The bathroom is one of the rooms of a house that will benefit enormously from a renovation when you are trying to sell the house. It might even be the number one room because it is such a private room. Many prospective home-owners expect a bathroom upgrade before buying a house. If you are renovating just because you can than you are fortunate. An upgraded bathroom will make you happier too.
- Budget – Before renovating you must decide on a budget. Will this be a complete overhaul or just a sprucing up? Will you need flooring, wallpaper, paint? How about a new sink, toilet, shower or bathtub? Even those things can be broken down into smaller details such as regular sink versus a pedestal sink, a garden tub, a tub with jets or a claw-foot tub.
- Keep or fix – What will you do with the cabinets? Will you get new ones or change the ones that are already there? Cabinets are one of those things that are pretty easy to change. All you need to do are to remove the doors and drawers, sand everything and repaint. New hardware goes a long way and can make your cabinets look modern, Asian, shabby-chic or anything else.
- Lists – Lists will keep you sane. Have a detailed list of what will be done and a list of things that need to be purchased. Other lists might include friends to call to lend a hand and a list of trust-worthy contractors. A day of help from friends will cost you only a few pizzas and a promise to help them later. If you do hire out, try to get recommendations from people who have also remodeled a bathroom or ask for suggestions from your local hardware or do-it-yourself store.
- Shop around – Shopping around for all your materials is a smart move. A full-priced item in one store might be on sale at another. If you order things online go to the site with free shipping. Look for things like salvage yards, Habitat for Humanity, thrifts store and yard sales because you never know what you might find. A claw-foot tub, for instance, would cost a fraction of the cost at a salvage yard while cabinets are often easy to find (and cost way less) at Habitat for Humanity.
Smaller renovations can also do wonders in a bathroom. Enough cannot be said about new paint. Painting walls completely changes a room. New paint can make a room look newer, cleaner and, depending on the color used, make a room appear larger or smaller. It can also make a bathroom trendier, especially if the color of your bathroom is stuck in another era.
Lying tile squares on an existing floor is simple and not too expensive, especially if you do not have a huge bathroom. This too makes a vast improvement. There are many different tile patterns. You can choose tile that looks like wood, tiles that looks like stone or a tile that compliments the existing colors of your bathroom. Buy a pretty area rug to place on your new floor for even more impact.
Smaller renovations are even easier. By purchasing new towels, a coordinating area rug and accessories like a soap dispenser and a bathroom cup your bathroom will get a perk in the looks department. A jar of pretty soaps and a new shower curtain are other good ideas.
Two helpful sites are, HGTV.com and DIY Network.
Bathroom renovations can be fun or they can be a headache. Plans, lists and budgets are the way to keep renovations hassle-free.
