Bathroom remodeling clients in Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding suburbs come to Minnehaha Remodeling for many reasons. Most often, they’re tired of stepping in and out of a tub to take a shower, they want to create a spa-like retreat for stress relief, or they wish to adapt their bathroom space for aging in place. Whatever the reason, it’s always the season to create a more functional and beautiful bathroom. Contact us now for a comprehensive consultation. Our team will guide you through every step of the process.
Prioritizing amenities and budgeting for your bathroom remodel
You have lots of options for small to large bathroom renovations, so it’s important to take some time to find out what’s possible within your space, and your home. The team of professionals at Minnehaha Remodeling has lots of ideas for remodeling the bathroom, and we’re here to help you find what’s best for you. To get you started, here are the top 10 things to consider when remodeling your bathroom:
1. What amenities do you want to incorporate and where do you want them to go?
There are multiple bathroom remodeling options from walk-in showers to jacuzzi tubs. We recommend prioritizing your selections, with the must haves at the top, and find out if your choices match your budget. For smaller items like towel racks and the toilet paper holder, think about where you want them to be placed.
2. Do your homework
Look through magazines, and shop for ideas on everything from toilets to fixtures and lighting. Check out shower head options, towel bars, and tile, and take photos of the things you like. Remodeling a bathroom takes planning and when you plan ahead, things will move faster. A clear vision will also make estimating project costs easier and more accurate.
3. Have you thought about heated floors?
It’s chilling to think about exiting a hot bath or shower and stepping onto a cold tile floor. Geothermal bathroom floors make a big difference in a Minnesota winter, but there are a couple of things you should know about installing them. They will require additional electrical work to run wires under the floor, all the way to the main breaker in your electrical box, so be sure to recognize that in your budget.
4. Your floors may require leveling
If you currently have on linoleum or vinyl on your bathroom floor, leveling the floor may be necessary for installing a tile floor. Vinyl flooring can be installed without leveling, but the floor must be level to properly install tile.
5. Your walls may require leveling
Just like floor tile, wall tile requires a level surface, especially if you’re installing floor to ceiling shower tile. This also means that if you currently have plaster walls, they will need to be replaced with sheet rock.
6. Shower niches cannot be installed on exterior walls
Niches are very popular but can’t be installed on a plumbing wall because of the pipes, or on an exterior wall because your shampoo and conditioner could freeze!
7. Plumbing and electrical code requirements
Upgrading plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems during a bathroom remodel leads to the necessity to meet code requirements that have changed over time. This will increase the cost of your project, so be sure to include space in your budget for it.
8. Be prepared for the unexpected
You never know what you will find in an old bathroom because water has been flowing from multiple sources. Unforeseen water damage from leaky pipes, sinks and tub are somewhat common, along with water seeping in from windows that are old, or not installed properly. It’s always a good idea to replace the bathroom window, especially with old plaster walls.
9. Do you want to age in place in your home?
If you do, and you don’t want to invest in another bathroom remodel, talk with your contractor about installing support bars now because it will cost more to install them later. Grab bars don’t have to look institutional. They can be camouflaged within toilet paper holders and towel bars. Also, consider installing a higher toilet. No one will notice, and it will be more comfortable. Lastly, choose good lighting that you can dim now and brighten in the future.
10. Choose the right contractor for the job
There are a lot of bathroom remodeling contractors out there. Make sure the one you choose is licensed, bonded, and responsible for pulling all permits. If a contractor isn’t assuring you that they will pull the necessary permits, or is encouraging you to work around one, walk away. And make sure your contractor has a good team of subcontractors. Ask them about how they work together to meet deadlines.
CALL US TODAY and let’s work together to design and build the luxury bathroom of your dreams! Minnehaha Remodeling would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to see what’s possible for your bathroom remodeling project. Let’s work together to design and build the luxury bathroom of your dreams!
