How to Plan a Bathroom Remodel: A Step-by-Step Guide

The Bay Link recently reported that Bay area homeowners tend to hold onto their homes longer than other Californians. As a San Fran-area resident, it’s likely that you’d rather turn your current house into your dream home rather than look outward.

For most, that does mean investing in a significant renovation at some point. When it comes to major transformations, bathrooms and kitchens still tend to take the cake.

Whether you’re a new or long-time homeowner, you’re probably wondering how to plan a bathroom remodel from start to finish. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. Read on for our complete bathroom renovation guide.

Step 1: Defining Your Vision

The first step is in any remodel is the one homeowners tend to enjoy most: fleshing out the vision. Let’s take a closer look at how you can bring together your inspiration before talking to your contractor.

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Start With Needs and Must-Haves

Before you get caught up in the minor details, start with the things you absolutely need to have. For example, you may be converting a standing shower to a full shower and tub. You may be replacing your outdated toilet with an energy-efficient smart toilet.

Building your list of must-haves allows your contractor to make sure your budget gets used wisely.

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Consider Timeless Choices and Modern Trends

Are you struggling to create a cohesive vision? It can be useful to consider different design styles, from timeless choices to modern bathroom trends.

The best approach is to combine elements of both to ensure that you’re creating a modern space that you’ll love for years. You can’t go wrong with natural colors, stone tiles, and backlit mirrors.

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Make Your Bathroom Remodel Wish List

You’ve already built your list of must-haves, and now it’s time to dream up the design elements you’d love to have. This is the perfect time to think about:

• Vanity styles
• Storage options
• Fixtures and finishes

An experienced contractor can help you review your wish list to determine what’s reasonable for your budget.

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Step 2: Set Your Budget

When you want to learn how to plan a bathroom remodel, you’ll need to get serious about budgeting. Here are our top tips for setting your remodel budget (and sticking to it).

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Estimate Costs

How much should a bathroom remodel cost? Your estimated costs will vary based on factors like:

• The size of your bathroom
• The extent of your remodel
• The need for structural changes

According to This Old House, the average remodel costs between $100 and $200 per square foot. Your budget will need to cover both materials and labor.

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Prepare for Unexpected Costs

When you’re determining how much you can spend on a bathroom remodel, don’t allot the entire budget to the expected costs. You should also prepare for unexpected costs, which House Logic says can take between 10-20% of a remodel budget.

Imagine that you have a budget of $5,000. You should expect to spend $500-$1,000 of that budget on things like replacing broken materials or repairing unexpected damage.

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Find Your Contractor

Once you have your budget, it’s time to find the contractor that can work within it. Before you sign any contracts, make sure to look at:

• Years of experience
• Portfolios
• Reviews
• Proof of licensing and insurance

Aim to hire a contractor that can help you with every step from design to installation. Having one point of contact can simplify the process and ensure that everyone involved, from electricians to plumbers, meet your high standards.

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Step 3: Design Your New Layout

With the help of your contractors, it’s time to create a blueprint of your new bathroom. This is the time to think about appliances and fixtures, so break out the measuring tape and read these tips.

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Take Accurate Measurements

Nothing can slow down your renovation like ordering fixtures and appliances that don’t fit your bathroom dimensions. Make sure your design begins with accurate measurements, whether you’re sticking to your current bathroom size or expanding.

Don’t build your blueprint without also including the measurements of every fixture you plan to use. This helps to prevent overcrowding and design your bathroom to scale.

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Consider Existing Plumbing

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly bathroom model, you’ll need to stick to your existing plumbing. In other words, you’ll need to put new fixtures in the same place as existing fixtures.

Moving plumbing to accommodate an all-new layout is certainly an option. It’s just going to increase your cost, likely by a few thousand dollars.

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Consult Your Contractors

Great contractors will help you with the design phase, whether you’re redesigning your master bathroom or making small changes to a powder room.

In fact, you can often be as hands-off during the design phase as you want. Some homeowners prefer to share their must-haves and let their contractors do the rest. Others prefer to come up with full layout drafts before talking to their contractor about what’s possible.

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Step 4: Finalize Your Design

Now for the last step before you break ground on your bathroom remodel. Here are the boxes to check when you’re finalizing your design.

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Obtain Local Permits

To redo a bathroom, you’ll likely need to obtain city permits. Each city will have its own requirements for receiving a permit. For example, in San Francisco, your contractor will likely need to apply for your bathroom remodel permit themselves.

It can take weeks from the time you submit your application to the time you receive your permit, so get started early.

Choose Materials and Finishes

With the remainder of your budget (besides the money allotted to unexpected expenses), it’s time to pick materials and finishes. This includes things like:

• Cabinetry
• Countertops
• Tiles
• Fixtures

Your contractor should be able to source those materials for you, placing the orders early enough to keep up with your timeline. Custom finishes will take longer and should be ordered earlier.

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Make Installation Preparations

Before construction begins, make any necessary arrangements to limit disruptions to your personal life. For example, if you’re renovating your only bathroom, you should make plans to stay elsewhere until the bathroom is complete.

You should also remove any materials or decor that you plan to keep or sell. Put these somewhere safe, where they won’t get damaged during demolition.

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Step 5: Construction and Installation

Once you’ve finalized your design, it’s time for the construction and installation phases. With great contractors, you’ll be able to sit back, relax, and wait for your new bathroom to be ready for use.

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Demolition

First, your contractors will remove anything that isn’t staying. That includes:

• Appliances
• Furnishings
• Structural elements like walls

As you can expect, this process can be very loud. Let your neighbors know when construction will begin as a courtesy.

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Complete Rough-In

Once demolition is complete, it’s time for the rough-in phase, which can take several weeks depending on how much work your bathroom needs. Rough-in involves removing old plumbing and electrical lines and updating them.

Even if you aren’t moving plumbing or electrical lines, you may need some work done during rough-in to get these utility lines up to code.

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Structural Work

During this phase, you’ll really start to see the transformation in your new bathroom. After rough-in, it’s time to install structures including:

• Tubs and showers
• Toilets
• Sinks and vanities

This phase tends to take less time than the rough-in phase while producing more noticeable results. Though you may have working appliances in your bathroom at this point, you should still expect to use another bathroom until the final touches are done.

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Step 6: Final Touches

As your bathroom remodel winds down, there are a few final touches to complete. Here are the last phases of a full bathroom remodel.

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Aesthetic Upgrades

Once all of the structural work is complete, it’s time to finish all aesthetic upgrades. This may include things like:

• Installing hardware
• Painting
• Tiling
• Mirrors
• Lighting

Some homeowners do make last-minute changes to their interior design at this point, particularly after seeing all of the new appliances and fixtures in place. However, you should consider the design and installation process practically done at this point.

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Remodel Cleanup and Inspection

Before your contractor packs up and you start enjoying your new bathroom, they’ll complete the remodel cleanup. Be cautious when using your bathroom if this step isn’t complete, as there may be things like nails or debris laying around.

Finally, you and your contractor will inspect the work to make sure everything is not only functional, but up to city building code. If you’ve worked with a reliable contractor from the start, there should be no issues related to craftsmanship that require additional work.