Bathroom Remodel - Why Wait?
Why did we wait to do this? I get this comment frequently when sellers renovate a room in their house right before they sell it. Some renovations such as bathrooms and kitchens have a great return on investment when selling, but my thought is,
“Enjoy your home before you sell it!”
Did you know that a partial bathroom remodel in the state of Texas has a 75.6% return on investment? That means if you spend $15,000 for a makeover, you are increasing the value of your home around $11,000. (credit: Fixr.com) We decided to keep all the existing cabinets and stay within the footprint of the existing floorplan.
That could be one definition of a “partial bathroom remodel.”
This was the bathroom we inherited when we moved to our current house seven years ago.
When we first moved in, we swapped out the countertop to a granite that matched the kitchen, updated the sinks,installed satin nickel faucets (which are timeless by the way), and painted the cabinets and walls. Then we lived with it for about six years while we spent money on the more “public” parts of the house first. This summer though, the transformation began! After numerous searches for inspiration and the right tile, the outdated shallow garden tub which consumed an enormous amount of space was ripped out! Woohoo!
The claustrophobic shower walls were removed and the deep shower floor was raised to a more appropriate depth. Because the new bathtub was going to run parallel to the wall instead of diagonally, the shower size actually increased. We had to move some plumbing for the new tub to drain, and we switched the shower valve to the wall closest to the shower door so that we did not have to get wet every time we turned the shower on. Sigh!
All the new tile is installed!
We splurged on carrera marble that surrounded the tub, and then chose traditional subway and penny tile for the shower. We installed 15x30 inch tile for the flooring to have fewer grout lines. Next, we installed the glass shower doors and chose to replace the glass in the window. Part of me wanted purchase a new window and move it to the right, but at $1500 for the new window and $2500 in labor to move it 10 inches, it just wasn’t worth it to us. Instead, we paid under $500 for the new glass, and I’m happy about that! Pick where you want to save and where you want to splurge.
Of course, don’t forget that updating a light fixture is very economical and can make a HUGE difference! We also installed new can lights in the ceiling.
My final thoughts? If you know you may sell your house in the future, spend the money (if you have it) to renovate now so that you can enjoy your house! When it’s time to sell, you should get lots of your money back!
Need help picking your finishes?
Don’t take a chance on making costly mistakes! Hire a true-color expert like me or an interior designer to confidently help you make those decisions.
