What Is the Most Expensive Part of a Shower Renovation?

There’s a common misconception that if you’re paying a professional installer to complete your shower renovation, the bulk of your budget is covering the cost of labor. That misconception comes from the cost discrepancy between a professional shower remodel ($11,000-$22,000) and a DIY shower install ($5,000, according to those persistent Redditors).

The reality is that even in a professional shower remodel estimate, the bulk of your costs are covering the materials. They just happen to cost more than what you get with a shower insert kit because they’re higher in quality and fully customizable.

Generally speaking, between 40-60% of your budget covers materials, 25-40% covers labor costs, and the remainder goes toward things like plumbing upgrades, subfloor repairs, and other as-needed improvements.

Do Shower Renovation Costs Vary By Region?

A 2,000 square foot house in Lubbock, where cost of living is 10% lower than the national average, is going to cost less than a 2,000 square foot house in Austin or even Dallas. Does the same logic follow that home remodeling will cost more or less based on where you live?

The short answer is that it depends. The independent contractor in Austin probably will charge more than the independent contractor in Lubbock.

At ZINTEX, we don’t raise our prices in our denser, more expensive markets. This is true for all of our services, including our accessible bathroom remodels.

Is Cost the Most Important Deciding Factor When Picking a Bathroom Remodeling Company?

It’s pretty standard practice to request a quote from two to three companies. This allows you to actually determine what different companies are charging for comparable services (because, as we mentioned earlier, many companies aren’t going to share that information online). What else should you assess while reviewing multiple companies? Make sure you’re considering:

• Reviews and overall reputation
• Product quality and manufacturing partners
• Verified licensing and insurance
• Years of experience
• Customization capabilities

Plus, what does it really mean to compare estimates? You don’t want to just pick the cheapest option. You want to find the company that offers the most value to you at the best price. (For example, it might be worth it to pay a little more for the company that can meet all of your functional and aesthetic must-haves.)

Do Bathroom Remodeling Companies Provide In-House Financing?

Financing can make your shower renovation cost a lot more manageable, breaking down that total estimate into monthly payments. In fact, about 65-70% of ZINTEX customers opt to finance their remodel.

Are we providing in-house financing? To put it differently, is ZINTEX the lender you’re borrowing from if you finance your ZINTEX remodel?

ZINTEX partners with third-party lenders, but we are not the ones who are financing your remodel–and it’s safe to say that this is true of just about every bathroom remodeling company. We can help you learn more about remodel financing before you decide if it’s the right choice for you, but we aren’t the ones who can approve your financing, set your loan terms, or directly accept your monthly payments.

Get Prepared With ZINTEX Bathroom Remodel Budgeting Tips

We know that it can be difficult to get straightforward answers about shower remodel costs unless you’re in the middle of an in-home consultation. Hopefully this guide has cleared some of the fog and empowered you to take next steps with confidence.

What’s next? Take a look at our budgeting guide: Shower Remodel Budget: Get the Best Value Without Compromising Quality.