Bathroom may need partial redo

We're sure you are as sick as we are about hearing of rising gas prices every time you turn around. Unfortunately, that is just the most obvious symptom of our current economic troubles.

Everyone is feeling the pinch, and all our plans and projects are being scrutinized and re-evaluated. This includes plans for our homes.

One of the most commonly remodeled rooms in the home is the bathroom. It is one room that can become dated and surely needs an upgrade every decade or two. Of course, the ideal approach is to gut the room and re-install new fixtures and finishes. But with the cost running anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 for an average family bathroom, and upward of $15,000 and beyond for a master bath, a complete redo may not be in the cards at the moment, even with your economic stimulus check.

So, what can you do short of demolishing your bathroom and starting over? Cosmetic fixes, such as removing that old wallpaper, repainting with a more modern color and replacing the light fixture and towel racks are easy, inexpensive do-it-yourself projects.

Updating the sink faucet isn't too hard, and replacing the toilet can be done without major disruption to the plumbing or surrounding finishes. (Be aware, however, that older toilets — say from the 1930s or before — can have plumbing that comes up out of the floor farther away from the wall than more modern fixtures. This requires a special-order toilet. Older toilets may also have a lead flange that should be replaced along with the toilet.)

Sinks can be replaced in existing cabinetry, but the counter usually needs to be changed out, too. Cabinets can be easily removed and replaced, either with standard "built-in" cabinets or with pieces of free-standing furniture that are currently popular. The main complication here may be the floor. Hopefully, the flooring was installed before the cabinet; if not, one thing can lead to another, and you may need to change out the floor as well as the cabinetry.

Bathtubs and showers are the hardest areas to update in a bathroom. They generally require major remodeling. Shower pans tend to fail over time, so the best method is to remove all the tile, reinstall the pan if leaking is apparent, and refinish the walls. This is a more challenging project for a homeowner, and a licensed plumber needs to be involved.