Bathroom Renovations: Your Guide to the Ultimate Bathroom
A new bathroom project can be a daunting one. It’s a big job, to live in a home that has a room resembling a building site while you’re having the professionals come in and complete your bathroom renovations. The bathroom used to consist of an outhouse in the garden – a glorified shed – and a tin bath in front of the fire. Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since then and the bathroom is now a valued room in the home; and not just by the people living in it. The value of your home can go up massively if you have a new bathroom or two installed, removing old fixtures and fittings and going for a more modern look.
In terms of resale value, the bathroom is one of the most important rooms to consider. Everyone loves a new kitchen, but the bathroom is the place to relax and find your peace. It’s where you head for a long, hot bubble bath and it’s the place you can pamper yourself outside of a spa. We do what we can to make the most of the downtime that we get – life is busy, and downtime is a necessity, it’s just scarce. People around the world are investing in their bathroom renovations with relaxation in the forefront of their minds and house value in the back of it. It’s not just the family bathroom that gets changed, either. So many people are loving the luxury hotel feel by installing ensuite bathrooms into their homes as an added extravagance
Careful planning is key to the success of your bathroom renovation project. It doesn’t matter the size of your bathroom, you can always create a more stylish or functional one
This is just one of many examples that prove that the creativity of the building and design team knows no bounds. Bathrooms don’t have to be huge to get a great result.
The real question here is – have you had enough of your old bathroom and are you ready to get started to create YOUR perfect bathroom? If the answer is yes then there are some things that you need to consider. A bathroom renovation goes through several key steps that need to be done right the first time, or things can get very expensive quickly!
THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BEGINNING A BATHROOM REMODEL
Back in the fall, I was invited to Delta Faucet Headquarters to take part in a blogger trip and to compete in a design competition. I had no intentions of ever winning said design competition. My husband and I had been toying with the idea of putting the house on the market this spring and a bathroom remodel was just not part of our immediate plan. But low and behold, my design was picked by the judges as the winner and I WON! What in the what?!? It was such an honor, but I could not have been more shocked. I immediately began to panic as to how I was going to pull this all off in a short time frame. It’s one thing to create a dream bathroom on a poster board and quite another to create one in real life!
I was given some cash towards the remodel and told to try and make it all happen within the next six weeks–which by the way happened to include Thanksgiving and Christmas. I learned a bunch of valuable lessons during our bath remodel that are worth passing along!
IT IS INCREDIBLY EASY TO GO OVER BUDGET.
I know this is a bit of an “uh…duh” tip, but it’s an important one to include! Although I won funds towards a bathroom remodel, the money I was granted was initially nowhere near enough to implement my luxury bath design. I knew Delta chose my design because they wanted to see the plan come to life. I wanted to stay true to the design plan, but I also didn’t want to go over budget. I had to make some difficult decisions on things to cut. Know going into your remodel that you will need to stay fluid in your design plan and make changes as glitches and expenses arise. Be sure to allow a buffer in your budget for the unexpected because the one thing you can count on in any remodel is the unexpected glitch!
Not all general contractors are the same. I received three quotes on my bathroom from three different general contractors, and I could predict before any of them stepped foot in my home whose quote would come in the highest. If your contractor has a staff, on-site designers, a beautiful office, etc., you can expect to pay significantly more. One contractor’s quote literally came in at THREE times the amount of another quote. In the most expensive scenario, I would be doing very little work, subcontractors would be hired for their expertise in installing each element, and most everything would be handled for me. This contractor would have sourced and delivered all materials and managed the entire project from start to finish, and I’m sure it would have been amazing and relatively stress free! However, I knew it was just not what I could afford. In the end, I didn’t just choose the most affordable contractor, I chose the one I thought I could work well with which brings me to my next point!
CHOOSE A CONTRACTOR YOU TRUST AND CAN WORK WITH.
Let’s get raw and real for a moment. Remodeling a room in your house can really suck. It’s messy, invasive, time consuming, stressful, noisy, expensive, and inconvenient. Depending on the size of the job, you will have people in your home for over a month. I was amazed at how our small master bath took over the entire house! This is a picture of my roof deck. I had bathroom junk on all three levels of my home and at times it felt like it was taking over our lives. Going the less expensive route and DIY’ing some of the work will most likely mean more mess. Sourcing all of the items yourself–which involves finding the products in store or online, ordering everything online or in store and making sure it all gets delivered to your home in time to install, storing everything somewhere in the house until the materials are needed, and running to the store to buy more if you underestimated–can turn into a full-time job
THE ULTIMATE BATHROOM RENOVATION CHECKLIST
Renovating seems like a good idea and remodelling is really something to get excited about, especially if you are considering renovating your bathroom.
But please, wait, stop right there. Before you start anything, do you really understand what you’re getting yourself into? Have you thought about not just your design and budget, but also unexpected expenses, permits, access, waterproofing, trades you need to involve … have you really thought about your project?
If your answer is “no, not really”, don’t worry, you’re not alone, that’s why we wanted to share this list with you. Here is the ultimate guide to bathroom renovating. All the points you need to consider before renovation in one nice long list.
PERMITS AND TESTING
Building permit
Electrical permit
Plumbing permit
Depending on the age of your home, asbestos testing
DEMOLITION
How will you remove demolition rubbish? Will you need to hire a skip? Do you have space to put a skip?
Rubbish disposal fees
UNEXPECTED EXPENSES
Wood rot
Mould
Old plumbing
Bad wiring
Bug infestations
Anything that’s not to code that will need to be amended
Floor falls and incorrect subflooring
FRAMING AND PREP
Wood for framing
Insulation
Vapor barriers
Energy efficiency sealants
Window(s), if required
Door, if required
Drywall
Waterproofing walls and floors
planning a bathroom remodel? consider the layout first
I’ve done a lot of bathroom remodeling design over the past several years. And one of the first elements of each project I consider is the layout. If you have the budget to move things around, and your fixtures aren’t in the most advantageous positions, it’s always a good idea to — at the very least — explore the options the layout presents you.
THE BEST BATHROOM LAYOUT HAS A BEAUTIFUL VISTA
Many times, in bathrooms in higher-end homes that have been designed by architects and designers, moving things around isn’t all that necessary. These spaces have been architecturally laid out in a very specific way to bring drama and luxury to the space.
However, in a house that’s not quite so expensive, usually some improvements can be made. In these homes, there are large, cultured marble tub surrounds, not-so-attractive vistas, and everything is usually lined up around the room with a big open space in the middle.
THE VIEW INTO THE BATHROOM
It’s one of the most important things I look at when laying out a bathroom. It’s what you see first when you walk in. To get that spa-like, peaceful, “ahh…” moment when you walk into your bathroom, you need a beautiful sight to see.
That line of sight, or vista, is key when trying to set the tone and ambience of the room. After all, if my clients are going to go to all the expense and trouble to remodel a master bath then they sure better feel that “ahh…” sensation when they walk in during the project’s final, grand reveal.
Things to Consider Before Bathroom Remodeling
Not a morning goes by where you don’t spend time in your bathroom. Getting ready in the bathroom of your dreams can help you start off every morning with a smile. No matter the reason you wish to remodel your bathroom, is here to help. Consider these four considerations before beginning your dream bathroom renovation to ensure you’re covering all the bases
Budget
Like any project, the first thing to consider is the total budget you wish to spend. Budget creation can range anywhere from a detailed outline, specifying allotted amounts for each aspect of the remodel, or a simple maximum spending price. Creating a budget will not only keep you from spending more than you planned, but it can also keep you organized. The starting point for your budget should always include the most important, big-ticket items you plan to incorporate into your bathroom remodel.
Functionality
Although design and aesthetics will be a huge part of creating your dream bathroom, functionality still takes first place for importance. If you’re planning on a complete remodel and anticipate moving around your plumbing fixtures, it’s imperative that your water is still able to flow and drain properly. You’ll also want to consider the amount of storage space you wish to have. Linen closets and vanity doors have been popular for years – but, as of recently, drawers have become the more functional storage choice.
Design
Once you’ve finished the logistics and functionality design, the visual design begins. However, don’t completely close the door on functionality while you’re choosing design aspects – or you might choose something that looks pretty but doesn’t work as intended. When choosing shower tiles, consider their texture for slip resistance and shape for their ability to create a slope when placed on your shower floor. When choosing lighting and fixtures, consider the size of your bathroom and whether or not you will need a separate light above the mirror and the shower.