6 Easy Steps To Bathroom Renovations

You’ve finally decided it’s time to renovate your bathroom. Congratulations. You’ll have a lot of different things to take into consideration as you layout your beautiful new bathroom, so we’ve put together some tips to help you get started and make your way through the process.

Photo: Custom bathroom designed and built by Van Dolder’s Kitchen and Bath and styled by Bare Birch. Featuring a floor to ceiling cultured marble shower surrounded in “pearl grey”, a custom cultured marble shower base, 10mm frameless custom glass shower door, Riobel Mizo shower kit and single hole faucets, and a Cambria Swanbridge vanity top in 4cm thickness with Double Treeline Edge.

Identify your primary reason for renovating.

Is it to update your current bathroom, make the space larger, add a shower or bath, or simply to make the house more appealing to a prospective buyer? Knowing your number one goal will help you allocate budget in the proper areas and assist your contractor in the recommendations they make for fixtures and materials.

Know your current and future needs.

Is your family growing or are your children ready to fly the coop? Do you think you’ll be moving as you age or do you plan on spending your retirement years in your home? Do you have or anticipate any special physical needs as you age? Review your storage needs and make certain you have enough closet or cabinet space to meet your needs. Most homeowners can go 15 to 20 years before renovating a bathroom, so take your future needs into consideration now as it will be less expensive to make those changes now rather than later.

Do some research.

While a bathroom renovation may seem to be a simple process it can be one of the most demanding and costly rooms to renovate in your home. Spend some time getting ideas from magazines, Pinterest, and bath ware showrooms. Speak with some bathroom design experts to find out about new and improved products. Visiting a showroom will allow you to examine and test the actual bath ware products to get a true sense of what the final product will be like in your home. It’s also wise to get some professional opinions on whether the renovation ideas you have are even possible. Finding out early in your plans that you cannot move the location of a toilet, or if you are dealing with a load bearing wall will save you much design time, heartache and possibly money.

Set your budget.

Knowing how much you have for the total project at the beginning of the job will save you time when you’re in the showroom shopping for products. Sharing your budget with your renovator will also help them better recommend products and services that will fit within your budget.

Consider “The Full-Service” solution.

While some consumers may consider doing the renovations on their own with the idea that they can save some money, hiring professionals for more complex projects will ultimately save you time and much frustration. In most cases, the full-service solution will often pay for itself because a reputable professional can help guide you through the entire renovation process, provide references, and assist you with after-sales support.

Have a plan for living without a bathroom during the renovation.

Finally, depending on the scope of the remodel, you could be without a functioning bathroom for 2-6 weeks. So you will want to make provisions for you and your family to get by with limited or no use of the bathroom during the renovation period. This is where a second bathroom comes in real handy.

Whether you decide to do the work yourself or want to hire a professional to complete your renovations, Van Dolder’s Kitchen & Bath showroom is the perfect place to begin your bathroom renovation journey. A visit to our showroom will allow you to open and close your new shower doors and actually see the sink, tub, cabinetry and toilet you are considering purchasing. And our experienced professionals can help you with your design questions too.