Careful planning is the key to a successful bathroom-remodeling project. Before you begin any work in the bathroom, create a budget, a floor plan, a list of supplies, a timetable, and important legal considerations. Let's break it down by subject.
First, create a budget. Determine how much money you can comfortably spend, and save about 20 percent for emergencies. Get estimates for the work that needs professionals, and always include electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, and drywall installation costs in your budget.
Second, design a floor plan. Ask yourself, will you be working with the existing space or will you be adding on or knocking down walls? Check to make sure you will not disturb the electrical wiring, plumbing, or zoning regulations. Next, measure the amount of space you have and draw a floor plan. In drawing the plan, first put in all the items that are fixed. For example, if the toilet must be in one place because of plumbing, it is a fixed item. Experiment with how you like your floor plan, using different arrangements, with different types of cabinetry, shelves, or even walls. You might try pocket doors to save space, and corner sinks, floating sinks, or pedestal sinks to save even more space. L-shaped vanities and alcoves also save space. In addition, corner showers conserve space, and clear glass in showers creates the illusion of even more space. You may want to add windows or mirrors to let in light.
Third, make a list of the supplies you'll need and make sure they are available when you need them. Some typical supplies include sinks, flooring, wall tile, countertops, lighting, medicine cabinets, showers, bath tubs, cabinets and cabinet handles, toilets, extra storage, faucets, toilet paper holders, paint or wallpaper, chairs, accessories (like storage containers and/or artwork), as well as tools you have or can buy.
Fourth, create a timetable. Talk to experts or people at home improvement stores to plan how much time you'll need. If you're hiring contractors, work with them to design a timetable you all can follow.
Plan projects according to the time you have available. Put in a new toilet and sink one weekend, for example, and paint another. You don't have to do it all at once, so plan sensibly. Don't paint the walls or install woodwork until the hardware is taken care of -- you don't want to damage work you've already done. Above all, be flexible and allow time for the unexpected or even emergencies to happen.
Fifth, keep in mind legal considerations. Get and post a building permit, pay any necessary fees, make sure you, your contractor, and any workers have insurance coverage, and keep children and animals away from the construction area.
By following these checklists, your bathroom remodeling plans will be a snap.
About the author: Bathroom Remodeling Info provides detailed information on bathroom remodeling ideas, costs, plans, and checklists. Bathroom Remodeling Info is the sister site of Kitchen Remodeling Web.
Home Improvements – The
Fun Stuff
by: Raynor James
Planning home improvements necessarily involves addressing numerous
practical matters. That doesn’t mean you should ignore the fun stuff!
The Fun Stuff
The first thing to plan for in home improvements is the practical
stuff. The second thing you need to talk to family members about is the
fun stuff.
Most people have colors they like and colors they don’t like. They have
things that interest them and things that don’t. Get your family to talk
to you about those things. Each person’s bedroom, or bedroom area, should
reflect his or her taste and interests.
A boy who likes green, football, and backpacking can easily have a sage
green (it “reads” as more neutral than many shades of green if re-sale of
your home is a concern) room with cream woodwork, cream interior shutters,
and cream ceiling. Framed football posters and wilderness scenes might be
pleasant. Bedding with a rustic motif (rows of stylized pine trees?) from
L.L. Bean or Plow and Hearth would work right in. Add a touch or two of a
bright color like red or yellow.
Does he need a desk in his room? A chest of drawers? A bookcase? Would
he enjoy having a bulletin board? Even if they’re small, most rooms need
at least three lamps so that illumination is general and even. The shades
are usually best in warm, neutral colors. (Light coming through green
shades tends to make people look sick.) Lamp shades should be level and
the seams should be toward the wall so they’re not visible. When the
bottom edge of most lamp shades in a room are the same height from the
floor, the room tends to look serene and cohesive.
Hanging pictures usually look best if the bottom edges of the frames
are the same height from the floor and level with each other, too. There
are exceptions to this and every generalization of course. A grouping of
pictures can have the bottom tier follow the “rule” while all of the other
pictures are higher. A picture over a fireplace often looks good higher
than the other pictures in the room.
Pictures usually look best when they have a relationship to furniture
or an architectural feature. Pictures centered over a chest, bed,
bookcase, or fireplace are good examples. Pictures don’t tend to look good
if they’re scattered willy-nilly around a room, or if they’re up near the
ceiling (unless they’re part of a grouping), or if the height at which
they’re hung varies wildly with no rhyme nor reason.
A girl who loves pink, the ballet, and swimming can have woodwork the
same cream as her brother’s while her walls are a soft pink (a pink with a
hint of yellow in it tends to go well with cream), and her art work
reflects her interests. If she loves to read, make sure she has a good
reading lamp near her bed, or near a comfortable chair, or both.
A cream colored dust ruffle with widely spaced pink stripes and a
quilted plaid coverlet in pink, green, yellow, and blue on a cream
background might look nice. Add cream fabric window shades with large pink
polka dots and I’ll bet she’ll smile.
The bigger point is to simply have fun with some of your home
improvements. There is no need to look exclusively at practical matters.
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