A bathroom remodel can be a significant boost to your home’s value, and it certainly can improve your own quality of life in that home. However, it can be really easy to go about updating your bathroom in the wrong way, which will turn the project into a sinkhole of your money. In case you are planning on renovating a bathroom in your home in the near future, here is what you need to know about the process to preserve the quality of your home and get the most bang for your buck…
Know the Right Updates
Before you start, it’s essential to do some research on what’s in style with bathrooms right now. This will help you direct your money towards accessories that are up-to-date and aren’t likely to fall in value anytime soon. If your updates are dated, it can actually decrease the value of your bathroom, and thus your home. Here are some ideas to get you thinking about what’s big in bathrooms, right now:
- Free-Standing Tub: It has been a trend for years to have luxurious built-in tubs surrounded by wide, marble ledges. While luxury is always on trend, if you can afford the space, consider going for a free-standing tub. That way you can show off the other fancy features in your bathroom, such as unique tile flooring or a tiled accent wall.
- Spacious Shower: Perhaps you have a free-standing tub and want to focus your efforts on making your shower space a space of luxury. Or maybe your bathroom affords room for only a shower, and therefore you want to make sure your shower space has it all. A modern shower will be free of curbs and recessed floors and will feature more space and added bonuses like a bench and built-in shampoo niches. You may even want to go for a vertical shower head to free up some wall space.
- Water-Saving Toilets: When was the last time you updated this feature in your bathroom? A water-saving toilet will help you cut down on your water bills, so there’s no better time than now to make the switch. Besides, since energy efficiency is always on-trend, you can be sure that this is an investment that will never go out of style.
- Accent Wall: Tiles are no longer reserved for the backsplash and shower wall. Not only is this design trend splash-friendly, but it also adds an extra layer of texture and dimension to your bathroom space.
- Golden Fixtures: After a long reign of popularity, silver-toned bathroom fixtures of brushed nickel and stainless steel are being replaced with ones that are gold, copper, and bronze in color. With the multitude of color and finish options available today, the possibilities here are endless.
- Stone Countertops: Countertops are a great way to give your bathroom a facelift, and granite and quartz are both excellent options for the bathroom. Quartz, which is especially popular these days, is known for its superb durability, resistance to heat, and ability to mimic other stones like marble and granite with the variety of colors available.
Use the Right Supplies
Maybe you’re replacing your tub, toilet, and sink vanity, perhaps you’re completely changing out your flooring, maybe just about everything is getting a makeover, or maybe you’re merely recaulking around the utilities already in the bathroom. Whatever the job, it’s vital to ensure that you have all the necessary tools and materials on hand before starting the job. Parts and materials, after all, can take weeks to ship, and keeping a bathroom out of commission is never convenient for anyone.
Know When to Call the Pros
It’s important to remember that there is a time and a place for outsourcing, especially when you are working with plumbing, the “guts” of your home. DIY mistakes can be catastrophic and expensive, so when in doubt of your own abilities, be sure to call a plumber or contractor.
What Can You Do Without A Plumber?
You might wonder why you’ll need to hire plumbers if you’re updating your bathroom, especially if you’re mainly focusing on the fixtures. While you can do most of the small things yourself, it mightn’t be possible to do the larger things, regardless of what your DIY skills are.
Avoiding any mistakes will be the most notable. These could be easier to make than you’d think. They could also cost you a lot of money to fix, depending on what you’re working on. If it’s something large, such as your toilet’s plumbing, then you could end up needing to replace it.
If you’re focusing on the minor cosmetic areas, you shouldn’t need to hire a professional. With anything larger, however, doing so could be vital. There are a few things you could do yourself that you mightn’t have thought of. The largest of these are:
- The Faucet: Your bathroom faucet can be much easier to replace than you’d expect. There are only several steps needed, such as disconnecting the water lines and loosening the old faucet before removing it. After that, it’s primarily the same process in reverse with the new faucet.
- Cosmetic Upgrades: Most of the bathroom updates you can do yourself will revolve around the cosmetics. That includes replacing the toilet itself, changing the tiles, lights, and much more. These should all be easy to do, as long as you can follow the recommended steps.
It’s worth noting that you should have the water turned off for the majority of these changes. Outside of these, however, your local plumbers might be a recommended option.
Avoid Moving Your Plumbing
If you want to stick to your budget and avoid hours of mess and headache, plan on keeping all of your plumbing where it is. This means not moving the bathtub to a new location or trying to switch your sink and toilet around. Moving plumbing around is typically too complicated for a homeowner to tackle on their own, and it’s an expensive job for any plumbing professional.
