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Creating your dream bathroom doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Follow these steps to DIY your dream bathroom:
1. Plan: Determine your budget and goals for the space. Consider your personal style, functionality, and any necessary repairs or upgrades.
2. Design: Create a layout that maximizes the available space. Consider the placement of fixtures, storage options, and lighting.
3. Materials: Choose high-quality materials that fit your budget. Look for durable fixtures, waterproof flooring, and stylish yet functional accessories.
4. Plumbing and Electrical: If you’re not experienced, hire a professional for these tasks to ensure safety and proper installation.
5. Installation: Follow instructions carefully when installing fixtures, flooring, and other elements. Take your time and seek help if needed.
6. Finishing Touches: Add personal touches like paint, decor, and storage solutions to enhance the overall look and functionality of your dream bathroom.
Remember, DIYing your dream bathroom requires careful planning, attention to detail, and patience. Enjoy the process and the satisfaction of creating a space that reflects your style and meets your needs.
Even when working with a small space, a bathroom renovation requires decisions on many aspects of home improvement. From structural design to plumbing, heating, ventilation, and electricity, you’ll need to consider every detail. Aesthetic choices such as flooring, wall coverings, cabinets, paint colors, and accessories like mirrors, shelving, and medicine cabinets will also be important.
The first step in bathroom design is evaluating the space you have, and it’s often best to start with an empty space. However, you can still incorporate elements you love from your existing bathroom into an updated design.
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Factors to Consider When Renovating Your Bathroom
When planning a bathroom renovation, several factors will affect your choices:
- The Users: Elderly individuals, children, or those with disabilities may require specific design considerations. Additionally, guest bathrooms may have a simpler design than master bathrooms.
- Available Space: Having ample space allows for more design flexibility.
- Building Codes and Comfort Requirements: All fixtures must have enough space for comfortable and safe use, and all wiring and plumbing must adhere to applicable codes.
- Trends: Modern bathrooms combine functionality with current design ideas, and there’s no reason not to take advantage of them.
- Budget: Your budget may limit your ability to implement all your dream bathroom ideas, but there are often less expensive alternatives or opportunities to replace small fixtures instead of doing a complete renovation.
The Bathroom Renovation Process
A bathroom renovation can range from small changes like replacing the sink cabinet to a complete gutting and reconstruction. Projects that don’t require moving plumbing, altering electrical circuitry, or making major structural changes typically don’t require permits. However, most renovations will require permits, and completing the work according to local codes is essential for getting the inspector’s approval to start using your new bathroom. Working with a licensed contractor is a good idea, even if you do most of the work yourself, because codes can vary from community to community.
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If you want to save money and avoid inspections, you could opt to keep the functional parts of your bathroom and work around them. By leaving the plumbing and electrical systems untouched and refraining from altering the walls, you could complete the project in just a few days to a week by doing everything yourself. This approach offers a range of possibilities, including installing new flooring, changing the toilet and sink cabinets, updating light fixtures and fans, and painting the walls.
However, if you want maximum design flexibility, you can demolish everything and start fresh. This allows you to install new fixtures in different locations and address any problems, such as outdated wiring or plumbing and water damage in the walls, ceiling, or floor. Be prepared for the project to take at least a month or more, especially if you’re ordering materials from overseas. While the cost will be higher, hiring a contractor to schedule the different phases of the job, including plumbing and electrical rough-ins, can be worth the investment.
All the existing fixtures in your bathroom connect to stubouts in the walls, which are the visible parts of the plumbing networks behind the walls. Changing the location of a toilet or sink, or adding one in a new location, requires changes to the plumbing rough-ins and a permit. Most communities also require a permit if you change the bathtub or shower, even if you don’t change its location. Alterations to the plumbing pipes will require removing part of a wall or the floor, making it a good time to update the wall or floor covering. It’s also a good idea to replace galvanized water pipes with copper, CPVC, or PEX if your house is an older one, as the galvanized pipes will soon corrode.
Most jurisdictions allow homeowners to do their own bathroom electrical wiring, as long as it passes inspection. However, you need to be familiar with current codes before taking on this job. Your bathroom may be “grandfathered in” with wiring that passed code when it was installed, but as soon as you make changes, current codes apply to all the work you do. This may mean changes to wiring in other rooms, especially if your bathroom receptacles are connected to a circuit that powers lights in another room.
Important Safety Considerations
- A dedicated 20-amp circuit for the bathroom receptacles is required. It can be shared with other bathrooms but not with rooms outside the bathroom.
- All receptacles must have ground fault current interrupting (GFCI) protection to prevent people from getting shocked by faulty electrical appliances. This can be achieved by installing a GFCI breaker in the service panel or using GFCI receptacles in the bathroom. GFCI devices stop current flow when a surge is detected.
- The receptacles must be tamper-resistant.
- A separate 15-amp circuit is necessary for bathroom lighting. Alternatively, a single 20-amp circuit can serve both receptacles and lighting if it serves only one bathroom. At least one ceiling light is required by code, but additional lighting like wall sconces or vanity lights is recommended.
- The bathroom exhaust fan can be wired to the lighting circuit, but if it has a heater, it may require its own 20-amp circuit.
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Bathroom Ventilation Basics
Even if you have a window that provides at least 1 1/2 square feet of open space, it’s recommended to install an exhaust fan in the bathroom. The minimum fan capacity is 50 cubic feet per minute (cfm), but for bathrooms larger than 50 square feet, the capacity should be roughly one cfm per square foot. Larger fans are needed for bathrooms with jetted tubs or ceilings higher than 8 feet.
Choosing Bathroom Flooring
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Water-damage prone materials like solid hardwood or laminate are not recommended for bathroom flooring. Engineered hardwood flooring is a better option as it is less vulnerable to warping. Porcelain, ceramic, or stone tiles are popular and safe options for bathroom flooring. Luxury vinyl planks or tiles are also waterproof and a good choice. Additionally, luxury vinyl can be installed over existing flooring.
Bathroom Walls and Ceilings
Moisture-resistant drywall is necessary for bathroom walls and ceilings. Cement board is the best wall covering for areas that get water contact like the tub enclosure and shower stall. Tiles are a popular and waterproof option, but vinyl wallpaper, tileboard, and beadboard wainscoting are easier to install and moisture-resistant alternatives. Mold and mildew-resistant additives should be included in any bathroom paint.
How to Choose Bathroom Vanities
While building your own vanity or having one custom built is an option, there are also pre-built models available in various sizes and styles. The length of the vanity can range from 18 to 72 inches, and there are even corner options available. The least expensive vanities are made of laminated particleboard, which is not ideal for moist conditions and may not be suitable for a master bathroom. Laminated plywood is a more reliable and durable material that is worth the extra cost. It performs better than solid wood and does not warp.
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The countertops are just as important as the vanities in establishing the bathroom dГ©cor theme. While some vanities come with countertops, purchasing them separately gives you more design options. Stone countertops, such as granite and marble, offer luxury and durability that can outlast the bathroom. Solid surface materials like quartz and cultured marble are trendier and less expensive, but may wear out faster. Laminates are even less expensive and offer a wide range of design options. It is best to wait until the plumbing is installed before purchasing the countertop so that the sink cutout can be done at the factory.
Creating Adequate Bathroom Storage
The vanity provides limited storage space, so additional storage options are often necessary. One trick is to design the bathtub enclosure or shower stall with a separate wall for the plumbing, creating an alcove in which to install shelving. Another option is to purchase or build a bathroom storage cabinet. For space-saving, a storage shelf can be built for towels over the bathroom door.
Bathroom Sink and Faucet Options
A sink and faucet are essential features in any bathroom, and there are various options available. The three types of sinks that work best in a bathroom are a standard self-rimming sink, an undermount sink, and a vessel sink. Vessel sinks sit atop the vanity countertop and add class to a powder room or modern bathroom. Top-mounts and undermounts can be made of porcelain, enameled steel, copper, or other materials, while vessel sinks are typically glass or porcelain. For a non-traditional bathroom design, a vessel sink can even be installed on a repurposed dresser.
The type of bathroom faucet that is best suited for your sink largely depends on its type and style. Bathroom faucets typically have a 4-inch spread whereas kitchen faucets have an 8-inch spread. They can be mounted on the sink deck, countertop, or wall depending on the configuration of the sink. Even if you install a budget faucet or an expensive one with electronic controls, it connects to the shutoff valves on the water supply pipes using flexible hoses.
Bathtub and shower faucets are different from sink faucets. They consist of two parts – the valve that controls water flow and the faucet trim. The valve must be installed as part of plumbing rough-in and covered with wall material. A removable panel can be incorporated in the design of the bathroom to access it. The faucet trim includes handles, spout, and showerhead. It is better to choose a pressure-compensating valve for more reliable temperature control.
Toilets are arguably the most important fixture in the bathroom. Modern toilets are all low-flush models using a maximum of 1.6 gallons per flush. It is important to leave enough clearance for the toilet while designing the bathroom. Bidet-style toilet seats are easier and more comfortable to install than a separate bidet.
There are different types of bathtubs and showers available. The standard alcove-style bathtub requires a specific design and structure. Enclosures for drop-in tubs can be built adjacent to a wall or in the middle of the bathroom. Freestanding tubs can sit anywhere in the bathroom. Premade shower stalls are usually made of acrylic or fiberglass, while custom-built ones can be covered with tile or stone.
Enhancing Your Bathroom with Accessories
Completing your bathroom renovation involves the installation of towel racks, wall-mounted shelves, soap dispensers, shampoo dispensers, and other essential accessories. It’s important to include grab bars in the shower, tub, and next to the toilet if you’re designing the bathroom for people with limited mobility or special needs. Once you’ve finished these straightforward home improvement projects, all that’s left is to add bath mats to the floor, and your bathroom is ready to use.
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FAQ
1. What are some essential elements to consider when designing a dream bathroom?
When designing your dream bathroom, there are several essential elements to consider. Firstly, think about the layout and functionality. Determine where the best placement for the sink, toilet, and shower/bathtub would be to maximize space. Secondly, choose a color scheme and style that reflects your personal taste, whether it’s modern and minimalist or traditional and cozy. Thirdly, pay attention to lighting, as it can greatly enhance the ambiance of the bathroom. Finally, don’t forget about storage options, such as cabinets or shelves, to keep your bathroom organized and clutter-free.
2. What are some cost-effective ways to update a bathroom without a full renovation?
If you want to update your bathroom without undertaking a full renovation, there are several cost-effective ways to do so. Firstly, consider painting the walls or adding a new backsplash to give the space a fresh look. Secondly, replace outdated fixtures, such as faucets and showerheads, with more modern options. Thirdly, update the hardware on cabinets and drawers to instantly refresh the space. Additionally, replacing old towels and bath mats with new ones can make a significant difference. Finally, adding decorative elements, such as artwork or plants, can add a touch of style without breaking the bank.
3. How can I make my bathroom more eco-friendly?
To make your bathroom more eco-friendly, there are several steps you can take. Firstly, consider installing low-flow fixtures, such as toilets and showerheads, which use significantly less water. Secondly, opt for energy-efficient lighting options, such as LED bulbs, to reduce electricity consumption. Thirdly, choose eco-friendly materials for your bathroom, such as sustainable wood or recycled tiles. Additionally, use natural cleaning products instead of harsh chemicals to minimize the environmental impact. Finally, incorporate plants into your bathroom decor, as they not only add a touch of nature but also help improve air quality.