Pitfalls to Avoid When Remodelling Your Bathroom
Bathroom remodelling projects are as nerve-wracking as they are exciting. Whilst the benefit of “home improvement” efforts is self-evident, it’s important that everything goes to plan if you don’t to end up with a washroom that was better off before you started. There are a few common pitfalls it’s easy to avoid if you plan effectively, though. Let’s take a look at them.
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Unrealistic deadlines
A common remodelling problem is booking a bathroom fitter to come and work on your home, only to find that nothing has arrived for them to install. Now, more than ever before, people choose to buy bathroom products online, rather than from a showroom. The issue is that buyers don’t always give themselves time for their bathtub, shower or basin to be delivered before their contractor is due to start work on the bathroom.
Avoid this by liaising with your fitter before buying the products. Walk them through the products you’ve chosen and where you imagine they’ll go. Then let them know when they’ll arrive by so that you can plan for a realistic start date for the remodel. Also, build in a bit of extra time, in case you need to return or replace any items or in case there’s a delay in shipping.
Under budgeting
Shopping for products before you get started on the remodel will not only help with your deadline, but will also help you to gauge, up-front, how much you have to spend on the work itself. However, the most common issue than occurs during remodelling projects is running out of money to pay the contractor, so there are additional measures you need to take.
Primarily, you need to work out plan what you intend to spend on having the bathroom installed and then also add a contingency. If any nasty surprises are revealed during the remodel, such as asbestos, you’ll need to deal with them—this costs money so it’s important to budget extra up-front. House Method, for instance, suggests a contingency of 20% on top of the projected spend.
Ignoring underlying issues
A “schoolboy error” when it comes to renovating your bathroom is trying to patch over underlying issues with fancy, new, luxury products. Yes, it’s very important to have a high-end finish if you’re going to be happy with the new space. However, not at the expense of the bathroom actually working properly. The last thing you want is to have to go back and renovate it all over again six months down the line due to ignoring some leaking pipes or a case of damp in the walls.
Before you get started, have a construction professional come and assess the space. They’ll be able to help point out any potential problems with the building itself so that you can allocate the right amount of time and money to get the work done.
Not planning the space
Measuring up for a bathroom remodel is absolutely essential. You don’t want to order a freestanding bathtub, for example, only to later realise that there’s no room in the bathroom to incorporate one.
Even if you think you’ve got it all totted up in your head, it’s important to put it down on paper in the form of a drawing so you can see where everything will go. An architect or interior designer can help you with this, if you don’t want to do it yourself.
You also need to go and stand in the actual space and compare your drawing to the reality. It can reveal things you might not have noticed. For example, were you intending to lean the arm of your shower panel against a wall, but there’s a window in the way? It’s an easy thing to miss if you’re not standing there with a tape measure.
Knowing the dimensions of your bathroom—and how everything will fit—will save you both time and money, so it’s really important.
Looking for something else to read? Check out our article on Luxury Bathroom Remodelling on a Budget.