Deciding to undertake a custom bathroom design or remodel is a big decision. Fortunately for you, custom bathroom design is a good investment, yielding over a 70% return on investment at home resale. Custom bathroom design is also not a project you want to jump right into. Projects like kitchen design, custom cabinetry, and bathroom remodeling are complex undertakings that you should spend at least six months planning prior to start. So before you start digging into the dry wall, make sure to follow these steps:
1. Take Stock Of What Needs Changing Specifically
This may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many homeowners have very general ideas about what they would like done. For example, a lot of people know that they don’t like their medicine cabinet, but until you really get in there and look, you might not realize that your problem is that the wood is water damaged. If water damage is the issue, you have a few options including refacing, replacing, and staining. Start making a list of what you think is wrong and what needs fixing. Of course, the issue is not always a mechanical one, but a matter of taste, which brings us to our second point…
2. Choose A Design Aesthetic
One of the most important design principles that holds true over multiple styles is cohesion. You don’t want a post modern sink with chrome handles and a toilet with a pully–flush and a wooden seat. If you’re not sure what style you’d like your bathroom to be just yet, do some investigating online or in magazines and get inspired. You could discover a whole host of things you didn’t know you absolutely needed to adorn your shower space.
3. Do The Math
By this we mean both financial and architectural. Getting an informal estimate from a friend with some experience with remodeling is a good way to put yourself in a negotiating position of strength when you seek out a formal estimate from a company later. Also, even though you’re probably not a certified engineer or anything, it’s good to break out the tape measure and at least know the square footage of the space you’d like to remodel before getting on the horn and calling places up. It gives you somewhere to start and can empower you down the line when choosing fixtures.
We’ve seen some really great bathroom remodeling before and after photos, but we would be arrogant to assume we’d seen them all. So please, if you’re undertaking a project, post photos of its progress below!