Expert Bathroom Renovation Tips for a Stunning Upgrade

Bathrooms are a special space. Walking into a great bathroom can be a really emotive experience, making you feel happy, calm, relaxed and even special if it's a particularly fancy or luxury room. However, bathrooms are one of the more costly renovations and many homeowners think over their bathroom wants and needs for months, even years before taking steps to renovate or update. 

There are many reasons to consider renovating your bathroom - addressing functionality, space, layout, luxury fixtures and fitting that are a lot more accessible these days, plus the return on investment! This makes bathroom renovations a top priority on the home improvement list!

Many older homes have outdated bathrooms that lack contemporary amenities and styles that can leave you feeling cramped. Homeowners want to update these spaces with modern fixtures, sleek designs with airy space, to transform their bathrooms into their retreats that they enjoy spending time in. We are increasingly becoming more accustomed to having spaces that evoke an emotive feel, especially since a bathroom is a space that starts off your day and is frequently used by both family and visitors.

First in our bathroom renovation tips and tricks list is understanding these reasons to help you see why investing in this essential space can be so rewarding.

Modernisation

As technology and design trends evolve and become more widely available, homeowners are updating their bathrooms to reflect these changes and create more ‘feeling’ to their bathrooms. Modern features like automated lighting, underfloor heating, skylights and enhanced lighting. Contemporary design elements such as minimalist aesthetics, or luxury fixtures, bold colour and tile options are now more widely accessible from suppliers at a variety of price points for many individuals to achieve their desired aesthetic.

Increased Functionality

A primary motivation for bathroom renovations is to enhance functionality. This involves optimising layout and storage to better suit the household needs. Homeowners often opt for energy-efficient fixtures and water-saving devices to reduce utility bills and promote eco-friendliness. Improvements in lighting, ventilation and accessibility features like open showers, shower or bath niches also enhance functionality and user-friendliness.

Enhanced Aesthetics

A beautifully designed bathroom is a personal retreat in the home. Homeowners invest in luxury features like heated floors, rainfall showerheads, skylights and freestanding baths for a spa-like atmosphere. Enhanced aesthetics enhance daily living and increase the home's value and appeal.

Renovating a bathroom involves numerous decisions to ensure the end result is what you expect and a positive renovation experience. Here are some essential tips for a bathroom renovation to guide you through the process:

Budget

Have a budget for this renovation. This will determine if you can achieve a full renovation, change the location of services or keep them in the same spot, or whether a simpler cosmetic change would be more suitable. This also controls the price points of fixtures and finishes such as tile selection. Tiles can range from $50 per square metre, up to $400 per square metre! Plus the tilers materials and labour for installing. Having a budget provides guidance on the project and reduces project blow outs.

Layout

A well-designed layout is crucial. Ensure that the placement and measurements of your shower, bathtub, vanities and toilet space allows for easy movement and accessibility. Avoid overcrowding the space to maintain an open, spacious feel - review your measurements on everything. The available space will ultimately determine the layout ideas, yet most begin with the toilet location! Stylists will choose not to have the toilet as the first thing you see in the bathroom. The toilet location will then lead to where showers, bath and vanity can be placed.

Fixtures and Fittings

Invest in a style that lasts, bathrooms are not cheap to renovate. Look for products with efficiency features or that will maximise space and storage. This ensures longevity, reduce your water bills and environmental footprint and keeps the bathroom functional.

Shower and Bath

Personal preference, as well as space, will always be a huge deciding factor on whether a bathroom has a bath or not. You need to ask yourself - do you forego a bath, if that means the shower space could be increased, therefore giving the shower a more lux feel and provides more open space in the bathroom. Is there another bathroom in the house that already has a bath? Or if a bath is a must have, maybe consider creating a wet-room, where the bath is in the shower area - we're full of home extension ideas.

Tiles

There are so many options out there to choose from! Tile selection is critical and has many considerations - to enhance the design, experiment with sizes, shapes and colours by taking samples home and seeing them in the space. Floor tiles, wall tiles, will you consider floor to ceiling tiles? Or half walls. The direction you want the tiles to be laid. How will this impact labour costs? Ie. subway tiles can be straightforward to lay in horizontal or vertical directions, however in herringbone pattern it takes a lot more time and costs associated - yet it produces a very lux result! Keep to your budget and ask your builder or tiler what is possible.

Lighting

Incorporate strategic lighting solutions to enhance both ambience and functionality. Natural light is always a big plus in bathrooms - this comes from windows and skylights. Your lighting plan in a bathroom should have a combination of natural light, ceiling lights for the room, task lighting such as around the vanities and for lux features consider LEDs under vanities, ceiling perimeter or in the cabinet mirrors.

Storage

Maximise your storage space is always a good idea. Built-in niches in showers, under-sink cabinets, over-the-toilet shelving can keep your bathroom essentials organised and easily accessible without compromising on style.

Ventilation

Proper ventilation is crucial to prevent mould and dampness. Install a high-quality exhaust fan and consider windows that are either an awning style or slider that provides privacy but continues ventilation in the room. Good airflow ensures a healthy and comfortable bathroom.

Here are expert-approved bathroom renovation tips that will help you through the project.

Gather your bathroom inspirations and select ONE particular style.

Remember that a bathroom is an expensive renovation and not easily changed once completed. Keeping a bathroom minimalistic and timeless will always be the safe choice, however at the end of the day, you need to be true to yourself and your style! There is so much inspiration out there. You need to narrow it down and keep to one particular style, or feature and colour pallet, then STICK TO IT. This provides clarity on your finished aesthetic and helps make decisions when it comes to choosing your fixtures, fittings, even plants and keeping within your budget.

Engage qualified tradesmen for this renovation

A bathroom is a small space, yet involves a lot of speciality tradesmen. No matter the size of the bathroom, the same trades and process will apply and is necessary. Doing a DIY on a bathroom renovation is not recommended. Engaging a builder or a bathroom specialist would be the way to go. Someone who understands and can manage the process and trades (demo, plumber, electrical, waterproofer, gyprocker, tiler, shower screen, carpenter, suppliers) . A licensed Builder for example will ensure compliance, produce waterproofing certification, ensure the correct falls in the tiles for water flow or flooding and insure the project.

Choose materials and finishes wisely for durability and aesthetics.

Strike the perfect balance between durability and aesthetics by selecting high-quality materials and finishes that enhance the longevity and visual appeal of your bathroom. Selecting your items early certainly helps keep the renovation process smooth. Having items selected, even delivered prior to the renovation allows some of the trades, like the plumber, to complete the rough-ins for toilet, bath and vanity locations based on the product specifications you have selected. Making decisions early also ensures that nothing gets over looked and no decisions are last minute - such as which grout colour to match your tiles!

Select a colour pallet that complements the bathroom and your home.

Consistent style throughout the rooms of the home is important and your bathroom should be a space that compliments rather than being a stand alone feature. For example if you have brushed gold tapwear in the kitchen that is opposite the bathroom, it will seem odd that you select black tapwear in the bathroom with a completely different colour pallet. Unless of course you are meaning to transport your guests to a different house while they visit your bathroom.

Stay within your budget

The most important factor of renovations is Budget and being able to stick to your budget. Bathroom finishes and fixtures are so widely available in todays world of style. Staying within your budget without sacrificing quality can easily be achieved by shopping around and even purchasing items during sale periods. Speak with your builder who can also offer suggestions on how to minimise costs, such as not changing the layout of the bathroom, choosing tiles that are easier to lay (herringbone has more expensive labour than just horizontal/vertical tiling) Or make sure the tiles are on a sheet, instead of small individual tiles. Instead of a double vanity, opt for a single vanity with a larger bowl - this reduces plumbing. There are a few options that can always be considered to reduce expenses.

Working with a reputable builder such as CastleCrew Group ensures that your project is in capable hands from start to finish. Matt and Mel will always ensure our clients have a positive renovation experience when they come on board.

We provide our expertise, experience and excellent communication every step of the way, streamlining the renovation process and producing excellent results.

As your trusted builder in the Port Macquarie area, CastleCrew also caters to other home renovation projects, such as kitchen renovations, home extensions and even building your new home from the ground up!

Ready to transform your bathroom into a stunning space? Message us for a consultation and detailed quotation!