20 Tips for A Bathroom Remodel

Elevate your primary bathroom- more than just tile. Tips for a design that you will be happy with for decades.

Spa-like. That is a term we hear often from our clients when discussing their primary bathroom; whether we’re remodeling or building a custom home. Homeowners want their on-suite to be a calming sanctuary. We strive to deliver designs that are aesthetically pleasing and provide the best function for each client’s day-to-day needs, all with quality construction and materials so their space will last and look good for many years to come. Building a new house or remodeling your current home is a big investment. Below are some tips and considerations to think about for your next primary bathroom.

1. Your home is an investment. Please, hire a licensed, insured, and experienced contractor for your remodel or new build. Who you hire could save you thousands of dollars in addition to un-needed stress and tension. Specifically for bathrooms, hire a contractor that installs a waterproofing system for the shower. This is a must. An actual system, not brushing a ‘waterproof’ solution on the walls and floor.
2. Consider a zero-entry shower if you’re building new or your remodeled space allows for it. It gives a seamless upgraded look and is easily accessible.
3. A bidet or ‘smart’ toilet. If you haven’t experienced one, we recommend trying. There are more options than ever to add a ‘smart’ seat to keep you clean.
4. Steam shower. Oh, so nice. At minimum, have your glass door and panels extend as high as possible to keep in the heat during your shower in addition to plumbing fixtures.
5. For plumbing fixtures, consider including a hand-held wand in the shower. It makes cleaning the shower easier.
6. Consider a ‘shaving ledge’/niche or bench in the shower to place your foot on while shaving.
7. Take tile in the shower up to the ceiling. This will draw your eyes up and make the space feel larger.
8. Be aware that glossy tile on the floor will be slippery when wet. Some tile have matte and gloss options. This way you can have the ‘same’ tile if you want a cohesive look, but use the gloss finish for the shower walls, and matte finish for the bathroom floor.
9. For grout color, stay neutral that coordinates with the tile. Most of the time you want your grout and trim pieces to blend in, not stand out. If you’re debating between a white grout or an ivory or beige- go with the beige. The white will be hard to maintain, where ivory or beige are more forgiving.
10. Consider heated floors if your budget allows. It’s a warm welcome in the mornings, especially during winter months. Programming is available for heat to be on a set schedule or on-demand.
11. If you like extra “Oooo” factors, LED lighting in a shower niche or at the toe kicks of vanities gives ambient lighting for early mornings or at night.
12. If considering some trendy selections, opt to go trendy on light fixtures. These are easily and less expensive to switch out in a few years opposed to ripping up and replacing tile.
13. The bathroom is not a place for marble. Marble stains easily. Think makeup, dyes that are in shampoo, hard water, an accident with nail polish… You can achieve the marble look with ceramic options.
14. When selecting plumbing fixtures (valve handles, shower head), do your cabinet pulls and shower hardware come in the same finish? It doesn’t have to all match, but we suggest keeping your finishes to two. Champagne bronze and black go nicely together. 
15. If you’re a person that always has a TV on, you’ll likely appreciate a TV integrated into your bathroom mirror. You can watch the morning news, or Netflix in your bathtub, with seamless entertainment.
16. If you use hair tools or an electric toothbrush or shaver, consider having outlets installed in your vanity drawers. This way you keep your countertop clear and don’t have small appliances sitting out.
17. Vanity lighting: If you or your partner apply makeup, we recommend sconces be installed on either side of the vanity mirror. It is better lighting for makeup application, opposed to overhead lighting that will cast shadows.
18. When selecting tile, consider cleanliness and durability. If this is your everyday shower, be honest with yourself about how often you’re willing to clean it and take other factors into consideration: do you have hard water, do you use color-correcting shampoo? Some colors and textures are less forgiving than others. For example, glossy white tile with bright white grout will likely be hard to keep clean (and looking nice) unless you like and are committed to cleaning often. Consider opting for a matte white tile or a tile with some color variations with an off white or beige color grout. We do not recommend marble and other porous materials in bathrooms. 
19. Consider your tile size, layout, and size of your bathroom: Love the intricate tile, brighter colors, or metallic sheen, but don’t think you can commit to a whole shower of it? A built-in niche is not only the place to hold shampoo bottles. It’s the perfect place to bring a pop of personality or texture to your shower with a different tile than the shower walls.
20. Last tip! Tile maintenance. Regular cleaning and on-going sealing on the tile in your bathroom will protect your investment. We want your bathroom tile to look good for decades. There are easy and cost-effective sealant options. Speak with your contractor or tile retailer for recommendations and instructions. 

If you want to remodel your bathroom or ready to build your dream home, the first step is to call our office at 502-888-5585 to discuss your project. We will help you every step of the way from design to finish selections, to construction completion.