Guest Post - Things to Consider While Preparing for A Bathroom Renovation

Renovating a bathroom is both an exciting and rewarding experience. A remodeled bathroom reflects personal style and delivers the desired comfort, maximum functionality, and added value. But to get the outcome you dreamt of requires time and a considerable amount of investment. Lack of focus and proper planning can get it off-track in no time. At times it gets overwhelming and daunting for homeowners as there is a lot of decision-making involved, and the bathroom is an essential everyday space that you can’t keep disorderly for long. 

If you are prepping up for a bathroom renovation, carefully considering a range of factors and a little advanced preparation and foresight can ensure that the project does not upend your life or create needless hassles. For people undertaking a bathroom renovation project for the first time, doing a thorough research and taking expert assistance will be a prudent choice.

Consider the following things before demolishing the bathroom to enjoy a smooth bathroom renovation process from conceptualizing to completion:

Plan it

Planning is the best way to start a bathroom renovation project. Write down your list of priorities, matters with the present bathroom, the expectations, or what you wish to achieve at the end of the project. Setting clear goals and creating a well-defined plan is the key to a successful bathroom renovation. 

Set a budget

There is no defined cost of renovating a bathroom. You can spend as much as you wish, and for this reason, setting a budget is critical. Do your research keeping all the required changes, like adding a new sink, a fresh coat of paint, lighting and plumbing fixtures, and cabinets in mind to get an idea of your ability and willingness to spend on different aspects. Setting a budget and defining the financial limits will make it easier to decide on the layout, design, and other features.

Layout

Keeping the current layout is always cost-effective. But if you have the budget and are not happy with the present bathroom condition, you can redesign it from scratch to suit your needs. Keep in mind that completely changing the layout will also mean plumbing alterations to accommodate the renovations. Don’t only think about the present while planning the layout. Plan it with the future in mind to accommodate all the changes you foresee in the coming times. 

Look for design inspirations

Browse through the internet or hire an architect to know ways to get the best out of the available space. A bathroom design should incorporate both aesthetics and functionality. Include factors like color, shower, bathtub, tiles, faucets, and fixtures while planning the bathroom design. Avoid experimenting too much with the materials and colors and keep things consistent with the rest of the house. While designing, also factor in how it will affect the resale ability of the house.

Keep the space in mind

Having an exceptional bathroom design idea is not enough. There should also be adequate space to execute it properly. Avoid setting unrealistic expectations and try to manage available space optimally.   

Appropriate plumbing fixtures and features

Plumbing faucets, fixtures, and hardware are inseparable elements of a bathroom renovation. They have a considerable impact on the overall appearance. Choose hardware that fits the budget and fulfills the family’s needs. It is surprising how things like drawer pulls or door handles can transform the look of your bathroom. You can also opt for greener alternatives while upgrading the bathroom features. For example, consider a low-flow toilet, energy-efficient water heater, and no-VOC paints.

Plan the storage

Storage is a crucial part of any bathroom. Planning cabinets, shelves, and other solutions can get tricky. The storage space should be functional, easily accessible, must accommodate all your stuff, and look aesthetically pleasing at the same time.

Pick the right materials

Only once you enter the world of bathroom renovation, you realize that there are much more details to look into than you thought. The choice of materials for different bathroom accessories depends on your need and the bathroom style. Do proper research before choosing a durable material for the countertops, floor tiles, cabinets, bathtub, backsplash, and lighting.

Lighting

It is easy to forget about lighting while remodeling a bathroom. Bad lighting can destroy the look of the space. Consider maximizing the natural lighting through a window or skylight, and add attractive lighting fixtures and recessed LEDs to perfectly light it up. 

Adequate ventilation

Bathrooms require excellent ventilation owing to their susceptibility to dampness. Careful planning is essential to finalize the modes of ventilation (window vents, exhaust fans) and their positioning to maximize airflow. 

Hire professionals

Selecting a reliable remodeler is essential to bring your renovation ideas to life. Avoid giving in to the temptation of hiring the one that offers the lowest price. Evaluate them for their skills, expertise, commitment, and reliability.

Taking all the above factors into account while planning a bathroom renovation will save both time and money. All the disturbances and disruptions during the process are temporary, and the final result will surely be worth all the efforts.  

About the author:

Richa has over 10 years of content writing experience with leading home improvement and renovation companies. This article is written by her for SITL Home Renovation and Design - Greenwich, CT renovation experts.

What Retirement Reveals

So you’re finally retired. Wonderful news! Now you can get to all those books you have been meaning to read, take a trip when and where you want, spend more time with friends, children and grandchildren, and volunteer at your favorite charity. Being retired gives you the freedom to make your own schedule, and also means you will be home a lot more than you were in the past.

However, spending more hours at home means having the time to actually look at your home. Often our retired clients will tell us that after a few months of being home they start noticing how much “stuff” accumulated over the years. Collections from no longer living relatives are in the attic, keepsakes from children are in the closets, a garage filled with old sporting equipment and a basement filled with boxes.

Retirees try to figure out how all these piles took over their space while they were at work. What to do? Where to even begin? Maybe it is time to call a professional organizer.

A professional organizer will come to your space and access the situation. You will get a clear understanding of the time and cost necessary to help you sort, review and organize the areas of your house which are cluttered and could benefit from finished organized systems. A professional can assist you in making hard decisions that can be challenging on your own, such as what to keep, where to donate and how to appraise items which may be of value. Many professional organizers will remove your smaller unwanted items at the end of the session, arrange for donation or junk pick up for larger items and set up a walk through with an auction house for possible sale items.

Organizers have knowledge of the best storage solution for your space.  In addition to containers you may benefit from shelves and other storage solutions. At House to Home Organizing, one of our popular services is our concierge shopping service that makes your life that much easier. Shopping in a crowded store overflowing with options can be stressful. Let us bring the solutions to you.

Retirement can be great for relaxing, but sometimes it can be hard to restart physical activities. It is really important to note that Professional Organizers provide manual labor and momentum which is something everyone needs when reducing clutter. It can be easy to start a project but many people get distracted easily and never finish. Organizing requires serious decision making, focus and energy.

Every job is different as to where to start and the time needed to complete. Having a no charge consult at is a great way to understand the process and the time commitment. Spending more time at home should be a pleasure not a burden. So if you are looking to enjoy retirement, want to spend your time doing the things you love as opposed to de-cluttering, do yourself a favor and call a professional organizer. You will not be sorry!