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Bathroom RemodelingWhen it comes to home improvement projects, bathroom and kitchen remodels rank highest on home owner wishlists. Both rooms seems to show their ages the fastest, with designs, styles, colors, appliances, and fixtures that go out of style or look dated. For some people, this is fine - they enjoy the "classic" look of their home. But for others, remodeling is key to keeping their homes looking and feeling modern and fresh. Planning a bathroom remodel is a pretty big project. How much does it cost to remodel a bathroom? The average home owner spent just about $10,000 on their project. Depending on how extensive your remodel is, you could spend three or four times that if you are doing a lot of tile work, granite counters, new cabinetry, etc. In our guide below, we will look at some bathroom design ideas, check out some of the newest bathroom amenities, talk about finding a bathroom contractor, and much more.
Bathroom Remodel Cost EstimateAs with most home projects, costs and expenses estimates are critical when planning. Where can you get a bathroom remodel cost estimate? Start by visiting ImproveNet.com. They have a bathroom remodel cost estimator - you plug in the size of the bathroom, type of finish you are looking for (economy, standard, deluxe), and whether you are doing a complete or partial overhaul, and it gives you a rough estimate of cost, outlining what components will be changed, type of materials used, etc. For example, we put in details for a medium-size master bathroom complete overhaul, with standard amenities. Cost estimate was about $20K, which covered 120 sq. feet of marble tile flooring, shower or bath, recessed lights, 7 foot base cabinet with 2 integrated sinks, standard faucets and toilet, 350 sf of ceramic wall tile, and one casement window. For a large, deluxe version of the same thing, cost was $60K, which got us whirlpool tub and shower, granite countertops, granite floor tile, 2 windows, new cabinets and medicine chest, deluxe faucets, a sauna area, bidet toilet, and 416 sf of granite wall tile -- this would be a fancy bathroom like you see in a designer magazine. On the lower end, we check out a complete remodel of a small full bath (like a kids bathroom), which clocked in at about $7K -- ceramin tile countertop, basic tub or shower, 30sf of ceramic tile flooring, designer wallpaper on walls. So that should give you some idea of what kind of costs to expect.What goes into a bathroom remodel project?When you are remodeling your bathroom, you have a number of choices to make. Will you do a partial remodel (new cabinets, light fixtures, shower, paint) or a complete remodel (tear out floors and walls where needed, new windows, new recessed lights, build a spa tub, tile work, etc.)? A partial remodel you can often handle yourself, doing it in stages. A bigger job usually means hiring a contractor to handle everything - demolition, window installation, tile work, electrical, plumbing, etc. The first step often begins with bathroom design. You need to decide what you want your new bathroom to look like, and make major design decisions like moving or removing walls, adding windows, adding plumbing, etc. You can work with a professional interior or bathroom design professional, or work out some sketches and floor plan ideas with your contractor. Current trends in bathroom design include bigger bathroom space (sometimes at the expense of closet space, though closet space is still a big item when selling a home), LCD flat screen TVS, separate enclosed toilet area, more use of earthy materials -- from ceramic tiles to natural wood cabinets to marble and granite tiles and counters, spa tubs, radiant heat floors (no more cold tiles beneath your feet!), towel warmers, and extravagant multiple shower heads.You will need to decide on flooring materials, wall coverings (tile, paint, wallpaper, etc), placement of bathroom fixtures (sinks, toilets, tubs), selection of bathroom fixtures (which style of sink and faucets, type of shower, shower doors and wall surfaces, type of toilet), any new electrical requirements (new lights, replacing old fixtures, new controls for fans, etc.). A complete bathroom overhaul can be a pretty big job and can leave you without a working bathroom for 4 to 8 weeks. If you'd like to experiment with a sample bathroom design online, check out WarmlyYours.com. They have an interactive design program that lets you lay out the blueprint of a room according to your dimensions, add windows, doors, tubs, showers, sinks, etc. to see how things fit in the room and what it would look like. You can then get an instant qoute on the project - not an exact science, but still a good way to visualize the space and where you want things to go. Also visit ABathroomGuide.com for ideas on bathroom design and remodel - from sinks to tubs to new products. Finding a bathroom contractorWhenever we are confronted with home improvement projects, our first recommendation for finding a contractor is to go with someone your friends, neighbors, or family have used and recommend. The construction and building trade attracts a lot of people that don't fit in at regular, professional type jobs. You'll find a lot of people with less than perfect organization skills, people who miss appointments and don't return calls, people who make errors and don't remember changes that were agreed upon, etc. Working with someone whose work you have seen firsthand and who comes with a personal recommendation is critical. Of course, you will always want to get a few estimates (3-4 for a large project). If your preferred contractor comes in higher -- tell him you want to work with him, but you think his estimate is too high, and you'd like him to rework it and see if he can't find 10% of fat in there. These guys usually need the work and if they are high priced, will often come down to meet your budget when possible. Sometimes when they are so busy, they intentionally give high bids to scare people off (or win jobs from the really desperate). The phone book is another place to turn for contractors - if they spend money on ads, that is a good sign that they have an ongoing, successful business. But you will still want to confirm licenses and insurance, and get references and multiple estimates.
Do you have a quality site or product that belongs in this guide? We are always happy to evaluate or review new products and websites. Feel free to contact us at the email address below and let us know about you. If you have a demo product you'd like us to look at, please contact us before sending anything. Thank you.
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