Master Bathroom Remodel

Had Interior Designer #1 (Sarah's neighbor's designer) out yesterday. I had given her my budget on the phone and before even seeing the room, she immediately said it would be very tight. I want my designer to say, "We can do that! We might not be able to do everything you want, but we can do something great."

Once she got here, she kept suggesting more and more things to up the cost. I dunno. She had great ideas, but I want to talk to another person. We won't be in this house forever, so I don't need a dream bathroom.

This was my first experience with a designer. Now I know how the process works. You can have the designer just give you ideas on colors, materials, etc. or do a full-on plan, both at an hourly rate. (Average rate I've seen is $95 per hour. A bathroom would take about 3-10 hours for the drawing and plan.) She was here for an hour, and I'll have another person come out for an hour before I make any decisions. Totally worth it for ideas, to me. I'm an HGTV junkie and I hadn't thought of a lot of things she suggested. After the planning, you can have them manage the project or do it yourself.

Incidentally, for furniture and decor ideas for rooms other than kitchen/bathroom, many furniture stores will send someone out for free to do that sort of "decor brainstorming" with you. We did that with Bassett for our living room. It turned out fantastic.

Waiting for the second designer to call me back...