Did you know that bathrooms were the most common remodeling jobs in 2017?
It’s no wonder. While there’s nothing quite like a peaceful, well-designed bathroom to take a soothing bath, on the flip side there’s nothing worse than a dingy, poorly-laid out washroom.
That being said, if you’re going to go through the time and expense of a bathroom remodel, you want to do it right. There are a number of bathroom remodeling mistakes that you can avoid making.
Do yourself a favor and read up on these 5 common bathroom remodeling mistakes to avoid!
5 Bathroom Remodeling Mistakes to Avoid Making
While some aspects of design are subjective, others aren’t. With 40 years of experience remodeling homes, we’ve seen everything. Take our word for it and don’t make these bathroom remodeling errors.
1. Starting Before Having a Complete Plan
It’s easy to think the vision in your head is enough to go on. Don’t let yourself be fooled. Having a very specific plan for every little aspect of your renovation is crucial before you start any demolition.
In bathroom remodeling, planning is everything. Before you do anything else, sketch out the exact layout and draw up your budget and necessary materials.
One of the most common bathroom remodeling errors is to leave small decisions to be made during the renovation. This is a mistake. Even the tiniest of details can delay the project because the materials aren’t on hand, and the overall style and color scheme of your bathroom could be altered for the worse.
2. Not Adding Proper Ventilation
Don’t put yourself through the cost, time, and stress of a renovation just to have the final product improperly ventilated.
Without proper air circulation and ventilation, particularly in humid environments, your fresh paint may soon start peeling and mildew may start appearing. Not only that, but a poorly ventilated bathroom could cause health problems for you and your family.
Bathrooms are moist rooms, and it’s important to be able to circulate air after you’ve stepped out of the shower. While having an operable window is better than nothing, it’s advisable to have both a window and a bathroom fan.
It’s worth noting that it’s important to properly care for your bathroom vent, periodically vacuuming it to be sure it’s able to optimally operate.
3. No Window or Poorly Placed Window
A well-lit bathroom is better than a dimly-lit one, but don’t forget to incorporate natural light.
The desire for a window in your bathroom is a reason to situate it on an exterior wall. If this isn’t possible, you might want to consider a skylight or a solar tube.
While adding a window to your new bathroom is a great idea both for natural light and for ventilation purposes (if it’s an operable window,) don’t just thoughtlessly place one any old place.
If the bathroom is on the ground floor, make sure that it isn’t facing a direction that will leave you needing to cover it in heavy curtains. If you’re counting on a bushy shrub outside the window to give you privacy, make sure it doesn’t lose its leaves in the winter! A ground floor bathroom may warrant a high window.
4. Not Adding Enough Storage
It’s no wonder that minimalism is such a popular trend, with its sleek and classic look.
Be careful not to take minimalism too far, otherwise, you’ll be in danger of committing one of the 5 common bathroom remodeling mistakes to avoid.
Storage space in your bathroom is absolutely essential. There are a number of household products whose natural homes are in the bathroom. If you don’t play for enough storage with the hopes of creating a minimalistic style, it’s actually more likely that your brand new bathroom will become cluttered-looking.
Medicine, makeup, hairdryers, straighteners, bath supplies, shaving supplies, first aid supplies, and so many more items are found in bathrooms across the country for a reason. Making sure there is ample storage for all of these items is important to make your bathroom renovation a success.
5. Not Being Realistic About the Budget and Timeline
This is one of the most common bathroom renovation mistakes to avoid. While being optimistic is generally a positive trait, when planning your bathroom renovation you’ll want to be as realistic as possible.
If you are planning on doing a renovation that costs twice as much money as you actually have to do it, you’ll end up having to cut corners that will jeopardize the success of the project.
As a part of your planning process, it’s important to take a careful look at your finances and figure out exactly how much you are going to spend on the project. Set a firm number and stick to it.
Similarly, remember that everything takes longer than you think. Your contractor will give you the best estimate they can, but there are always things that can come up that delay the project. If you have a specific date you need it done by, and you don’t leave yourself extra wiggle room for potential setbacks, you might be doing yourself a real disservice.
Luckily, These Bathroom Remodeling Errors Are Totally Avoidable!
There are a lot of problems in life that you have no control over, but avoiding these bathroom remodeling mistakes isn’t one of them. Do yourself, your family, and the value of your home a favor and make sure you follow this list of bathroom remodeling mistakes to avoid.
If you’re thinking about remodeling your home’s bathroom in the Los Angeles area, get a free bathroom remodeling estimate today! If you have any questions about our remodeling services, please feel free to contact us at any time.
