Bathroom Renovations

Renovating Your Bathroom

Renovating your bathroom is a great way to add value to your home — both for your family’s daily living and for future resale.

Before you decide to go ahead with a renovation, it’s critical to have a good idea of any underlying problems that could cause unwelcome and costly surprises. Taking time to find problems before you start your renovation will save you money, protect the indoor air quality and preserve the durability and structure of your home.

Common Situations

A bathroom renovation is one of the most common home improvement projects. Bathroom renovations come in all types and sizes—from a simple update of the flooring, to enlarging the room and replacing all fixtures and finishes.

Your project is unique, but your reasons for renovating will probably fall into these common categories.

• Size and design — The room may be small or poorly designed.
• Fixtures — The fixtures may be outdated, small, hard-to-clean, leaky, cracked or inefficient.
• Structural — There may be problems that require structural changes or repairs.
• Moisture — Excessive bathroom moisture may have deteriorated the bathroom surfaces, affected the indoor air quality or jeopardized the structure of your house.
• Plumbing and electrical — If your house is 30–40 years old, the plumbing and electrical services may be outdated and need upgrading. Houses built prior to 1950 often have lead piping that may pose a health hazard.
• Heating and ventilation — Bathrooms are often cold because of poor insulation or poor heat delivery. Ventilation is often inadequate, non-existent or causing secondary problems that need to be fixed.