A remodel is genuinely quoted by size times a quality tier, then adjusted by real line items - so that is exactly how this calculator prices it. A bathroom goes by the square foot, a kitchen by the linear foot of cabinetry, and the fixtures and add-ons that move the number sit on top as their own lines. You get a band, not a single number, because anyone who gives you one number for a five-figure job they have not seen is guessing.
Bathroom remodel cost
A bathroom is priced by floor area times a quality tier. The tier is the finish level - the same 65 sq ft room is a different job in builder-grade fittings than in a custom vanity and frameless glass.
Smaller bathrooms cost more per square foot, not less: demolition, waterproofing, plumbing setup and permitting are close to fixed whatever the room measures, so they spread over fewer feet.
The marquee fixtures are where the budget moves, so the calculator prices them as their own lines. The tier band above already assumes standard fixtures at that quality - add a line here for a specific swap or upgrade you want priced on top, or to price a single job on its own.
Cosmetic refresh or full gut is the scope decision, and it is a line, not a multiplier. A cosmetic refresh leaves the fixtures where they are - new surfaces and fittings on the same footprint. A full gut takes the room to the studs and lets the plumbing move, which is a real block of work - relocating a drain, a supply line and a vent - so the calculator adds it as its own line rather than quietly inflating the per-square-foot rate.
Kitchen remodel cost
A kitchen is priced by the linear foot of cabinetry, because cabinets are where a kitchen’s money is - and the one real fork a room allows is whether you reface them or replace them.
Refacing keeps the existing boxes and swaps the doors, drawer fronts and hardware - it runs 60 to 75 percent less than replacing, and it is the right call when the boxes are sound and the layout works. Replace when the cabinets are failing or the layout has to change.
The rest of the kitchen stacks on top, each as its own line.
Countertops are usually quoted per square foot - about $50 to $150 installed for quartz or granite - and a typical kitchen has 30 to 50 sq ft of it, which is where the band above comes from. An appliance package for a fridge, range, dishwasher and microwave starts around $2,500 and climbs fast into premium territory.
How this calculator works
Every figure is a real quantity times a real contractor rate, plus the once-off lines. Nothing else. The two rooms differ only in what the quantity is:
Bathroom = floor area (sq ft) × quality tier ($/sq ft)
+ full gut (if the plumbing moves)
+ Σ fixtures (tub-to-shower, vanity, tile…)
Kitchen = cabinetry (linear feet) × cabinet tier ($/lf)
+ Σ add-ons (countertops, appliances, island…)
Then every one of them becomes a band:
low = quantity × your low rate
high = quantity × your high rate
typical = the midpoint of the two
The typical is the midpoint of your own band, not a fourth estimate pulled from somewhere else, so the answer is only ever as precise as the rate you gave it. The math runs in exact units internally, so switching between imperial and metric changes the displayed numbers and never the underlying answer.
Rates are indicative 2026 US contractor ranges from published cost guides - Angi for bathroom remodels and fixtures, Angi for tub-to-shower conversions and walk-in showers, and HomeAdvisor for cabinets and countertops. They move with your city, your finishes and your contractor’s diary, and they are not a quote. The calculator seeds its rate fields from exactly these numbers so you can overwrite them the moment you have a real estimate in hand.
Worked example
This example follows the unit system you pick in the calculator above.
A 65 sq ft mid-range bathroom, fixtures staying in place:
- Base: 65 sq ft × $180-280 per sq ft (the mid-range tier) = $11,700 - $18,200, typical about $14,950.
- Then one marquee change - a tub-to-shower conversion at $3,000-8,000 - added as its own line: $14,700 to $26,200, typical about $20,450 (the midpoint, not a separate guess).
- Swap the conversion for a like-for-like tub and the line disappears, and the whole job drops back to the tier band. That is the point of pricing the fixture separately: you can see exactly what the one decision costs.
Before you spend anything
- Get the rate and the quantity separately. A contractor pricing “the whole bathroom” and one pricing per square foot cannot be compared until you know the room’s size and the fixtures in scope. Ask for both, then this calculator will tell you whether they multiply out.
- Hold back a contingency. Budget 10 to 20 percent on top for what the demolition uncovers - old wiring, hidden water damage, out-of-code plumbing. It is not padding; it is the part of the job nobody can see until the wall is open.
- Order the long-lead items first. Custom cabinets and vanities set the schedule. Nothing downstream of a back-ordered part can start, so order before demolition, not after.
- Price the fixture that tempts you as its own line. A tub-to-shower conversion or a custom walk-in is often the single biggest decision in a bathroom - see it on its own line before you fold it into the whole.
- Permits and design are real and not in the band. A bathroom or kitchen permit is typically $250 to $500, and design fees are on top. Add them once you know your scope.
