tell you if the wall is load-bearing and then go from there. I had a house that was 904sf built in 1939 and I decided to remove the load-bearing wall between the kitchen and dining and put in a breakfast bar. I didn't want to replace the original cabinets because they were in good shape, but I did replace the counter top, faucet, and window. It ran me about $6200. I didn't increase the square footage, but it really opened it up and made such a difference. You just have to do what you can with what resources and finances you have. Good luck.