Tips and Tricks to Planning A Bathroom Reno

Is your bathroom looking tired and outdated, and you find yourself dreaming of how you can personalize your bathroom to suit your tastes better? If this sounds like you, it’s time to start seriously thinking about planning a bathroom renovation.

Whether you’re trusting your renovation to a contractor and experienced flooring installer, or you’re doing it yourself, the key to any successful renovation is knowing what you need from your space. For some, this could mean retrofitting your bathroom so it’s more energy efficient, or maximizing the space you have to accommodate a growing family. 

To help you out, we’ve created a handy list of tips and tricks to help you plan the bathroom of your dreams.

Tips and Tricks to Planning A Bathroom Reno

1.Renovation Size

Before you start remodelling your bathroom, ask yourself whether your entire bathroom or only part of your washroom needs renovating. This will determine the project’s overall size. There are three standard sizes of bathroom renos:

• Surface Alterations: Essentially, this means tackling the ceiling, walls or flooring. Painting or hiring a ceramic tile flooring installer to replace your chipped or outdated flooring are examples of surface alterations.
• Gut and Replace: This means gutting the interior, not moving any fixtures, and then replacing what you’ve taken out.
• Gut and Rearrange: If you’re gutting the bathroom and moving fixtures or adding square footage — the most costly venture — then you’re talking about a major renovation that will require more time, money and consideration.

2. Wish List

What do you need or want from your bathroom? If you need a walk-in bathtub so you don’t fall in the tub or radiant heating to keep your toes warm in the winter, then these are things to add to your wish list.

If you have a flooring contractor, make sure this professional knows about your wish list so that tasks are planned and executed in the right order. Communication is key for a successful renovation!

3. Design Ideas

Everyone has their style preferences, so if you’re renovating your bathroom and not planning on moving, then start exploring different design ideas you’d like to see incorporated. If, however, you’re updating the bathroom to help sell your house, then focus on using popular design elements like neutral colours.

4. Choosing Materials and Products

As you explore design trends you want to weave into your bathroom aesthetic, it’s time to figure out which materials you’d like to use in the reno. These are some of the materials and items you’ll need to consider:

• Backsplash 
• Flooring
• Lighting
• Fixtures (Faucets, Shower Heads, Toilets, Towel Bars etc.)
• Cabinets, vanities and countertops

5. Budgeting

As with any renovation, how much you can afford will dictate the size of your renovation. Your finances will also determine how much you can afford to spend on products like backsplash, materials like tile flooring, and/or paying for a ceramic tile flooring installer to install your new flooring!

Tip: Try to have a reserve or “just in case” fund in the event you need more money for your renovation.

6. DIY or Hire an Experienced Contractor

Whether you do the renovation yourself or hire a tile installer to lay ceramic floors with the radiant heating you’ve always wanted depends on your skillset. Many DIYers stick to surface alterations like painting and leave the gut and replacing or rearranging to the experts. 

If you have no experience renovating, it may be wise to shop around for a licensed and trustworthy contractor to help oversee the project. Read our article on the Benefits of Hiring a Licensed Contractor to Install Your Floors to see if your project would benefit from a contractor. Although it discusses flooring contractors, the benefits listed could apply to a general contractor as well.

How to Plan a Bathroom Renovation

Before you begin ripping up the flooring in your bathroom, it’s best to take some time to plan out your bathroom renovation. Some things to consider are the size of the project, what you want to put into your bathroom (design, materials), your budget limit and if you’re hiring a contractor.

Contact us with any questions you have about what to expect when renovating your bathroom. Our consultations are free, and we’re here to help you; all you have to do is drop us a line!