As usual, my advice is "it depends".
In general terms, a bathroom remodel can be very DIY friendly. Fixtures and other items are readily available from the big-box stores and numerous on-line places.
In my experience, you can save a LOT of money by doing the bathroom yourself. The reason most bath remodel estimates are so high is because most of the work to be done is very time-consuming and rather tedious. Also, bathrooms tend to have a lot of "features" per square foot compared with other areas around the home.
Generally, I do all of the demolition & removal work myself, removing the old fixtures, taking down drywall if necessary and anything else that needs to be done. I prefer to strip any room down to the studs if possible, as it gives me the opportunity to see if there are any hidden problems and repair any situations that need it. At this point, I generally have any electrical and plumbing work done by professionals, inspected, etc.. I'll usually have the plumber "set" the tub, as they generally don't charge much extra for that if they are already there.
With all new piping and wiring installed, I insulate the walls and re-drywall using all moisture-resistant materials. With the walls finished, I install the cabinetry & trim, finish the flooring & decorating, and have the plumber back one more time to set the toilet & connect the sink.
Depending where you live, and permit requirements, you may be able to do all the plumbing and electrical yourself, but I don't recommend it. If you do all the preliminary work and get everything ready, you will be able to get the work done by a pro at a reasonable cost.
By the way, DON'T try a DIY bathroom remodel if it's the only bathroom in the house! I guarantee that it will take at least twice as long as your wildest estimate, and being without a working bathroom is never a good situation.
Good luck!
John
--- In DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com, "hammersjsl" <hammersjsl@...> wrote:
>
>
> How realistic is it to remodel a bathroom DIY? We are looking to
> upgrade/replace items and repainting...we plan on keeping the 8YO tile
> floor (original bathroom is 17YO) and we will not be making any changes
> to the layout. Quotes for the work (with nice but not palatial
> materials) have come in from $11-$14K...yikes.
>
> Seems like replacing the toilet is pretty straightforward but a surround
> tub replacement looks pretty involved. Not sure about the cabinets,
> especially since I need to make sure they fit well in the space.
>
> BTW our plan is to get faucets from somewhere other than Lowe's or HD.
> We replaced faucets a few years ago and I'm not too crazy about the ones
> we bought at HD...and they were not the cheapest ones on the shelves.
>
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