How to Prepare for Bathroom Renovations

Bathroom renovations can improve your enjoyment of the bathroom and boost your home's resale value, but they can also take a huge toll on your family if you don't prepare for them in advance. Ask any family who survived a bath remodel and they'll tell you that it was a stressful experience. You can avoid some of that stress by following this advice.

1. Decide whether you'll remodel all of your bathrooms or just one bathroom at a time. If your home only has one bathroom, then it's even more important to plan ahead.
   
   
2. Determine a realistic timeframe. Ask friends and family members who remodeled what they did and how long it took. Pad that estimate by 20%.
   
   
3. Decide how extensive you want your remodel to be and determine your remodeling goals. If you need more storage space, cleaning out your bathroom is the best way to start. Throw out anything you don't need, don't use, or that's expired. Return the rest to a box in the bathroom. During the next two weeks, take the items you need out of the box as you need them and put them away. These are the items that need to be the most accessible after your remodel.
   
   
4. Visit bathroom showrooms to explore current trends and decide on a style and design for your new bathroom.
   
   
5. Interview contractors recommended by friends or colleagues. Make sure your chosen contractor agrees with your design and can complete the job within a reasonable timeframe. Review the payment schedule, agree to remaining terms, and then sign the contract.
   
   
6. Buy all materials or arrange for your contractor to buy the materials you've already selected.
   
   
7. Move out of the bathroom. If you have another full or three-quarter bath, work out a schedule for everyone to share the bathroom.
   
   
8. If you only have one bathroom, you should plan to take a vacation or stay with friends during the remodel. You can ask someone you trust to check on the remodel progress periodically.
   
   
9. If you're staying home during the remodel, ask everyone to be patient and considerate. If your project experiences delays, discuss them with the contractor and press him to get them done on the promised deadline. Don't make major changes to the plan during the remodel or you'll delay the process.
   
   
10. Allow an extra day after the remodel for sealants to air out, then move back in and enjoy your new bathroom.
    
    

If you follow these steps, your bathroom renovations will be more manageable than if you'd gone into it unprepared for the stress and challenges. If something goes very wrong, just remember how beautiful it will be when it's done.