Dreaming Within Your Budget
Broken dreams lead to great realities
Dreaming of your perfect bathroom design is the only way you can begin to make it a reality. Even if you don’t have $25,000 to spend on a complete overhaul, there are ways to design a beautiful new bathroom for far less. But first you have to dream.
Dream in pictures
Look at magazines, watch television shows and visit showrooms to see the different ways that bathrooms can be designed. Check out open houses for examples of bathrooms that work in the real world. Think of spas that you’ve visited, luxury hotel bathrooms - even restaurant restrooms that show you real luxury. Often, these looks can be achieved for less money if you just add a little creativity.
Keep the footprint
If you haven’t got scads of money to throw into a complete overhaul of your bathroom, you can still dream of luxury if you keep the footprint of your existing bathroom. In other words, don’t change the plumbing. This means your new toilet, sink, tub and shower will sit exactly where the old ones did. Keeping the same footprint may limit your fixture choices to new products of the same size and shape as the old ones, but talk to your contractor to affirm this. He may be able to work some wonders if you really want that Jacuzzi to replace your old tub.
Follow code for resale
Be sure to follow state and local building codes in order to preserve user comfort and to ensure greater resale value. You can start your code research at the International Residential Code or the National Kitchen and Bath Association to find out which codes apply to your specific area. These regulations determine how far apart fixtures must be, where outlets should and should not appear and other clearance issues that add to user comfort and safety.
Most small- to medium-budgeted bathroom makeovers get close to 100 percent of their cost back at resale. This can be reassuring when you’re thinking about spending such a large amount of money. Yet, if your decisions aren’t wise, you may be the anomaly who doesn’t get that money back. So dream big, but make wise decisions when it comes to making your dreams come true.
