Full bath additions: popular home improvements

A full bath is a half bath or powder room--toilet and sink--along with a shower and a bathtub, or a shower/tub combination, all enclosed within one room. This larger bathroom can be advantageous for guests and children, and can enhance your home's resale value. However, it does require more space than its smaller counterpart and is pricier to install.

A bathroom remodel requires plumbing and electrical knowledge. A new installation also requires carpentry expertise. The mid-range price to remodel an existing 5-by-7-foot bathroom is between $16,000 and $18,000, depending upon your location in the United States. The mid-range cost to add a 6-by-8-foot bathroom with poured concrete walls is between $40,000 and $43,000. Some popular features of today's bathrooms are old-style soaking tubs without jets, frameless glass showers, environmentally friendly fixtures, artisanal-raised sinks, textured tiles and heated floors.