1Bathrooms, right after kitchens, are the most popular remodel taken up by homeowners. Yet, to some homeowners, the idea of investing in a new bathroom often seems unnecessarily extravagant. A bathroom, as far as they can see, is a place that you don’t actually spend time in; why invest in a space that you simply run in and out of, a few minutes each day? A little research, though, proves that there’s a better way to view investing in a bathroom remodel.
You don’t actually save by not remodeling
Come the day that you’re ready to sell and move, you will usually find that buyers coming in often have second thoughts when they see a dated bathroom. The sight of one will usually makes them mentally add $25,000 on to the purchase price, the sum they believe they will need to spend on updating the space. Often, they will insist on knocking $25,000 off the asking price to make up for it.
While the average bathroom remodel can add 62% of the cost to the value of your home (as long as what you invest in your bathroom is no more than 15% of the value of your home), even a modest remodel can help keep the value of your home steady. Skimping simply doesn’t make financial sense.
Consider updating piecemeal
If you’re on a strict budget, renovating your bathroom doesn’t need to involve a full teardown. Fixing a few key areas is often all it takes to help maintain the value of your home. Newly retiled floors, a new toilet or new wall fixtures, for instance, quickly improve a bathroom’s appeal. You can approach these changes piecemeal whenever you can afford it. An overall sheen of newness can help keep your home from losing value, and can be easy on the pocket.
It is also important is to make sure to put your renovation budget on parts of the bathroom that are clearly in bad shape — chipped or broken tiles, peeling paint an area of mold or rust or a damp smell can quickly take away from your home. Renovating to fix problems can offer and excellent return on your investment.
Renovating to turn your bathroom environmentally friendly
With many parts of the country struggling with drought, high-efficiency showers, taps, faucets and toilets can simply be a step towards being more environmentally responsible. These improvements can also help you save money. Waterless toilets, for instance, make excellent sense when you struggle with expensive water bills.
Upgrading for safety and for health
Bathrooms tend to contribute far more than their fair share to slip-and-fall accidents, especially in homes with elderly family members. Nonskid flooring, grab handles, side-entry tubs and wide shower access doors can all greatly help.
Old bathrooms are notorious for their poor ventilation, a problem that greatly contributes rise to mold growth in unseen spaces. Hiring a contractor to install a safe design can help minimize incidence of respiratory diseases.
Manuel Fletcher works in building and maintenance and carries out regular makeovers on his own home. He likes to share his ideas and insights with an online audience and is a regular writer for a variety of home and lifestyle websites.
