Nora Duran: Hello, welcome back to the show, everyone. Today we’re talking about something many of you have been asking about: bathroom remodeling. Whether you want to do a quick update or a full renovation, there’s a lot to consider. Bathrooms are important spaces in our homes, and remodeling them can make a big difference in how they look and function.

Today we have our special guest, Jordan, from Adonis Kitchen and Bath, to help us understand everything we need to know. We’ll cover how to plan, budget, and make smart choices for your bathroom remodel. How are you, Jordan?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: I’m good, Nora. Thanks for having me.

Nora Duran: Great! So let’s get started with our first question. Are 1-week bathroom remodels really worth it? I mean, can you really get a quality renovation done in just one week?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: So, yes, believe it or not. Now it’s going to be a different remodel. It’s not necessarily going to be a bad-quality remodel. It’s not something that we specialize in, but there are one-day bath companies out there. They specialize in what’s called a conversion, and they have different products. Some of them use acrylics, some use thermoplastics, and they’re able to get things done faster, and they do guarantee the work. Now, the caveat to that is it’s a product that can look kind of like plastic. So it’s not going to be something that has that “wow” factor and elegance to it, for the most part, but it is something that can last, and it is an alternative if someone wants to look in that direction. It’s just not something we specialize in.

Nora Duran: That’s interesting. Now let’s talk about budgeting. How much should someone realistically expect to spend on a bathroom remodel? I know this can vary widely, but what are the key factors that influence the cost?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: Sure. So that number has been going up for a while; we’ve been watching it. As far as what to set aside for a company like ours, we want our clients to set aside somewhere upwards of $20,000 for a bathroom remodel. Now, there are alternatives, right? There are what people in the industry call a “chuck in a truck” remodeler. Those are typically the one or two-man shows, and they’re a lot cheaper. Of course, they come with different risks because, in a bathroom, you have drywall finishing, painting, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, carpentry, tile setting, all these different trades, and the odds of a one-man crew being able to do all those things and do them well is lower. But, of course, they’re going to charge a lot less.

Now, as far as the factors that determine the pricing, there are a lot of factors. The main item that determines pricing for a bathroom remodel is going to be the shower. That’s where the largest portion of money in the bathroom is going to go. But there are also additional factors: the size of the bathroom, whether you’re going with entry-level versus high-end finish options, whether or not you’re relocating plumbing fixtures, whether or not the house fights back (e.g., if it’s an older home or if it’s a home that was worked on by not-so-good contractors before). Sometimes that can cause some problems. So, there’s a lot to that. We recommend setting aside $20,000 to $30,000 for something on the entry level, and if you’re looking for something really high-end, that number can almost be unlimited.

Nora Duran: Yeah, fascinating. So now, let’s flip the coin. What’s typically the most expensive part of a bathroom remodel? Where do most of the dollars end up going?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: Sure. Most dollars are going into the shower, right? That’s where the most money in the bathroom goes. Now, there are entry-level options where people can look at fiberglass and acrylic, and they might save $5,000 to $7,000 compared to tile. But then there are also things beyond tile as well. There’s Dekton, which is a wonderful material. There are a lot of options there, but there are also a lot of little detailed factors, like if they’re going with a standard showerhead and handle or if they’re going with something with body sprayers, rainfalls, if they’re doing extended niches, if they’re putting lighting in niches, if they’re doing benches, grab bars, accent bands, specialty tile patterns, and all sorts of different things that can make those numbers go up and down. But showers, I mean, we see that sometimes 50 percent or more of the full bathroom remodel cost is going into the shower.

Nora Duran: Now that you mentioned showers, I know that many people are interested in converting their bathtubs to showers. So how much does that typically cost, and is it a good investment in terms of home value?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: For us, if someone’s looking at entry-level, that usually starts somewhere around the $10,000 price point. If someone’s going for a tile shower replacement, it usually starts around the $15,000 price point. Now, what was the second part of that question? Did you ask if that was something that was a good investment for the home value?

Nora Duran: Yes, for home value. Would it be a good investment to convert a bathtub to a shower?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: Yeah, so it definitely depends on the buyer. A general rule is you want to have a tub somewhere in the house. Now, we are seeing some changes, and my understanding is there is a shift in who is buying homes. There are a lot of situations where they don’t have young kids, in which case a shower would be preferred. So, in some instances, if you have the right two buyers and neither is worried about having a tub for small kids and both like the walk-in shower, they could bid that up, and you could get a lot of value out of that house. But you could also get the wrong buyer. So there’s a little more risk if you don’t have a tub, but there are situations where it can help you.

Nora Duran: And now, I want to talk about timing. Is there a best time of year to tackle a bathroom remodel? Does seasonality impact costs or the availability of materials or contractors?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: Yes, it definitely affects the availability of contractors. There are busy seasons and slower seasons. For the most part, most contractors are not in people’s homes during Christmas, for example. Now, it doesn’t necessarily affect the timeline of how long it takes to execute the project in most cases, but it does affect how far out you’re going to see that contractor before they’re able to start.

I would also take into account general plans and how any client uses their year, right? Because some people have their vacation season, and you want to plan it so that in that planning process, when you’re selecting materials and such, when you’re in that design phase, you don’t want a particular item to get held up for three weeks and then conflict with your vacation plans. You want to plan it so you’re available as the client because there are situations where you might want to be there, and if not, you want to be very available by phone. So that would be my main concern as far as setting up a good time to start. I would also say, do not try to book it last minute. We see that happen a lot. We get a lot of people calling us for bathroom remodels, and they want to start within a month. That can cause a lot of problems because, in many cases, if someone is available that fast, it’s usually not a good thing. So I don’t recommend trying to last-minute force in a bathroom remodel if it’s avoidable.

Nora Duran: Yeah, that makes sense. So let’s say someone is ready to start. What’s the right order to tackle a bathroom remodel? Is there a step-by-step process that you recommend?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: There’s a process that everyone follows, and then there’s a step of the process that some people miss out on. So everybody knows to start with the demolition, then get to the rough-ins like rough plumbing, electrical, HVAC, then drywall and paint, and then move forward from there. But a lot of people skip the entire step of designing it.

There is a large segment of remodelers out there that tell their clients to go pick out their materials from Home Depot, and then they’ll be back to install them, and that is very bad for many reasons. It’s bad not only because you’re missing the ability to help and guide with design, but also because that is a huge factor that leads to change orders. You never know what someone is going to pick. You might be expecting them to get a porcelain or ceramic tile, and then they get glass, and most people charge more to install something like that. Or you might be expecting them to get a standard showerhead, and they get something with body sprayers and a rainfall. Or you might have missed the opportunity to stop them from getting that one particular showerhead that you hate installing because it always breaks on people. There’s just a lot that can go wrong when people skip that design phase. So I would say, don’t just get someone who comes back when it’s time to do demolition; get someone who’s there throughout that whole design process.

Nora Duran: And how long do you think a bathroom remodel should take from start to finish? I’m sure there are a lot of different situations, but what’s a reasonable timeline to expect?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: Sure. A couple of levels to that. There are the one-day bath companies, so if you’re okay with things that might look a little more like plastic but will still last, those can be done quickly. We call them one-day baths, but I think most of them need three to four days, something like that. So those are on the quick side. Now, if you’re going custom, which is what we do, a lot of times we’re seeing our bathrooms take three to five weeks. But we have had some really high-end projects—there are some pretty cool bathrooms out there, like when you get to that approaching six figures range—and we’ve seen those take three months. So it really just depends on what you’re doing. I would say the average for a custom bathroom remodel is three to five weeks. It just depends on if you’re doing new electrical, new drywall, tile, that type of stuff.

Nora Duran: And let’s talk about value. Are there any specific upgrades or features that really make a difference?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: Well, yeah, so I have two answers for that because I get this a lot. I have a lot of prospects who ask me, “Hey, what increases the value of the bathroom the most?” And so I have an answer for the question that’s asked, and then I also have an answer to the question I think they mean to ask.

As far as what increases the value, there are major things like steam showers and very fancy systems, things like that. And of course, something like a steam shower might increase the value of a home by $10,000, $20,000, $30,000, $40,000, $50,000, but you might end up spending $30,000 to put that in, so you might not get a good return. Now, the question I think most people mean to ask is, “What’s going to get you the best return dollar for dollar on your investment?” And it’s going to be the things that, unfortunately, aren’t the really expensive stuff that I’d like to say, but it’s going to be things like paint, which is a very low-cost but major transformation item. Things like luxury vinyl plank flooring, also very low cost for the material and labor, but it can make a huge difference. It can also, versus tile flooring, sometimes put you in situations that are a little bit safer too because if you have minor issues with flooring, it’s a little more forgiving due to the pad underneath. Although sometimes you just have to replace the board, sometimes you’ve got to deal with stuff, but sometimes it’ll forgive you. Another one is door hardware or cabinet hardware—very affordable, but it can make things look a lot cleaner.

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: So, those are some of the things that I see for people who are really hyper-focused on the return on investment side of things. Of course, you know, I’d love to tell everyone to do a steam shower, but no, it’s just the boring stuff that everyone thought.

Nora Duran: Yeah, when it comes to design, what are some popular colors for bathroom remodels? Are there timeless options that you recommend, or what’s trending right now?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: Sure, that’s a good question. So, I’m part of a couple of groups, right? I’m in the National Kitchen Bath Association and also took a trip to the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show earlier in the year where I actually met with one of your cohorts, and I talked to a lot of designers. There are certain things I’m hearing where designers have different opinions.

One of the big things is color, right? A lot of designers agree that color is coming back. How it’s coming back is where the argument starts. Some designers say it’s the new neutrals—pale pinks, muted yellows—replacing the gray, beige, and white options in many remodels. But then you have other designers who argue for bold monochromatics, doing things like the 70s with very bright and emotional colors.

There are two things most designers seem to agree on. One is that earth tones aren’t going anywhere—the browns, greens, and all that are very safe and still very popular. The other is that plain white is out. White, plain white bathrooms and kitchens are on their way out. Interestingly, though, we’re behind here in Ohio, where I still see a lot of people requesting those installs. But almost every designer I’ve spoken to says that white is going out, so I have to offer some guidance there. If someone still wants it, of course, we’ll do it, but it seems to be on its way out.

Nora Duran: Yeah, that’s really good to know. And let’s talk about what comes first in a bathroom remodeling project. Is there a specific element or area that should be tackled before anything else?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: Yes, design. That’s it. Design, design, design, design. I’d love if everybody had the time to really focus on design. If we could put as many hours into designing the bathroom as we do into executing the project, you’d get a beautiful result. We have so many people who want to do it the other way—they just decide they want to remodel and aren’t aware of what’s out there. We do our best to educate, but if we wanted to educate you on everything that’s in our heads, it would take us a year of talking. So, some of that needs to be taken at a slower pace.

Nora Duran: I see. I agree. And for the DIY enthusiasts out there, what are the pros and cons of each approach?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: The pros are obvious—you can save costs and learn some skills. A lot of people started in the industry by doing DIY projects. The con is the risk. With DIY, the key is understanding the risk for the item you’re DIYing and what happens if you mess it up. That’s very important.

For example, if someone wants to paint and doesn’t do a good job, it’s not a big deal—you can get someone else to come in and paint for you. Same with luxury vinyl plank. If you don’t do a good job, it’ll be okay in the short term, but it might lead to problems later. But there are things that won’t forgive you, like a tile shower. If you do a bad job, water can get behind the tiles, and that’s going to lead to big issues. You might end up having to take out a very expensive $15,000 shower that you were trying to save costs on. Plumbing and electrical are also areas where mistakes can be very costly. So, before you DIY, maybe Google what happens when things go wrong with that item. If you see it’s something you’re not willing to risk, consider getting some help.

Nora Duran: For sure. And when planning a remodel, what are some key things to keep in mind to avoid common pitfalls?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: The advice I typically give is to know your needs and risks, and take your time to understand them. If you know what’s important to you going into a remodel, it’s easier for someone like me to guide you and bring to life what’s important to you.

As for risks, one of the biggest is who you choose as your remodeler. It’s very tempting to go with cheaper options, and I understand that. I don’t get mad at clients when they choose cheaper prospects—I get it. But a lot of them do end up calling us back. You want to be aware of the risks associated with going with lower prices, as well as other risks in the industry. Make sure you fully understand your needs so you don’t have the risk of wanting to change things after the fact, and make sure you select the right remodeler for your project.

Nora Duran: And before we wrap up, what’s the one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting their bathroom remodel? What’s crucial to know before diving in?

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: Screen your contractor. Check them out on Google, Thumbtack, Angie’s List, HomeAdvisor, Houzz—wherever you can find them. Screen your contractor, and if they’re not traceable, don’t use them. If they’re not traceable, that’s a big red flag. It’s very easy to be traceable in today’s age, so screen your contractor.

Nora Duran: Okay, perfect tip. I think our listeners will love this. Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your expertise. I’m sure our listeners have found this very helpful. And until next time, happy remodeling.

Jordan – Adonis Kitchen and Bath: Thank you. Have a good one, Nora.