And should've begun, a long time ago...my first ever bathroom remodel.

As I've mentioned in other forums, we are closing on our new old house in a week -- built in 1955 and never touched since (except, apparently, at some point in the '80s vis-a-vis a horrible wallpaper disaster in the breakfast room). We have to replace the roof immediately (for insurance purposes) and put up a pool fence to keep the kiddies and doggies safe. But the first major remodel will be our master bath. It needs gutted. I need advice.

Where do I start? I guess I'll describe it. Maybe I'll try to add pics, later.

It is smallish but has potential. It is bereft of closet space. It currently has a tiny shower, toilet and a largish vanity with only one sink. It does, have an absurdly large dressing area and two long (but not walk in depth) closets. Directly next to the master bath (on the other side of the wall) is an absurdly large powder bath, which I think I could steal some space from. But if I steal space from the powder, I'll need to take over a small cedar coat closet to basically reconfigure the powder.

Out of my new bath I want: a w/i closet, a sep bath tub, bigger shower, dual vanities, and, of course, the lav. On paper, I think I can make it work, with stealing space. Without stealing space, there is no way.

So, how do I do all of this, short of just gutting everything and seeing what I got to work with? I emailed an architect I know to get his thoughts. I've talked to two kitchen and bath people in the area, but they didn't jibe with me. We aren't DIY'ers, exactly, although we have plenty of skilled friends and relatives. We won't be moving in until June at the absolute earliest, so we won't have to live through it, either.

I keep wanting to look at fixtures and flooring, etc., but it seems silly to do anything without a realistic plan in place. The cost of the reconfiguring will likely impact the amount I can spend on fixtures. Speaking of which, my budget is $40k tops, but ideally more like $30k.

Oh yeah -- and the current shower has a pan leak. So, this has to take place pretty nearly immediately to avoid further damage. I'd like to begin the remodel in a month or so. I feel so behind the eight ball already.

What do I need to consider? What am I forgetting or missing? Where do I start and to whom do I speak? I kind of have a sense of aesthetic for it -- the usual modern, zen, spa, subway tiled blah blah blah.

I live in Dallas, so finding the labor and parts shouldn't be that difficult. Its the beginning that I'm having problems with...

Thanks in advance!