Top five tips to think about before you remodel a bathroom.

1. Layout

Make sure the layout's right. If you want to take down a half wall, if you want to move your toilet, move the sink or the bathtub, or change everything to a standup shower for that matter, that is going to require some plumbing. You're going to have to move drain lines, copper lines, and some demo and clean-up will be involved. So you're going to want to make sure that you plan out what you want and make sure that it's actually doable. Remember, the bathroom is one of the most important rooms in a house. If this is for your primary residence, you want an oasis (you deserve it!). If you go to rent or sell the house in the future, the bathroom is one of the main rooms that'll sell a house or get it rented quickly. So make sure you take your time and do it right. Don't do it twice.

2. Permits

Make sure to start the permit process early. If you wanted some layout changes, if wanted any kind of major changes, you're going to want to pull the permits as soon as you know, and as soon as you get the plans for them. Sometimes City Offices get backed up and they're slow to reply or issue your permit to start your project, because sometimes it requires some back and forth. They question something on the plan, it takes a while for that. Your contractor, or you, gets the answer back to them, that might take some time. The city looks it over, sometimes that may take some time. They might have a follow-up question, which takes time. All these things bleed out the clock and add time to the equation, which is not what you want when you're dealing with a remodel. We want to be fast and efficient with a remodel. We don't want to have our bathroom down an unusable for any amount of time, especially if that's your only one in the house.

3. Inspiration

get inspiration. This is where the fun part happens. Take your time in choosing the right things, or getting inspired by things that you see. Take what you envision in your head and take some things that you see externally and make the perfect design. You can browse external ideas on the internet, Home and Garden, HGTV, Good Housekeeping, vacation magazines, architectural magazines, things like that. These are all great places to look and get design ideas, most of the time, the authors of the magazines or blogs are top professionals in the industry with years of experience so the input should be of value to you and your project. Remember, what you envision for your bathroom, a contractor can replicate, there's always materials that can match or mimic whatever you're thinking, whatever vision you have in your head. So getting inspiration helps build upon what you already envision. So make sure that you have fun here, take your time. This is the funnest part for any construction project and something you rarely get to do, all the possibilities, the creation, the design, the vision. So have fun!

4. Start With Your Favorite

Design from your most favorite material. If it's glass tile in the standup shower that is your absolute favorite, build everything upon that glass tile. If it's a certain color that you like and you love and that feels serene for a bathroom, build upon that. Meaning, everything that you choose is based off of that first and favorite material. Based off of either the color that you pick, the tile that you pick, the sink, the fixtures, whatever is your favorite is, make that is where you start you design to showcase your favorite material as the centerpiece, which will make you happy every time you step into your finalized bathroom.

5. Finishes

Take your time in choosing the right finishes. Now once everything is pretty much done, 90% complete, 85% complete, it comes time to put the finishes on. The doorknobs or the hinges or the cabinet knobs, the cabinet handles, these type of things can really tie a room together. So make sure that they're congruent with the rest of your design. And at the same time, these pieces could serve as a little flare or contrast to what you currently have. This last 10 to 15% could make a big deal so don’t overlook or treat these as an afterthought. Make sure that you play with a few options and make sure that you pick the right ones for you. Again, this is most people's favorite room in the house, so make sure that this is the room that you absolutely love.

There is your quick 5 tips for a better bathroom remodel for your San Francisco Bay Area home. If you wish to get the ball rolling on your next project give us a call, or fill out the form below!