Home Improvement

A renovation project, such as remodeling your bathroom can be one of the most stressful undertakings that homeowners can embark on.

Nevertheless, millions of people want and need to improve their living conditions. Remodeling IS the answer but how do you ensure that you don’t become a victim of a remodeling nightmare?

You’ve heard it so many times from friends and relatives, “Expect a nightmare. It will take twice as much and take three times as long.”

News Flash: Remodeling your bathroom doesn’t have to be that way!
After 25 years in the remodeling industry and after running two successful remodeling and home building companies, I’ve seen it all. And, I’ve been able to boil success down into Matt Plaskoff’s Six Secrets to Successful Bathroom Remodeling.
6 Insider Secrets to Successful Bathroom Remodeling From One of the Original Consultants for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

Secret #1: Have a Plot!

Would you head off on a long expensive trip without a road map? Of course not! That’s unless you were looking forward to surprises along the way.

Well, in bathroom remodeling, the only surprises are disastrous ones. Figure out what you want BEFORE you start. Place it on paper with your Designer or Contractor. Figure out:

What is the layout?
What are the exact products you want?
What colors are you using?

Answer and document all of these answers BEFORE a single hammer hits your bathroom wall.
Secret #2: Don’t Start Your Bathroom Remodel Until You Have Everything You Need!

So your contractor demolishes the bathroom (the only one you have in the home by the way) and then he decides to tell you that the tile you picked that he thought was going to come in today is delayed 6 weeks.

This is NOT a excellent scenario but an all too often real one. Order the products. Get them delivered. Open the boxes. And make certain they are the right color, not broken and fit together properly before you allow anyone to tear up your bathroom.
Secret #3: Hire a Professional. All Contractors are NOT Made Equal

A remodeling project is one of the largest investments you can make in your life and home. For example, a properly constructed bathroom remodel can return over 132% of the invested value.

In contrast, a poorly constructed project can make hurt that far exceeds the savings you thought you had loved by hiring “the guy your friend used to paint his room.”

Protect your assets and your personal belongings by hiring a licensed and insured contractor to remodel your bathroom. Require a contract that lists EXACTLY what you are getting, a “guaranteed price” (a professional should be able to tell you exactly what it will cost) and a guaranteed time frame. Tell them to place their money where their mouth is and sign a penalty clause if they don’t end on time. This way, you’ll find out who the real professionals are.
Secret #4: Hire Experience!

Jacks- of-All-Trades abound in the remodeling and construction industry. Everyone wants to be everything to all people. You wouldn’t hire a heart surgeon to do a nose job so why would you hire a kitchen specialist to remodel your bathroom. Hiring someone who specializes in bathroom remodeling projects will lead to a much higher quality, more efficient and timely project. Don’t let your general practitioner perform a chin implant.
Secret #5: Let Your Contractor Buy All the Materials

Yes, you can save a few bucks if you buy that tub yourself and cram it into the trunk of your BMW. The problem is that most homeowners don’t know what to buy, what fits with what or how much to buy. Do you really have time to go back and forth from the plumbing supply house to return the incorrect thing and get the right one… five times!
Secret #6: Don’t Make Changes!

Changes are the single largest cause of remodeling nightmares. You’ve done everything right so far. You’ve followed the previous five secrets but you just can’t help yourself and you make changes during construction.

Well… all bets are off.

The schedule flies off track, your contractor can’t manage his or her time and new materials have to be bought. The key to not making changes is to LIKE your plot and be certain that your team knows exactly what you want.

Yes, back to secret #1: Have a Plot. But don’t just have one… LIKE IT! Don’t sign a contract until every product, color and layout is exactly what you want and then let the professionals go to work.
So, there you have it, six secrets to successfully remodeling your bathroom. I’m confident that if you follow these six secrets, you’ll increase your chances of remodeling success one hundred fold.

DIY is an acronym for the term “Do It Yourself” and the adage has gained huge popularity among the homeowners to remodel their bathrooms. Today bathroom is no longer a place to release the waste matters from your body. It is rather a place to relax, change your clothes, mend your wounds, apply your makeup, comb your hair, and learn the basic mantras of grooming and hygienic requirements. So, you cannot overlook the necessities of the bathroom vanities in order to keep it gorgeous and chic. But most homeowners can’t afford the cost of bathroom renovation, since the bathroom accessories are expensive and come with the state of the art designs and shapes. As a consequence, DIY project is launched with a perspective to clean, remodel or repair the bathrooms. The concept DIY Bathroom is highly cost-effective and homeowners can easily renovate their bathrooms in accordance with their budget and requirements.

It has been established that the community of homeowners have accepted the DIY bathroom project like the icing on the cake, since the project can save their hard earned dollars which were shelled out to a plumber simply to mend a leaky faucet. The DIY bathroom project can able to rectify bathroom problems as diverse as from drippy faucets and running commodes to noisy nozzles and flooding floors.   

It is imperative to cautiously manipulate the DIY bathroom project. It is recommended to turn off the water when repairing sinks, toilets, and showers; otherwise it can end up with a surprise flood. Similarly, you can also turn off the electric power in the bathroom to avoid mishap. Finally, do your homework before handling such a project. You must know the pros and cons of the DIY bathroom project and the Internet can be the best source of information to gain adequate knowledge about the project prior to starting.

If you are well-trained, focused, and ready to accept the challenge, your DIY bathroom project will certainly give the modernized look to your bathroom at a price you never would have dreamt of!

Bathrooms are the busiest rooms in the house that needs to be efficient in managing both relaxed weekends and hectic mornings. Besides, interior décor and color schemes, the most essential traits of an organized and updated bathroom are its fittings and attractive showers that make a versatile design classic, pleasing visual effect as well as decorative style statement. After all, it is a relaxing bathroom that we desire for a pleasant beginning of the day.

An invigorating shower in an elegant bathroom setup makes up your day. Shower screens, bathroom fittings and aqualisa showers are a must-have bathroom feature and are both economical and convenient. Available in a wide variety of designs and finishes, these are the highlighting attributes of a bathroom and enhance the very look of your bathroom rendering a cozy appeal. The shower screens are effective in containing water spray as compared to curtains especially during a power shower and facilitates in avoiding splashes. The Ben de Lisi showers, Daryl and Matki bath shower shield screens etc. are ideal to suit any scheme and adds to the impression of sleek and integrated luxury.

Energize yourself with an enticing collection of bathroom fittings that bears an aura of grandeur and style. The mesmerizing designs and features make a cohesive scheme in your new-look bathroom. Considering both looks and practicalities, these bathrooms fittings are safe and comfortable to be handled by children or elderly people. The fittings in contemporary and traditional designs bear decorative implications to suit the present day need and taste.

Image by by rox sm

As the bathroom provides you with comfort every single day, it is but proper that you maintain this area’s superb quality. If you are undecided as to what type of renovation you will have, having a comparison of some of its features will help. Compare the costs between installing a shower and having a bathtub. If you have ample money, you can have both.

But firstly, you have to finalize your budget. Ensure that the costing you will do must include all the details you would want in your new bathroom. You can also have a free quote for your bathroom renovation costs through online sites of contractors or builders. A sample of such sites will question you to provide the details of the bathroom size, tiling specifications and what components you will like to include. The prices will depend on the quality of the materials. Say, standard tiles for covering walls and floor will cost per square feet. And lastly in budgeting, do not forget to consider the labor costs especially if new electrical wiring or plumbing structure will take place.

Another vital thing is that you make a rough plot of how your new bathroom will look like. This layout should contain where the shower or bathtub will be placed. Once you have place your visions in a paper, you can proceed systematically in buying the materials. Remember that you need to consider your bathroom space in considering which bathroom feature you will have.

Showers

There are many types of showers you can choose from. These are:

Push-on mixer – the hose and spray parts can be connected to the bath tap. This is very cheap and easy to install. But, you may difficulty in adjusting the water temperature as it is dependent on the taps. Bath/shower mixer – this has the same features as the previous one. This is suitable for use with bathtubs. Manual mixer – the hose and spray are part of a unit attached to the wall. Hot and cold water supplies are connected to a single valve. This is more expensive than the previously mentioned mixers. Thermostatic mixer – this is alike the manual type but it has a built-in stabilizer so it can self-adjust the water temperature. With the easily controllable temperature feature, this is the most expensive type. Power shower – this unit contains an electric pump that can alter water pressure and temperature. While the unit is relatively inexpensive, you may be required to install new pipes. It needs to be fitted with cold water cistern and hot water cylinder. Electric shower – this wall unit is heated electrically via temperature and pressure control knob. You need to wire this unit to an electric power supply.

Bathtubs

This bathroom feature also has varied types. There are a multitude of sizes, colors, styles and material composition. The styles vary too like the basic 5-ft. wall-to-wall built-in model, claw-foot tubs, freestanding, soaking, whirlpool and walk-in. You can choose from materials like porcelain on steel, acrylic, fiberglass/gelcoat, composite, cast iron and cultured marble. The price depends on such attributes. The walk-in style requires a huge room, where typically a Jacuzzi will run. The simplest and cheapest is the basic type that you can install by yourself.

Both showers and tubs come in types specifically made for people with special needs like babies and individuals with disabilities. If you have a baby or are handicapped or living with someone handicapped, you can question help from bathroom remodeling services companies. They can help you pick the appropriate bathroom plot to accommodate such individuals’ needs.

Renovating your bathroom can be a fruitful experience. Just be stick with your budget and plot so you will be spared from spending unnecessarily.

Image by by 1suisse

Do you know something…of late more and more people are eyeing on a shower stall rather than a tub in their bathroom. In fact, most people opt for this approach because they don’t have much time at their hand to relax and delight in a bath, hence they look for simpler options like shower stalls.

Do you fall into the same category and want to redecorate your bathroom by installing stalls? If that’s the case they you need to go through this article at least once. Let us proceed…

To start with there are different brands like Lowes, Aqua Glass, Lasco, Home Depot from where you can choose a shower stall. But, whichever brand you choose make sure that is an attractive one and helps you delight in your bath. You may also use free standing curtains to give a new look to your bathroom. You may go in for curtains with unique themes and colors. This approach helps you get a soothing feeling as well as take a refreshing bath. Shower stalls can be clearly defined an enclosure that in constructed inside your bathroom particularly to prevent the leakage of water when an individual takes a bath. They come in a variety of designs and may be also made up of acrylic. They give your bathroom a new look or rather add a touch of elegance to it. If you’re having a door less shower stall, then prefer purchasing elongated shower curtains as it prevents the seepage of water. In fact, in recent times nearly all shower stall curtains are water repellent so make sure to go for one that best suits your requirement. Excellent shower stalls prevent your bathroom from getting messy and wet.

So, if you are plotting to buy one then you may either pay a visit to the nearest shopping mall or carry out a search online. Here you will find a wide collection of shower stalls showed right in front of your computer screen. To be more specific, you’ll find shower stalls of different brands under one roof from where you can make the necessary selection. go for one now!