A beautiful bathroom—whether it's your downstairs half-bath, a small powder room for visitors, or your own luxury master bathroom in your own bedroom—is always a highlight of any home’s floorplan. For homeowners with older homes or newer ones made with cheaper, less-efficient, or high-maintenance materials, you may have noticed how difficult it is to keep your bathroom looking clean and modern.

Hard-to-maintain bathroom spaces can detract from the value of a home’s aesthetics, affecting its functionality and asking price—if you’re thinking of selling. Bathroom remodeling is an excellent option for homeowners hoping to upgrade their homes with some of the latest in new technology, to take advantage of the incredible materials and products made specifically for renovating old bathrooms into gorgeous, gleaming ones. 

While bathroom renovations are known to offer some of the highest returns on your investment available in home remodeling—planning your project to the tiniest detail is of the utmost importance. Another major factor in getting the superior results you want (and enhancing your home’s value to the fullest degree possible) is the contractor you choose to perform the work you want.

At US Remodeling Group, we’re committed to providing our customers with top-quality bathroom renovations that truly transform your entire property. We know how intimidating and stressful a home improvement project can be, which is why we’ve provided this guide to help you navigate your way towards a more successful bathroom renovation. To get started, let’s take a look at some of the most important things to consider when beginning a bathroom renovation project, brought to you by your friendly team at US Remodeling Group.

Important Details to Consider Before Getting Started With Bath Renovation

Whether you’re the type of homeowner that likes to jump in headfirst, or if you’re more of the type that’s likely to drag your feet a bit getting started, taking the time to plan a bathroom remodeling project is the key to its success. A badly planned home renovation can end up in a costly disaster—so it makes sense to take things a bit slow, at least at first, and make sure you’re covering your tracks from A to Z right from the beginning.

The first and most important consideration you’ll need to make is your budget. We all want the very best that money can buy for the homes we live in—but home remodeling can be quite expensive, and bath fixtures, accessories, and amenities can range wildly in price. Setting a budget is an excellent way to set limits for your remodeling project and to keep costs down to an amount you can afford. A great way to organize the budget for your project is to request a free, in-home pricing estimate from a reputable company like US Remodeling Group. Our team will visit you in your home to plan the design and other details, customizing the project to suit your budget, style, and needs.

The next important decision you’ll need to make revolves around the project itself. What are your goals for renovation, and how do you expect to achieve them? Are you planning on a quick and easy shower or tub replacement for a deteriorating bath product, adding storage cabinets or switching out your vanity, or upgrading for safety and ADA-compliant living? Or are you considering a full renovation, including a reconfiguration of your entire layout?

Again, this will also depend on your budget, and a design coordinator can help you find the best solutions to dramatically improve your bathroom without draining your finances. In general, homeowners can expect to achieve exceptional results with even minor, affordable upgrades, like wall surround replacement or bath to shower conversion—both of which can be completed by our team at US Remodeling Group in just 24 hours.

Last but not least, perhaps the most important consideration you’ll make is deciding on a professional remodeling company. While small, minor bathroom remodeling projects can be fun DIY projects, anything more serious than a quick toilet replacement or perhaps repainting the walls should be handled by a professional. The right bathroom remodeling company can mean the difference between an easy, successful remodel that raises your home value—and a chaotic mess.

Types of Bathroom Remodeling Projects

As we mentioned in the last section, there are many types of bathroom remodeling projects to choose from. Deciding on the type of project you want for your home depends on your own goals for improvement—and what you hope to achieve with a renovation.

There are many reasons why a homeowner might decide to remodel a bathroom. Projects can generally be categorized into three groups: cosmetic renovations, functional renovations, and those that fall into both categories. From there, we can further classify your bathroom renovation depending on the size of the project, whether you’re making minor repairs or updating accessories in a simple renovation, moderate improvements or replacements to upgrade an entire sink, shower, or tub, or major changes to your bathroom’s entire layout and floor plan.

·  Major Renovations: An example of a major renovation would be the addition of an entirely different bathroom space that adds extra square footage to your home. Another example might be a project that seeks to enlarge a small or cramped bathroom space, or to reconfigure the layout to make the bathroom more functional, visually appealing or both. A major renovation could also include features from all three categories and a total design overhaul that transforms your space completely.

·  Moderate Renovations: A moderate or a medium renovation might involve a fixture replacement, such as a bathtub or a shower upgrade. Another medium renovation could be a bath-to-shower conversion, or a shower-to-bath conversion, or a shower or tub upgrade to an ADA-compliant walk-in bathtubs or roll-in, barrier-free shower.Many of these moderate renovations can be completed in less than 24 hours and are affordable options for remodeling a bathroom.

·  Minor Renovations: Minor renovations for bathroom remodeling include wall surround or bath liners installations, painting, tile replacement, and shower stall replacement.

Bathroom Remodeling Ideas for Small Spaces

Deciding what to do with your small bathroom space can be very a fun and exciting project for those that love design and home improvement. Small bathrooms can be a challenge when it comes to deciding on how to improve them, and getting creative and brainstorming your ideas with the help of a professional design consultant can result in very original ideas that reflect your personal taste and style.

For those that struggle with creativity or that lack artistic flair, coming up with great design ideas for a small bathroom space can be a challenge. Luckily, working with a professional bathroom designer can make this part of the process easy. In either case, whether you’re a budding artist or not, here are some great ideas that you can use to begin dreaming up the perfect bathroom style for your home’s smaller bathroom.

·  Floating Vanities: Minimalist and modern, floating vanities take up less space and can make the entire bathroom seem less crowded and larger.

·  Floating Toilets: In the same vein as floating vanities, floating toilets can make your bathroom appear larger than it is. Floating toilets are also very easy to clean.

·  Bath Conversion: Removing a large, unsightly bathtub and replacing it with a sleek shower installation can add space and functionality to a tight bathroom layout.

·  Corner Sinks: For extremely tight spaces, sinks that fit neatly into the corner of the bathroom will free up space for standing room, your shower, and other amenities.

·  Extend the Countertop: For more counter space, consider placing a floating toilet underneath the counter extension.

Bathroom Remodeling Ideas for Large Spaces

Renovating a large bathroom can also be quite tricky. Just because you have the space to spare in a big bathroom doesn’t mean you can place your fixtures just anywhere, or add any extra amenity to the mix. Careful planning is always required for any bathroom remodeling project—whether the space is large or small.

A bathroom design coordinator can help you come up with the best ideas for your unique bathroom layout. Whether you’re adding in a new fixture, replacing an older one, or trying to reconfigure the layout of your entire bathroom to make it more functional or aesthetically pleasing, professional advice from a legitimate company is always your best bet.

In any case, here are some of the newest and most innovative ideas we’ve seen for remodeling a large bathroom:

·  Partitions: Breaking up the space of a larger bathroom area makes a lot of sense. If you’ve ever visited a giant bathroom without partitions before, you know how empty and barren the space can feel. Partition walls—whether they’re made of glass, acrylic, or another barrier material—can separate your bathroom’s areas into smaller spaces for added privacy and for a more luxurious look.

·  Spa Bathroom Upgrades: Improving your master bathroom? One of the biggest trends that’s been popular for decades is transforming the master bathroom into an area of relaxation and pure luxury. Think of a spa tub addition, a beautiful glass enclosed shower, a couch area for lounging, and an oversized mirror with LED mood lighting for different needs.

·  Wet Room: Instead of a shower stall, consider separating your giant bathroom space into two separate rooms—the vanity and toilet, and a wet room with a beautiful glass door that opens up to an open shower and bathtub area.

·  Sauna or Steam Room: An ultra-luxury touch we love is building a sauna or a steam room construction right into your large bathroom space. While this addition isn’t exactly the most inexpensive option on the list, it can add serious value to your home—while providing an enormous opportunity for rest and relaxation, right in the comfort of your own home.

Going Green: Eco-Friendly Bathroom Remodeling Upgrades

Today’s bathroom products are higher performing and more beautiful than ever—and are built to last for decades. Furthermore, many manufacturers are focusing on developing smarter products that save homeowners plenty of money on their energy bill while helping the environment at the same time.

Homeowners interested in saving energy with smarter bathrooms have a ton of options to consider. Here are some of the most popular green features for today’s newest bathroom renovations that have taken over in recent months:

·  LED Touch Lighting: Touch-sensitive mood lighting in the bathroom is one of the most innovative features that can add plenty of luxury without a high price tag. Using energy-efficient LED lighting can also help to reduce your energy bill.

·  Heated Flooring: An in-floor heating system can work alone in your bathroom, or as a smart heating system for your entire house. Also known as radiant heat, this option involves the installation of heated coils underneath the bathroom flooring. This lowers your dependency on your HVAC system when it’s time to heat your home, which also lowers your energy usage and reduces your monthly bill.

·  Low-Flow Sinks, Showers, Tubs, and Toilets: Needless to say, low-flow fixtures for sinks, tubs, showers, and toilets will reduce the water flow where you need it, eliminating wasteful water usage in your bathroom. Low-flow fixtures are often affordable as well and come in a range of presentations to choose from to suit any design style.

·  Motion-Sensor Faucets: Like low-flow fixtures, motion-sensor faucets—which are already seen in high numbers in commercial buildings—are making their way into residential homes. Motion-sensor faucets stop the flow of water after you remove your hands from under the sink, stopping the flow of water as soon as you no longer need it.

Aside from these popular options, there are many other products that can be installed that increase your home’s efficiency while helping to save the planet. Best of all, many of these features aren’t just exceptional upgrades; they’re affordable and long-lasting as well. For more ideas, consult your bath company’s Energy-Star approved products and ask for innovative ideas for creating a greener, more efficient bathroom.

How to Find a Reputable Bathroom Remodeling Contractor

Whether your bathroom remodeling project is simple or complex, finding the right contractor is an essential part of the process. While it’s a smaller room, it might seem like a project that can be handled by an inexperienced person or even as a DIY project—but bathrooms are more complicated rooms than you may think. What seems like a simple renovation can be terribly difficult to manage without the right skills, tools, and expertise. Additionally, enhancing your bathroom can mean a major impact on the quality and value of your home—which means that getting the right professional help for the job is well worth it.

Finding the right professional company to perform your bath remodel can be more difficult than it may seem. The home remodeling services industry is filled with both legitimate companies, mediocre companies, bad companies, and also scam artists. There’s nothing worse than hiring a bad contractor to renovate your home, whether you’re upgrading the kitchen, a bedroom, the garage, the bathroom—or any other area of the house. A bad contractor can do far more than waste your time and money—he or she can turn your life upside down in ways that take a very long time to recover from. Ask anyone you know who’s had problems with a contractor in the past, and they’ll tell you how stressful their experience was from start to finish.

On the other hand, finding a great company to work with can feel like a dream come true. The right bathroom remodeling company will have the best professional experts working for you, providing you with the personal service you need to feel comfortable and satisfied with your remodeling experience. Best of all, you can count on a company like US Remodeling Group to enhance the value of your home in many ways—with customer-first guarantees and warranties that make the entire renovation process stress-free and easy.

If you’re worried about finding a great bathroom remodeling company, knowing the steps to take during the hiring process will help you to avoid choosing the wrong contractor for the job. Here’s what you should do to prevent a disaster and how you can screen your candidates to find the best possible bathroom remodeling contractor in your area:

·  Research Bathroom Remodeling Options: You don’t need to know exactly what you want, but you should have an idea of how you might want to improve your bathroom space. Research bathroom remodeling sites like this one to form an idea about what you can do to upgrade, to prepare yourself for the next step of the hiring process.

·  Compile a List of Candidates: Research the internet to find bathroom remodeling companies in your area. Check websites, and make sure that each company has a solid, full website with plenty of information about their services. Find the companies that offer the services you think you want and check out their ratings from former customers. Pay attention to awards or affiliations with the BBB or other nationally recognized organizations for home remodeling.

·  Interview Your Candidates: Once you have a list of potential candidates to choose from, contact the company to find out if they offer free consultations and pricing estimates. The most legitimate and reputable companies will send a design coordinator to your home to provide this service for free. Interview each company and compare rates, portfolios, design plans, and other factors that will help you make your decision.

·  Watch for Red Flags: It should be quite easy to tell the difference between a reputable contractor from a recognized company and an unlicensed, inexperienced one that might not be truthful in his or her plans for your bathroom renovation. Ask for identification and a license, and make sure the contractor is insured. Listen for any excuses that might prevent the contractor from producing any of these requirements. Check their references with the BBB and the Chamber of Commerce, as a professional contractor will be registered with the city or state. If the contractor claims to belong to a reputable organization, make sure that this is true by calling the company and asking for the contractor by name.

·  Ask About Building Permits: Your contractor should be very experienced in securing the right permits for your building plans, if applicable. Ask about this part of the process and don’t be afraid to inquire about the tiniest details—your contractor should be an expert on this topic and shouldn’t have a problem answering your every question.

Remodeling Your Home with US Remodeling Group

When it comes to bathroom remodeling, working with top professionals is your best bet for making the most out of your investment. At US Remodeling Group, we’re proud to offer our customers with the highest level of customer service, premium products, and superior installation services you can count on for your bathroom project—no matter how complex it may be.

Our customers at US Remodeling Group enjoy an endless selection of designs, colors, textures, and materials for bathroom products of all kinds. Our team of expert project coordinators, design consultants, and expert installers work together with you to design the perfect bathroom renovation that meets your personal goals, budget, and other preferences. Whether it’s a beautiful bath conversion, bath liners replacements, new bathtub, shower, or toilet replacements, shower stall replacement, walk-in tubs installation, or a full renovation of your entire bathroom space—rest assured that our professional team at US Remodeling Group will go above and beyond to get the results you want, and a bathroom renovation of your dreams.

For more information about our services and products, contact our team today at US Remodeling Group. Give us a call to speak to a representative now, or fill out our online form to schedule a free, in-home pricing estimate and design consultation at your convenience.