Design-Build Bathroom Remodels in Houston, Midtown, Memorial, & West University

Your bathroom should be a place you LOVE.  It’s often the first and last stop in your day, and a place where you spend significant time in between.  If your current bathroom is ugly, outdated, or not super functional, it might be time to do something about it.

 

Unique, Custom Spaces Built Around You

At Simplicity, we’re experts at creating unique, thoughtfully-designed spaces to suit your taste and lifestyle.  We do this without the “pomp and circumstance” that accompanies most interior designers and design firms. 

Our clients are often busy professionals or active retirees who want to avoid typical contractor hassles, and don’t want to hire and manage tradespeople.

Not all of our clients want a luxury bathroom.  However, they all want a special space that’s built well, and a chaos-free process en route.  

Here are some things to keep in mind with custom bathroom remodeling:

• For most projects, there are a fair number of decisions to be made. We’ll guide you through them all.  Don’t get “bogged down” trying to make decisions on your own.
• Even “simple” projects are not simple to execute.  It takes significant coordination to remodel an existing space – more than you may realize.  This is why you hire REAL professionals.
• Greater customization = greater cost. Very custom spaces are very expensive, and there are few companies with the patience, skill, knowledge, and relationships necessary to build this way.
• There are BIG differences in various contractors’ abilities to organize, execute, and manage these projects.  Expertise, attitude, and communication should be your key considerations when hiring.  Your most capable options will have a higher up-front cost, but can save you from the hassles and problems of working with typical Houston contractors.
• Unlike home builders and other “mass” construction, very little of what we do is repeated between projects.  The one exception is our Express program, where we offer a selection of shower, flooring, and faucet products with shorter lead times and faster installation than with our Design-Build program.  

 

 

Our Design-Build Approach

Our careful approach to building bathrooms is modeled on “design-build” principles.

This means we follow a step-by-step process from beginning to end, starting with design, and ending when construction is finished.  All project details are decided before your job is ordered, versus rushing to build with critical planning unfinished.

Pre-planning takes time, but it’s a game-changer.  Even a small guest bath can involve a half dozen plus trades, with tens or even hundreds of separate material SKUs to keep track of.  Delays and oversights are far more likely when the coordination of these inputs doesn’t happen up front.

Additionally, this approach eliminates ambiguity and builder-issued “change orders” for things you may only assume are already included in a vaguely-worded contract.

For a number of reasons, most residential remodeling work is not performed this way.  Projects are often started hastily, while pieces are filled in as work progresses.  Occasionally, details are forgotten or discarded altogether.  This is a recipe for longer and more stressful builds, as many Houston homeowners (who hired the wrong contractor) will attest.

For a structured process that minimizes hassles and helps you avoid a bad construction experience, it’s design-build for the win.

 

Price Vs. Scope: Bathroom Remodels

Your initial personal planning and budgeting are the cornerstones of success.  As the saying goes, it’s better to do a little bit right, than a whole lot wrong.

Basic, pull-and-replace bath remodels start at $25,000 for small bathrooms with a single wet area and sink.  Custom bath remodels start at $40,000 for the same small bathroom.

Larger bathrooms and bathrooms with more than one wet area have a higher cost.  Bathrooms with more tile work and cabinetry are also more expensive.

Your project’s cost will be greater than the sum of finish materials and trade labor.

Here are the most critical factors affecting your project’s cost:

• Design time
• Scope and complexity
• Finish materials (tile, faucets, etc.)
• Other materials (studs, screws, floor protection, air filters, etc.)
• Logistics (project location within your property)
• Trade labor
• Project management

 

For the vast majority of remodels, your biggest single cost is skilled trade labor.  After all, the skilled hands that create your new space are vital to the outcome.

If the turn-key remodel you want is not possible within your budget, you have 3 options.

1. Shrink the overall scope of your project.
2. Choose less expensive materials.
3. Fill the gap with financing, whether through us or another source. 

For the sake of your happiness and continued marital bliss, we do not recommend hiring new, inexperienced or inexpensive contractors – and there are many options in these categories in Houston.  It may sound obvious, but it’s true that your best and safest options will always have a higher price tag than the masses of low bidders.  

At the end of the day, build quality tends to outshine all other project attributes over the long term.  We’ve heard from many clients that they were glad they hired for excellence, even when that meant doing a smaller overall project to meet their budget.

For more information about pricing, see our Pricing Guide.