Bathroom Remodeling: Where Should You Start Your Project?
Though it may not be a walk in the park, bathroom remodeling can be one of the most rewarding home renovation projects a homeowner can undertake. Not only can it provide excellent return on investment for those looking to sell, but it can also greatly improve the comfort and accessibility of a home’s most frequently-used spaces. However, full bathroom remodeling projects can be daunting, and it’s best to plan accordingly. Create a realistic budget and timeline, weigh the costs and benefits of DIY versus professional installation, and be sure to start with the most impactful areas of the bathroom to maximize your investment.
“Getting started with a bathroom remodel can be tough for a lot of homeowners. I think the best place to start is with the shower area, and that’s for two main reasons,” said Brian Keeler, Corporate Director of Sales at West Shore Home. “Showers are usually the focal point of the bathroom, so remodeling them is the best way to boost the overall comfort level and visual appeal of the space. They’re also uniquely susceptible to mold and mildew, as well as wear and tear. Bottom line, a shower remodel is the best way to overhaul your space and improve its usability without blowing your budget.”
Plan Accordingly: Overcoming The Biggest Bathroom Remodeling Hurdles
When committing to a bathroom remodel, determine the exact issues you want to address. Is your bathroom just outdated, or is it downright dysfunctional? It’s important to evaluate what needs to be addressed and focus your budget and time on those areas first.
“In my opinion, here’s where you should start,” Keeler stated. “Bath and shower should always come first. After that, check the floor. Mold, mildew, and rot can wreak havoc on your floors over time, and it’s best to replace failing flooring with something moisture-resistant. After that comes cabinetry and vanities. From there, you can install a new toilet, redecorate, put in a fancy heated towel rack. It’s all up to you.”
Where To Begin Your Bathroom Remodel
✓ Start with your bath or shower
✓ Replace your flooring
✓ Install new cabinets and vanities
✓ Replace your toilet
✓ Add amenities and comfort accessories
Workload is also an important consideration, and homeowners will want to honestly evaluate their DIY abilities and determine what they can do on their own versus what they’ll want to leave to a contractor. Bath and shower remodeling can often require plumbing experience, and elements such as tile work and sealing are often best left to experienced professionals.
Flooring, cabinets, and vanities often aren’t as difficult to install, and handy homeowners may be inclined to take the DIY approach. There’s nothing wrong with that approach, but it’s important to ensure that materials installed in moisture-prone environments are undamaged and implemented with caution; mold and water damage can easily undo many hours of work and cost hundreds in repairs.
Finding The Finish Line
“Once we’re done with an installation, the first thing we do is look over everything and make sure there are no potential points of failure,” said Keeler. “Chipped, cracked, or discolored materials, bad caulking, or faulty plumbing are unacceptable. We make sure there’s none of that before we finish a job.”
It’s not a bad idea to have a definitive endpoint in mind to make sure that your DIY undertaking doesn’t spiral into a months-long nightmare. Prepare a checklist, accomplish your tasks in order of most to least impactful, and wrap things up when you feel you have accomplished your goal. Bloat and feature creep can sometimes jeopardize budget-centric remodels. Decide early on where the project’s finish line is, and determine from there if there’s room for further development. It’s also crucial to periodically ensure that everything that has already been installed is functional and correctly implemented. A misaligned shower panel or an incorrectly-installed plumbing fixture can wreak havoc down the line.
