Bathroom Remodeling In 5 Steps
Bathroom upgrade is a great way to increase house value and improve your lifestyle. It may seem complicated process, but with proper guidance and expertise it turns to be enjoyable journey where your dream design comes true. Ready to makeover your bathroom, but not sure how to start? Then, these best practices to arrange bathroom remodeling in 5 steps are for you.
1. Brainstorming and research.
Looking for inspiration, you can consult with designers or search online. Working with design or architect team is a shortcut to obtaining the most space-efficient layout integrated with modern trends in design. As a result of collaboration, you’ll get a comprehensive floor plan. Moreover, it will be good base to request and compare the quotes from contractors. Accordingly, the main principle of price comparison: apples to apples. If you don’t have a budget for design services, or would like to try yourself in this role, never mind. You can easily visualize your dream bathroom looking through online galleries like Pinterest, Houzz, or Instagram. After honing the ideal image, take a look at materials and fixtures. Would you like marble or ceramic tile? What brand of plumbing fixtures you prefer? What furniture / interior design elements would you have in your bathroom?
2. Evaluate your budget.
Planning your budget is crucial task. First, check your financial position for the next 1-3 months. Second, get the quotes from the contractors. Usually, it’s free. Insist on itemized quotes, it’s easier to compare, optimize and negotiate the prices. It would be good, if the contractor specified labor-related expences and materials and fixtures costs separately. This will help you reconsider the budget by replacing high-value materials for more modest, or vice-versa. Take into consideration materials take-off surplus up to 25% for wastes. Understand the figures and leave yourself some extra funds for unexpected issues (for example, pipes replacement, electrics upgrade) or design switch ( for example, adding extra space).
3. Hire reliable contractor.
To achieve beautiful results, it’s important to work with a proper team of professionals. You need to hire a reliable contractor for your bathroom remodeling project. In our previous post “Hire the right contractor” we provided a list of shortcuts in this excruciating process. Let’s revise the most essential: review and ratings, portfolio, licenses & insurances, responsiveness and reliability during negotiation stage, written contract. Check with the contractors from your shortlist, if they provide the design layout services, dumpster or construction debris disposal services. Check their availability and assumed project duration. Remember, price is not a decision-making factor in choosing the proper contractor. To clarify, the contractor is like a partner, you need to trust him, rely on him, and above all, make him deliver the results. There’s nothing more frustrating to find yourself in the middle of project, with the walls scrapped, abandoned by contractor.
4. In-process problem solving.
After you agreed with the contractor the start date of bathroom renovation, plan your household and other activities for this period accordingly.
Preparation
Provide access for the contractor’s team to bathroom. If you live in apartment complex, confirm with your building management the requirements to allow access for contractors.
Agree with the contractor on working schedule to allow you time for proper rest.
Check the delivery time of your fixtures, special order materials, furniture. To make the project run smoothly, it would be good to have all fixtures and materials on-hand at the starting point.
Cover the furniture and belongings in the adjacent rooms to prevent it from construction dust.
Daily interaction
Check with contractor the work progress and perspective. It’s good to know you are on the same page.
Check the materials, fixtures and furniture upon arrival. Sometimes, the materials can arrive damaged or deffective. In some cases the delivered stuff may mismatch with originally ordered. Therefore, good practice is to open every box, compare colors, check the quality, specification upon arrival, to allow time for replacement and reschedule of project works.
Allow time for dry runs with materials to challenge your initial design. Simple exercise of testing the material before secure attaching it can save money and time. For example, before tiling the floor, let the worker lay-out the tiles, take a look at the pattern, how the colors are playing, compare the grout cover, threshold. Further, play several scenarios, pick up the best and aks the worker do it.
Treat the workers with dignity, however, remember, it’s your bathroom.
Unforeseen issues
Discuss with your contractor any unforeseen issues that arise during construction. For example, after floor removal the contractor reveals lead water supply pipes. Then, you need a quote from licensed and insured plumber for pipes replacement. Allocate your budget surplus to cover the most important unexpected costs. Design variations shall be secondary priority.
5. Enjoy the results
Usually, small bathroom renovation can be completed within 2-3 weeks, when no materials delays occured. Accordingly, bigger bathrooms may take longer time to be completed. Above all, your bathroom renovation project is a product of planning, communication, and implementation skills of both you and your contractor. If you’ve got a terrific bathroom upgrade, praise yourself for hiring the proper contractor. However, don’t forget to praise your contractor for doing his part. Give him a high rating reviews, refer to your friends and keep his number. Because a proven reliable contractor stays your friend forever.
Enjoy your renewed bathroom, you deserve it!
