When you’re renovating your property, you might focus on the big-ticket rooms to start with. This might be the kitchen, which gets used throughout the day. Or it might be the living room, where you spend most of your time and host guests. But even though the bathroom gets used every day as well, it can often end up being left at the back of the list.
A luxurious family bathroom can add a lot to your quality of life, especially if you are able to use it to relax. Here are a few tips to help you design the perfect bathroom for your needs.
Budgeting and Saving
Any renovation is expensive, which is why it’s important to come up with a realistic budget and save as much as possible before starting the work.
A reasonable budget can mean different things to different people, depending on how much you earn and what you want to do. If you are planning an extensive renovation or an additional bathroom, you will need to spend more. But you also need to consider what you can afford to spend and, if necessary, make some sacrifices.
There are two main ways to pay for renovation work. You can pay using cash you’ve saved up, which means that you’re completely free from debt, but don’t have payment protection that some loans provide. Or you can take out a loan, which is good if you don’t have the money on hand. The downside is that paying off a loan can be more expensive in the long run, and you might be tempted to bite off more than you can reasonably afford to pay each month.
Saving is helpful even if you’re planning on getting a renovation loan, mainly because it allows you to put forward a larger deposit on the loan and potentially pay it off more quickly.
Get a Second Bathroom
One of the best things you can do for your home is to get a second bathroom. While a household can function with one bathroom, it can get old very quickly, especially if you find that you’re always the one waiting to use the toilet.
If you don’t have a lot of room, a second toilet could be a good option. This doesn’t take up much room, but can be very helpful when two people need to use the bathroom at once. You can also have it downstairs, making it more convenient for visitors and family members alike.
A second bathroom or toilet is great for when you want a better home for yourself or to boost the property value if you’re thinking about selling your house to someone else. Most buyers are more interested in houses that have a second bathroom or toilet because it’s much easier to live with.
The Perfect Fittings
When you’re changing your bathroom around, one of your key focuses should be on your fittings and fixtures. This refers to the toilet itself, the bath, and/or the shower, and the sink. Some people have other appliances in their bathrooms as well.
First, you should determine what actually needs to be replaced. These fittings are expensive, so think about whether you need to scrap and replace them or if you can simply update them. For example, replacing faucets can do a lot to change how your bathroom looks and feels, without making a massive investment.
If you do need to change the fittings or fixtures, you also need to think about the layout of the bathroom. As well as getting rid of your old ones, you should think about whether you can reorganize your bathroom to fit more in or to simply look nicer.
You can buy bathroom fixtures separately online, or you can buy whole bathrooms. There are pros and cons to both approaches. Buying fixtures separately allows you to fully customize your bathroom, and it can be cheaper. However, getting a whole bathroom all in one is a surefire way to make sure everything goes well together. It’s also often easier to fit a bathroom that’s designed to work together.
When To Hire a Contractor
Often, you will need to hire contractors when you’re getting a new bathroom, especially if you’re replacing fixtures and fittings or changing the layout. When you’re changing the bathroom layout, you should hope a plumber can do the job of connecting everything where it needs to go and making sure your plumbing outlets are all in the right place and working properly. This isn’t a job you can just do yourself, as it needs a professional touch to avoid potential problems.
As well as hiring a plumber for the fitting part of the job, you should also think about hiring contractors to make sure the tiling is done correctly. Tiles on the walls and floors are common additions to a bathroom, because they’re waterproof and easy to clean.
This is especially important when you’re fitting a shower, because you need to make sure that the walls are protected. This means getting the tiles correctly installed and also ensuring the grouting is properly sealed.
The Finishing Touches
Speaking of tiles, you should move on to the finishing touches. While the floors and shower walls might be tiled, you might prefer to paint the other walls of your bathroom. In this case, make sure you use bathroom wall paint that is resistant to the high humidity and steam in the bathroom.
Your bathroom should be more than just functional. Good bathroom design allows you to have a room where you can pamper yourself and relax, so that means creating a pleasant environment.
You can choose different themes for your bathroom so you feel more comfortable. For example, you could add plants that enjoy the humidity and make you feel like you’re in a rainforest spa. Or you could invest in candles for the best bath of your life.
The important thing is to focus on the finishing touches and have a bathroom that you love.
