Renovation 101
September 3 // á la Zoe Williams
Zara Pants (sold out - similar linked)| Revolve Top | Boy Smells Candle
When Jimmy and I bought our house there were two HUGE sore thumbs - the bathrooms (you’ll see what I mean when you look at the before pictures). Let me tell you, if there was a good, bad and ugly of our first-time home buying journey the bathrooms were the ugly. Thankfully the rest of the house was very much our style, so we decided we could make undertaking a renovation of the bathrooms work.
Our biggest savior was my dad, who is an experienced woodworker and an avid volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, so he knows a thing or two about homebuilding and the renovation process. My dad is also an expert in working with me aka puts up with my extreme attention to detail and high maintenance, and often times unrealistic visions. But enough about how we got started, where do you begin?
Before/Afters
Set a realistic budget
Realistic is the key word here. Talk to people that specialize in bath renovations to make sure your expectations and the budget you set are realistic. Do research and get estimates to see what each aspect of your project will cost (demolition, tile work, hardware etc.) Decide what aspects you are willing to undertake yourself and which parts may be more fruitful to contract out.
To give you an idea, 20% of the cost of our bathroom renovation was the demolition. This was the only piece we hired a contractor to do. My dad did the rest. This saved us a TON of money (labor is the most expensive part of the process)!
Budget tips
You never know what you are getting into until you get through the demo phase of a renovation. Once the demo is complete you will see exactly what you have to deal with. This is why it is important to budget for unexpected things coming to light. Include approximately an extra 15-20% of your overall budget for unexpected issues that arise.
Labor and plumbing are important and you don’t want to skimp here – look at this as a 10 year investment…quality of the craftsmanship needs to stand the test of time.
Get a plumber and electrician in to see if you need to update wiring and how much of the plumbing is reusable. From a budget standpoint, it’s hard to know until you get experts to weigh in.
Watch your budget on tile and fixtures. It is VERY easy to go overboard here.
Keep in mind that corner shelves in your shower can be cheaper than wall niches!
Know your timeframe
Figure our your timeline and if the contractors you are using can meet the timeline you have set. Make sure you have a plan for alternative bathroom facilities if needed. We only have one full bath in our house and had to shower at the gym during renovations. It was not fun at all, but we made it work and it was worth it in the end. If you are contracting out most of the work I would expect at least 4-6 weeks from start to finish. Delays are normal, be prepared and set that as an expectation going into it. Our journey was much longer since my dad did most all of the work himself.
Timeframe Tips
Pick out the fixtures for shower/bath and sink before you start! You want to have these ready to install when the time comes. Delays can be expected especially currently with COVID-19.
Keep in mind it will be at least a week for tile work around a standard tub area and another couple days to do the floor. This also depends on any windows and niches.
Wall niches in the shower are time consuming but can be worth it for storage. This depends on what’s most important to you.
Identify your design vision
My dad custom built this vanity based on an inspo picture I found on Instagram and we got the marble top cut from Absolute Stone Design. My mom did the design plan and all the painting and we got the hardware from CB2. This is my favorite part of the bathroom and it is extremely sentimental to me!
This is the fun part! Create a vision board, put together inspiration on Pinterest and get going! I also love looking through the CB2, West Elm and Crate Barrel websites. Architectural Digest has a great Instagram page too!
This mirror is my other absolute favorite part of my vision which was modeled after the mirror in my parent’s bathroom at home. My dad made the trim and we ordered the mirror from More Than Glass - which ended up being a lot cheaper than buying a mirror with a frame this size.
Design Tips
Go to a reputable plumbing supply house for the fixtures (higher quality for an affordable price a lot of times you can also get a discount). We used Noland Company in Richmond, VA!
Going to a plumbing supply house is great because they can help you execute your vision within your budget and make sure what you are picking is functional for your space. I wanted a rainforest shower head, but I didn’t realize that it wouldn’t work or spray properly in our space, until I spoke with a consultant from Noland.
Look at tile work that your contractor has done if you are able to vs. just looking at pictures. We all know that sometimes photos can be very misleading…
Pick design elements that will be stylish long-term versus short-term trends. When you go to sell your home, you are doing yourself a disservice if the design elements are very specific to your taste. Keep in neutral and add flair with other items!
If you are working in a small space, think about a pedestal sink versus a vanity. This will make the space seem bigger. We did this in our 1/2 bath!
Pick out your color scheme before you start! This means tile color and wall color. Again, I love a neutral tile and picking up the accents with other design elements in the space.
Get tile samples you can bring home and see how it’s going to look in your space with your lighting. We used Morris Tile.
I hope this serves as inspiration and please ask me any questions you can think of!! I can’t wait to see what you do with your space. Xx!