A 7-Item Bathroom Renovation Checklist For Every Homeowner

Going through a bathroom renovation is always an exciting thing to undergo. The prospect of having a new bathroom to enjoy at home is one to look forward to. And, if your bathroom hasn’t been looking its best lately, that bathroom renovation is definitely one that’s called for.

Before you can enjoy that new bathroom, there are a lot of less exciting things you’ll first have to settle. Renovating a bathroom can be time-consuming and pricey. Location-specific contractors that can do bathroom renovation Burlington will help in narrowing down these costs while integrating the design styles according to your preference.

To ensure your bathroom renovation goes as smoothly as possible, this checklist is a good one to follow:

1. Strip Out Your Bathroom

Before you can start any renovation project, you have to go through the strip-out process. As its name implies, this step refers to the process of stripping the existing features out of your bathroom. . This includes fixtures and fittings like the cabinet, toilet seat, sink, shower, and even the tiles.

Depending on how big your bathroom is, this step can go anywhere between one to two days to as long as one week. But, don’t rush this step. It has to be done as thoroughly and carefully as possible to give your bathroom renovation a good foundation. Good site cleaning and preparation has to be achieved in order to ensure that the bathroom renovation can go as smoothly as possible.

2. Set A Budget

Setting a budget is an important step to get done in your checklist. This can help you determine how much you can and can’t afford to spend on. Your budget can also save you the trouble of spending any more than you can afford.

This step in your checklist should be as detailed as possible. Don’t just have a general amount without details on price limits for each feature you’re going to place. Do include every detail, even small ones like any new hardware or knobs you’ll have.

That way, you can absolutely be certain that the budget limit you’re setting covers everything necessary to complete your bathroom renovation. A good way to go about this is to spend a day window shopping and looking through bathroom fixtures at a hardware store. This helps you create a realistic budget.

3. Assess The Time Limit

Whether you’re going to do the bathroom renovation on your own or with the help of renovation contractors, discuss the time limit as well. Many homeowners might assume that because you’re only working on a small bathroom, this will only take a few days to complete.

But, don’t forget that the bathroom has a lot of complicated fixtures and plumbing you’ll also have to look into. The bigger the work or the older and more dysfunctional your bathroom is, the more time the renovation is going to take.

The timeframe you set includes not just the construction process per se. But it should also include the time it takes to order any fixtures you desire to have for your bathroom that may not necessarily be readily available in your local area.

4. Complete The Plumbing Features

Plumbing Features

Before you immerse yourself too much on the aesthetics of your bathroom renovation, you have to be mindful about completing the needed plumbing features beforehand. Order those in advance, if needed, so you don’t encounter any delays.

With that said, here’s a list of some of the most important plumbing features you may need to have:

5. Hire A Bathroom Designer

The Internet presents a wide array of possibilities as to bathroom designs you can get inspired by. Those designs range from simple to grand, depending on what you like to have for your bathroom. There’s also a design for every bathroom size and theme.

But, if you’d rather hire a bathroom designer or an architect, this is a step you also have to complete in your checklist. Don’t rush this step as you need to be as thorough as possible. Here’s a guide of things to do when hiring a bathroom designer:

  • Check the proper licenses and certifications to be sure your chosen bathroom designer is certified and legally licensed in your local area to practice as one.
  • Go through their portfolio so you can assess their quality of work.
  • Ask for recommendations and feedback from family and friends who have also undergone a bathroom renovation with the same designer in the past.
  • Ask for a price quotation so you have the means to compare various quotes from different designers.

6. Anticipate Any Obstacles

While you want to go through your bathroom renovation without any bumps along the way, this may not always be the case. It’s inevitable to have a few bumps in the process that serve as challenges to perfecting your bathroom renovation.

Be proactive with this approach by setting extra time allocated for any problem that may arise. This can help keep your timeline as logistically sound as possible. For instance, you may want to add one to two extra days on your timeline to make way for any obstacles that may arise.

7. Look For Any Hidden Problems

If you’re doing a major bathroom upgrade, it’s a plus to consider doing a ‘full gut’ of your bathroom. This also means looking for and checking any hidden defects while you’re in this stage of the renovation. By doing so, you can avoid needing a renovation soon in the future simply because those hidden problems weren’t addressed. More importantly, you can also avoid committing bathroom renovation mistakes.

In this vein, those hidden problems can include:

  • Water damage
  • Non-waterproof tile shower/tub surrounds
  • Deficiencies in the floor’s structure
  • Old and corroded plumbing

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are a lot of elements you have to consider to make your bathroom renovation go smoothly. It’s not something you can rush or decide on a whim. The list above may seem intimidating or a lot to handle, but it’s doable when you take it one step at a time. Just imagine the light at the end of the tunnel, which is finally having a new and improved bathroom. Hopefully, the checklist above can help save time, money, and stress throughout your renovation process.