Bathrooms 101: The Ultimate Bathroom Remodel Guide
Are you planning on renovating this year?
The most common spaces to renovate in your home are kitchens and bathrooms. While a bedroom or living room can handle a “refresh” including new fabrics or a coat of paint.
A bathroom renovation usually requires a more than elbow grease.
Bathrooms typically require demolition and skilled contractors to tackle the labor. There are a lot of things you want to think about when planning for your bathroom reno.
After working on hundreds of bathrooms and kitchens I come to the conclusion that there are three key factors to prioritize, the trifecta if you will.
Let’s get to it, here is your guide to tackle your bathroom remodel.
1.Research
2.Labor
3. Materials
Research
It all starts will research. You will want to search the internet and talk with friends to find how much does it cost to renovate a bathroom.
This is a pretty broad question but it give some perspective on the current costs of labor and material today
Researching materials will come in handy once you put together a shopping list for all of your necessities.
There are many questions to think about:
-Are you remodeling this home to put it on the market in the next year? Is this your forever home? Are you getting older- you would want to think about aging-in-place.
-Will you be tearing down walls? Will you be removing the tile, vanity, or plumbing?
Do you want a larger shower? Would like to add multiple shower heads or jets? You may need another heating tank to handle the amount of water this shower needs.
All of these questions will help you determine a budget, contractor, and the materials needed.
Speaking of contractors, do you hire a one?
Early in the research process you will want to decide if you want to hire a general contractor or act as your own contractor.
-A contractor will have a crew of subcontractors that they know and trust – these are installers, electricians, plumber, carpenters, etc. and this will reduce time and effort that you would spend finding these subcontractors on your own.
-Acting as your own contractor can save money but then you become the one responsible for hiring all of the subs.
Power of Pinterest
While I loveee Pinterest, you want to use these images as a source of INSPRIATION.
The idea is to respect the design concept but the exact items are not needed. People do not realize that when you see kitchen/bathroom remodels photos they can be $100,000 projects.
The most important thing about Pinterest is finding colors and a look that speaks to you.
Budget
You want to decide if your are staying in this home long term or renovating to move. Is this a main bathroom or a guest room that receives little to no usage.
Did you have water damage and the insurance company is handling the costs of the majority
of the work and materials?
Consider keeping your plumbing in the same location because moving plumbing lines is expensive.
Do you want to make your shower larger or add in a water closet? The more work that will need to be done to the existing structure will increase your labor and material costs.
Can any of your current items be reused?
Never underestimate the power of paint, the cheapest and most powerful resource in the world of construction.
Everyone’s resources are different -some use money saved, credit cards, home equity loan, line of credit, or refinancing your mortgage and the list goes on.
*Please do not fall into the trap of “keeping up with the Jones'”, yes your neighbor’s home may be beautiful do not embark on a full on renovation because Mrs. Smith across the street just did it.
Labor
Once you have searched the internet and spoken with friends/neighbors, it is time to interview multiple contractors.
You want to compare different bids and see who you feel most comfortable with.
Finding the right contractor is like dating- you want someone you feel you can trust, after all they will be in your home for weeks or months. There should be open communication between you two. Check out their portfolio and if possible speak with their previous clients to receive authentic feedback.
Once you have a contractor narrowed down it is vital that you understand their availability and any restrictions they have.
You will need many materials with various lead times. so you want to make sure everyone is on the same page. You want to ask if there are any restrictions of working with this GC. Your contractor may not want you to source the materials due to their own connections and comfort level with materials.
All in all you want to pick out the things that make you happy while also being flexible and understanding of jobsite or material delays.
Materials
Now we get to the fun part, the material selections!
As a designer I love the finishes.
This is where those Pinterest photos come into play.
Think about the colors and shapes that you repeatedly are attracted to and this will give you a starting point.
If you plan to be in this home for years to come you want to pick out materials that make you happy.
If you are renovating to sell then you want to make selections that are universal and on trend. Do not use this as a moment to create your dream space, this can be costly and you won’t get a return on the investment. It may be hard to accept but this home is not being updated for you.
Mr. & Mrs. Reno’s Shopping List:
-Vanity
-Countertop and sink
-Mirror
-Lighting (including sconces next to the mirrors, a chandelier in the center, general bathroom lights)
-Tile (floor, shower walls, and shower floor, possibly behind the vanity as a feature wall or behind a freestanding tub)
-Plumbing Fixtures and accessories (toilet paper holder, towel bars, etc.)
-Shower Glass
-Tub
-Fan
At this point you have a contractor and measurements for the vanity and tile. This will be helpful as
you are shopping to help you sticking with the budget.
You will find that your bathroom like any other room, it is a mixture of highs and lows. Meaning that there will a beautiful vanity that you splurge on whereas you can find a countertop remnant that’s a bargain.
Material considerations
-Marble vs porcelain
I am lover of marble, the depth and richness of a piece of marble is something that cannot be duplicated. While I have no problem with porcelain tiles it just is not the real deal.
Marble is natural and gorgeous but it has it down sides,
marble is porous, it etches and leaves watermarks. It is recommended to be seal marble annually to help protect the stone.
The reality is marble will stain or etch and that is a part of the natural beauty.
Porcelain is a great option because it is durable, low maintenance and comes in tons of colors and price points.
-Don’t skimp on your plumbing, while I am not saying that you select a faucet that requires taking out a second a mortgage.
Make sure that you are choosing fixtures that feature brass guts, meaning the insides of the fixture should not be plastic.
The last thing you want is to put all of this time and money renovating a space only for an internal piece to break causing a flood that ruins your whole bathroom and or other spaces. Pay a little more money on good plumbing.
-Lighting is everything! General lighting or recessed will light the room, sconces are great for illumination,
chandeliers are for style and drama.
Renovating a bathroom is not an easy task but you can do it.
There are a lot of things that will be out of your control but take the time plan in advance, do the research.
Embrace the process, you never know what you will find under the bathroom tub or behind a wall but that is the name of the game.
Renovations are like babies.. hear me out. You spend months waiting, things get messy and sometimes painful but when it is all said and done you are left with something beautiful and totally worth all of the trouble.
Are you renovating a bathroom this year? Have you renovated before, if so what is your biggest renovation tip?