When homeowners decide to remodel a bathroom, it's usually to improve both the function and the style. This makes any bathroom remodeling project, large or small, one with a lot of considerations to account for. A bathroom is filled with elements that are often used daily, and need to be intuitive for all users. Planning out the entire project well in advance is essential.
In many older homes, bathrooms were often originally designed for a tight space. When this is the case, homeowners usually want to consider ways to add more space such as bumping out the room to the exterior or tearing down interior walls to gain more square footage. Many times, however, with the help of a design professional, a more spacious bathroom can be achieved in the same space simply by re-thinking the layout. It really depends on what the goal is for the project, the priorities you set, and the budget you wish to work within. What's important to understand with a bathroom remodel is that you may have more options than you realize. Giving yourself the chance to explore the possibilities can provide ideas you might have overlooked if you'd rushed.
One Couple’s Experience
When we meet with homeowners we encourage them to talk to us about their priorities. One couple came to us with the intent of demolishing their current master bathroom and expanding the footprint by adding space from an adjacent closet. When we asked them about what they disliked most about their bathroom, they told us about a tub they never used that was gathering dust and how the shower was too small and confining.
Their priority was to have a large walk-in shower with a seat and multiple showerheads. As they identified other things they would like to include we asked them to clarify their “needs” versus their “wants”. Going through this process helped the couple decide what they really wanted to achieve with their bathroom remodel and it helped us to design an ideal bathroom for them. By setting priorities we were able to accomplish this without tearing down walls and also added a few more luxury items that might otherwise have been omitted due to demolition costs.
How to Set Priorities for a Bathroom Remodel
We’ve been in business for more than 45 years. We know that it takes time to plan a bathroom project. Design involves determining the placement of elements, plumbing and building within code. But before we can get to that point, we ask our clients to talk about their vision and ideas for their project. We ask them very specific questions designed to help them articulate their goal for the project and distinguish between the “must have” items and the items they would prefer to have but are optional to the success of their goal.
Our process has worked very well over the years helping many homeowners successfully plan their bathroom remodeling projects. We've compiled this experience into our Free Homeowner's Guide to Bathroom Remodeling.
We invite you to download the Guide today and get started on your bathroom project!
