subject: Bathroom Remodeling – ins & outs, big & small, low-budget & high-end [print this page] A knowledgeable and experienced contractor is an absolute necessity when it comes to remodeling a bathroom. There are so many design decisions, material options, product selections and fixture choices for the contractor to work through with the homeowner, and not every contractor is up to the task. After all, your bathroom is the most personal room in your home and is the second most value adding home improvement you can have done. Don't you want to put your bathroom remodeling project in the hands of an expert?
The first thing to decide about your bathroom remodel is the design, layout and extent of change you want. A designer can help put your ideas into drawings and the contractor can tell you what's feasible and how much work is involved with each possibility. You may want to simply create better flow and function in the existing space or maybe you are looking to create a whole new bathroom with luxury and elegance or a spa-like atmosphere. There are many things to consider depending on the layout you desire. Will walls be removed or relocated and are they load bearing walls? Will plumbing need to be relocated? Will electrical wiring need to be added or moved? Are there windows that will be closed up, moved or created? Where will the entry door or doors be located? How will the changes affect the flow of the rest of the house? You have to be able to trust that your contractor knows the answers to all these questions.
Next comes the material options and product selections. Your contractor should be able to go over the different choices and options of all the various materials that you can have installed in your remodeled bathroom. You will, of course, have totake into considerationthe factors of price and budget as well as style, color, availability and quality.A reliableand legitimate contractor can assist you infinding the itemsyou want and need for your bathroom, whether they go shopping with you at the local home improvement stores or refer you tosome of the suppliers in their network. The same is true for the fixtures needed for your bathroom. Experienced contractors have a network of suppliers or preferred stores where they can take you or send you to find the fixtures you desire.
There are so many possibilities when it comes to the materials, products and fixtures, you may want to do some windowshopping and/or research ahead of timeso that you have some ideas of what you would like or dislike in your bathroom. You may like the look of a standard tub with a solid shower surround or maybe you want a big soaking tub with a tile tub deck and tile surround. If you are enlarging the shower, you could install a simpleshowerhead or several showerheads or a multiple head body spray.You can have large tile on the floor and mosaic tile in the shower. Perhaps you want some elegant pendant lights over the vanity and recessed lights in the rest of the bathroom or basic modern sconces at the vanity and nicebut low-budget overhead fixtures in the other areas. You can choose to have custom built cabinets,semi-custom cabinets or choose to buy pre-made cabinets that you find that are just the right size for your needs. A high-endlaminate counter top can beinstalled oranyof thevarious solid surface countersare options as well.If you want granite counter tops, you may like a light color better than a dark one, or maybe you like quartz better than granite. You might want to think about the paint color you would like before choosing the other products and fixtures so that you can coordinate the look of the bathroom just the way you want it.
It doesn't matter if your bathroom remodeling project is big or small, low-budget or high-end, the right contractor should be willing and able to assist you through the process of decisions and choices to create the bathroom you want and need.
Mike Summers - President, A Dependable Home Repair & Construction Service, Inc.
Bathroom Remodeling ins & outs, big & small, low-budget & high-end
