As with any home improvement project, it’s smart to spend with care. Begin the process by deciding how much you’d be comfortable investing in a bath, then do some research and familiarize yourself with the basics. This guide will provide useful information about design considerations, storage solutions, and tips for choosing materials and fixtures.
Planning Your Best Bath
Most baths are modest in size (50-70 square feet), but that doesn’t stop homeowners from dreaming big. To get a realistic perspective on what’s possible, look through design books, magazines, and websites for ideas. Visit home shows and designer showrooms where you can open drawers, feel jet sprays, and really ‘kick the tires.’
What is it about your existing bath that you don’t like? Are the cabinets too small or do you not like the colors? Some people think that if they just put in everything new, they’ll be happy. But you need to carefully consider the space and budget to get the very best out of it.
Here are some key points to get you started:
How will the bath be used? It may sound obvious, but first take note of who will be using the bathroom and how. Are you redoing a family bath that receives lots of wear and tear? Or are you going for a spa-like master bath to soak your worries away? Determining the needs of the inhabitants will give you key direction on materials, storage, and space needs.
Set a budget. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), a non-profit trade association, bathrooms can be one of the priciest rooms to remodel on a cost-per-square foot basis, partly due to the fact that there are numerous water, electrical and plumbing issues. Still, there are options to suit almost any budget. For planning purposes, the NKBA recommends allotting 20% of your budget for installation, 16% for cabinetry and hardware, and 15% for fixtures.
Make a plan. Look at the entire space rather than how it’s being used right now. Lots of times people can’t imagine it any other way or they can’t see the full potential for themselves. If you’re doing a cosmetic update, then it’s expensive to move the toilet, but if you’re doing a major remodel, then moving the toilet is a small price to pay to have an efficient floor plan in the end. Check out adjacent closets or hallways to see whether you can annex some extra square footage. Or rethink how you use current fixtures. In master baths, lots of people are foregoing a tub in lieu of a bigger shower and more space. They realize it takes a lot of water to fill a tub, and they don’t have time to soak anyway.
Whatever choices you finally make, leave room to breathe. The NKBA suggests at least 30 inches of space in front of any fixture. Play around with sketches on paper or try out Kohler’s virtual bathroom planner.
Find storage solutions. When you’re looking at cabinetry, try to get as much storage as you can. The right depth of storage is important, too. One option is to create a separate toilet room, adding floor-to-ceiling storage on one wall of that room for things that aren’t used everyday. That leaves the vanity storage less crowded.
Review safety matters. In the interest of health and safety, baths need proper ventilation, good lighting, and non-slip flooring to prevent falls.
See the full article at Vila Media, LLC.