TPT's - 5 Smart Tips for Bathroom Remodeling
1. Have a Game Plan
A bathroom remodel is no place for improvisation. Think hard about how you will use the space, what materials and fixtures you want, and how much you’re willing to spend.
The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) recommends spending up to six months evaluating and planning before beginning work. That way, you have a roadmap that will guide decisions, even the ones made under remodeling stress. Once work has begun — a process that averages two to three weeks depending on the size of the kitchen— resist changing your mind. Work stoppages and alterations add costs.
If planning isn’t your strong suit, let us do it. In addition to adding style and efficiency, a professional design from Two Poor Teachers.
2. Keep the Same Footprint
You can afford that Italian tile you love if you can live with the total square footage you already have.
Keeping the same footprint, and locating new plumbing fixtures near existing plumbing pipes, saves demolition and reconstruction dollars. You’ll also cut down on the dust and debris that make remodeling so hard to live with.
Make the most of the space you have. Glass doors on showers and tubs open up the area. A pedestal sink takes up less room than a vanity. If you miss the storage, replace a mirror with a deep medicine cabinet.
We also move walls and enlarge bathrooms as well if the project calls for it.
3. Make Lighting a Priority
Multiple shower heads and radiant heat floors are fabulous adds to a bathroom remodel. But few items make a bathroom more satisfying than lighting designed for everyday grooming.
Well-designed bathroom task lighting surrounds vanity mirrors and eliminates shadows on faces: You look better already. Today, shopping for bulbs means paying attention to lumens, the amount of light you get from a bulb — i.e. brightness. For these bathroom task areas, the TPT recommends:
Toilet: 45 lumens
Sink: 450 lumens
Vanity: 1,680 lumens
4. Clear the Air
Bathroom ventilation systems may be out of sight, but they shouldn’t be out of mind during a bathroom remodel.
Bathroom ventilation is essential for removing excess humidity that fogs mirrors, makes bathroom floors slippery, and contributes to the growth of mildew and mold. Controlling mold and humidity is especially important for maintaining healthy indoor air quality and protecting the value of your home — mold remediation is expensive, and excess humidity can damage cabinets and painted finishes.
A bathroom vent and water closet fan should exhaust air to the outside — not simply to the space between ceiling joists. Better models have whisper-quiet exhaust fans and humidity-controlled switches that activate when a sensor detects excess moisture in the air.
Related: Everything You Need to Know about Exhaust Fans.
5. Think Storage
Bathroom storage is a challenge:
Think vertically: Upper wall space in a bathroom is often underused. Freestanding, multi-tiered shelf units designed to fit over toilet tanks turn unused wall area into found storage. Spaces between wall studs create attractive and useful niches for holding soaps and toiletries. Install shelves over towel bars to use blank wall space.
Think moveable: Inexpensive woven baskets set on the floor are stylish towel holders. A floor-stand coat rack holds wet towels, bath robes, and clothes.
Think utility: Adding a slide-out tray to vanity cabinet compartments provides full access to stored items and prevents lesser-used items from being lost or forgotten.
Once you have a plan or a set idea, contact us for a free in home quote on your bathroom remodeling project.
