Renovating Your Bathroom? 3 Major Don'ts of Bathroom Remodelling Projects
Posted on: 1 November 2017
Bathroom renovations are popular home renovation projects for many Australian homeowners. It's a relatively small project in comparison to other rooms such as the kitchen, but it can make a big impact when you're trying to modernise an older home.
Even though it might not be a large-scale project, it's still important to apply a well-thought-out and educated approach. Here are three major don'ts of bathroom remodelling projects that you should consider when planning your new bathroom.
1. Don't attempt a DIY project
Unless you are highly experienced in renovation work, don't attempt to complete your new bathroom by yourself. This is true of many home improvement jobs, but it's especially important in the bathroom. At best, you may end up with a bathroom that looks shoddy and poorly finished. At worst, you may have a room that is essentially non-functional and looks worse than your old bathroom.
It's illegal to complete electrical and plumbing work yourself, and to attempt to do so could make your new bathroom a potential death trap. Even jobs which aren't potentially life-threatening, such as installing drainage, waterproofing surfaces and installing fittings can be disastrous if they're not completed by an experienced contractor.
2. Don't ignore advice about your pipework
It may be a less glamourous area in comparison to choosing paint colours, tiles and taps, but making sure that your bathroom's pipework is in good condition is vital. Older homes often have dated and worn pipes that won't give you the water pressure that many new bathroom appliances need to function effectively.
Upgrading your pipes may seem like an expense that you'd prefer to avoid, but failing to heed your plumber's advice might cost you dearly down the track. Burst pipes can destroy plasterboard and create expensive repair work that could have been avoided. Also, deciding that your pipework isn't sufficient after the project is completed will require extensive work and a hefty bill.
3. Don't over capitalise
There are many beautiful and alluring bathroom products available on today's market, but it's important to create a realistic budget and stick with it. This may mean that you need to ditch your plans for hand-painted Italian wall tiles and a freestanding marble tub for more modest alternatives.
It's important to base your budget on the expected return on investment you'll get from the project as well as what you can afford. Blowing an obscene amount of money on a bathroom for a small apartment or house that you plan to sell in the future won't see you getting the financial returns that a more modest and less costly project would achieve.
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