Free Bathroom Remodel Planner: Build Your Project Roadmap
Most bathroom projects don't fail on execution. They fail because nobody wrote down what the project was, in what order it happens, and what it costs — so decisions arrive late, when they're expensive.
Basteq's planner is a free tool that produces that document for you. Answer a handful of questions about your bathroom and you get a roadmap, a budget with contingency built in, and a task list that tells you what to do next.
Build your roadmap
A few questions about your bathroom, and you'll have a plan, a budget and a next step. No cost.
Open the planner — freeWhat you get
| Output | What it does for you |
|---|---|
| A step-by-step roadmap | Your project in the order it actually happens — selections before demolition, rough-in before waterproofing, glass after tile |
| A budget with contingency | An estimate for your scope and ZIP code, with 15% held back for what's behind the wall |
| A scope list | The specific jobs in your project — the raw material for a scope of work contractors can bid against |
| Today's next step | One thing to do now, rather than a wall of tasks |
| A materials estimate | Quantities and costs for tile, mortar, grout and waterproofing, adjusted for your area |
| An assistant | Ask a question, or send a photo, and get an answer in the context of your plan |
How it works
- Your ZIP code. Labour and material costs vary substantially by market — the same project in Northern Virginia typically runs 15–18% above the national baseline, while Richmond and the Tidewater area sit close to it. The estimate adjusts for where you actually live.
- Your scope. Pick the jobs from a checklist — walk-in shower, tub-to-shower conversion, new vanity, floor tile, lighting, exhaust fan, and so on — or choose a full gut.
- Your bathroom's size. Used for material quantities and for sanity-checking the estimate.
- Your plan is generated. A roadmap, a budget and a task list, ordered so decisions land before they become expensive.
It takes a few minutes. Nothing is installed, and there's no cost.
Why the ordering matters more than the estimate
Plenty of tools will give you a cost range. The more useful output is the sequence.
Nearly every avoidable overrun in a bathroom traces back to a decision made later than it should have been. A shower valve chosen after framing. Tile chosen after the drain type was fixed. A niche remembered after waterproofing. Each of those becomes a change order — and a change order is the most expensive way to buy anything, because there's exactly one supplier and no time to think.
A roadmap that puts selections before demolition, and rough-in decisions before the walls close, removes most of that cost before it exists.
The 15% rule, built in
Every budget the planner produces holds back 15% as contingency, and flags a project as at-risk rather than on-track when spending starts eating into it. Bathrooms hide their problems behind tile and under floors; the reserve is what turns a rotten subfloor into a phone call instead of a crisis.
What a generated plan looks like
Take a common case: a 5' × 8' hall bathroom, tub replaced with a walk-in shower, new vanity and floor tile, better lighting and a new fan, plumbing staying where it is. The plan that comes back is ordered roughly like this:
- Confirm the permit position. New shower pan and new electrical means this scope almost certainly needs one — so it goes at the top, before anything is booked.
- Lock the scope in writing. The job list becomes the basis of a scope of work that three contractors can bid against.
- Make the rough-in decisions. Drain type — which dictates your shower floor tile size — niche and bench positions, fan CFM, where the sconces and switches go. All of these are cheap now and expensive after the walls close.
- Choose and order everything. Including the shower valve and its matching trim, and any long-lead item like custom glass.
- Bid and hire. Three quotes on the same scope, licence and insurance verified.
- Build, with the inspection points marked so nobody is surprised when work pauses.
- Punch list before the final payment is released.
The estimate arrives alongside it, split into labour, fixtures and materials, plumbing and electrical, permits, and the 15% reserve — so you can see which part of the number to attack if it comes back higher than you hoped.
Nothing in that sequence is exotic. It's just the right order, which is exactly what's hard to hold in your head when you've never done it before.
Who it's for
- First-time renovators who need the shape of the whole project before talking to anyone. Pair it with our first-timer's guide.
- People collecting bids who need a defined scope so three quotes are actually comparable. See what to include in a scope of work.
- People stuck at the budget question who want a market-adjusted number rather than a national average. Our budgeting guide covers the reasoning behind it.
- Anyone mid-project who has lost the thread of what happens next.
What it isn't
Worth being straight about the limits:
- It isn't a quote. The budget is an estimate based on your scope, size and market. Only a contractor who has seen your bathroom can quote it.
- It isn't a substitute for licensed trades. Plumbing, electrical and structural work need qualified people and, in most cases, a permit.
- It doesn't know what's behind your walls. Nothing does until demolition. That's what the contingency is for.
- It isn't a design tool. It plans the project — scope, sequence, budget, tasks — rather than rendering the room.
Getting the most out of it
- Measure the bathroom before you start — length, width, ceiling height
- Decide whether the plumbing moves; it changes the budget more than anything else
- Be honest in the scope checklist rather than optimistic
- Treat the 15% contingency as unavailable, not as spare budget
- Use the scope list as the basis of a written scope of work
- Give that same scope to all three bidders
- Work the task list in order — the order is the point
Start your plan
A roadmap, a budget with contingency, and a clear next step for your bathroom — in a few minutes, free.
Open the planner — freeFrequently asked questions
Is the bathroom remodel planner free?
Yes. You answer a few questions about your bathroom and get a roadmap, a budget estimate and a task list at no cost. There's nothing to install — it runs in a browser.
How accurate is the budget estimate?
It's an estimate, not a quote. It's based on your scope, your bathroom's size and your ZIP code, with regional cost differences applied and 15% contingency held back. Only a contractor who has seen your bathroom can give you a real price, and nothing can predict what's behind your walls until demolition.
Do I need to know my exact scope to use it?
No. You pick jobs from a checklist — walk-in shower, new vanity, floor tile, lighting, exhaust fan and so on — or choose a full gut renovation. If you're unsure, the assistant can talk through what your situation likely needs.
Why does the planner ask for my ZIP code?
Because labour rates, permit fees and delivery costs vary substantially by market, and a national average is misleading. The same project in Northern Virginia typically runs 15–18% above the national baseline, while Richmond and the Tidewater area sit close to it.
Can the planner replace a contractor?
No. It plans the project — scope, sequence, budget and tasks — so you can have a better-informed conversation and compare bids fairly. Plumbing, electrical and structural work still need licensed trades, and in most cases a permit.
What should I do before I start using it?
Measure the bathroom, and decide whether the plumbing moves. Those two facts shape everything else, and having them ready means the plan you get back is genuinely about your project rather than a generic one.
