Ouch. We need to renovate our master bathroom and got a quote for $42k - but at least that included the materials. It's a pretty big room, about 250 sq ft, but the design wasn't exactly radical. That project will go on the back burner for a bit though, we have five bathrooms that all need gutted, so think we'll do one of the smaller ones first. We've redone bathrooms ourselves back in the UK, so know what we're about.

I hate getting people in to do anything. Never have done before moving here. Had to get aircon folk in though and someone to replace the fire - we won't touch gas and don't have a clue about a/c!

Why do Americans have so many bathrooms?

We only have two, one 'guest' bathroom and one ensuite. We may throw a third bog and perhaps a shower (I love the term three-quarter bath ) in the basement when we finish it so we can rent a room to my brother in law. We're roughed in for a bathroom down there, we may as well. I can have somewhere I can shit in peace

Won't the BIL mind?

This is the bloke whose tactics in darts involves letting loose a great juicy guff at the oche to put his opponents off. I don't think he'll mind.

Even if we don't rent out the space (but seeing as we could get $500.00/mo easily for it, it seems silly not to) we'll probably still put a bog and a bedroom down there. It does add value to the house.

If there is one person on earth to whom I would not wish to rent in my house, it would be my brother-in-law. A guy who cannot hold his liquor, but who is drawn to a bottle of brandy like a moth to a flame.

Conversely, my brother in law is one of the few members of my wife's family I'd have renting from us

We have 4 1/2 (as they say here ) and it's a hell of lot of cleaning...and don't even get me started on stairs.

4.5? You're such a hedonist, JG.

But cleaning? Two is enough of a pain in the arse, I can't imagine what 4.5 is like ...

What's wrong with you

Cleaning bathrooms is what husbands are for. In our house anyway

I do clean our bathrooms, in order to get out of cutting the grass

That doesn't mean I have to like it, though ...

Holy $h!t! I struggle to see how it could possibly cost that much to renovate a bathroom! You can put a pool in for that! Wait, are you getting a pool put in your bathroom?!

I'm with you on that. I'd do pretty much anything to not have to cut the lawn. I will prep a room for 3 days so I can paint it, but I just hate mowing. I pay someone else to do it. Money well spent if you ask me.

2 1/2 baths in our house, but haven't used the half bath, just off the laundry area for 13 years. When I had the floor tiled, unbeknownst to me, the tiling guy cracked the toilet (which is one of those all in one piece jobs) so that it leaks if there's water in it. Since there's only 2 of us, no need to rush to replace it, too many other places to put money. Sigh.

My wife actually enjoys it so she does it. Only money we have to spend is for a gallon of petrol to keep in the garage to refill the mower.

We don't own a mower and have approx 1/3rd acre. Whilst it's not massive, it's actually a decent amount to mow with a regular mower and paying someone $30 every other week rather than having to fork out $1,500 for a ride on mower (lets face it that's the only way it would get done if I were to do it) made perfect sense to me.