A bathroom remodel is an excellent strategy to increase your property’s value before sale or to add some modern luxury to your existing home.
Together with a kitchen, the bathroom is the most complex room to upgrade because it requires attention to detail. You’ll need to coordinate at least four contractors, usually a builder, electrician, tiler and plumber, as well as select multiple fixtures.
It’s a good idea to buy fixtures that you’ve seen at a retail store. Online shopping is great, but often what looks good on screen isn’t so good when it comes out of the box. Like everything else in property renovation, you get what you pay for.
Make sure you set a budget for your new bathroom, including the often “hidden costs”.
To help you with this project, we’ve made an eight-point guide to make sure you’ve got all bases covered. I hope it stimulates your thinking.
And in the meantime, if our agency can assist you in the sale of your property or find your next dream home, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Here’s my quick guide for you:
Make a plan
One of the significant expenses of a bathroom remodel is moving existing pipes. So, if you want to relocate the shower or tub, then make sure you’ve built this cost into your budget.
Buy everything first
There’s nothing more frustrating than your upgrade dragging on because you’re waiting for your toilet, shower unit or vanity to arrive. Not only does this disturb your household, but contractors also become harder to coordinate.
The cold, hard truth
Check the capacity of your water heater as part of a bathroom remodel. If your heater doesn’t have the capacity to fill your new tub, you’ll have to upgrade.
Rubbish removal
Don’t forget that it costs money to throw out your old fittings, tiles and concrete. Ask the most appropriate contractor, probably the builder demolishing your existing bathroom, to build this into their quote. Alternatively, hire a skip bin.
Build in a cash buffer
With any renovation, there’s always the risk of unforeseen problems. So, put aside 20% of your project cost as a special fund to pay for any issue that might arise.
Be waterproof
Don’t short-change yourself on waterproofing. Your tiler is responsible for this, so make sure they use the best products available.
Fancy finishes
Your costs will escalate if you want complex tiling, such as mosaics. Ensure your tiler knows your plan so they can include the additional labour in their quote. Otherwise, you might get a nasty surprise.
Little extras
Be prepared to pay extra for bespoke fittings, such as a vanity that doesn’t conform to the sizes offered in the brochures.