Also, just wanted to add that the kitchen remodel would consist of new cabinets, floors, appliances, sink, countertops, backsplash and removing the island in favor of a peninsula. Other than that it would be pretty straightforward.

Kitchen for sure! You spend so much time there, bathrooms are just a stop. You can renovate 1 bathroom at a time later.

kitchen. maybe the bathrooms you can improve with some diy cosmetics

I would opt for kitchen remodel because I am assuming you are adding functionality and not just remodeling because you don't like the style of the kitchen.

It is wonderful to have a nice bathroom - I just finished my gut remodel so new bathrooms and kitchen but I could use the toilet; take a shower and wash my face and hands in my old bathrooms. I did add functionality in the master bath as I converted the tub/shower combo to a larger walk in shower with a bench - added grab bars etc with a view towards safety and comfort in terms of aging in place but I was able to use my old ugly bathrooms for many years without any issues. I live in a condo high rise and I am familiar with all the remodels and almost none of the bathrooms have added functionality as they retained the same tub/shower combo as the original baths.

kitchen, for sure.

If it's an issue of functionality, definitely the kitchen. Our fixer upper kitchen is incredibly dysfunctional and difficult to work in. The bathroom could use some layout adjustment but is otherwise just old (like 1930s old).

But if the kitchen is functional and you just want new finishes, then maybe bathrooms first.

kitchen first. Paint and polish the bathrooms. New toilet seats and faucets go a LONG way! As long as they work, the kitchen gets more use.

Kitchen. Most people spend a lot of time in the kitchen not only for cooking but for gatherings especially if there is an open concept etc.

Bathrooms as long as they are in working order are secondary.

The amount of time spent in the bathroom is very minimal as compared to a kitchen.

Kitchen for me as well.

I did my kitchen for my first remodel, I’m now getting to phase 2 which will be bathrooms. I am so glad I did the kitchen first.

Kitchen, as I think it would take longer, have more choices to make, and I'd want to tackle the hardest and most expensive first. We are doing our kitchen first, and after it's fully completed, we'll move on to the baths. We'll also have a better idea of the budget we have left after the kitchen is finished.

I am sure you don't need another vote for the kitchen, but here it is. Of course it will be massively disrupting to the little ones in your family. You'll have to figure out a temporary camp kitchen. I would plan the remodel when the weather is nice and you can use the grill outdoors. My personal issue with renos is the sink. I will not wash dishes in the bathroom (anyone ever see the Seinfeld where Kramer washes his dishes in the shower- while he is showering?) Find lots of disposable stuff or set up a utility sink somewhere and you are off to the races. You will not miss the new and improved bathrooms.

Unless a bathroom is leaking ( water can do major damaged if proper repairs are not completed ) or tile walls are crumbling, then do the kitchen first. New layout, updated storage and function will be much more appreciated as you live longer in the home.

Good luck and keep us posted - we'll help!

do the kitchen, but put aside 10-15K for one of the bathrooms. it can be done.

I feel like I at least need to fix my shower, as the tiles are gross. When we got a quote for just a re-tile it was 9K.

Well, kitchens usually 1st. For all the above reasons. However, if this is the 1st time remodeling in a long time. The bathroom with gross tiles would be good practice. You'll learn a lot along the way which will help you on the more complicated kitchen next.

Don't do a patch in the bathroom. It costs too much and you will end up changing it again sometime later. Wait on the bathrooms until you can really tackle them - you can do them one at a time.

Yes I agree. Don't waste money patching up a bathroom you will want to re-do later. Save the money until you can do it right.

stephanie, check around and get some other quotes. If you saw the remodel my friend got for her master, for only 13K, you'd faint. I fainted because I know how much things cost. I ended up using her tile guy for a clients bathroom. He was amazing and did everything in that room. And did it well. I realize these types of workers are very hard to find, but they are out there.

IF you have the planning done and have your choices made, then go with the kitchen. Your whole family will benefit the most from the kitchen.

BUT, if you don't have the details nailed down, then go with the bathrooms.

But please, make sure which ever you decide that you have every single solitary decision made before you swing that remodeling hammer. Nothing is worse than waiting for the faucet to get here, or the sink is on back order and will be 3 weeks or the countertop is out of stock and will be another month. When we started our remodel of our kitchen, I had everything waiting in the garage except our countertops. Our cabinet man was awesome, but even so.....he had a family emergency that took him away for 3 weeks. Our general contractor had all of my decisions on the plans and there were no surprises. It was a wonderful remodeling experience.

You need to peruse these websites to help you find your voice.

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/new-to-kitchens-read-me-first-dsvw-vd~4306041[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/new-to-kitchens-read-me-first-dsvw-vd~4306041)

http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitchen.design.rules.htm#.Wq1aeWrwaM8

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767033/how-do-i-ask-for-layout-help-and-what-information-should-i-include

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638270/faq-kitchen-work-zones-what-are-they

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638304/faq-aisle-widths-walkways-seating-overhangs-work-landing-space-etc

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638376/faq-how-do-i-plan-for-storage

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2699918/looking-for-layout-help-memorize-this-first

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/things-you-added-or-removed-that-you-love-regret-in-your-kitchen-renov-dsvw-vd~4273188[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/things-you-added-or-removed-that-you-love-regret-in-your-kitchen-renov-dsvw-vd~4273188)

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractors-first-meeting-dsvw-vd~5332686?n=90[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractors-first-meeting-dsvw-vd~5332686?n=90)

Thanks for all the responses. I guess it’s what I needed to hear even though it seems very obvious. I’ll try to keep an update on what we do.

I chose to do my kitchen first and the small powder room near it at the same time. That's what guests see and what we use the most. The powder room I mostly did myself to save money.

Agree with the kitchen as the first priority, but here's something to think about: depending on how busy local contractors are in your market, you might have an easier time securing one if the project is larger, i.e. multiple rooms at a time. Yes, it's a big outlay of cash all at one time, but (a) you'll likely get the projects finished faster because there will be enough work to keep guys on the job, (b) you'll only have to deal with the mess and stress once, and (c) in the long run it will cost you less because rates for construction will only continue to increase. I would get some bids both with and without the two baths before you decide.

I did my kitchen last! But I had 5 bathrooms to remodel so we did those first over a couple of years. Had I done the kitchen first, I might not have gutted the whole thing, but 8 years later it made more sense to replace the appliances and everything else. The bathrooms had dark green and red saltillo tile and corroded fixtures, the kitchen though dark as well, was not as bad.

If you are going to do both at some time, I would start and finish the upstairs bathrooms from a construction stand point. If you did the kitchen then the baths you would have contractors back in your first floor going up to the second floor making a mess of the entire house. I worked on my house from the back to the front, keeping contractors out of rooms that were already finished.

It depends on where the traffic jam or major inconvenience is:

-If you have a passel of children who all need to use the same bathroom in the same 45 minutes every morning, you may want to do the kid bathroom first but only if a remodel expands the space available to the kids. Some people add college-dorm-style sinks to kids' bedrooms.

-If your master bathroom shower tile is cracked or leaking, then by all means do it first.

- If there are scrambles and squabbles for homework space in the kitchen while someone is trying to fix dinner, then maybe that is first priority for you.

We are in the exact same position, except that our bathrooms would be 40-50k and the kitchen is 100k. But, with that said, we are doing the kitchen first. The Reasoning behind it is that we don’t often have guests up stairs, we spend a minimal amount of time in our bathrooms and the kitchen is the heart of the home. We renovated the kitchen in our last house, and it was disruptive but we planned a few things to make it easier.

1. We did the renovation between the end of May and July. The kids were outside more, and it was easy to grill and have picnic meals.

2. We took vacation days during messy times like floor refinishing and took the kids to the zoo/aquarium and stayed in a hotel. This is also Much more fun in the warm weather.

Once the kitchen is done, you will thank yourself every day. It’s so much more enjoyable to spend time as a family in a space that you designed. Plus from a real estate perpective, kitchen would be my choice all day long.

Good luck with the Reno!

If the kitchen is functional, I'd remodel the master bathroom first :) It will then provide the refuge from a complete kitchen remodel. Kids don't care what things look like so their bath last.

Just my thoughts!

Kitchen for all the reasons others have said. How gross is gross on the bathroom tile? I agree, piecemeal is not the way to go. Hold off until you can redo the whole bathroom.

60K on 2 bathrooms? Wow what's your house worth if you don't mindme asking...

If I’d done the master bathroom first, I might not have made it to the kitchen. The kitchen was a piece of cake and I’m still happy with it, the time, delays and necessary changes with the bathroom sucked to fun out of it.

I have to say it really depends on which area is most dysfunctional for your family right now!

Bathrooms are not as "sexy" as a new kitchen, but if there are major traffic jams and lack of organizational/storage space there, or risk of water penetrations from old fixtures or cracked tile and grout -- and you can improve that with the remodel, then do the baths first. That may improve quality of life more for you.

On the other hand, if the baths function well for the size of your family, and it is just cosmetics there -- but the kitchen has the traffic/storage/function flaws, then do the kitchen first.

If they both really need fixes, then again, which is worst, causing the most aggravation for everyone?

Search out old threads on tips for surviving a kitchen remodel. It really doesn't have to be a nightmare, even with children around. It can be a good learning experience on patience, cooperation, teamwork, organization and neatness as well!

I'm in the "it depends" camp. I have a friend who lives in a house built in the early 1970's. It's in a highly desirable neighborhood and was when it was built. But the upstairs was very cheaply built. There is no tile in the bathrooms, formica countertops, fiberglass shower/tub - just think of a REALLY cheap, poorly kept motel.

They did the kitchen about 25 years ago, mainly because the husband wanted it attached/open to the kitchen. But the bathrooms have never been re-done. I wouldn't want to even get in one of those upstairs tubs or showers. They are gross and disgusting! She'd love to re-do them; he could care less and doesn't want to spend the money.

When they sell someday, they will end up giving this house away due to those upstairs bathrooms. And, of course, after 25 years, the kitchen is now looking very dated, too. It has ceramic tile countertops, and they used builder-grade appliances, which they have had to replace multiple times with the husband insisting on still more builder-grade appliances!

He calls himself "thrifty". Everyone else calls him "incredibly cheap"!

+1 for it depends. I face a similar choice when I bought my house 9 years ago and decided to do the bathrooms first. Why? Several reasons. 1) DH couldn't stand up in the existing showers (he's tall, and the showers had these "cute", LOL, little archways built into the ceilings - lovely for vertically challenged people but too short for DH to stand up straight in the shower). 2) We were undecided about the specific features and layout we wanted in our kitchen (cue years of lurking on GW and researching layout ideas). 3) We were doing the first project in winter and didn't want to be without a kitchen when we couldn't cook outside. 4) We decided that the best kitchen layout might involve modifying the layout of our stairway and possibly our guest bathroom.

So everything else happened first, and the kitchen was last. But in our case, I would have regretted doing the kitchen and then later realizing that I could have had a much more functional and spacious kitchen had I done some holistic whole-house planning first.

I took a few very quick pictures of the yucky master shower. FYI for anyone interested.

Looks like some bleach is whats needed the most.

so I’d clean it n live with the small shower. IMO the kitchen is where u spend the most time in and for me that’s my motivation to be there. Lol. ;).

Have you tried a stiff scrub brush and bleach? Wear safety goggles, get a cheap coverall from the paint department at the hardware store too. My bath looked similar when I moved in. Nearly had to use dynamite to get the hard water mineral & dirt buildup off the bottom of the tub, too, but I did.

bleach can pit grout, which it turns allows more dirt and grime to collect.

try a professional grout cleaner. check w/a reputable tile store if you need help. (just don't pick the 2.99 grout cleaner at the grocery store!)

if it still doesn't work, try Grout Renew and stain it a brighter white.

We have the exact same tiny master bath shower situation...except ours is harvest gold We had a grout guy in when we first moved in, he put in all new grout and it made a world of difference. We are still planning to do the kitchen first because it will provide so much more enjoyment. The harvest gold bathroom will remain for the time being :)

For the bathroom shower, I recommend getting professional tile cleaners in to clean and seal. They can also replace any grout that needs repair. They have experience, machines and cleaners that really work. For a few hundred dollars or less, they can make your shower look clean and bright. A new timer wall switch for the exhaust fan can improved shower drying.

I third (or fourth) the suggestion of getting a professional grout/tile cleaner for the shower and do the kitchen first. I can completely understand why you would want a bigger shower (that's next on our list too) but I agree with the others that since the kitchen is the main hub of the home is makes sense that it would want to be tackled first.

But I also agree to get some quotes on doing everything. I don't know that I'd want to spend $30K on one bathroom (seeing that it would be $60K for both?) We just finished our basement (adding a full bathroom) and it wasn't anywhere near $30K for the bathroom (more like $10K for what we had done). I live in the Midwest and winter is definitely the slow time of year for contractors; out here I was told work really starts to pick up around March. When we were interviewing contractors, I found that most wanted the bigger jobs as well. Or if you find a contractor to do just the kitchen for now and you like their work, they may cut you a deal on the bathrooms. That's what we did - we liked our basement contractor so we plan on using him when we tackle the bathrooms.

We used a professional tile/grout cleaner a few years ago with fabulous results.

Thank you for all the responses. I may look into having the tile cleaned professionally or at least find a professional cleaning product. Our master is pretty large and would need some re-working of the layout, replacing a big garden tub with a free standing tub, and adding some storage cabinets for towels, etc. Plus new flooring, tile, mirrors, faucets, etc. It was quoted at around $40-45K or more if higher end. The other is a hall bath which needs a new double vanity, mirrors, new floors, tub and tile. We’ve gotten other quotes and this one wasn’t much different- it’s the area we live in that is expensive. A few years ago in a different house but same area we had a tiny bathroom done and it cost $18-20K.

Coming in late, but I'm with the majority here: Do the kitchen first. It's more "visible", and you'll spend more time in it. I know you say you intend to stay in this house long-term, but IF you were to be surprised by a need to move (hey, it happens), a nice kitchen would bring you more resale money than a nice bathroom.

If the bathrooms are driving you nuts, put $100 into each for a cheap-o facelift -- just a freshen-up with paint and linens. Sure, it's just a bandaid, but it'll "hold you over" 'til you can do a real renovation in the bathrooms. $100 per bathroom is a reasonable amount, and it won't hurt you long-term.

We are estimating that the two bathrooms would cost about the same amount (around 60K) as the kitchen to remodel.

As the owner of a house worth about 150K, I'll echo an above poster and ask the price range of your house. You're talking about 60K for the kitchen PLUS 60 K for the bathrooms ... be sure you're not over-doing for the neighborhood. Since you have small children, I assume you're young: it's important that you make wise financial choices while you're young -- those choices echo throughout the rest of your life.

Kitchen for sure! You spend so much time there, bathrooms are just a stop. You can renovate 1 bathroom at a time later.

Definitely renovate 1 bathroom at a time. With kids, you need one bathroom "working" at all times. You can squeeze into one for a couple weeks.

Don't do a patch in the bathroom. It costs too much and you will end up changing it again sometime later.

Yes -- same advice for the kitchen. Do not rush into any renovation; instead, take your time to decide what you really want, what will evolve with your family for years to come, and what won't scream 2019. It's better to live with your current kitchen for an extra six months than to rush into ill-chosen cabinets, etc.

If you saw the remodel my friend got for her master, for only 13K, you'd faint. I fainted because I know how much things cost. I ended up using her tile guy for a clients bathroom. He was amazing and did everything in that room. And did it well. I realize these types of workers are very hard to find, but they are out there.

Yes, some people really knock it out of the water ... for both quality and price.

A friend of mine recommended a handyman to me a couple years ago ... he is THE BEST. He's done a number of things for me, and I have him scheduled to do some work on my master bath (our shower is leaking, we are relegated to going down the hall to the girls' shower at the moment). The only downside: He is so good that he's booked months in advance. It's okay though; I'll wait ... done right beats done fast.

Definitely start talking to friends about who did good work for you, and when you hear someone say they got excellent tile work, get that contractor's phone number. How many times have we read threads on this website about "Is this tile job acceptable?" Personal references are best.

1. We did the renovation between the end of May and July. The kids were outside more, and it was easy to grill and have picnic meals.

2. We took vacation days during messy times like floor refinishing and took the kids to the zoo/aquarium and stayed in a hotel. This is also Much more fun in the warm weather.

Brilliant parenting strategies.
I'll throw out another thought: If you have a Planet Fitness, join -- even if it's temporary. It's only something like $12/month, and that includes access to showers. Plus you'll probably eat out more often than usual during a kitchen reno, which means more calories. Working out will help with that AND with the stress of living with a house-in-progress.

Adding to the excellent advice about grilling during the reno, I collected crock pot recipes for a month befor our reno. Waaaay better than microwave or take out.

Why are you remodelling? If its for cosmetic reasons, I'd say do the bathrooms first; if it's for practical, functional reasons, do the kitchen first. Maximize the functionality of the kitchen to your style of use, but it is a much bigger and more obtrusive remodelling project, so I wouldn't say you should undertake it now with a passel of young kids (unless you have another kitchen hiding in the basement, like some families do) if it will just be about updating the visual style. Cosmetics can wait a bit, and I'd do the bathrooms one at a time if that's the case.

As one who likes a closed kitchen and prefers sitting with company in the dining room and living room, people go where food, drink and hosts are, I added a large masterbath to my house before fixing my adequate to me and appropriate to my house's kitchen. I might have done it differently if my house had a master bath already and the kitchen was disfunctional. I adore my new bath but also have a pretty nice existing albeit a small closed off by swing doors kitchen too. Good luck!

Add me to "it depends"

I haven't seen your kitchen, or what you'd want instead of what you have now, and why; but I'd feel very unsafe in your shower-we had similar albeit bigger in our previous plce, and I found the tile too slippery, and every showering made me awfully dizzy. We brought in a teak bench and I was afraid to sit on it because I still was dizzy. But I'm a person prone to dizzyness etc. Other people might not even pay attention to all that. Otherwise, besides being on a smallish side-it's a nice shower.

So my order of things would be a) safety, whatever space we're talking about..and it can be bathroom or can be kitchen, it depends. or neither. b) functionality and c) looks. looks can be tied with b) in order of importance to me if a space is very incongruent with the rest of the house. Then looks might bug me very much. If it stylistically works I push them to the last place.

many great answers above..wishing you good luck whatever you choose to do

yes, we used pros that cleaned grout, and it made a huge difference, and didn't take them long at all, so I also recommend that route

I found these guys on Angie's List, and they had a promotional coupon-so we've got great fast results for a very reasonable price.