Planning a Bathroom Remodel

A bathroom remodel is one of the few remodels in your home that can give you some bang for your buck if you decide to sell your home. According to experts in the real estate field, homeowners can recoup as much as 80 percent of the cost when they sell their home after bathroom remodeling. So, if you have the budget and the desire, remodeling your bathroom might be a good idea.

Evaluating the Space

The first thing you’ll need to do before a bathroom remodeling is to evaluate the space that you have. Is there any aspect of the bathroom that could use improvement? Would you like to update the bathroom’s look by changing mirrors, lighting or fixtures, or is a major renovation what you have in mind? The answers to these questions will go a long way in giving you an idea of what you want your bathroom remodel to be.

Compare

It’s also a good idea to compare your bathroom with those of your neighbors. This is important if you’re interested in selling your home in the near future. So, if you know that just about every home in your neighborhood has just one bathroom, you might improve your home’s resale value by adding another one, even if it’s a small powder room.

The Future

The scope of your remodel bathroom should take your future plans into account. If you plan to move out of your home in around five to seven years, your remodeling aspirations might be more modest than they would be if you plan to stay in the home for a long time.

Creating a Budget

Bathroom remodeling is expensive. You should take a look at what’s affordable, but never skimp on the quality of workmanship and materials. Cheap fixtures that fall apart after one or two years may cost more in the long run than more expensive fixtures that hold up for a long time.

If your budget is very limited, you might want to only change a few features in the bathroom and consider combination of refinishing & remodeling. Even something as simple as replacing a boring hanging globe with a small crystal chandelier or exchanging an old toilet bowl for a brand new one can make all the difference in the character of the room.

Another rule of thumb is to assume that the remodel is going to cost more than you think it will. It’s wise to add about 10 percent more to your budget to compensate for unexpected problems which are just about inevitable. Any professional and experienced bathroom contractor you hire will know that hidden problems like unsafe wiring or out of code plumbing can appear. He’ll appreciate your foresight.

Decide What You Want and Hire a Professional

After you’ve decided on your budget, you should do some window shopping for the materials you’ll want in your remodel bathroom project. Showrooms are excellent places to get ideas. But these are only part of the cost of the project. Unless you’re an experienced contractor yourself, you should hire one to do the lion’s share of the remodeling. A professional bathroom contractor can help you visualize your perfect bathroom and let you know if you’re within code or if the changes you want are within your budget.