way to go Minnesota.....a cozy basement retreat..14K sounds fair for a tight budget diy project..
Thanks Terry, RedShoe, Jim, John. From demo to completion it was about 14 months.
This took a lot longer than I planned. What I underestimated was that of the 350 sq/ft of 12" wall tile - that there are really 10 walls - which made for a lot of cuts. Also my wife wanted that decorative mosaic strip - which made for even more cuts. I bet I cut 30% of the tile. Unlike floor tile where you can lay it out, with the wall tile, I had to cut as I went. It's really a two man job. So I wound up doing - 12 to 15 sq/ft every Saturday & Sunday. The Ardex X77 is a real nice thinset.
I spent a lot of time measuring for the lighting / mirror / wall hung vanity - there's no room for adjustment. That wall hung vanity was also a pain - I had to put it together to figure out where the plumbing connections should be.
I shimmed the studs to make them flat. Considering what a PITA that was - I think you could mud the walls in the same (or less time) and have them perfectly flat.
We have had good sucess with Grohe products - but they have horrible documentation - 2 point type - pictures the size of a matchbook, same instructions for different products, and when you're on step 6, they say go to step 9
If I were a plumber - I'd add a couple hrs just to install that stuff.
Hope these notes helps some other DIY'er!