All About Bathrooms – An Inside Look at Bathroom Remodeling

Ahh, the bathroom! Sometimes overlooked and forgotten about once the door is closed, a boring or outdated bathroom can just drag your mood down. Maybe you’ve been thinking about a bathroom remodel for a while, or maybe you just don’t know where to start. Wherever you are in your home remodeling plans, give your bathrooms the attention they deserve! So, whether you go bold and beautiful, or serene and spa-like, let’s take a look at how to get the most out of a bathroom remodel.

Master Bathroom

Your Master Bath should be a place of relaxation, not cause your blood pressure to instantly increase every time you enter it! Of all the bathrooms in your home, a Master Bath remodel is the one you’ll have the most square footage to play with and the most flexibility to change things up. A word of warning! Moving locations of showers, tubs and vanities adds increased cost (and time) to your remodel, so make sure you’re clear on what your budget is and have an agreed scope of work before any remodeler starts demolishing your space!

Image Credit: Synergy Design & Construction. This fabulous shower features both large format polished porcelain slabs and a linear drain

We’re seeing a number of Master Bath remodeling design trends:

• Homeowners getting rid of the tub completely and replacing it with a larger shower enclosure packed with bells and whistles. Having a tub somewhere in your home is still important for resale, but it’s not a must-have in the Master Bath
• Storage reigns supreme! Let’s face it, despite our best intentions, we all have “stuff”. Gone are the days of minimalist countertops with no under-sink storage
• Large format tile. There was a time when large format tile was just too difficult to work with, very expensive and prone to cracking. Not anymore! In addition to a gorgeous aesthetic, large format tile requires less grouting and therefore less maintenance
• Linear drains. In addition to being a cool design touch, linear drains also provide better draining capabilities and get rid of water from the shower basin more efficiently

We are big believers in spending money on your Master Bath so YOU can enjoy it, but most realtors will also tell you that in addition to the Kitchen, a remodeled Master Bath is a big selling feature for homebuyers.

Guest Bathroom

Remodeling your guest bathroom may come way down your list of priorities, but nothing says “welcome” more than creating a private sanctuary for family and friends when they come to stay. If you’ve removed the tub from your Master Bathroom, it makes sense from a practical and resell perspective to retain a tub somewhere in your home. The Guest Bathroom is a good place to have a combination shower/tub configuration. If it’s a kids bathroom, it also makes sense to have a tub you can use for the littles.

Bathroom remodeling for guests doesn’t necessarily need a lot of design work or switching up your floor plan. In most cases, you’ve got limited square footage to work with, so make your remodeling buck go further by keeping the layout the same and spending your money on upgrading the fixtures and finishes instead. This bathroom remodel before and after shows how we enlarged the existing shower enclosure (which was made even smaller by a faux wall) and replaced it with a much larger tub and shower, instantly making it feel like a bigger space.

Powder Room

The smallest bathroom in your home is also the one that guests will likely see the most. Nothing is more disappointing than visiting a gorgeous home and opening the door on a builder-grade powder room with no design interest or pizzazz. Don’t make any excuses when it comes to remodeling a powder room! It doesn’t have to be totally redesigned to pack a design punch.

You also don’t need a full-service design-build firm like Synergy for a simple pull-and-replace powder room remodel. It’s amazing the difference a new vanity and fixtures can make.This is something any general contractor should be able to do for you. If you don’t feel brave enough to use wallpaper in a larger space, the Powder Room is an excellent place to try it out. Wallpaper completely changes the look and feel of a space. Check out this before and after of how we took a powder room from “Mwehh” to “Wow” as part of a larger remodel!

Ready to tackle your next bathroom remodel? If you’re looking for a simple pull-and-replace bathroom remodel or a straight forward powder room upgrade, here are some resources to get you started! If, like some of our other clients, you’re looking for a bigger, design-thoughtful bathroom remodel that includes your Master Bath, get in touch! We’re always happy to chat about your home remodeling needs and how we can help.