Creating More Storage Space in Your Bathroom

The bathroom is one of the most-used rooms in the house, yet it often gets neglected when it comes to home renovations. When regular homeowners start planning a bathroom renovation, it can take as long as six months until completion. They get estimates three months out, buy materials two months out, and so on. If you’re working on house flips all day, you might only take a day or two on each of the first three phases. At the same time, planning ahead is crucial, because it can take weeks for a shipment of materials to arrive and up to six weeks for the work crew to finish the labor. Take action now by following these four phases of bathroom renovation.



Phase 1: Brainstorming and Designing 

It can take a lot of brainstorming to think up a really strong bathroom design idea. Try picking your three favorite interior design magazines and searching through them for ideas. Tear out the most inspiring pages and write a sticky note on each one about why you love it. Next, pin your pages up on a cork board or put them on scrapbook pages. Look at all of them together, searching for any features they have in common, whether it’s fixtures, tiles, layouts, or something else. Decide on a few elements that you will be most interested in. Lastly, think about the current bathroom. Decide if it’s feasible to change it to meet your vision, and ask yourself some hard questions. Do you want to fully renovate? Decorate it better? Increase its storage space? Will you be moving a major plumbing-connected item, such as a sink or a toilet? Once you’ve considered these important questions, you can finalize your design.

Phase 2: Budgeting and Hiring 

Next, add up the costs of materials and workers. Your budget will look a lot different if you work on the bathroom yourself versus hiring a contractor. About two-thirds of a bathroom renovation budget often goes to labor. If you don’t already have a preferred contractor and need to hire one, talk to two or three highly-rated local contractors as early as you can. Ask if your design is feasible, how much it’ll cost, and when the contractor can start. Once you’ve signed a contract, figure out a schedule to plan out the labor, delivery of materials, and payments. It’s normal for a labor time estimate to be a month or more.

Phase 3: Buying the Materials

Your mantra in this phase should be “ASAP ASAP ASAP.” As soon as possible, put in orders for materials. You can quickly pick up certain materials yourself, like tiles, or have them shipped within a few days. You’ll run into delays though if you're wanting high-end, customized materials, which can take up to two months to receive. If you need to finish your house flip before that, search for quicker alternatives. The idea applies to high-end tiles, light fixtures, vanities, cabinets.

Phase 4: Working with the Contractor

While working with your contractor, maintain frequent and open communication. Every morning, review the work planned for that day, and tell the contractor any vital information that could help. Look at the progress of the work at the end of each day, and give the contractor any feedback necessary. Also, tell workers where materials are, how to get in the house, and any areas to avoid. Finally, be patient and collaborative during delays and challenges. Treat your contractor like a business partner, because he or she can be a very valuable member of your renovation team. When the work on the walls and floor is done, the end of your bathroom renovation is near! Celebrate by picking out a great paint color and some fun accessories. For even more tips on home renovations, register for a free house flipping seminar from Rules of Renovation.