Bathroom Renovation By Yourself

An enjoyable task for many homeowners is the time when they get to say goodbye to an outdated shower wall and old plumbing fixtures and welcome a new, gleaming bathroom. If this sounds like you, take some time to plan out your bathroom layout, research your alternatives when it comes to bathroom layouts and plumbing fixtures, and think about who will do the job for you.

When it comes to renovating your bathroom, don’t forget that construction companies can also assist you. Read on for more about how to renovate your bathroom using DIY tips. This detailed guide is filled with helpful ideas that will assist you in making the most out of your DIY bathroom renovations.

Planning Your DIY Bathroom Renovation

Before you begin shopping for essential tools and supplies and looking at the newest bathroom styles, you should spend some time organising your bathroom to ensure that everything, including your plumbing and electrical systems are ready for the renovation.

Talk to a home renovator from the beginning about what you want your new bathroom to look like and how they can help you get there.

An experienced bathroom designer will be helpful in discussing the logistics of layouts, fittings, and bathroom remodel costs. It is vital that you have particular design elements of what you want from your bathroom so that your bathroom materials provider, or designer, knows exactly what you want if you choose to work with one.

When remodelling a bathroom, start by looking at bathroom design ideas that maximise the available space:

• Look at the present soil pipe placement and where it enters the room to determine the ideal location for the new toilet, and then plan your layout accordingly.
• When planning the bathroom layout, use graph paper to draw out any doors or windows and any existing features like cabinets and vanities, shower walls, towel rails, or a showerhead.
• You can then look at the placement of sanitaryware such as a sink, bathtub, or toilet roll holder in the same dimension.
• If you hire a bathroom designer to manage the job, the expert will be able to assist you with the design of the bathroom or perhaps provide you with numerous design concepts.
• It’s vital to consider who will be using the restroom. Anybody who has a young family would likely wish to have an accessible and safe bathing area. In general, the main bathroom is better suited with a walk-in shower and two sinks.

Remodelling An Existing Bathroom

In order to remodel your bathroom, there are a number of options to consider. The most excellent alternative for remodelling is a minor upgrade for those on a tight budget. To avoid relocating plumbing fixtures, a heated towel warmer or more storage can be added to the current bathroom design.

Changing the bathroom layout, adding a separate water closet, or using an extra bedroom space might all require the installation of new or altered electrical fixtures when remodelling a bathroom.

DIY Bathroom Renovation Supplies And Tools

You can quite easily save money and time by doing your own bathroom renovation, but you need to ensure that you have all of the essential supplies, knowledge, and equipment. To complete a renovation, you’ll need the following equipment and materials:

• Gloves
• Hacksaw
• Silicone sealant
• Caulking gun
• Chisel
• Goggles
• Safety Mask
• Hammer
• Tape measure
• Spackle knife
• Stud finder
• Chalk line
• Extension cord
• Flathead screwdriver
• Adjustable wrench
• Bucket
• Pry bar
• Power drill
• Utility knife
• Spackle

Additional instruments may be required based on the nature of the modifications you’ll be doing. A wet-dry shop-vac is a need if you’re going to be removing any plumbing fixtures, like a toilet, to catch any water that may come out. A cordless drill can be an option if you don’t have a lot of space in your garage for an extension cable.

You can rent these tools from a home improvement shop if you don’t have them or don’t want to purchase them.

Choosing Features For Your Bathroom Renovation

Both a toilet and a sink are necessary for a bathroom. After that, you have the option to choose between a bathtub and a shower still, or you can have both. Should you choose an over the bathtub shower or one in a separate enclosure? In general, small bathroom spaces can include an over-bath shower as a possible solution. Check for shower baths in which the bathtub’s end is designed to make it easier to stand.

To avoid slipping, look for bathtubs with non-slip bases. Your shower screen should be wide enough to make your bathroom look good. Small bathrooms may benefit from fixed glass panels and sliding doors that don’t need an out-swing area, while bigger walk-in enclosures provide a feeling of grandeur.

The standard bath size is 1700mm x 700mm, although larger or smaller bathtubs can be purchased, as well as double-ended baths, where the drainage is positioned in the middle of the bath.

Process For DIY Bathroom Renovations

Bathroom renovations can take anything from a few weeks to a few months to complete depending on how complicated and extensive they are. Below is a typical list of tasks for completing a bathroom renovation:

• The first step is to create a bathroom renovation budget.
• Find home improvement stores or supply stores where you can get supplies for your renovation project.
• Decide on the project timeline to enable you to plan ahead and ensure you don’t take ages to complete your tasks.
• Check for design ideas and finalise which design you’re going with. Next, choose your sanitaryware, supplies, equipment, and fixtures.
• Once you have all the required tools and supplies ready, it’s time to remove all the old stuff you want to get rid of from the current bathroom. If you will be tearing down tiles or any other parts, now is the time to do so.
• Install or replace any obsolete pipes or wires, which is part of the first plumbing and electrical repair phase.
• Install plasterboard or tile backer board, level walls, and then plaster depending on what you have decided to do with your bathroom walls.
• Plaster the ceiling as well if it has been repaired recently. Screeding, leveling, strengthening, and waterproofing the bathroom floor are also included in this step.
• After plastering and tiling the whole bathroom, you can proceed to fix things like the taps, bath, and heated towel rail as part of the second-fix plumbing. Also included in this are the shower enclosure, sink, and faucets.
• If you would like, you can install electric underfloor heating. Then fix the light switches and any lighting.
• Wall painting and installing floor tiles make up the final finishing.

Finishing Touches For Your Renovated Bathroom

Finally, you can decorate the space by putting up the trim. The trim is the last piece of the puzzle in any bathroom renovation process because it adds the final touch of elegance. To personalise the area, add window curtains, colourful storage containers, and artwork on the wall. Afterwards, relax in the lovely bathroom you’ve worked so hard to create!

Shower And Tub Replacement If Necessary

Carrying out a bathroom renovation project is a good time to install a new shower or tub if your old one is just not good enough. But you should know that this isn’t a simple task since your bathtub is the centrepiece of your bathroom.

Make a few subtle but important improvements that aren’t obvious at first. For example, your old fixture can differ in form and size from the new one. As a result, new fixtures may need changes to the floor and other aspects. You can avoid this by getting a new tub that’s not too different from your old one.

If you’re willing to spend the money, you may hire a professional bathroom remodeler to do this task for you. You can resurface your shower or bathtub if the pan or tub itself is in excellent shape. Make sure to re-caulk around the perimeter of your tub.

Building Regulations To Consider

There are likely to be utilities such as electricity, plumbing, and garbage already connected if you are remodelling a bathroom rather than constructing a new one. However, upgrades to bathroom fixtures and sanitaryware may need the addition of new wiring or pipes or the relocation of existing utilities. Adding a new bathroom or moving an existing one will need clearance from building regulations.

Additionally, any work in or around wet places, such as bathtubs and showers, must adhere to building regulations, as must any work that extends or modifies drainage. Another area where a trained builder may be quite helpful is in guiding you through the process of remodelling. If you employ home renovators to manage your project, they can usually recommend reputable experts to do the electrical and plumbing work.

Upon completion of the project, your subcontractors should return to you with the relevant documentation to confirm that the work conforms with the Building Code requirements of your locality and gets council approvals. If you’ve hired skilled tradespeople, this is a regular step in the process. Remember that it is up to you to ensure that your certifications are secure and accessible to prospective buyers should you decide to put your home on the market.

Experts For Bathroom Renovations

Your specific needs will vary slightly depending on what sort of project you’re working on. Unless you have the right skill set to carry out a full bathroom renovation by yourself, it would be best to hire the following experts to ensure a safe and successful bathroom renovation project.

• Expert Cabinetmaker: A cabinetmaker can do the job if you want to replace your old cabinet with a new one.
• Licensed Plumber: With a valid license, a plumber can easily handle all of your pipe fitting problems.
• Tiler: You need a professional tiler if you want to prevent damaged tiles, irregular spacing, and generally shoddy work.
• Plasterer: When the gyprock is laid, the plasterer is responsible for smoothing and preparing it for painting.
• Painter: Some painters can accomplish both, but you’ll want to be sure they’re capable of doing so before hiring them to paint the walls of your bathroom.
• Bathroom Renovators: They are responsible for the planning and completion of the designing process of your bathroom renovation project. You may not need to hire so many experts to complete the work on your DIY bathroom renovation if you work with a bathroom renovator that can handle everything.

Hiring Professionals For Your Bathroom Renovation

As explained above, a tiler, an electrician, and a plumber are all engaged in a bathroom renovation. You may also need decorators and plasterers. The installation of a bathroom can be completed entirely by certain renovators. To ensure that the bathroom installation goes well, it’s a good idea to work with a contractor who can supervise the job.

There are several elements to consider when deciding which path to take when it comes to remodelling your bathroom, including your budget, your DIY abilities, how much time you have available, and the sort of bathroom fixtures you’ve selected.

Using a contractor to oversee your bathroom makeover is a good idea in many situations, including:

• Building a new bathroom from scratch. Often, this is the case in major remodelling projects, when new bathrooms are put inside an expansion or bathrooms are formed from previously used rooms.
• When you and a neighbour share a wall, it’s at risk of being damaged.
• When interior walls need to be built or removed. This is particularly true if the walls are structural.
• When new fixtures require reinforcing the old floor. This is a typical problem when installing new, luxurious bathtubs.
• Structural considerations, waterproofing, and drainage concerns are prevalent in constructing a wet room.
• When you’ve opted to purchase all of your bathroom fixtures and fittings from a variety of vendors rather than relying on a bathroom specialist’s in-house supply-and-fit service.
• For projects that need permission or compliance with the building rules that need council approvals.
• Installing hefty, large-format stone tile or wall-hung sanitaryware requires professional expertise.

Now you may not be able to handle the bathroom remodelling process on your own if you don’t know how to do it correctly. However, you can hire a builder to oversee the whole job. As such, you have an expert on hand who can call upon their own team of reputable tradesmen. As a bonus, many renovators are proficient in all parts of bathroom installation (tiling, plumbing, and electrics), so you won’t have to hire different tradesmen for each task.

Do You Need Bathroom Renovation Assistance?

It is imperative to lay out your vision for the project, from start to finish, at the initial meeting with a contractor. Ask your contractor questions and figure out how you can get in contact with them often during the process. Hiring a contractor to do home renovation work requires mutual trust, so be careful to hire someone who shares your vision and has the relevant expertise.

Make it clear what you need and how much you’re ready to spend on the project before hiring anybody. An estimate from a professional home improvement contractor will ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises after the job.

Consider breaking the project into many stages if required. Even though spreading out project milestones may delay the completion date, it may be beneficial for your budget. Doing little activities like painting on your own might also save you money on your bathroom renovation project. Alternatively, you can always let the experts handle all the work themselves.