Bathroom Remodel Tips and Advice
Bathrooms are the number one place that homeowners love to remodel, even more than kitchens. The space is smaller, making the job a bit easier. Plus, this reduced space means reduced cost: less flooring and paint, fewer cabinets and countertop. Follow these tips to make your bathroom remodel more attractive while keeping the process smooth, efficient, and cost-effective
Recess For Extra Room
When space is extremely tight, built-ins such as recessed soap dishes, medicine cabinets, and even toilet roll holders pry out as much available room as possible from tiny bathrooms. You can even flatten the ceiling light by converting your ceiling light into a recessed light
Address Bathroom Ventilation
All bathrooms need some type of ventilation, by code, either in the form of a properly sized window or a bathroom exhaust fan. For bathroom fans, look at both their exhaust capacity (or how many cubic feet of air per minute they can move) in conjunction with their noise levels
Add Plants for Living Color
Plants in the bathroom should not be an afterthought. Plants bring much-needed color into sterile bathrooms. Consider adding a floating shelf expressly for the purpose of giving your trailing plants a cozy home.
Pick the Right Flooring
Solid wood floors, while they do infuse bathrooms with great character, are not the best type of flooring material for bathrooms, from a practical standpoint. Instead, pick flooring that is hardy enough to stand up against the rigors of daily bathroom use. Bathroom flooring favorites include ceramic and porcelain tile, luxury vinyl plank, vinyl tiles, and sheet vinyl flooring
Tips for Hiring a Bathroom Remodeling Contractor
A bad contractor could sink your bathroom remodel.
Installing a shower door or replacing a faucet or toilet seat are minor improvements many homeowners can do themselves, but extensive bathroom remodeling requires a higher level of skills and should be left to the professionals
A bad remodeling job can be costly to fix, so the best bet is to hire a remodeling contractor who will do the job right the first time. A professional remodeler has the necessary training and acquired skills to remodel your bathroom to your specifications
Brainstorm bathroom remodeling ideas
You’ve probably looked at pictures in magazines or online for remodeling ideas. If you know how you want your new bathroom to look and have compiled some pictures, save them to show the remodeling contractor. Likewise, if you already know what types of fixtures you want, or you have ideas for wallpaper, keep a list of these items to share with the remodeling contractor.
How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost?
Average bathroom remodels fall between $9,600 to $11,000 in costs. A low-end remodels typically cost around $2,500 while high-end remodels cost around $23,000.
Hiring a bathroom remodeling contractor
Referrals and word of mouth are still the best ways to track down a reputable bathroom remodeling contractor. When the renovations are done on a professional level, and the customers are happy, this is how service industry businesses grow and prosper. So, if your neighbor, friend, coworker or family member was satisfied with a recent remodeling job, ask them for the service contractor’s contact information so that you can get in touch to get an estimate
Bathroom Design & Remodeling Ideas on a Budget
So you’re ready to redecorate and redesign your bathroom. But dropping $20,000 on a deluxe spa retreat is light years away from what you can afford to spend. Here’s the good news: You don’t need mega-bucks to transform your bathroom into a relaxing, cool space. There are plenty of ways to renovate and redesign on a budget.
According to Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value report, an average bathroom remodel costs around $10,500 while an upscale remodel is going to run you a hefty $26,000. However, if you do the work yourself and get creative, This Old House estimates that you can do a remodel for $1,000 to $3,000, or even less, depending on how much you want to change
Moreover, updating or adding a bathroom to your home is a home improvement project that adds value. In other words, you’ll recoup a significant portion of costs when you sell your home, as much as 100%
Limit Your Tile
Tile gets expensive, especially when you hire a contractor to lay it all out for you. To save money, limit the amount of tile and focus on high-impact areas like the floor (instead of the floor and inside the shower stall walls). Alternatively, you could tile one horizontal strip along the wall and paint the rest.
Save on Counter Tops
A popular trend is to splurge on granite countertops. Because the bathroom counter is so small, the investment is often fairly low compared to what you’d spend on kitchen counters, for example.
The Pros’ Guide to Renovating Your Bathroom
Let there be no confusion: A bathroom redo is going to cost you time, money, and maybe even a few gray hairs. The price can range from “a few thousand dollars to spruce up an existing bathroom to six figures for a gut renovation of a high-end master bath,” says Dan DiClerico of HomeAdvisor. But if you’re smart about spending, the investment will likely prove worth it.
The trick is to choose upgrades that jibe with your lifestyle and routines—maybe you need a tub, because you’ll literally get into it every day; a wall niche if there’s nowhere to store shampoo; two sinks because teeth brushing should not be an elbow war. “We ask lots of questions about daily routine and storage needs, and emphasize function first,” explains Britt Zunino of Studio DB. Happiness is the end goal: According to a 2019 remodeling report from the National Association of Realtors, 70 percent of consumers “have a greater desire to be home” after a bathroom renovation, so read on and soak up the secrets
Ask Questions Before You Start
First things first—before you even start mood-boarding or falling in love with a bathroom design you want to recreate—ask yourself the boring questions. You may not even realize they impact your bathroom needs, but they do! Any designer worth hiring would run these past their clients before getting started. So get your answers ready, talk to your designer, and then start gathering inspo photos
Understand the Shower/Tub Basics
A freestanding tub—if you have room for one—is great for resale value in a kid-friendly neighborhood. But if your space isn’t big enough for both a spacious walk-in shower and a bath (and you don’t have small children to bathe), a shower/tub combo is best. “Back in the McMansion era, Jacuzzi-style bathtubs were all the rage, but the pendulum has swung back towards showers, especially in master bathrooms. At the high-end, there might also be a nice soaking tub in there, but the walk-in shower is the top priority,” says DiClerico.
Know Your Materials
Natural Stone: Easily the most sophisticated and formal, natural stone is a bathroom surface favorite. With the right sealant, any natural stone will do well in a wet environment, so it’ll mostly come down to price and aesthetic
Bathroom remodeling guide
good ideas
When you’re investing in a home remodeling project, you want to make sure that the results not only please you but add value to your home and save you money on energy and water as well. These seven steps will help you take advantage of the latest design trends, technologies and products
Budget for the unexpected
Hidden water damage is a common problem in bathrooms, whether from a leaky shower pan or running toilet. “If the floor feels spongy, that’s a sign of serious water damage,” says John Petrie, owner of Mother Hubbard’s Custom Cabinetry in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Other issues are truly hidden, for example a vent stack inside a wall that you thought you were going to knock down
hide the toilet
A master bath that’s stylish and functional can also be discreet. That’s why it’s nice to hide this fixture away, either in its own “room-within-the-room” or behind a half wall. A piece of furniture—an armoire or dresser, say—can create the necessary barrier without the expense of a framed wall
Do choose appropriate surfaces
Your master bathroom’s surfaces do more than just contribute to the overall aesthetic. They also take lots of abuse. Porcelain tile is a favorite among designers, for use on the floors and walls alike. “You can find some versions in the $5 per square foot range that look like natural stone,” says Petrie. He recommends larger tile sizes to minimize grout lines, easing the upkeep. That might mean 18-by-18-inch tile on the floors and 12-by-12-inch on some or all of the walls, perhaps transitioning to 6-by-6 tiles on the diagonal with a glass mosaic transition strip.
Splurge on the shower
The empire of the Roman tub is officially over. “People started to realize that they could count on one hand how many times they actually used the tub,” says Petrie. “We’re now using that space to create larger showers, often with his and her showerheads, body sprays, and even steam generators.”