Has it been a while since you updated your bathroom? It’s worth considering a bathroom refresh every 5 to 10 years. Fresh paint and new fixtures keeps a room looking nice and functioning well. While renovating a bathroom can take a decent bit of time and effort, it will be worth the investment when you transform your bathroom.
You’ll see more than a few benefits, from feeling good every time you walk into the space to how much it’s better suited to your current needs. With a few of our pro remodeling tips for bathroom renovations, remodeling your bathroom can be easier and simpler than you would’ve thought.
Key Renovation Tips to Transform Your Bathroom
1. Understand Your Costs
Before you start renovating a bathroom, it’s worth making sure you understand your costs. Without researching ahead of time, those costs could end up being way higher than you might imagine. While the costs depend on exactly what you want to have done, there are ways to save, too. There are affordable materials like LVP and some kinds of tile, and there are some bathroom improvements that will be inherently more expensive than others.
Detailing the entire project and assigning costs to every phase will help you. Know the costs you can expect so you can budget appropriately for it.
2. Leverage Pre-Existing Plumbing
Speaking of costs, there are other ways—beyond materials choice–to keep these as low as possible. Leveraging your pre-existing plumbing helps with this quite a bit. Simply swapping fixtures for new ones instead of relocating them will limit the amount of plumbing that’s needed. That way, you don’t have to worry about getting your plumbing redone. While that could limit your overall design somewhat, it might be more than worth the cost savings.
3. Pick the Right Contractor
When you’re remodeling a bathroom, you’ll usually need someone to do the work for you. While you can DIY some or all of it, we think it’s best when trained professionals handle the more complicated tasks like plumbing or electric. Take the time to find the right contractor for you (check out our tips to finding a good contractor here). Research your options beforehand at local professional groups like NARI, and go with the person you’re most comfortable with.
While many professional contractors ask for a small deposit to hold your space on their calendar, never give up a large deposit to a new contractor before work is started.
4. Try a Wet Room Layout
When you’re going for a complete bathroom renovation, it’s worth considering a wet room layout. This offers a lot of visual appeal, and could even make the room more functional. If you have a smaller bathroom, then this could make it feel larger, as you’ll have fewer vertical dividers for a shower area. It will have an airier, more minimalist feel. Plus, it can be easier to clean.
5. Consider Small Refreshes
Not all bathroom renovations have to be big and expensive. Some cost-friendly design options have more of an impact than you might think. Swapping out the cabinet hardware or faucet can make the room look nicer, and the new fixtures could even be more pleasant to use. Paint can also make a huge difference. Even just painting or wallpapering the ceiling can change the entire vibe.
Swapping in new light fixtures or changing the color temperature of the light bulbs is another easy way to update the feel of a bathroom. And, there’s always scent that can really transform your bathroom. From aromatherapy to vase diffusers, there’s plenty of scent options that are easy to include.
