Taking on any remodeling project can be overwhelming. There’s much more involved than what you see on the 30 minute HGTV shows! So let’s talk about the five mistakes that homeowners make when they are going through a bathroom remodel and what you can do to avoid these problems!
Most homeowners first thought when remodeling a bathroom is to think about a contractor. This is an important person to have on your team, but unless you are 100% confident in your ability to pull together a good design plan, then you need to look at hiring a designer.
An interior designer is going to be able to help you with several different aspects of your remodel. At the very least you should hire a designer for a consultation. When my clients already have a layout done and they are just looking for guidance, I come spend some time with them and give them my opinion. I will also bring with me tile samples, flooring, and paint options to give them a direction to head in.
If they still need help, I will schedule a day where we go to the showroom and pick out all the materials they need for a bathroom. There are so many little decisions that go into a bathroom remodel. To help make sure you don’t forget anything, check out my handy checklist below!
Designers also provide full service interior design for those clients that just don’t know what they’re doing and need more guidance. For them, I provide different layout options, I create a design scheme for them to approve, and I work directly with the contractor to schedule out and manage the entire project. This frees them up to carry on with their daily lives and have that big HGTV reveal moment at the end!
I realize it’s hard to get an estimate for a remodel because so many factors are involved. What state you live in, the size of your bathroom, and what materials you want to use all play a role in determining how much a remodel is going to cost. However, there are ranges!
I’m going to be completely honest with you here-it’s very hard to do a bathroom remodel for under 25K. It helps to leave the plumbing in the current location, but even then the cost of materials and then labor to install those materials for an average size bathroom remodel run you at least 20K. An average remodel with either enlarging the space or moving plumbing around to enhance functionality will run between 30K-50K.
Are you having sticker shock yet? I know it’s a lot of money to invest into your home. Two things to consider when taking on a bathroom remodel. One, is that you will recoup about 50% of your cost should you sell your home. Kitchens and baths sell homes all day long.
Two, think about how important this space is to you. Are you remodeling a master bath and you need somewhere to retreat to and unwind at the end of a long day? I also like to think about cost per use. You are most likely going to use this bathroom at least twice a day and if you live in that house for 10 years, you would have used that bathroom 7,300 times! With a 30K remodeling budget, that works out to around 4 dollars a day!
Remodeling projects always take about twice as long as people think they are going to! Depending on the size and complexity of the remodel, a bathroom can take you anywhere from 2-6 months. That may seem like a long time but given all the delays with Covid I want to be realistic with you!
There are many steps that go into remodeling your bathroom. At MLR Design, we have a proven process that we follow for every project. So whether you have hired a designer or you are taking this on yourself, I am going to give you an overview of the steps involved in a bathroom remodel so you can understand why it takes as long as it does!
First you need to decide on your design plan. Do you want something serene and relaxing or maybe you prefer something that’s more moody and dramatic. Here on the Gulf Coast, I get calls to do a lot of coastal bathrooms-which I love doing! After you have decided on a concept, you’re going to want to decide on a layout.
I always spend some time here because it’s really important to me that this bathroom functions for you. I also like to ask clients what they think their needs might be five, ten years from now. Would this bathroom be accessible if you needed it to be?
After all the design details have been hashed out, I like to have what I call a “trades day”. This is where we bring in the contractors and subcontractors to get a bid on the design plan. Then armed with all this information, we can make an informed decision on what’s the best direction to take based on your investment.
Just this alone can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks depending on the complexity of the design! Construction, ordering materials, and installation can take another 1-3 months. You can’t rush perfection, right?!
There are three main things I want to cover here that I think are important for you to know when designing a bathroom.
I’m talking about the fan. I know, it’s not sexy but not putting some thought into this can lead to big problems-especially here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Humidity is a fact of life in the south and I see a lot of bathrooms down here with mold problems.
Time for a little math-you want to choose a bathroom fan that has the same CFM (cubic feet per minute) as the square footage of your bathroom. And if you have a jetted tub, you’ll need to add an additional 100 CFM to account for the extra moisture produced by the jets.
Now you have to make sure the fan is installed in the correct location. You want it to be near the shower or tub but NOT close to an AC vent. The AC vents actually disrupt the fans intake of humid air.
Finally, leave the fan running during your shower (obviously) but also leave it running for about 15 minutes after you are done. This will give the fan adequate time to get all the humidity out of the air.
Bonus tip- after your shower, leave the door open to help circulate the humid air out of the shower.
I hoped this help to clear up some of the common mistakes when it comes to a bathroom remodeling project. If you’re interested in learning how to create a luxurious master bathroom, you can read my easy how to guide below.
Are you thinking about renovating your bathroom? Click here to schedule your First Steps Design Consultation. Together we will discover your homes potential, identify opportunities to maximize space, and give you professional insights to get you on the road to design clarity.
Chat soon,
Mandie
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