A Bathtub for a Bathroom Remodel

When planning a bathroom remodeling project, it used to be that you didn’t have many choices of bathtubs, but today there is a bewildering array of tubs in different shapes, sizes, and materials. How do you choose which kind of tub is right for you? Here are some of the factors to consider when selecting a bathtub.

Ergonomics
If you are particularly large or tall, you might be more comfortable in a wider or longer bathtub. On the other hand, if you’re petite, you probably don’t want an extra deep soaking tub. If you like long soaks, you might prefer a tub that has contoured armrests and back support so you can rest easy.

Safety
If someone in your household has trouble maneuvering, or if you’re planning to retire at your home, take these factors into consideration during your bathroom remodeling project. Install grab bars in the bathtub area and think about installing a walk-in model, which permits you to enter the tub through a door rather than stepping over the rim.

Style
How are you planning to decorate your bathroom? If you’re going for an old-fashioned look, a claw-footed cast iron tub might be the way to go. On the other hand, if you want a pampered, spa-like environment, you probably want the luxury of jetted or soaking tub.

Bathroom
Configuration depending on the layout of your bathroom, it may make more sense to have a free-standing tub in the middle of the room or an alcove tub set into the wall. Jetted tubs often need a platform that raises them above the floor.

Tips for Finding Your Perfect Contractor

• Ask for referrals from friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
• Ask other people who have done work for you in the past such as your plumber or gardener.
• Search your local and free newspapers for contractors' ads.

Always make sure your home remodeling contractor is fully licensed with state and local governments. Make sure the license is valid and up to date—do not rely on the contractor's word. You should contact your state, county, and city governments for information on the contractor's license. The website www.contractors-license.org lists licensing requirements for all fifty states. Also make sure the contractor is fully insured and carries worker's compensation, liability, and property damage insurance.

Follow this contract checklist: Every contract should include:

• Remodeling Contractor information including name, address, telephone numbers, license number.
• A list of what the contractor will and will not do—for example, the tasks you have chosen to do, such as painting or demolition.
• All materials, sizes, colors, specifications.
• A dated copy of all drawings and diagrams. If changes need to be made during the project, they should be made to these documents and initialed and dated by both you and the contractor.
• Start and finish dates.
• The times work will start and finish and the days of the week that workers will be at your home.
• How change orders will be handled.
• A warranty for one year.
• binding arbitration clause.
• A statement of how the contract can be canceled.
• A statement that the contractor will provide affidavits of final release, final payment, or final lien waivers from all subcontractors and suppliers.

Tips for a Successful Remodel

ORGANIZE! To make the job easier and ensure your percentage of good ideas is as high as possible, you need a strategy to organize your information. Use a three-ring binder or expandable file folder. You must keep copies of all contracts, change orders, invoices, receipts, and permits. These will be invaluable if you have disputes with your contractors and when tax time comes around. Other sections to consider are ideas from magazines, quotes, contractor contact info, and so forth.

Don't be afraid to play designer. Many "amateur" home designers come up with great ideas, and since you are living in your home day after day, you can have better ideas than the "pros." So get out a pencil, make 100 copies of your current floor plan, and sketch out all the alternatives. It doesn't matter how great or bad they are, experiment with alternatives. At this point it's free, so enjoy!

But don't get too wild and crazy. You are almost always better to stick with a traditional size and shape in a home, both for resale value and cost for your remodel. Having a kitchen on the second floor may strike you as a clever and unique solution, but if it means moving the gas, electrical wiring, and plumbing up to the second floor, this change will add significantly to the project costs.

Figure out what, if anything, you want to do yourself. Have he home remodeling contractors itemize their quotes to determine which phases of your project you might be able to do yourself and which ones you want to hire someone to do. Tasks you might consider doing include project management, demolition, rough electrical wiring, installation of cabinets, fixtures, and appliances, and finish work. Tasks you should probably leave to the pros include foundation work, framing, installing sheetrock, and installing breaker boxes and connecting your home to the electrical service.

Some Unique Floor Choices for a Remodel

When you're doing a home remodeling project, you'll need to select flooring for various rooms. Below are the pros and cons of different kinds of flooring.

Hardwood:
Pros: Hardwood is particularly beautiful and adds value to your house. It can potentially last the life of your house.

Cons: It can scratch, stain, and fade. It requires periodic refinishing and will react to humidity, so it shouldn't go in a below-grade room.

Laminate:
Pros: Made of artificial materials, laminate floors can resemble hardwood. It is extremely scratch, stain, and fade resistant. It resists moisture and can be used below grade.

Cons: Laminate doesn't have quite the same beauty as hardwood. It can be hard to repair if damaged. It cannot be refinished and its life expectancy is less than 20 years.


Stone/Tile:
Pros: Durable and beautiful, stone adds value to your house. Moisture resistant, it is good for kitchens or bathrooms.

Cons: Must be professionally installed and periodically sealed. It can feel cold underfoot. It is also one of the pricier options.

Cork and Bamboo:
Pros: Cork and Bamboo are green options. Cork is harvested from tree bark in a way that doesn't kill the tree and can have a soft spongy feeling some homeowners like. Bamboo flooring is a fast growing grass that is easily replaced. It is durable and can look similar to hardwood floors.

Cons: Cork absorbs water, so it's not good for kitchens or bathrooms. Bamboo varies in quality, so make sure you get a good product.

Green Home Remodeling is More Than You Think

Green home remodeling doesn't just apply to the finished product or the materials used. If you are hiring a remodeling contractor, you should consider how to make the renovation process itself "green." Here are some steps a green home remodel must include:

Control Potentially Harmful Dust

Dust is an inevitable side effect of remodeling, but it can contain asbestos, lead paint, or other particles you don't want to inhale. During a remodeling project, remodeling companies must use barriers, such as plastic covering doorways, to contain dust to the renovation area. In addition, they should cover work areas with plastic tarps and wet down surfaces before sanding or scraping. If your house was built before 1978, assume that it contains lead paint and ensure you work with a properly trained contractor.


Provide Proper Ventilation

A green home remodel shouldn't expel pollutants into your home. Responsible remodelers use exhaust ventilation, such as a fan, that pulls air out of the work area and vents it to the outside. This helps expel dust and other pollutants, and it creates a pressure barrier that prevents pollutants from spreading to other parts of the house. Activities such as installing flooring and carpeting or painting can emit pollutants. Remodelers should provide ventilation during these activities and for at least 72 hours afterward.

Have You Thought About Renovating Your Basement?

                                                                                Before you spend thousands of dollars on a room addition, take a short trip downstairs and have a look at your basement. Remodeling a basement is one of the easiest, cheapest ways to add usable square footage to your house without a grade level room addition. Basement remodels take up no additional land area and don't take away from your home's existing architectural style.

Play Areas, Teen Hangouts, & Music Studios

Don't think of your basement simply as a place to store holiday decorations, place sports equipment that you think you will use someday, and send your kids when they are bad. If you maintain an open mind, your basement can be anything you want (well, almost). Take advantage of your basement's "faults" such as isolation and darkness. Since basements are separated from the rest of the house on a lower floor, and are partially or completely underground, the surrounding earth acts as a sound barrier. This makes the basement ideal for noisy activities.

Exercise Rooms & Recreation Room

You can take advantage of the large open space in your basement by turning it into an exercise room or recreation room. Since a basement sub-floor is almost always concrete, which doesn't transmit sound or vibration; you can go crazy on the treadmill without making the house shake like a 7.0 earthquake. You can carpet a portion of the room so that you will have a cushioned area for stretching, sit ups or running in place. If you are concerned about lugging your vacuum down the basement steps, you consider using interlocking rubber mats instead.

Remodeling Your Bathroom Is a Wise Investment

Whether you are a home buyer looking to renovate, have an investment property or you are a home owner there are many benefits and reason to look at investing in renovating a bathroom.

The most appealing aspect of renovating a bathroom is the ROI (return on investment), the bathroom has the highest ROI of any other room and is the most popular choice when it comes to renovations. If you decide to or are leasing the property out a bathroom renovation will increase the rental return as well as the value of the property.

The bathroom is one of the most used rooms in a house so it is important to have good usability and comfort and these can be easily attained from renovations. Your guests will appreciate a nice bathroom as well. You also have the option to upgrade your bathroom fixtures to water saving ones. There are many water saving fixtures on the market today and you can upgrade your shower and vanity spouts to water saving ones. Upgrading your toilet to a dual is also a good decision and newer toilets require less water per flush.

The most exciting part of renovating your bathroom is that there are so many different styles to choose from like Modern, Traditional, Contemporary, French, European, Vintage, Ranch, Pan-Asian, Lodge, or even creating your own unique style. Overall renovating your bathroom is a wise decision you will increase the value of your home, rental return, your bathroom will be more inviting and comfortable, you will save water and money and best of all it will be just the way you want it.