Five Things You Should Consider Before Doing a Bathroom Remodel
Bathroom remodeling should begin with proper planning. Failure to do this means that you may never complete it. This is because, without proper planning, you might overlook the critical items and dedicate your full attention to the things that do not matter the most. Planning for bathroom remodeling involves deciding what you want in the new bathroom and taking into consideration some factors like as highlighted in this article.
- Budget
The main factor to consider when doing a bathroom remodel is the size of your budget since this forms the basis of the entire work. You have to know how much money you plan to invest in the remodeling work, otherwise, you may end up overspending on some features and have no money left for other remaining works. Outlining your budget helps you to assign every item its appropriate price so that you do not understate or overestimate. If you find it hard to budget for the work, you may want to call in a contractor to help you with that.
- Bathroom Layout
Decide on what layout you want in your new bathroom. You can choose from a variety of options, namely; a walk-in bathroom, a wet room, or a shower combined with a bathtub. This will help you to know what materials you need for this work, the amount of time it will take as well as what work you can DIY and the work to leave to the experts. This is because each of these bathroom layouts is different in terms of the materials you will need, the amount of space and the amount of money required.
- DIY Vs. Contractor
It is not everything that should be done by a contractor, as you can do a few things by yourself even if you do not have the expertise required. Try as much as possible to get handy so that you can save on the workforce you would have hired. For example, you could do the demolishing of the old bathroom if it is necessary. However, be sure not to try doing an expert’s work since this will only cost you in excess of money because of the mistakes you are bound to make from lack of knowledge. In addition, you could decide to be the handyman for the contractor and this will save you money since you do not need to hire an extra helping hand.
- Source of Materials
Another key element to consider is the source of materials, and the implications the source will have on other factors such as price and timeline. If you decide to source the materials by yourself, be ready to spend more than if the contractor sourced them for you. This because the contractor is familiar to the manufacturers, and since they are frequent buyers and usually do so in large quantities, they are going to enjoy discounts. This will not be the case if you went to buy the materials yourself.
- Features to be Introduced
The kind of features you want to add to your new bathroom is a critical factor to consider since this is the reason you wanted a remodel in the first place. These too will be determined by your unique tastes and preferences. If you want your bathroom to be classy, you could go for features like automatic temperature regulator, LED lights, a wet room, sleek towel bars, grab bars and underfloor heating systems. If you want just a simple bathroom, then you might want to keep off such features so that you do not spend so much.
Other Things to Consider
Decide on what bathroom you want to remodel since all different bathrooms need a different approach. For example, remodeling a downstairs bathroom takes a different approach than an upstairs bathroom in terms of budget, process and the features to be introduced. A downstairs bathroom does not have enough space to convert into a walk in shower combined with a bathtub. An upstairs bathroom has enough space to be converted into any type of bathroom and will require more materials from the many features to be introduced.
Planning for a bathroom remodel is quite a challenge and you should be very keen in the process. If the remodeling work seems overwhelming to you, it is always a good idea to call in a contractor to help you analyze all the options at your disposal so that you make an informed decision. This way, the process of planning will be a lot easier and faster and above all, you will see things in different dimensions.