If there is anything worth remodeling in a home, it is the bathroom. In 2023, the demands for bathroom remodels from homeowners skyrocketed, emphasizing the changing trends with lifestyle preferences, technological advancements, and modern ways of using the essential room. People are prioritizing the comfort that the functionality and aesthetics of luxury hotels and resorts provide guests. Homeowners hope to replicate those elements with their own bathrooms, making them feel more satisfied and relaxed whenever they use the facilities.
From a financial standpoint, investing in a bathroom remodel also pays dividends. The 2023 Remodeling Magazine Cost vs. Value Report states that even a midrange remodel of the bathroom can get homeowners a 60-70% return on investment. The remodel can also boost property value, making it an ideal project to spend on when you plan to sell your home. Regardless of the reason, you must ensure you have everything you need. Here are a few tasks that should be on your checklist for a full bathroom remodel.
Identify Purpose First
Before diving into the checklist for a full bathroom remodel, you must ensure you have everything right first. A major renovation will cost a lot of time and money, and getting things wrong might affect your financial situation, as well as your lifestyle efficiency. However, the most influential factor is inconvenience for homeowners. If you have only one bathroom, you might have to consider taking temporary shelter to perform all bathroom needs like bathing and using the toilet. The renovation should align with your plans, making it necessary to identify how you are going to do it. Here are a few reasons why you should consider a bathroom remodel:
- You are going to boost the property’s value to sell your home at a higher price.
- You are modernizing the bathroom to enhance comfort and convenience when using the facilities.
- You are replacing outdated bathroom fixtures with technologically advanced versions.
- The bathroom is in dire need of an upgrade because the maintenance and repair needs are visible and frequent.
Those reasons are enough for homeowners to renovate the bathroom. However, it can be challenging to do it yourself as the task is a major remodeling project. As a result, partnering with a bathroom contractor should be the first step in your checklist for a full bathroom remodel. The expert can assess the area, identify what needs to be replaced or renovated, and perform the changes with the proper tools and equipment. A bathroom contractor is a specialized professional who can remodel the area with enough precision that a warranty is often attached to the project contract. With the help of a bathroom contractor, you can ensure that your purpose for the room renovation will be satisfied. Of course, comparing prices from different contractors will be essential, ensuring you get an affordable price for quality work.
Consider Building a New One
Some purposes might not revolve around bathroom renovations. Some homeowners might want a whole new bathroom altogether because expanding the area might not fulfill the reason for the home improvement project. A new bathroom is essential if your family is becoming bigger, which means sharing one bathroom might cause problems. Another is that the house might be big enough to make it challenging for household members to get to the room without running. Lastly, an additional bathroom might be necessary for the outdoor area to ensure that family members can clean themselves before entering the home. Those reasons are enough for homeowners to consider building another bathroom as an alternative to the checklist for a full bathroom remodel.
Partnering with a local construction company will be necessary to build another bathroom. It will take a team of engineers, contractors, and architects to understand the home’s structure, identify if adding a new wing is possible, and perform the construction project. They can partner with you when designing the area within the existing layout, which might include the kids’ bedrooms, the guest bedroom, or the service area. Moreover, the company often provides the complete package for their services, from material procurement to finishing touches. If you realize that a remodel might not be your primary purpose, then getting a local construction company to build a new one might be the more accurate project.
Plan Remodeling Efforts
Of course, remodeling a bathroom is still an ideal move, especially when your newly constructed bathroom feels more updated than your existing one. An outdated bathroom can be unappealing and inconvenient, causing frustration and dissatisfaction with your desired indoor lifestyle. An up-to-date bathroom can provide plenty of benefits, but it will only work when it is tailor-made to your preferences. Of course, doing it yourself can be challenging, making it necessary to partner with bathroom remodeling contractors. Those contractors have a portfolio of successful bathroom remodels, making them reliable and experienced professionals to trust with your renovation plans.
However, the biggest contribution that bathroom remodeling contractors can offer is input on the remodeling effort. Aware of the bathroom’s importance to a person’s daily lifestyle, the contractors can find ways to speed up the project. A full renovation will render the area useless for a few days, and amateur work will cause things to slow down and force you to seek temporary shelter. With bathroom remodeling contractors at the helm, you can ensure that remodeling the area will be easy enough for them to handle within a few days, provided you have agreed to the design and costs.
However, a renovated bathroom might make the rest of the home feel outdated. You might have gone all out to improve the area, warranting enhancements to the rest of the property. Fortunately, you can partner with house remodelers to help you with those upgrades. They do not have to be massive changes but must complement the bathroom improvements to ensure harmony in the home’s design. Once you plan out the remodeling details, you can benefit from an improved house overall.
Focus on Plumbing and Fixtures
While the checklist for a full bathroom remodel might include mostly renovations for aesthetics, you must still prioritize functionality. Replacing outdated and worn-out bathroom fixtures could be the primary reason for your enhancements, making it necessary to plan the entire renovation around it. However, understanding the intricacies of those changes will require you to look at the plumbing system and how it might be affected. The pipes and connections will all play a role in the renovation’s success, making it essential to check if the fixtures come with parts that are compatible. This strategy can save you a lot of money when you buy those essential parts. Fortunately, you can find hardware store staff who know these kinds of stuff.
There are a few essential fixtures you might need to prioritize when renovating the bathroom. The toilets, bathtubs, or showerheads will be the pieces you might want to replace the most. You can find modern versions of those in any home improvement store. Then, you might want to invest in additional fixtures like faucets, bidets, and glass panels for the shower. Of course, getting those installed will require professionals to ensure they are safely put in place.
Additionally, you might want to go for fixtures that improve the water quality you get for bathing, including water softeners. You can find contractors specializing in water softener installations to help you with the renovation task since the device needs to be connected to the bathroom pipes. Your fixture updates will depend on your preferences and budget, making it an essential step to prioritize when creating a checklist for a full bathroom remodel.
Replace Floor and Walls
Once you have a plan for functionality, you can divert your attention to aesthetics. Modern bathrooms have a sleek design, copying what most luxury hotels and resorts have to provide a comfortable and appealing environment. To replicate that, homeowners must consider changing the most visible elements of the room, which are the floors and tiles. After years of holding water, marks and stains might be visible on the bathroom surfaces. Unfortunately, the damage might be enough to require replacements, allowing you to rethink the area’s design.
For the floors, you have multiple options. Whether it is porcelain, ceramic, or marble, you must ensure that the tile replacements can be visually appealing and water-resistant. The clay tile approach can also work in modern bathrooms. While mostly used for the roof, clay tiles can still provide a durable floor for your bathroom. For the walls, tiles are also ideal investments. Wallpapers, however, provide a cheaper and easier installation if you want to speed up the renovation process. Of course, wood trims will also be vital in the bathroom to prevent water from leaking outside the area.
Floor and wall installations are achievable to perform for most homeowners, but getting professional help is still the best move. To cross those investments off the checklist for a full bathroom remodel, you can partner with a bathroom contractor to remove existing tiles and install new ones. The expert can also provide you with high-quality materials, preventing you from having to source from the tile shop for your renovations. Floors and walls make up 90% of the bathroom’s visible surface, making it essential to prioritize for your checklist for a full bathroom remodel if you want it to be aesthetically pleasing.
Install Storage
The outdated design of a bathroom is based mostly on functionality. Since it is an area that homeowners rarely use, most old homes have cramped spaces that really only make room for fixtures. However, today’s bathrooms prioritize comfort, which means spacing is better. Still, those spaces might get occupied by bathroom products like towels, hygiene inventory, and clothes. If you fail to organize them properly, your renovated bathroom might still look messy. As a result, adding storage solutions becomes an essential part of the checklist for a full bathroom remodel.
Cabinets can be integrated to any bathroom design, with overhead shelves, under-the-sink drawers, and hidden storage spaces being the best options. You can get a cabinet designer to help you with identifying those areas for installation. Of course, you might still want to get a storage solution you can move around, allowing you to customize the bathroom’s layout whenever you want. Fortunately, you can work with a cabinet company to build a storage solution built for the water within the bathroom. The regular wooden cabinet and drawers will work poorly inside a bathroom, making it necessary to ensure the materials used to build the furniture are waterproof.
Add a Vanity Section
Perhaps one of the most popular items on the checklist for a full bathroom remodel is the addition of the vanity area. Homeowners spend more time in front of the mirror compared to any fixture. When people brush their teeth, apply make-up, or simply get a look of themselves, they will stay in front of the mirror. With so much time dedicated to the area, adding a vanity section can be an ideal step.
Similar to a kitchen countertop, adding a bathroom version can immediately enhance the space. Homeowners can place their bathroom products in that area. Quartz countertops are popular in today’s bathrooms, mainly due to their water-resistant features. However, it can still be aesthetically pleasing in an area in need of a renovation. The countertop is the key visible feature of the vanity section, and the rest of the installations must submit to the design. Dim lighting, wider mirrors, and storage spaces will all be part of the vanity section. If your bathroom still has enough space, you can add seating arrangements there. Of course, installing the vanity section will require professionals, making it ideal to hire a bathroom contractor for it
The checklist for a full bathroom remodel is unique to every homeowner. Some might want what you have, but others are perfectly content with what they have. In the end, it boils down to your preferences. You can make all the installations and improvements you want with the help of professionals, but only you know the design most satisfying to you. The checklist for a full bathroom remodel can be challenging to build, but you can take it step by step to ensure the project becomes successful, so experimentation will be key.