How Much to Wire Small Bathroom

[vinny11950]

I know this is tough to estimate, but I want to have an electrician rewire the bathroom I am rebuilding. I will break it down to the studs so the electrician will have access to the walls and ceiling (attic too).

I want to:

Run new circuit exclusively for bathroom from breaker box (GFI breaker), 20 amps
Run new circuit exclusively for bathroom 240v ceiling electric heater, 20 amps
Set up 2 6" can lights in the ceiling (one over the bathtub and one outside)
Wire up the ceiling exhaust fan, which is an inline fan in the attic
Set up one plug-in outlet
Of course, all these things will have switches on the wall

If I buy all the material, how much would the labor be? Ball park range?

I am meeting with a guy next week and want to see how much I can expect to pay.

Thanks.

 

[burnham]

It really depends on access to the panel. If the electrician can just run wires across a basement, it should be a pretty straight forward job. If they have to snake wires through a finished wall it will take longer. About a half day to rough, about the same to finish, and an hour to pull a permit. Easily $1500 in labor.

 

[vinny11950]

It really depends on access to the panel. If the electrician can just run wires across a basement, it should be a pretty straight forward job. If they have to snake wires through a finished wall it will take longer. About a half day to rough, about the same to finish, and an hour to pull a permit. Easily $1500 in labor.

Wow!

 

[heat seeker]

If the tub has a shower, you'll need a waterproof fixture in there. You might, anyway, depending on code.

 

[Buzz Saw]

If it's all open have you considered doing it yourself? You seem to know what you need to buy, installing is the fun part of a project. Get a few buddies to come over and knock it out on a Saturday.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Im doing a bathroom now,im installing a double radiant bulb heater. I love those things, they only use 500 watts for 2 bulbs so you can run it right off the light switch.You can install it anywhere in the ceiling .You stand under it when you get out of the shower and it dries you off. It warms the floor while your in the shower. Easily warms the whole bathroom unless its enormous. I ordered mine online.

 

[mass_burner]

If it's all open have you considered doing it yourself? You seem to know what you need to buy, installing is the fun part of a project. Get a few buddies to come over and knock it out on a Saturday.

Got a $2000 quote on my basement office wiring project. Needless to say, did it myself. Just takes longer due to the learning curve.

 

[vinny11950]

Im doing a bathroom now,im installing a double radiant bulb heater. I love those things, they only use 500 watts for 2 bulbs so you can run it right off the light switch.You can install it anywhere in the ceiling .You stand under it when you get out of the shower and it dries you off. It warms the floor while your in the shower. Easily warms the whole bathroom unless its enormous. I ordered mine online.

This is what I got

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0SF6F6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

Made in Canada like my Enviro pellet stove!

Had not thought of the bulbs. Bathroom has a small electric baseboard heater which gets rusty and takes up space. That's why I decided for the ceiling heater.

I'll post some pictures of the project as I go along. I hope to finish in the next 10 to 14 days. Gotta get this done before Christmas!

 

[Dr.Faustus]

I dunno, i had a licensed legit electrician do my bathroom wiring - very similar to what you describe. walls and ceilings already down to studs, fan and light, few outlets. additional light fixture over vanity and switches. easy access through full basement to panel. I bought supplies. paid $500.00 for labor and after he was done he helped me sheet rock the ceiling!

 

[vinny11950]

If it's all open have you considered doing it yourself? You seem to know what you need to buy, installing is the fun part of a project. Get a few buddies to come over and knock it out on a Saturday.

Yeah, I think I will do most of the setup (run conduits, setup of boxes), but I want the electrician to check my work and do the breakers at the box. I am not experienced enough to go in the breaker box. I got a couple of electrical books, but not sure about some things and how they relate to local code. The electrician I am talking to lives in the neighborhood so I am hoping he knows the codes and it's easy for him to come over (cheap).

 

[vinny11950]

I sistered 3 floor joists under the bathroom to fix them because someone ran a 1.5 inch pvc drain pipe too close to the edge. Took out the drain pipe and ran it somewhere else and then added some quality douglas fir 2 x 8, 14 ft long alongside the damaged joists. This should keep the floor from bouncing too much and hold the new weight of the porcelain tiles.

I have been going to terrylove.com for plumbing help.

And johnbridge.com for tiling advice.

They have this calculator that helps you measure the strength of your floor: http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/deflecto.pl

Cool tool.

I am now cross eyed reading about all the different thinset mortars available to use from different vendors.

I have to say, rebuilding a bathroom is the toughest home project I have had to do so far; the electrical, plumbing, structural and tiling work is very demanding and they all to be a certain way to be done right and for it to last.

 

[Husky]

Im doing a bathroom now,im installing a double radiant bulb heater. I love those things, they only use 500 watts for 2 bulbs so you can run it right off the light switch.You can install it anywhere in the ceiling .You stand under it when you get out of the shower and it dries you off. It warms the floor while your in the shower. Easily warms the whole bathroom unless its enormous. I ordered mine online.

I second that. In my last house I made the mistake of putting in a fan heater unit and it was a mistake. The idea seemed great but when your wet the hot air blowing down was in no way hot enough. It made you cold and uncomfortable when you got out of the shower. We ended up not using it the first year and then I changed it over to the lamp style radiant heat and we loved it.

 

[jebatty]

For a bathroom heater I installed a 240V-1500W kick space heater and wired it to a timer switch. When needed, the timer switch is turned to 15 minutes, which is plenty to heat the bathroom, then turns off. With the warm air blowing across the floor and then up to heat the bathroom, no cool drafts.

 

[vinny11950]

I second that. In my last house I made the mistake of putting in a fan heater unit and it was a mistake. The idea seemed great but when your wet the hot air blowing down was in no way hot enough. It made you cold and uncomfortable when you got out of the shower. We ended up not using it the first year and then I changed it over to the lamp style radiant heat and we loved it.

One of the reasons for getting a ceiling unit was to save space and because if it doesn't work out I can swap it out without messing with the tiles on the lower half of the bathroom.

There is another half bath that I will try the bulbs in. It's getting redone too just because it is next to the big one and I might as well do them both.

 

[firefighterjake]

. . .
I have to say, rebuilding a bathroom is the toughest home project I have had to do so far; the electrical, plumbing, structural and tiling work is very demanding and they all to be a certain way to be done right and for it to last.

Had a contractor tell me that bathrooms are often the most challenging, and most profitable, renovation jobs because a) there is a little something for every trade in that one room (electrical, plumbing, carpentry, sheetrock, paint, flooring, etc.) and b) they're often not very large which means you cannot have too many folks working in that one small spot at the same time.

 

[Buzz Saw]

Have you considered electric radiant floor? I haven't done it, but looks pretty slick and straight forward. A thin heating element goes into the thin set under the tile. Hook it up to a timer in a single gang box.

 

[vinny11950]

Any advice on my plan to run the wires from the main electrical panel in the basement to the attic using a few conduits? I want to use conduits for future cable runs as it seems it will make it easier to add wire in the conduits.

Here is a diagram of the proposed run:

Thanks.

 

[vinny11950]

Have you considered electric radiant floor? I haven't done it, but looks pretty slick and straight forward. A thin heating element goes into the thin set under the tile. Hook it up to a timer in a single gang box.

I did. Just saw a friend who put it in the new bathroom he redid, but I am scared to embed electrical in the tile with no access to service or repair. Not worth it if something goes wrong I am pulling tiles.

 

[Buzz Saw]

Yeah, I think I will do most of the setup (run conduits, setup of boxes), but I want the electrician to check my work and do the breakers at the box. I am not experienced enough to go in the breaker box. I got a couple of electrical books, but not sure about some things and how they relate to local code. The electrician I am talking to lives in the neighborhood so I am hoping he knows the codes and it's easy for him to come over (cheap).

I can understand your caution in the panel, but it's pretty straight forward. Just do yourself a favor and watch what he is doing and ask lots of questions. If you are paying by the hour he should be happy to answer any questions you have. Never hurts to learn WHY something is done a certain way.

 

[vinny11950]

I can understand your caution in the panel, but it's pretty straight forward. Just do yourself a favor and watch what he is doing and ask lots of questions. If you are paying by the hour he should be happy to answer any questions you have. Never hurts to learn WHY something is done a certain way.

Good advice. I plan to work with him on this and I will let him know from the beginning so if he has a problem with it he can let me know before we get started. Trust but verify. Anyway, I am hoping it is a quiet time now for electrical work and this would be easy money for a local electrician looking to get some Christmas money.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

This is what I got

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0SF6F6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

!

I stopped using those 20 years ago. Reasons too numerous to mention. I just haven't found anything as cost effective ,low power consumption and versatile, easy to maintain as the Radiant bulbs. You get a floor heater,a room heater ,a dryer,and a body warmer for 500 watts of power. Small bathrooms can use the single bulb version at 250 watts. Can run it on a 15 amp breaker with 14-2 wire.

 

[vinny11950]

I stopped using those 20 years ago. Reasons too numerous to mention. I just haven't found anything as cost effective ,low power consumption and versatile, easy to maintain as the Radiant bulbs. You get a floor heater,a room heater ,a dryer,and a body warmer for 500 watts of power. Small bathrooms can use the single bulb version at 250 watts. Can run it on a 15 amp breaker with 14-2 wire.

Ha, I am living in the past. If it doesn't work out, I am perfectly willing to swap it out. And since I already bought it, I might as well use it. Though the radiant bulb heat would not get sucked out from the exhaust fan as much as the hot air heat.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Ha, I am living in the past. If it doesn't work out, I am perfectly willing to swap it out. And since I already bought it, I might as well use it. Though the radiant bulb heat would not get sucked out from the exhaust fan as much as the hot air heat.

Correct ,the radiant heat heats what it touches, mostly the floor. Unless your standing under it ,then it heats you.

 

[KB007]

Couple of things:

1) your contractor may charge you a better price if he supplies the wire, and misc as often they get better pricing than we might, and sometimes will simply have it on hand and price it to win. Don't assume you can get better on materials.

2) installation, probably anywhere from 600 to 1200 depending on how many little details you're not mentioning or haven't thought of yet, like, do you want the lights on the same switch as the fan or separate? Do you want the heater on a timer, switch, both, thermostat or some other arrangement? Only 1 outlet, really? Prolly gonna end up with 2. Only 2 pot lights? no vanity mirror lighting at all? no mood lighting for when you and the wife want to scrub each others backs?

Bathrooms are often the source of many changes as you get into the job, make sure you find a guy who seems flexible for when you make changes...

 

[vinny11950]

So I tore down the bathroom and the electrician came over and gave me a quote of $600. That is to install 2 new 20 amp breakers at the main panel, run the wires to the bathroom, set up all the fixtures and the switches. I'll have him do it next week. With all the plumbing and structural work I have to do, I am more than happy to farm it out. Good thing the bathroom in the basement is working