Bathroom Fixer-Uppers

By: Keith Smallwood

When considering doing improvements or renovations to your homes, there are certain updates that will bring you considerably more value than others. One room that will bring you a good return on your investment is the bathroom. This is one room that house hunters scrutinize closely. If the house has a fabulous bathroom, they are much more willing to let some other things slide. If the house has an outdated bathroom however, consider them out the door. Here are some great ideas for modernizing your bathroom on any budget.

The first step to any bathroom renovation is planning. A good plan will ensure that you don’t have any unnecessary headaches and don’t spend more than you intend or need. When laying out a plan for your bathroom remodel, consider a couple of things: Will you be installing completely new fixtures? How about new flooring or lighting? Do you want to change the layout of your bathroom? The answers to all of these questions will help you get out a detailed plan with a realistic picture of what you need to buy and how much labor will be required. Also, when designing your new bathroom, decide on a budget right away and stick to it. It’s even a good idea to have a realtor help you figure out what other people in your neighborhood have spent on their bathroom updates to make sure you keep pace with the market.

Once you have gotten your plan down on paper, it’s time to get to work! If you are looking for an inexpensive way to give your bathroom a facelift it can be quite easy. Simply painting the walls, hanging artwork and buying new coordinating towels and accessories can have a huge impact for little money. If you are aiming for something a bit more involved, you have a ton of options to choose from. The first thing to decide on is your theme or style like contemporary, rustic or traditional. The style you choose will impact all of the new fixtures and accessories for your bathroom. The first place you want to start is with your major fixtures like the tub, toilet and sink. When choosing new fixtures, remember to measure, measure, measure! Many standards have changed, especially if you have an older home so measure at least twice before pulling out your wallet.

The next decision in your remodeling process is some of the aesthetic materials. For the walls, do you want to paint them one color, put up a rail and do bead board or do you want to tile them? If you choose paint, make sure you buy paint specific to bathrooms and kitchens. This paint has an anti-mildew agent in it which can prevent fungus from growing in your new room. This type of paint is also very easy to wipe clean and won’t bubble or peel from the humidity. Next, decide what type of material you want to use on your floor. Tile is probably the most popular option but you can also go with hardwood or even marble. Decide how much maintenance you are willing to do before choosing a material.

Another thing to consider in your bathroom renovation is who will be using the bathroom and how many people on a daily basis will enter. If you have a lot of children or are redoing the bathroom on your main level, you might want to choose more maintenance free materials and have lots of storage. If you are remodeling the master bathroom, you might be able to afford to go with some more luxurious elements to give you a true spa retreat. Just remember that no matter what type of fixtures and materials that you choose, they all need to be easy to clean. As long as you have a good plan before diving in to your renovation, you will have a successful project that will last for years to come!