Bathrooms generate more moisture than any room in your home, and when that moisture gets into attics, walls and ceilings, it will create mold sooner or later, and rot too.
Installing a bathroom vent during home construction is much easier than retrofitting a bathroom with one.
Whether or not it’s a DIY home project depends on your level of skill and experience. A couple of power tools are needed too.
Hiring an electrical contractor to do the work is very common, and we’ll include prices for this type of work below. Keep in mind that in your community, you might need a permit for the work. Discuss permits with the contractor you hire, or call your local building department.
This house repairs guide gives you tips for bathroom fan installation, so whether you do it yourself or hire someone, you’ll understand what’s being done and why.
We include a list of tools and materials required for the job. In addition, you’ll find bathroom fan installation prices for doing it yourself and for hiring a professional.
Tips for saving money on a DIY or professional job are included.
Finally, we provide resources at the bottom of the post. These are external sources that give instructions, pictures and more.
The basics of a bathroom exhaust system include a fan on the bathroom ceiling and a vent on an exterior wall of the home or through the roof.
Connecting the two with a length of hose allows the moist air to be effectively vented, so it can’t penetrate the structure and create mold or rot. Here are vent fan installation tips, with more resources below.
These vent fan installation prices will give you an idea of what your costs will be for DIY projects and for hiring a professional contractor for the work.
DIY Bathroom Fan Installation Cost: The fan itself will cost $40 to $100 based on its CFM capacity and the quality. Some come as kits with a vent included. If not, the vent will cost $8 to $15 and hose typically costs $1 to $2 per foot. Here’s a list of the tools you’ll need and their costs. They are all offered in a range of quality, so that accounts for the price spectrums:
Professional Bathroom Fan Installation Cost: This is a half-day job for a contractor. With the fan and other materials, the cost will be $150 to $300. The variable in costs include the complexity of the job, whether or not a permit is needed and the cost of living in your area.
Saving Money on Bathroom Vent Fan Installation
If doing the work yourself, the easiest way to save money is to borrow the tools required. Also, measure the amount of wire you need, and don’t buy more than is needed. Power tools can be rented, but the rental cost is typically pretty high, and you’d be money ahead in the long run to buy the tools, since they’re useful for many different house repair jobs.
When hiring a contractor, it always makes sense to get multiple estimates for the best price for where you live.
Here’s more help for the job. The resources will give you a better idea of what you’ll need to do if you plan a DIY bathroom fan installation.
Hawk Environmental – This is an excellent overview of the job including how to know when to replace a bathroom fan and how to properly vent the fan hose.
Martys Musings – This post from a DIY blog has instructions with pictures that will help you understand exactly what you’re getting into.
AirKing – Here are some FAQs from a manufacturer of vent fans that will answer many of your questions.
Colonial Electrical – This information from an electrical contractor addresses the need for a bathroom fan.
Energy Vanguard – These pictures with descriptions show you how NOT to install a bathroom exhaust fan.