It is a fact that from a resale prospective bathrooms & kitchens are what speak to potential buyers. It’s important to know your way when you are thinking of renovating these key features in your home.
Are you upgrading a property to flip it or is this your home for the long term? If it is your home for the long term you will likely want to include a few “spoils” for yourself and the budget will most likely be higher in this scenario.
So where do you start? As this is an investment in your property, you need to find a team of professionals to work with. A huge mistake that people make is to hire individual tradesmen for each area of the work, this can lead to major headaches for you. Take the time to find a reputable team/contractor. As a renovation specialist, After Hour Plumbing have reputable tilers, electricians and masons that work with you to ensure that the project runs smoothly for a timely completion. You do not want a situation where the plumber & electrician have to dig into your newly tiled walls! So it is very important that the work is carried out in the correct sequence. Coordinating the work is where investing in that reputable team will pay major dividens!!
What are you starting with? Do you have cast iron drains and galvanized piping? If you choose not to replace these at this point you may live to regret it. It is an option to tie into the existing cast iron and galvanized pipe but these are probably already in a state of decay and if not replaced now will eventually rot and creates plumbing headaches in the near future.
What alternative bathroom facilities do you have available for the duration of the project? This is not an overnight project and you will need options.
Plan your space. Visit friends, attend Open Houses and really gain a sense of different styles & layouts. What combination works for you? Tub & shower combined? Separate tub & shower?
Tubs come in many shapes and sizes. Explore the options and pick one that fits your size and lifestyle. Depending on your budget you may choose a shower with steam options, and of course there is no end to the shower options – rain, jets, massaging. Tubs also come in many varieties, whilst a Jacuzzi tub sounds great and may be the right fit for you remember that there is upkeep involved. Again keep in mind if this is a flip project or a lifestyle choice. The major budget saver people choose is to keep an existing tub that looks good, however when the renovation is complete that old tub sticks out against the new. From our experience, we can not stress enough that if you are making an investment to renovate, don’t skimp and keep an old tub.
Sinks come in all shapes and styles. Whilst pedistile sinks look great you may wish to restrict them for powder rooms as they offer no storage or counter space which in most bathrooms you will require both.
Toilets come in a range of prices from $400 – $6,000+ and are all built to do the same job.
Fixtures ~ Here again there are so many options, just remember if you are shopping overseas and you purchase a brand that is not available in Bermuda you may wish to purchase replacement parts at the same time. Fixtures have a short “shelf” life with new designs hitting the market all the time. When parts wear-out and the design has been discontinued (or never was available in Bermuda) the chances are you will be replacing the entire fixture.
