Your Bathroom Remodel

Archive for the ‘Planning’ Category

You want to get the most for your money, regardless of whether you have hundreds or thousands of dollars to spend on remodeling. Here are some tips to stretch your budget:

1. Plan carefully until you have it right. It doesn’t cost anything to make changes on paper. It can cost a lot to make changes in the middle of construction.

2. Don’t scrimp on the important things. These include plumbing, structural, and electrical materials and installation. Contract with professionals to do this work. Consider it a long-term investment in the value of your home. Strength, durability, and superior performance are essential in these areas.

3. Avoid having to move plumbing fixtures. It is expensive to move plumbing fixtures, and if you can achieve your goal without moving them, you’ll save money.

4. Choose fixtures in neutral or subtle colors. Designer colors are expensive, and bold colors can be hard to match in future redecorating projects. If you want to play with color, paint the cabinets or walls or use colorful wallpaper. You can also choose accessories, bath towels, and artworks for their color. It is inexpensive to repaint and put up new wallpaper, and you can always replace your accessories, but you cannot change the color of fixtures without buying expensive replacements.

By paying close attention to what your doing with your project from start to finish you can avoid spending unnecessary money on items that you really don’t need or want.

When putting together a plan for your bathroom remodel these are some of the things you need to take into consideration:

Shower Stall

1. Reserve at least 34 square inches for a shower enclosure. An enclosure 42 x 36-inches is even better to ensure sufficient elbow room.
2. Ensure at least 30 inches of clearance in front of the shower stall.
3. Install the showerhead at a height that best accommodates all users. The showerhead height for a 5-foot, 3-inch person is 71 inches; for a 5-foot, 10-inch person, it’s 78 inches. To accommodate both people, use the average of the two measurements by adding them together and dividing by two. Other options include mounting two showerheads, installing a handheld sprayer, or buying a showerhead that can be adjusted for height.

Toilet/Bidet

1. Allow 36 x 36 inches of clearance in front of the toilet or bidet, and reserve 16 inches from the center of the fixture to an adjacent wall or other fixture.
2. The toilet enclosure should measure at least 36 inches wide and 66 inches deep.

Bathtub

1. Standard tubs range from 54 to 60 to 72 inches long and 30 to 32 inches wide.
2. A whirlpool tub is typically 36 inches wide and 72 inches long, though many different shapes and sizes are on the market.
3. Allow 30 inches of clearance in front of the tub.

Lavatory

1. Leave 15 inches from the center of the sink to the adjacent wall or fixture and at least 30 x 48 inches of space in front of the sink.
2. Twin vanity lavatories should be separated by 30 inches, as measured from the center one basin to the center of the other.
3. The height of a standard vanity is 30 to 32 inches. Many people find that a height of 34 to 42 inches is more comfortable. Determine the height that is most comfortable to you.

Buying High-Quality Basics

Always buy the highest quality materials you can. Especially when remodeling, you don’t want to put time and money into installing inferior equipment and products that won’t last and won’t add to the value of your home. Bathroom fixtures, in particular, are subjected to many years of heavy-duty use. Buy the best that you can afford.

If a well-organized, well-lit, and well-appointed bathroom seems like a far-fetched dream, it’s a dream that you can make come true.

Bathrooms are too often viewed as utilitarian and furnished in practical, plain ways. Practicality will always be popular, but today more people want their bathrooms to have style and sparkle. Who isn’t impressed by a hint of luxury in the bathroom? Who wouldn’t choose tubs that bubble and showers that steam (and mirrors that don’t) and towel racks that warm your towels? Even no-nonsense types who don’t soak in the tub or linger in the shower appreciate a well-lit grooming area without shadows to obscure their reflection and separate places for personal hygiene items such as the hairbrush, toothbrush, and cosmetic brush, to make sure they don’t mix.

If a well-organized, well-lit, and well-appointed bathroom seems like a far-fetched dream, it’s a dream that you can make come true. How? With planning. Figure a budget and measure the dimensions of your bathroom. You can plot your remodeling project on graph paper using guidelines established by the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Redraw your plan as many times as you need to in order to customize a layout specifically to meet your needs and the needs of your family.