Tips for remodeling a bathroom
A simple bathroom remodel can add a lot of value to your home and make it much easier to sell. Bathrooms and kitchens sell homes and home buyers love walking into a house that has a newly remodeled bathroom in it. And although bathrooms look great when the work is finished, it takes a lot of time, hard work, and effort to remodel a bathroom. If you're thinking of taking on a project like this here are some tips for remodeling a bathroom and questions you need to ask yourself before you start.
What kind of budget are you on?
Before you start any type of remodeling project you need to sit down and come up with a budge to work with. Remodeling can become quite costly and if you neglect to come up with a budget you could find yourself spending much more than you had originally expected. A little here and a little there starts to add up so sit down and work out a budget before you begin anything.
How far do you want to really go?
When I say how far I mean what kind of remodel are you thinking of:
- Surface alterations: You may like the layout of the bathroom but want to change colors, tubs/ showers, the vanity or just the lighting. Structurally however you don't want to make any changes.
- Layout changes: This will be more difficult as you will have to consider moving plumbing and electrical lines.
- Complete removal: This includes pretty much everything; you have to take everything out because thirty years has rotted the flooring, the tile is cracked, and you have to replace the window.
Are you going to hire a contractor?
Depending on what kind of work you are doing (complete removal or just repairing and refinishing) will depend largely on whether or not you want to hire a contractor. Cosmetic and small remodels can usually be done by the home owner but when you get into replacing and moving plumbing and electrical fixtures it is generally safer to hire someone else to do (unless you are skilled in these areas). If you do decide that you want to use a contractor then you will need to make sure that you get a professionally licensed one. A contractor can also be very helpful when it comes to obtaining the needed permits required for a remodel.
Making decisions about new flooring, tubs, showers, etc.
After you have a budget, figured out what type of remodel you are going to do, and whether or not you will need a contractor you can start looking for things to remodel with. If you have completely gutted your bathroom then you will need to find things to replace them with. New toilets, tubs, and shower stalls can be custom made and ordered through your contractor or you can go into a home hardware store and find them yourself. You will also need to think about what type of flooring you will be putting into your bathroom. Tile is extremely popular these days as it keeps water off the sub floor but can be quite slippery for small children. There are several choices when it comes to putting things back into your bathroom so shop around to find the best prices available. The best prices may not come from your contractor either so make sure you compare.
Hopefully these tips for remodeling a bathroom will come in handy for helping you get started.
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Tags: Tips_for_remodeling_a_bathroom remodeling_a_bathroom tips remodeling bathroom budget costly surface_alterations layout_changes removal hire_a_contractor contractor flooring tubs showers best_prices
