It’s often called the smallest room in the house, but the bathroom makes an impressive contribution to the value of your home, whether you’re living in a 10-bedroom palace or a neat inner-city apartment.
Together with the kitchen, the bathroom is one of the favorite areas to renovate when homeowners decide it’s time to sell and you want to maximise the value of their most significant financial asset.
As an experienced local agent, I know how a bathroom contributes positively not just to the value of your home but the speed at which it’s likely to get snapped up by a motivated buyer. A cool, clean, modern bathroom really does push buyers over the line quickly.
The bathroom layout is critical to its success. A typical school of thought says the tallest features, such as the shower, should go to the back. But don’t let this dominate your thinking as moving pipes can get expensive.
Before you spend big, give me a call. I’d be happy to verify your thinking about whether your ideas will give you the best return on investment and let you know about the latest buyer trends.
Here are a few tips to help you.
- Keep it real – Remember, you’re not going to remain in this property, so prioritise the practical and let your bathroom fantasies run riot in your next home.
- Use the light – If your bathroom enjoys the benefit of natural light, then capitalise on this facet of the room. Great lighting makes any bathroom feel bigger.
- Be classic – To win over buyers, a classic colour scheme works every time. Whites with black highlights or trim are a favourite. Check out online sites and retail brochures to find your preferred look. Pinterest and Instgram are also great sources of inspiration now.
- Floor flaws – Don’t choose bright white tiles for the floor. The grout greys and will make the bathroom appear as if it needs to be cleaned constantly. Hair, fluff and footprints also show up immediately.
- Go with the flow – Some tiles have a seam-like pattern in them. Talk to your tiler to ensure the seam flows in a consistent direction. This strategy will make the room feel bigger.
- Top tile tip – Before purchase, check if your floor tiles need a minimum width of grout around them. Some manufacturers recommend 3mm grout – that’s quite wide – because the tile will expand and might pop out of its position with constant exposure to water. Additional grout creates leeway to cope with this movement.
- Great grout – There are many grout color variations, so explore this with your favorite retailer to get the best result for your floor and wall tiles.
- Powder rooms – You can be brave with colour in small areas, such as a powder room or second bathroom.
- Water woes – Stress to your tiler the need for water drain quickly and efficiently. Mildew quickly appears if your drainage is sub-standard. Make sure you purchase waste traps that will handle the water flow, especially in the shower.