Remodeling your bathroom can make your home appear more valuable to prospective buyers. But be careful. Here are four common mistakes homeowners make when DIY upgrading the bathroom.
1. Not taking ventilation into account
We know you’ve realized the importance of the bathroom fan if you’ve ever been in a bind when guests are over ”¦ Well, we’ll spare you the details. We know you get the whiff ”” uh, drift. It can be easy to forget about the fan when remodeling, though. Even if you’re not replacing the fan, be sure to clean your old one.
2. Lying to yourself about your budget
Judging by your bathroom remodeling Pinterest board, you’ve got a lot of great ideas. But are they practical? Realistic? For example, can you afford that rain-simulating, foot-wide shower head? Separate fantasy from reality by being honest with yourself about what you can actually afford.
Pro tip: Something that’s easy to forget about when renovating your bathroom is your water bill. Yeah. Think about it. You’re going to be doing all this testing for your new appliances, running a lot of water ”” a lot more than usual. That means your bill’s going to be a lot higher. Be sure to factor that into your budget.
3. Being too confident
Listen, we’re sure you’re the best DIYer there is. You made your baby’s crib from old dining tables you found at garage sales, and you’ve grated down all your old soap bars into potpourri. We get it. But it takes a strong person to know when to ask for help. If upgrading your bathroom is turning out to be a bigger DIY job than you thought it would be, call a professional.
4. Rushing
The bulk of your time is spent visualizing your future beautiful bathroom, and most of your energy is spent gathering materials. You may spend a week or two in your paint-covered overalls, taking selfies in your demolished bathroom, effectively making it look like you’re working. But we know the truth.
You’ve gotten bored with the project, but your deadline is approaching, so you start throwing things together. You start doing a bad job. Poor construction can bring down your property value, for one. And a crappy bathroom (no pun intended) won’t make your house seem all that inviting to prospective homebuyers.
Put a deadline on visualization and material gathering, and make sure you have enough time to properly complete your bathroom and check to make sure there were no mistakes.
Need more remodeling advice? Reach out to us anytime. We’re here to help.
