Renovating any room in your home can be an overwhelming endeavor, more so if you’re doing your bathroom.
What makes renovating your bathroom, particularly troublesome is the fact that if you botch things up, it’s going to affect how you think about your entire house for many years to come.
People easily take the looks of their bathroom for granted, but truth be told, you spend at least a few hours a day inside of it.
On top of the looks, you’ll also have to consider the financial costs.
Bathrooms are one of the most expensive rooms to renovate, probably rivaled only by the kitchen in terms of upfront costs.
This makes it that much more important to pick the types of renovations you should do in the first place. You don’t want to break the bank midway.
Choosing upgrades that can improve the overall value of your home or choosing ones that can lower the running costs of your house in the long term are ideal.
If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve summarized which bathroom upgrades are the most cost-effective, and we’ll explain why.
1. The Plumbing
A bathroom’s plumbing is basically its lifeblood, since without proper plumbing, your bathroom couldn’t really do its intended functions.
That’s why, if you plan on upgrading your bathroom, go for the pipes first. Normally, the larger the size of your pipes the less likely they are to get clogged up.
The typical size of drainage pipes is about 1.5 inches in diameter, but it actually doesn’t cost much to upgrade them to 2 inches.
The amount you spend on upgrading your pipes is offset by the money you get to save from maintenance costs are being forced to deal with blocked pipes.
2. The Heating
Though not entirely exclusive to bathrooms, spending the right kind of heating system saves you quite a lot in the long run.
Plus, since you could potentially use it for the rest of your home’s water supply, it’s not a bad deal overall. Depending on the type of heater you use, they can last a good eight to twelve years with proper maintenance and can save you on utility costs as well.
If you live in a place where the temperature gets to freezing, it’s also important to keep your water moving by keeping it heated. Frozen water can lead to blockages, and blockages lead to broken pipes, which in turn costs extra money.
3. The Lighting
Choosing the right fixtures and bulbs can go a long way to improving the ambiance of your bathroom but can also lower your utility costs.
Make use of some recessed light fixtures in your ceiling to brighten up the room. You should also consider adding a few light sources above the tub or shower, and in front of the mirror as well.
If you’re shaving or applying makeup, you’ll definitely appreciate the extra lighting on the mirror.
4. The Tiles
Renovating the flooring in any bathroom costs the most money overall, but has arguably the most profound effect as well.
Unlike the walls or the ceiling, you can’t just slap a fresh coat of paint on the floor and call it a day.
Tile itself is hard to replace, usually involving a major demolition and putting the bathroom in question out of commission for an extended amount of time.
If not done correctly, you’ll end up with a bathroom floor that you’ll either need a lot of money to replace again, or you’ll just have to deal with for years to come.
Make sure you choose durable materials that you don’t mind looking at for a long time.
5. The Storage
One of the best options to improve your bathroom with is the amount of storage you can use in it. From simple medicine cabinets to actual countertops.
It’s one of those upgrades that you may not initially think you’ll need, but will greatly improve your lifestyle once you have it.
If possible, make use of the wall space using organizers and shelves. Do keep in mind that there’s a fine line between well-organized and too much clutter, so make sure you choose how you store your stuff well.
6. The Toilet
One of the crowning glories of the bathroom, next to the bathtub and shower, choosing the right toilet has the potential to make or break your renovation project.
Choosing a wall-hung toilet, where the toilet cabinet is built into the wall, saves you not only money, but space as well.
You’ll have to consider whether you’d want a wall-mounted toilet for a good long while, because if you do change your mind in the next few years and want a floor-mounted unit instead, you’ll have to rework the entire wall to make it work, which will cost quite a lot.
7. The Window
Choosing the right window adds a good bit of ambience and lighting in your bathroom.
Make sure you pick the type that supports a frosted glass panel to maximize the light that comes in while still providing the maximum amount of privacy.
Also pick one that you can open properly if you want the option to let fresh air in.
Choosing the window fixtures that don’t rust and drain away properly is also imperative, since if it’s situated on a wall where you’ll be bathing, water will get to it, and you wouldn’t want the window to suffer water damage.
8. The Bath
Another good place to put your money in when you’re upgrading is by adding a separate bath and shower.
Not only does this add, extra functionality in your bathroom, it also increases the value of your home if you plan on selling it later.
You also get the best of both worlds. If you want a thorough soak, you have the bathtub. If you want to get yourself cleaned up quickly, you can use the shower.
While there are more important rooms in the house that actually sell better, the bathroom is still no doubt a huge component in the value of your home, whether you do plan to sell it later or not.
You shouldn’t need to sacrifice utility for function or vice versa to get the ones you want.
Picking the right upgrades is more than enough to improve your house’s value and your family’s satisfaction.
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