Home

[Bhvbum]

I have a really old house, with a number of bathrooms with lots and lots of tile so my number one goal was to always reduce my own labor.  So in bathrooms that I wanted tile, the grout was always non-white, and there was no caulking.  

I always went neutral because you never know when you will want or need to sell.  You can make a bathroom very personal with all the color you add to it in paint and fabrics.

[Eileen in Virginia]

Tim Carter, who has the AsktheBuilder dot com website, is a great source of info on remodeling jobs. He's been in construction for decades and has been a master plumber for most of that time. In addition to the free info available on his website, you can buy contract templates for various types of reno work at a very reasonable fee. Tim also offers a personalized service where he'll either review documents you send him or let you call him to discuss concerns you might have about a renovation, also at a reasonable fee. Even if you don't need a personalized service, the general info on his website is very useful.

[Neetgal2]

Not sure if this matters any more but I was always told for resale value keep one tub. People with kids need a tub!  

[AuntG]

It seems that whenever we've replaced something, the fit was never the exact measurements of the original and things were slightly "off". I realize that won't be an issue on complete remodels.

On a side note, I'm wondering if the front side of a fiberglass tub could be cut down to make a walk in shower with just a liner/curtain covering the entrance. With all these places saying they can install inserts over the existing tubs, could they change a tub to a shower?

[Janey2]

Get many estimates. The price for the labor can be all over the place. 

[RedTop]

My advice is to think ahead and go with handicapped accessible.   

We updated our bathrooms in 2007.   In 2012, I had knee replacement, and with higher toilets, and an easy access shower stall, my recovery at home went very well.   

[gardenman]

---

@AuntG wrote:

It seems that whenever we've replaced something, the fit was never the exact measurements of the original and things were slightly "off". I realize that won't be an issue on complete remodels.

On a side note, I'm wondering if the front side of a fiberglass tub could be cut down to make a walk in shower with just a liner/curtain covering the entrance. With all these places saying they can install inserts over the existing tubs, could they change a tub to a shower?

---

You probably could convert a fiberglass tub to a walk-in shower, but doing so would be challenging. Sealing that front edge would be the big issue. Could it be done? Sure. Would it be cheap? No. Would it be ideal? No. You'd probably have to add foam under the tub to make up for the structure lost by the front side of the tub. It would be doable, but far from the ideal option.

[Mellyg]

Ive recently done a few bathroom renovation. One was a complete reno (walls moved, all new plumbing) and as @Group 5 minus 1 said, there's always things you'd do differently, when it's said and done.

IMO, a shower can be too big. The glass and tile work get pricey. We have a rain shower head (as well as other shower head), we used it once, too make sure it worked. I wouldn't do heated floors again (and I live in the Arctic).  

We had a long countertop, we kept both sinks, but I despised the "dead space" in the center. We did a built in tower in between the sinks and had space for a built in linen closet on the end. But that worked for me, as I prefer storage than leaving things out. 

In a different home, we kept the tub/shower combo (the other bathrooms only have stand up showers and didn't want to eliminate a tub). We had it reglazed and are so happy with it; it looks great and cleans easily.  I didn't want tile floors there, so went with Luxe Vinyl (I'm very happy with that decision as well). 

DH was particular with faucets (didn't want the "guts" to be plastic). And he was more particular about the quality of the cabinets.

[Mellyg]

---

@Mom2Dogs wrote:

@patticakes   We have remodeled two bathrooms in our home....always thinking about the budget.

1,  Shower in the master was pulled out and a new custom shower was put in...the material is ONYX..easy to clean and the panels are custom made for your area.

2.  Vanity in my bathroom was taken out, raised to a higher level and painted profesionally....looks great.

3.  Shower/tub in my bathroom was profesionally reglazed...there were many, many colors to choose from.  It looks brand new, we also purchased new shower handle, etc. Purchased a new vanity top and hardware

4.  The toilet was replaced.

5.  Flooring was taken up in both bathrooms and a floating tile floor was installed.

The idea is fun, the process not so fun but worth it and we didn't break the bank.

---

I wanted onyx sooooo badly, I bet it's gorgeous! 

[Wobin]

Following this post and the helpful comments.  We're are thinking of having our master bath tub and shower removed and a larger accessible shower and storage in its place.  We bought a single-story home a few years ago and want to live here as long as we can.