A bathroom remodel is a pretty large project, especially if you’ve never done one before. You may have no idea where to even START, not to mention what to do when you actually begin! Well, today, I’m going to touch on the first steps you should take when starting a bathroom remodel.

The First Steps in a Bathroom Remodel

Budgeting:

There are a few places you could start the process, but I find that budgeting is the most practical. It will dictate several other factors, so knowing it as soon as possible will help a lot. In budgeting for a bathroom remodel, we suggest you ask yourself if you’re staying in your home 5 years or more. If the answer is no, you’ll spend less than if your answer is yes. You now need to know your homes value, so that you can do your budgeting formula. If you’re staying more than 5 years, spend up to 5-7% of your homes value on your bathroom. This could vary depending on WHICH bathroom you’re remodeling. If you’re moving, you will spend 3-5%. The next step in budgeting is deciding how to pay. Cash is king, obvioulsy. You’ll save money on interest. We also offer several financing options that are 0% interest for 6 months or more. You could do credit card, but interest rates are very high. Another popular option is home equity line of credit.

Finding Your Style:

Finding your Style is next on my list. This is the fun part! You may have some idea of what you want, or none at all, but either way you slice it, you can’t successfully create a beautiful bathroom if you’re not 100% sure of your style. There are many different styles you can choose from: Modern, Contemporary, Traditional, Transitional, Eclectic, Farmhouse, Rustic, Craftsman, Mediterranean, Coastal, and more. Spend time doing research on sites like Houzz.com. You can search by room and then by style, adding price criteria, color criteria and more. This will help you get a real feel for WHAT the styles look like. I also suggest that you visit Pinterest. Create a bathroom board and search something general like “bathroom design”. Then, start saving any bathroom you love. Odds are, when you go back to your board and see what you saved, you’ll see several trends. Do they all have subway tile? Are they brightly colored? Do they have white vanities? This is a good indication of what you’re drawn to. Knowing your style will make it so much easier to work with a designer or to find the products yourself.

DIY or DIFM?

Do it yourself, or Do it for me? Which kind of person are you? For a bathroom remodel, we HIGHLY suggest the DIFM approach, using a professional. A bathroom remodel includes a lot of plumbing, so it can go wrong, very wrong, pretty quickly. Doing a tiled shower also has a lot of waterproofing precautions that need to be taken to ensure it won’t cause mold, water damage and rot in the future. Analyze your skills HONESTLY and decide which route you want to take. You can always do some small tasks to save money and leave the larger tasks to the pros.

Taking Measurements:

Taking measurements is an important part of a bathroom remodel. Your measurements will dictate which types of products will work for your space, not just the size. Some measurements may show that only custom order products will do, while others may be perfect for standard sizes. It’s important to know that from the beginning. It will also help you analyze your budget. It you need a HUGE vanity, maybe you could spend a little less on the top. You’ll need to take measurements of your Floor, Toilet, Vanity/Top, and Shower or Tub. If you’re not sure how to measure, click here for more details.

Working with a Designer:

Many people assume that there is an additional cost in working with a bathroom designer for their bathroom remodel. There can be, but not when working with Builders Surplus. We highly recommend working with a bathroom designer for a few reasons.

1. It’s Free. So why not?
2. They know ALL the products and materials – pros, cons and price points
3. They are trained to spot problems before they occur
4. They are experienced in managing the process – they know which steps need to come before others to save time and money.

You can definitly do a bathroom without a designer, but you will most likely spend more time and more money that you would have otherwise, so why not schedule your free design consultation today? I hope this has been helpful in laying out the initial steps that need to be taken before you actually get started on your bathroom remodel. Let us know if you have any additional questions below!

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  Builders Surplus is a full service renovation company with locations in Louisville, Kentucky, and Newport, Kentucky, which also serves Cincinnati, Ohio. We are the leading provider of Bathroom Remodeling, Bathroom Cabinets, Vanity tops and backsplash tile in Louisville, Newport, and Cincinnati. We specialize in interior design, kitchen design, bathroom remodel, building materials, and home improvement. Interior Design and measurements come as a free service to our clients. We sell building materials ranging in every price point, from unfinished kitchen cabinets to top of the line Wellborn cabinets. In addition to interior design, we also offer installation services. If you have any questions or would like to set up a free design consultation with one of our interior designers, we would encourage you to do so. We love sharing our knowledge with clients & potential home renovators. We write about interior design, home decor, decorating ideas, and home improvement. We hope you’ll check back in for our next article! Happy Renovation! Written By: Allie Bloyd