Most people are not too excited about remodeling their bathroom. However, the bathroom is the first and the last place we spend time before bed. It can give us positive or negative energies depending on how it looks. If you are considering a bathroom renovation, you may be wondering how much it costs and where to start. Well, our team has created a quick guide to help you understand the steps you will go through to decide on how to remodel your bathroom.
10 Steps To Remodel Your Bathroom
1- Figure out the budget
First and foremost, you need to look at your savings and to what is reasonable and comfortable for you to spend on this renovation. We recommend getting a range in which you are comfortable. That is because there could be unforeseen things popping up later, and you need some wiggle room for that.
2- Inspect the plumbing and electrical
Step 2 is to contact a general contractor and have them check out your bathroom including the plumbing and electrical. Those are not often taken into account by the homeowner but can add quite a bit of money to the actual cost of the remodel. That way, at least if something is really obvious you will know ahead of time. Another aspect to do that is because you may want to change the layout, and the contractor needs to check and see if that is possible with the current plumbing and electrical.
3- Get creative ideas for designs
This is the most fun part of the process. Start looking around for inspiration in every bathroom you go to. Look everywhere. Start with magazines, the internet, social media, blogs, bathrooms of family, friends, in hotels, even in upscale stores or restaurants. Keep pictures and show it to the contactors. Get their opinion. Not everything is possible and/or cheap.
4- Bathroom Layout
More often than not, we recommend keeping the layout the same. There are situations, however, in which we may recommend considering a change to the layout of the bathroom. For example, small bathrooms where a change will cause a significant change in the amount of free space available. That also translates in increasing the value of your home. Therefore, it works whether you are planning to sell or to stay in that home for a while. In Honolulu bathrooms are becoming smaller and smaller. Especially for condos. Currently, only the luxury condos have a decent size bathroom that can fit a double vanity for example. Most of the time they don’t have natural light either. That brings us to the next topic.5- Lighting If you live in beautiful Hawaii you know how much nicer it is to have natural light every day. The sun is out most of the time, and it just gives an extra positive vibe to be getting ready in a naturally bright bathroom looking at the blue ocean or the green mountains.
As mentioned in the point above, Honolulu condos don’t usually have a window. These are great example where artificial lighting is so essential. The trend here will be to have materials with light colors, and many bright recessed lights for example.
6- Decide between a bathtub or a shower
Do you take showers or baths? Or do you take a shower in the bathtub? That appears to be the most common scenario. That is why so many people are doing a tub-to-shower conversion here in Hawaii. It will come down to simple questions such as: are you planning to sell your home soon, or are you staying for a while? What do you prefer? Will changing to a shower make your bathroom bigger? If you are thinking about design alone, showers are very trendy because you can add so much color with different tile which gives a nice “life” to your bathroom when anyone walks in.
7- Choose the material
Choosing materials wisely is a very important step. Sometimes the budget is tight by the time you get to this step. Discuss materials with your contractor, consider the pros and cons of each material and re-adjust things as needed to make sure you have decent quality materials. If you are not selling your house, this is most likely the only time you are remodeling your bathroom. Therefore, be sure to choose materials that will last and you will be saving money on the long run.
8- Ventilation
Don’ t forget to check your ventilation and keep it up to standards. The weather in Hawaii is so humid, bathrooms can become moldy easily. Widows are desired, and if you don’t have that, you will need good exhaust fans.
9- Consider accessibility
This is a great opportunity to upgrade and prepare for the uncertain future. We hope these concerns are far from now, but preparing for it before it is needed can save you a lot of stress and money actually. For example, you can add support behind the drywall (so you can add grab bars and rails later). You can install a wide walk in shower (so you can fit a chair in the future). Another example is to install slip-resistant tiles.
10- Re-check the budget
Congratulations, you made it to the last step. Here you want to look back to your budget (step 1) and compare it with your contractor’s estimate. Some adjustments may be needed depending on how “crazy” you went. Adjust, be flexible, and find the best solutions to continue on budget. Remember to leave some room for unforeseen situations. Never max out. If you work with is, we will remind you about that. We care about our customers and only want good surprises: the smile and happiness on your face after we complete our job!
