How to Estimate a Bathroom Remodel: A Complete Worked Example

1. Start with the site visit

Write down what stays, what comes out, and what moves. A bathroom with the same fixture locations is a different job from one with relocated drains and a larger shower. Measure the floor, tiled walls, ceiling, and access route separately. Take photos of the conditions behind your assumptions.

For this worked example, assume a 60-square-foot bathroom with 100 square feet of shower wall tile. The fixture locations stay, the room gets a new vanity and toilet, and there is no known structural repair. Every dollar below is an illustrative estimating input, not a local price recommendation.

• Confirm who supplies the vanity, fixtures, tile, and accessories.
• Record the shower assembly, tile layout, edge details, and finish selections.
• Identify protection, disposal access, permit responsibility, and inspection time.
• List concealed damage as an unknown with an agreed review process.

2. Turn measurements into quantities and hours

Measure installed area first, then add purchasing waste where it applies. At an illustrative 10% waste allowance, 100 square feet of wall tile becomes 110 square feet to buy. At $5 per square foot, that tile costs $550 before tax and delivery. Round purchases to the supplier’s box size. Floor tile, trim, waterproofing, mortar, and grout each need their own quantity.

Price labor from the hours each phase needs and your loaded labor cost. For example, 40 hours at an illustrative $45 cost per hour is $1,800. This is an employer cost, not the rate you charge the client. If a subcontractor quote includes labor and materials, do not add those same costs again.

3. Build the direct-cost estimate

The table rolls the detailed takeoff into phases a homeowner can understand. Each total should have quantities, hours, or a supplier quote behind it. Keep that detail in your working estimate even if the proposal shows a simpler breakdown.

4. Add risk, overhead, and profit deliberately

In this example, add a documented $535 internal risk allowance to the $10,700 subtotal. The cost base becomes $11,235. An illustrative 30% markup adds $3,370.50, producing a $14,605.50 selling price before applicable tax. That markup must cover your planned overhead allocation and profit; it is not all money you take home.

A 30% markup is about a 23.1% gross margin on this cost base. It is not a 30% margin. Choose the percentage from your actual costs and business goals. If you price overhead as a separate cost, avoid recovering it twice without intending to.

Keep an internal risk allowance separate from a client selection allowance. One covers uncertainty in your cost estimate; the other states what is included for an unselected product. Explain any client-facing contingency and how unused amounts are treated in your agreement.

5. Review the proposal before it leaves the truck

Read the estimate against the scope, not just the total. Check quantities, current supplier prices, trade inclusions, selections, exclusions, and who owns each responsibility. Verify tax treatment separately rather than applying one rule to every project.

Add a valid-until date, realistic duration, payment milestones, and a clear process for changes. GreenlitBid can turn the scope into a draft estimate; your site knowledge and verified costs are what make the final number worth sending.