When property owners desire to commence a new home remodel plan, whether it's in the basement, kitchen or a major budget bathroom renovation , they often suffer from sticker shock. Budget remodeling doesn't imply that you need to buy the cheapest goods and labor. It plainly indicates you can be a wise home improvement planner. You should take the following home improvement suggestions to heart. They will aid you in trimming costs and creating an original bathroom renovation.
Your first approach is to draw up a good plan of action. The quickest way to run up costs and create unnecessary difficulties is to approach your bathroom renovation with a poor plan. Hiring an experienced expert that can rely on experience to distinguish likely problem areas and deal with them before they become major issues is something anyone approaching a home improvement project should seriously weigh. If you are a do-it-yourself person then developing a course of action for your bathroom renovation is essential. Deal with the major problem areas initially. Choose exactly what items you would want to change, i.e. tub, shower, vanity, tile, etc. Here are some handy methods to help guide you on your bathroom remodel without emptying your wallet:
Budget Bathroom Renovation #1 - Creative Color Schemes
The easiest and least expensive method to upgrade your bathroom is by painting, wallpaper, and new wall tiles. Any one of these or a combination of them will add a fresh atmosphere to your bathroom. Commonly seen color themes in a lot of bathrooms are uninteresting white or typical "drab" colors you can find in shopping mall and fast food restrooms. Try to bring your own personality to life with the color options that you pick out. Softer tones like pastels and earth tones can create spectacular changes to a new budget bathroom renovation.
Budget Bathroom Renovation Step 2. - Vanity Choices
The central point for many normal bathrooms is the vanity. Nearly all master baths and main bathrooms have sizable vanities with abundant storage and counter top space. Usually a smaller vanity will be found in 1/2 and 3/4 bathrooms. If storage is not a major concern in your remodeled bathroom you might look at installing a pedestal sink. This will create more floor space and make the room feel more expansive.
Budget Bathroom Renovation #3 - Flooring Basics
Flooring is the one aspect of your bathroom remodel where buying the cheapest materials can turn against you. If you can afford to spend a little more money on any one portion of your project this should be the place. Putting in a lesser quality tile can make for future problems like chipping if using vinyl tiles. The flooring will go through a lot of use and must be able to survive the moisture. There are many wonderful types of floor tiles that you can shop for online, or at home improvement stores.
Low-priced final touches can produce just the right look to putting your budget bathroom renovation into the best of Home and Garden magazine. Some simple additions to think about would be paintings and pictures. Another easy improvement is to add custom molding to emphasize the color scheme you have chosen. Using color coordinated shower/window curtains will add to the overall ambiance. Even on a budget you can produce a wonderful new bathroom that has a custom feel to it.
An important part of the bathroom-remodeling project is the demolition of your existing bathroom. You need to have a plan. There is a process to the demolition phase and it usually does not require a sledgehammer. It requires a plan and patience.
Below is planning guide to the demolition process.
Step 1:
· Remove the mirror and · To help keep a frameless mirror from shattering, I recommend applying tape from corner to corner creating an "X".
· Run tape from top to bottom and side to side through the center of the "X".
· You may need to take a razor blade to scribe between the wall and mirror to loosen paint, glue, and etc.
· Once the mirror is cut around all four sides gently break the mirror and carefully dispose of the mirror in the dumpster.
· Remove towel bars, toilet paper holders, shelves and etc. from the walls.
Step 2:
· Remove the vanity top.
· Disconnect water lines. Just in case, check to be certain you know where the main water shutoff is for the home. Make sure the shutoff valves for the sink are closed before disconnecting the water lines. Open the hot and cold water for the faucet and let the waterlines drain.
· If there are not any shutoff valves for the vanity sink, you need to shut the water off for the home. Check this by turning some faucets on and making sure the water stops running. Remove the water lines. Cut the copper pipe as needed and install a compression fitting shutoff valve. If you are not sure what to do, I strongly encourage you to find someone who can help, such as a licensed plumber. Be very cautious when dealing with water!
· Disconnect the drain line for the sink.
· Use a razor blade to cut loose any adhesive holding the vanity top to the vanity.
· Put vanity top in dumpster or a safe location if you are reusing the vanity top.
Step 3:
· Remove the vanity / cabinet.
· Remove screws holding the vanity to the wall. If you are reusing the existing vanity, I recommend removing the vanity anyway. This will help give you a professional finished look for the floor tile and make it easier to install the floor tile.
· If water shut off valves were originally installed after the vanity was installed, you can cut the water shutoff valves off, or you can carefully cut the vanity back open to allow the vanity back to slide over the shutoff valves.
· If you decide to cut the shutoff valves off, you will need to shut the main water off to the home. Be sure to cap the water lines or install new shutoff valves before turning the water back on.
· Remove base trim along the bathroom walls.
· Break the vanity down and throw in dumpster or place in a safe location if you are reusing the vanity.
Step 4:
· Remove the toilet.
· Turn the water off at the shutoff valve.
· If the toilet does not have a shutoff valve follow the process above in step 3 for installing a shutoff valve.
· After the water is shut off, flush the toilet several times to remove as much water as possible.
· Use a wet shop vacuum or a sponge to remove the remaining water.
· Remove the nuts and caps at the base of the toilet.
· The toilet should lift straight off; the old wax ring should be visible.
· Use a putty knife to remove the old wax ring. Stuff the opening with a rag to prevent sewer fumes from entering the home.
· Dispose of the toilet or set aside if it is to be used again.
Step 5:
· Remove the bathtub / shower surround.
· Remove the trim for the tub / shower faucet.
· Remove the fiberglass shower surround by cutting down the corners with a reciprocating saw. Use a short blade and do not cut into the wall in the back. Remember, you do not know what is in the wall behind the shower.
· If you have tiled shower surround use a sharp razor blade to score / cut the drywall all the way through at the top of the tile and along the sides of the tile. You will have to run the razor blade over the drywall a few times to cut all the way through. Pry the tile and the backer boards off the wall. The backer board is held on with screws. These screws will be removed after the backboard is removed.
· Remove the tile and backer board in larger sections, if possible, to eliminate dust and trips to the dumpster.
· Do not remove the drywall where the tile is not installed. You want to remove the tile and the backer board behind the tile only. What you remove now you have to replace later.
· Disconnect the bathtub drain and remove the bathtub. If the bathtub is cast iron, have a two wheeled cart to help carry the bathtub to the dumpster, as cast iron tubs are heavy. You can break the cast iron bathtub into smaller sections in the house, but this will make a mess. You can cover the bathtub with a blanket before breaking the tub apart to help contain small pieces and keep the mess to a minimum.
· If the bathtub is fiberglass, cut the tub into manageable sections to remove from the home and dispose of into the dumpster.
Step 6:
· Remove the existing flooring.
· Depending on the age of the bathroom and how the flooring was installed will affect how easy the removal process will be.
· Below is a couple of the most common ways I see the floor tile installed.
The tile may be set on cement board. The cement board is often set on thin set, and screwed to the sub floor.
With this you may have five layers of flooring:
· Tile
· Thin set
· Cement Board
· Thin set
· Sub floor - the sub floor will stay. Everything else should be removed.
The tile is set on a layer of thin set that is about one inch thick.
With this you may have three layers:
· Tile
· Thin set
· Sub floor - the sub floor will stay. Everything else should be removed.
· Every bathroom is different and until you start the demolition of the floor you do not know what you will encounter. In either case, removing the tile and tile backer down to the sub floor is not an easy task.
· One option you may have is to remove the tile only and set the new tile on the old mortar bed. This option may raise the current height of the tiled floor from 3/8 to 3/4 of an inch. I do not recommend this option as it does not give you the opportunity to inspect the existing sub floor for damage.
· There are a variety of thresholds available to transition from the tiled floor to the adjacent floor. Check with your local flooring store to see what threshold will work best.
· Keep in mind the toilet flange will need to sit flush with the sub floor or the finished floor. If the flange is higher or lower than the finished floor, you may need to replace the flange. This, of course, will add to your expenses.
At this point your bathroom should be empty, except for the light. We will keep the light for now and install a new one later. It is now time to start putting the bathroom back together!
An atmosphere of personal indulgence, which used to be the domain of day spas, is finding its way into master bathroom remodels. Limited only by imagination and a project's budget, standard master bathrooms are turning into customized retreats. The good news is luxury can be incorporated into any design by using higher end tile designs, fixtures, and bathroom vanities or decorative bathroom furniture vanities.
STYLE
Start scouring those magazines that you see in the waiting rooms... make sure you check out the local design studios and design tradeshows. Styles change year to year, so if you want to keep up with current trends make sure you do some research.
MATERIALS
"For master baths, no material is too luxurious or too unusual. Whether it is installing travertine tile from floor to ceiling, find a rare type of granite countertops, or buying a one-of-a-kind decorative bathroom vanity, the options are endless" says Dale from Artistic bathroom Designs in Philadelphia, PA.
LAYOUT
To create a custom floor plan, consider hiring a certified bathroom designer, who will analyze the size of the space and your family's needs. Some things to discuss with the designer include:
Shower or bath: "The master bath has undergone some changes in recent years. Giant tubs, once wildly popular, have fallen out of favor. Instead, people are choosing custom showers including overhead showerheads, wall-mounted showerheads, hand-held showerheads, shower tiles, rain bars, body sprays and steam showers. Oversized tubs and jacuzzi tubs are under-utilized these days. When people are shopping for homes, they are not looking for the high end tubs, but they are demanding more and more out of the shower features" says Jake Parks of Atlantic States Realty.
Choosing a custom shower with a smaller bathtub can have a big impact on the layout of a bath, too. "A big tub with a nice surround takes up a tremendous amount of space. We can do a great big custom shower in a lot less space," Parks says.
Number of Sinks: If it is new development, it is almost expected to have two sinks in the master bathroom. In a remodel of an older home, the running of the second line and installation of a second sink can be cost prohibitive. Think about the return on investment before making a major change like installing a second water line and sink.
Delicate Matters: While it may seem a bit awkward to talk about the toilet versus the tub, whenever doing a remodel or new bathroom, the recent trend is to separate the tub and toilet by creating a second room. This can add a lot of value to your home.
Universal Design: Another trend in master bathrooms is the use of universal design. This approach, designed to accommodate people of all ages and abilities, includes wider doorways, showers with no raised lip around the bottom, larger shower doors and more room around fixtures. Once thought of as industrial-looking, universal elements such as grab bars now blend seamlessly into even the most luxurious master bathrooms.
THE DETAILS
When it comes to extras in a master bathroom remodel, look toward the luxurious. Hang an extravagant chandelier over a soaking tub; install a high end decorative bathroom furniture vanity; add built-in warming drawers for towels or install a pass-through fireplace for ambience and warmth. You might also consider increasing the master bathroom's convenience by housing your washer and dryer, adjacent dressing rooms or even massage tables in the space.
Sound systems and televisions have become quite common in master bathrooms, but today's remodels are taking the concept to a new level. Flat screens are becoming more popular and in-mirror models, where the television is visible only when it is on, are another option.
A master bath should be a calm, quiet retreat, and that can be tough to pull off with the noise from a television or stereo bouncing of the room's hard surfaces. These finishing touches will add that extra bit of luxury to an already spa-like master bath remodel.
