We all love the idea of renovating our bathroom but where do you start? How much will it cost? Where can you save money and how can you prevent being ripped off?
There are a few simple rules to follow to make sure your bathroom looks great and is handled like a pro.
Tip 1. Assess how much of a renovation you actually need.
That means, assess what needs to be ripped out and what can be saved. If your vanity is in solid condition but it was cool in the 70’s, think about repainting it, changing the door and draw fronts only or buying a new top or basin. Can you get away with updating the taps and cabinet knobs? Can you keep the bath, the shower screen or the lighting?
Tip 2. Check your budget
If you are completely pulling everything out including the plaster and starting again, allow $10k for a family sized bathroom. Go out into the shops and ask to look at the price ranges of tapware, baths and cabinets. You will see a huge difference between stores and you may get tripped up thinking a cheaper item is actually the expensive one and vice versa! There is no need to spend money on things that don’t appear expensive! A quick re-model or update, that is, changing some taps and cabinets, may only cost a few hundred dollars .
Tip 3. Try and get three quotes for tradesmen
Most of the money, is actually in the trades so it is imperative your get three quotes to assess the current rates in your area. Plus, every tradie has a different schedule and you will need to find one who will fit into yours. A plumber will help you work out what taps and toilets you can fit and they may even take you shopping to one of their suppliers. This is great for you because they can work a better discount! You may also need an electrician for any wiring changes, a plasterer, a painter and a tiler.
Tip 4. Organise the schedule
Ask each tradesmen how long their job will take if all the materials are pre-ordered, ready to go. Get your calendar ready and let them know when they are booked in, that you have other trades booked in as well so if one is late, the whole schedule is put out. This will help them keep to your schedule if they know what tradesmen is booked in next and when.
The schedule will look something like this:
Day one: demolition – Ask the plumber to remove and cap taps, and remove toilets. If you are willing, you will save a lot of money removing the cabinets, screens and old tiles yourself (just Youtube it for ideas and advice), or else you will need a carpenter or handyman to do this for you (the grey army or hire a hubby are great for this). Best Bathroom Renovating Tip: Hire a 2 metre or 3 metre skip bin for demolition day and have it stay the week.
Day Two: Make sure all your materials are on site and ask the plumber back to “rough in”. This means, make any changes to the water lines and toilet if you have moved these items around and re-direct waste lines. If you have a concrete slab, this could take a few days to a week, or for a stump subfloor, this could be 1/2 a day. Have the electrician move any lighting, power points or switches.
Day Three: Have the plasterer come in a re-sheet the walls now that all the plumbing is in place. He may be able to finish in one day or may come back the following day to sand back the joins.
Day Four: Have the tiler come in and waterproof the floor and walls. The tiler can then start tiling once the waterproofing is dry.
Day Five: The tiler finishes off (depending on the amount of tiles) and grouts. The tiler may leave grouting for the next day.
Day Six: The plumber returns to install the tapware, vanity wastes, toilet and bath. The painter is booked in to paint the walls.
Day Seven: The electrician returns to fit off any new lighting, power points and switches. The carpenter returns to install the shower screen.
Now this schedule is flexible and will need to be adjusted to suit you and your tradesmen’s lead times and requirements but it is a great start. Most of the money in renovating a bathroom is in the trades! So, it is imperative that time booked is not wasted and the schedule is upheld.
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Check out some final tips from the infamous, Renovating For Profit guru, Cherie Barber. If you like this post and freebies, don’t forget to subscribe to receive this month’s FREE Bathroom design scheme! And…if you know someone who is thinking of tackling a bathroom renovation, go ahead and share this post!