Bathroom Remodeling Guide
Download PDFSo, You’re Considering a Bathroom Remodel, Now What?
A bathroom remodel is a considerable investment in your home of both time and money. It’s important to get everything just right so you will be happy with the results for years to come.
This guide is the result of years of experience helping people just like you realize their dreams for their home. We’ve seen many clients through the struggles of this process, and we strive to make it easier for everyone considering embarking on the remodeling journey. Some of the information included here is taken from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA). All of the photos used throughout are from Melton Design Build projects.
Step 1: Assess Your Needs
You know you want to remodel the bathroom, but have you thought about what you don’t like about your current bathroom and what you’d like to accomplish with the remodel? Spend some time with the Bathroom Evaluation Worksheet to help you think about what’s working and what’s not, which will help in the planning and design stage of your project.
Step 2: Establish a Budget
Oftentimes we hear from clients that they have no idea what a bathroom remodel costs. Pricing for bathroom remodels run a wide range depending on the size, types of fixtures and finishes, whether the space is being reconfigured or not, as well as many other factors. It’s important to think about how much you’d like to invest in the project, as well as what funds you have available. Check out our financing worksheet for the types of loan products that are available for remodeling projects, as well as a loan-to-value worksheet. For more detailed information, please consult a loan officer to find out which option is best for you. Melton uses a design-build process that enables us, once we’ve agreed on an acceptable budget range, to design your project to fit your budget.
Step 3: Engage a Professional
Once you have a sense of what the project entails and how much you’d like to spend, it’s time to choose a remodeling contractor. Interviewing several contractors is a wise idea when you’re making a large investment in your home. You want to work with someone you can trust to do the work and do it right. Our Questions to Ask Prospective Remodelers can help you ask the right questions to find out if the contractors you are considering are actually ones you can trust and will enjoy working with throughout the project.
Step 4: The Design Phase
Once you’ve chosen your contractor, the next step is to dive into the design of your project. Many times, clients think they can skip the design phase if they are just “sprucing up” the bathroom. However, the design phase is when all of the fixtures and finishes are chosen specifically for your project. In a larger remodel, design can include architecture, structural engineering and more. It’s also important to take the time to thoroughly plan the project to eliminate construction delays or mistakes.
This phase is where your Bathroom Evaluation Worksheet will come in handy. Another great idea is to use resources such as home and design magazines, Houzz.com and Pinterest, to collect images of bathrooms you love. Your design ideas can include photos of full bathrooms you like and details such as specific tiles, cabinetry, flooring and more. The better picture you can paint of what you like, the easier it will be for the design team to deliver a design you will love.
Step 5: The Construction Phase
Once all of the design details are taken care of, and you know the exact cost of your project, construction can begin. With large bathroom projects where another bathroom is not available, oftentimes the homeowners will move out of the home. However, this is by no means a requirement. Melton Design Build provides a copy of your project schedule, which may help you decide how to handle the inconvenience.
Download the PDF for the complete Bathroom Evaluation Worksheet!
