BrittanyMakes

Many designers and design bloggers, like myself, are working SUPER hard to to unveil the true cost of home renovations. The misperception of renovation costs is becoming a major issue in the design world and I feel compelled to help rectify this!

I don’t watch home makeover shows because they’re just so far from the truth and it’s actually not entertaining to me. (However I am PUMPED for Orlando’s show!). I 100% believe home renovation should be accessible to anyone, and hopefully the more truth we spread regarding how much our renovations actually cost, the better informed people will be to budget for their own projects.

Today I am sharing the breakdown the time and cost of our master suite renovation, since some of the aspects of our project may not pertain to everyone. I also think it makes a lot of sense when viewing a project this way.

TIME

We broke ground our master suite project late April 2018 and finished everything early November 2018. We were lucky and didn’t experience any significant delays in our project.  Definitely the most common delays in renovations are caused by permitting and shipping lead times.

(I should also mention, we spent a month prior to the start of the project getting bids from different foundation companies, which I excluded from this timeline.)

Foundation: 2 months

Fixing the foundation included removing the load bearing wall, installation of new beam, jacking up the foundation 2″, and awaiting inspections (read more about the foundation project here)

Bathroom: 1 month

Mid-way through the master suite renovation we decided to add the bathroom onto the scope of the project. The time spent included demo-ing the old bathroom, framing out new bathroom, running new plumbing & electrical, laying drywall, and installation of the pocket door. Our bathroom is currently unfinished as we re-set our budget since I QUIT! Don’t worry though, we have 2 other bathrooms in the house! (read more about the kitchen plans here)

Ceiling: 1.5 month

The ceiling turned out even better than I imagined. Our contractor started by removing the old painted beams and resurfacing them through a planer machine. He ran all new electrical and installed new drywall. Then he installed the Metrie shiplap paneling before placing the newly resurfaced beams back up into the ceiling.  (read more about the ceiling here)

Flooring: 1.5 months

Prepping the floors took more time than laying the actual flooring if you can believe it!  The concrete had to be sanding down to remove any imperfections and create a smooth surface. We had to test for moisture, then spent time determining the layout of the floor boards. Once the boards and layout were set, installing the flooring. (read more about the flooring here)

The foundation part of the project was done by a local foundation company with 3 guys working at our site the entire time. The rest of our project was executed by a solo contractor who is essentially a magician! I still don’t know how he got those beams up onto the ceiling by himself! Ultimately the ceiling and flooring parts of the project should have taken less time but our contractor was split between our project and another client’s project.

BUDGET

Renovating our master suite has officially become the most expensive project under our belts. No two projects are the same and ours was special since we had to lift the foundation of our master suite by 2.5″, yet our project should give you an idea what each piece of a project like this may cost. *I should also mention we live in the San Francisco Bay Area and renovation costs are at a premium due to our location.

• Foundation: $21,500
• Load Bearing Wall: $4,000
• Flooring:
  • (hardwood, 400 sqft): $5,400
  • (supplies): $1,000
  • (labor): $4,000
• Ceiling & Electrical (labor & materials): $9,500
• Bathroom (labor, electrical, plumbing & framing materials): $7,000
• Painting & Staining: $1.800
• Total: $54,200

Fixing the foundation was the most expensive part of the project at 40% of the budget. Everything related to the floors including labor, supplies, and materials was the second most expensive part of the project, totaling almost 20%.  The foundation cost was the only kick-to-the-gut in terms of budget spend since the outcome feels so intangible, but we are happy we did the right thing for the house.  We feel safe, the house feels sturdy, and this room isn’t going anywhere!

So tell me! Is any of this information surprising to you? Do you feel the same way as I do and want to see more honesty on televised renovations?