It can be very easy to overlook your bathroom when you’re renovating your home, but it could be argued that it’s one of the most important rooms to renovate. You spend a lot of time in the bathroom, freshening up and getting ready for the day, so it makes sense to want to spend that time in a clean, new space.
Much like any renovation, your bathroom renovation can be a big job that’s very disruptive to your family and finances. But, big projects can always be made more manageable with proper planning and forethought.
So, here are some things to consider when planning a bathroom renovation.
Budget and Saving
Unfortunately, renovations like this cost a lot of money. Depending on the extent of the refit, you could spend thousands on your bathroom. Yes, the end result is worth it, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that your finances will take a major hit.
So, before any work starts on your bathroom, you need to work out what you can afford and how you’ll pay for it. The quickest way to finance any renovation is to get a home improvement loan or take out a personal loan. But it’s also beneficial to save as much as you can before biting the bullet. This way, you will be left with much less debt to pay off.
When setting a budget, don’t just go for the maximum that you can borrow or conceivably afford. Instead, work out a balance between what you want, need, and what you can afford. The lower the cost, the better.
While you’re at it, factor in any nasty surprises. Ideally, the project will go smoothly, but sometimes you might stumble upon a sudden unexpected additional cost, which can halt a job in its tracks. If you have some extra cash to buffer the damage, things will go much better. Besides, if you have anything left, it can be used to pay off loans, add to your savings, or even make another purchase.
Designing the Bathroom
Once you have a budget in mind, you can start designing your new bathroom. Look up ideas of the kind of bathroom you’d like, and use a room planning app or software to work out your preferred layout. This is where already having a budget comes in handy because it is automatically factored into your design. You don’t even have to consider options you might love but that are out of your budget.
Once you have a basic design in mind, you should look into hiring professionals and purchasing what you need. Some bathroom renovation companies allow you to design a new bathroom from their website, including the fixtures, fittings, and decorative features, so the whole process is much easier and you can figure out what it will cost and look like.
A professional bathroom contractor will then inspect your bathroom and give you an estimate of the cost and the timeframe.
Logistics
As you can imagine, going without a bathroom is incredibly disruptive, especially if you have family. If you have a second bathroom, it’s best to stagger the renovations. But what if you only have one bathroom?
Well, in some cases you can ask a friend, family member, or neighbor for help. Some people find it easier to stay somewhere else temporarily, or to at least have the children stay with someone for a week until the bathroom is usable again.
Depending on the contractors, your bathroom might be semi-functional for most of the project. Talk to the contractor and ask about the timeframe, as well as what will be installed and when.
It can also be disruptive to pets when workmen are in the house, especially if they’re alone. Also, wandering pets can get in the way of the contractors and might even get hurt. Work out a way to keep them out of the way and, ideally, keep their anxiety down.
Making Smaller Changes
While a bathroom renovation can be expensive, it doesn’t always have to be. For example, you can completely change how a bathroom looks without replacing the large fittings and fixtures, which automatically saves a huge amount of money.
Obviously, if you want to change the layout of your bathroom, this will involve ripping out these appliances and potentially doing work on the plumbing, but if you’re happy with the layout as it is, this is a good option.
For example, you can change the faucets around to change the look of the sinks and the bath. Copper faucets will give your bathroom a more old-fashioned look, and can be perfect with cottage styles or even a more bohemian and quirky design. Or you can change the toilet seat to update the bathroom for less money.
The great thing about these smaller changes is that you can sometimes do them yourself. You can look up how to measure a toilet seat and install it, or you can switch out some more decorative features. Of course, for larger jobs or jobs that involve actual plumbing, the cheaper and less stressful option may be to hire a professional plumber, so nobody makes any mistakes.
If your appliances are worse for wear, you can sometimes repair them rather than replace them. New parts aren’t just cosmetic changes, they can be practical ones as well.
Finishing Touches
The bathroom doesn’t have to be all about function with no sense of design or personality. As well as installing fixtures, fittings, tiles, and getting all of the other jobs out of the way, your bathroom can be finished off by a few small touches.
For example, wall art can have a place in the bathroom, especially if it follows a certain theme that you like. You can also decorate the walls with quirky wallpaper, but bear in mind that bathrooms tend to get steamy quickly.
Houseplants are an amazing addition to any bathroom, and some plants thrive in this environment. The trick is to play around with the decor, have fun, and make your bathroom special.
