Are you looking for help with your custom master bathroom design?  Bathroom remodels, and additions have one the best returns on investment, second only to kitchen improvements. When home shopping, buyers look at how many bedrooms and baths a home has, and how updated the kitchens and bathrooms are. Bathrooms can be expensive when you consider plumbing, a new bathtub, a new sink and sink base, a new toilet, new paint, new flooring, the list can go on and on. Though you know there will be a return if you sell, it is difficult not to consider doing the work yourself. Before you do, here are some points to include in your decision making.

DIY Results vs. Professional Results

We’ve all been in bathrooms and noticed the toilet wasn’t level, tiles weren’t cut correctly, or the drywall mud left a noticeable texture under the paint. Most of us have completed projects, and every time we walk into that room, our eyes return to our mistakes or the parts that left us less than satisfied. Now scale that up to something as involved as a bathroom remodel.

Time Commitment

Consider how much your time is worth and balance that against the savings from doing it yourself. The harsh reality is that it can take a busy homeowner months to complete what a professional can do in a week or two. Trying to squeeze a bathroom remodel into a busy schedule is known to cause hair loss (we have no scientific basis for this). All the while, leaving you with one less bathroom. For that reason, if one bathroom is all you have it’s vital that you hire a professional.

Plumbing and Electrical

Electricity and water are the kind of old friends that cause trouble when they get together, and the bathroom is a small space where the two are often in close proximity. Both plumbing and electrical work have all kinds of rules and regulations, even more so in bathrooms. How much time you want to spend learning all the particulars of your local codes and requirements, and the risk of making mistakes should be added to your list of considerations.

Surprises

This may be the last on our list, but it most certainly should not be the least of your concerns. Until you start gutting your bathroom, you have no way of truly knowing what you will find. Let’s look at a few of the more common surprises:

  • Asbestos – With asbestos, a significant benefit of hiring a professional is recognizing it when found. If you don’t know what to look for, you are putting yourself at risk. If asbestos is found, you will need to hire an abatement contractor. This is not a DIY job, and if it wasn’t in the budget, you would need to cut your budget somewhere else, it’s that vital.
  • Mold – Depending on how much you find, or where it is found, you may need to hire a mold remediation professional.
  • Water Damage – Water damage could be minor, or it could require essential structural repairs. Water damage will often be accompanied by mold.

While many home improvements are great for the handy homeowner, bathrooms, like kitchens, are tied too closely to the function and style of your home and affect the value too much to be anything less than professional, top-shelf work.