Renovating your bathroom can seem like an exciting task. However there are some things you will want to consider before you choose some trendy new style of tile or a new, eco-friendly bathtub design to complete your bathroom renovation project. Here is a checklist to help you stay on track with the renovation, which should also help keep you on budget as well.
1. BUDGET – Speaking of your budget, the first thing you need to do is sit down with your family and work out how much you can afford to spend on the project. Having a budget will help you keep track of how much you are spending and help prevent you from going overboard. Once you determine what you can spend on materials and labor costs, then you can figure out which items you can buy.
2. TIME – The next thing you need to figure out is how long the project will take. A lot of homeowners make the mistake of assuming that their project, if it is something like renovating a small bathroom, will only take a short amount of time. However they could have to go through the same procedures involved in renovating a much larger space. Sit down with the contractor and work out a realistic schedule.
3. PREPARE FOR WHAT IF’S – What if you find black mold behind the shower wall? What if your new sink requires moving the toilet over three inches? The best way to prepare for these what if situations is to get a contractor who has the experience and knowledge to guide you through whatever happens.
Who the bathroom is for can make a difference as well. Guests, children, master bathroom?
4. FUNCTIONALITY VERSUS STYLE – You want your bathroom to be stylish. After all, you are paying for it to be renovated for a reason! But you also need your bathroom to be functional. Before you talk to a contractor, look around online for styles you like. Then prioritize them in a list and talk with the contractor about the realistic possibility of adding some of these elements into your bathroom renovation.
5. MEASURE TWICE – Have you ever heard the term “measure twice, cut once”? Your bathroom is the smallest room in your house. It has stipulations like plumbing that can be expensive to move around. Do not rely on eyeballing an estimated guess as to how big of a vanity cabinet you need, for example, when going to the DIY hardware store. Measure everything and write down the measurements, before you make any kind of investment.
6. PREVENT PLUMBING PROBLEMS – Hiring a contractor can also help prevent plumbing problems. Sitcoms make it look amusing when actors and actresses end up putting a sledgehammer through a wall to find the source of a plumbing issue. When you have to pay the bill for re-tiling the wall, then it is not very funny. Always hire a professional to tackle specialty jobs like plumbing or electrical.
7. CABINET STORAGE – Do you need a lot of bathroom storage for a master bath renovation? Are you upgrading a guest closet that only needs space for extra toilet tissue and a few hand towels? How much storage you need is another big part of renovating a bathroom in your family’s home.
8. FLOORING – Whatever flooring you get needs to hold up to moisture and humidity. In a bathroom that has a shower or bathtub, the humidity from the hot water fills the small room with steam, which can damage some types of flooring. Even in a small guest bathroom, an overflowing toilet can wreak havoc on the wrong type of floor.
9. LIGHTS – Not having the right kind of lights, or having too few lights in your bathroom can create a situation that could quickly turn into a prime area for slips, falls, and other serious accidents. Talk with your contractor about the best, eco-friendly lights for your bathroom and ask how you can maximize natural lighting through resources such as skylights to maximize the amount of illumination in the bathroom.
10. VENTILATION – You need the right kind of ventilation for your bathroom. Without it, then you are creating prime growing conditions for mold. If someone in your family is allergic to mold, then you could unknowingly be creating a health hazard for that specific family member. Continual airflow through your family’s bathroom can help extend the longevity of wood trim, drywall, insulation behind drywall, and other porous, structural elements in the bathroom.
As you can see, renovating the bathroom is a multi-step process. When you stay on this checklist however, you can get the job done according to schedule and within your bathroom, which results in a completed project that everyone can enjoy.