Waiting Too Long To Renovate

This is a mistake we often come across because a bathroom renovation can rightfully be viewed as an expensive investment,

It is quite often put off where problems are patched up or sealed over with the view of prolonging the inevitable.

I understand in an ideal world we would just renovate the whole house when we felt like it but that is not practical.

So when is too long to wait to renovate? Well, I am glad you asked, so a little bit of rising dampness won’t bring down the wall.

For a bigger breakdown of why your shower is leaking CLICK HERE, but the biggest issue is that pesky rising dampness spreading like a disease through your walls

It’s not only the localized damage to the walls, framework, and flooring in your bathroom.  It’s the termites that just thrive in a moist environment and spread quickly causing monstrous damage.  Also, mold is a major cause of debilitating allergies and illnesses including asthma, and eye, skin, and lung infections.

Doing The Partial Renovation Or Sealing

My biggest piece of advice when it comes to renovation mistakes is for owners who do partial renovations.

If you are doing it to sell my advice is do not unless it’s something that does not work.

When you renovate a bathroom all you will notice are the items left behind your eyes are drawn to them and they stand out more than ever.

Additionally never leave any tiles when you renovate a bathroom if you plan to leave a floor or walls it’s almost always a bad idea. No decent bathroom renovation company would ever do a renovation where you keep any tiles on the wall that are existing.

Two reasons really, the first being trying to tile up to someone’s work can be a nightmare to get level or line up.

Secondly and most importantly reason you can not guarantee waterproofing or lift tiles.

An example is if you tile over tiles and the below tiles are drummy the ones above them will suffer the exact same drumming and movement.

Save your money and do not partially renovate if you know in a year’s time you will renovate anyway.

The issue with over the top of tile sealers is, that any movement, using the wrong chemical, or piercing of the grout will cause the leaks to happen again so there is no way to tell how long it will last.  

Choosing A Dodgy Tradesman 

Bathroom renovation can be attempted as a DIY project but it will take a lot of time, tools, and extensive research and planning. Even with over 30 years of experience every week we find new issues we have never seen before so it can be a daunting task when you do it yourself. Below is a list of trades and skills your average bathroom renovation will or might need:

• Electrician
• Carpenter
• Plumber
• Plasterer
• Waterproofer
• Tiler
• Cabinetmaker
• Glazier
• Painter
• Asbestos specialist
• Stonemasons / concretes/renders
• And at times others are not listed

Due to the complex nature of bathrooms, many contractors come and go. Often leaving behind a trail of substandard renovations.

CHOOSING THE WRONG DESIGN THAT DOESN’T SUIT YOUR NEEDS OR YOUR PROPERTY’S STYLE

Always renovate your bathroom for your needs, not the needs and wants of others.

To create something that someone may or may not want in the future is setting you up to be unhappy with your choice.

Now it’s important to listen to advice but many people are swayed by opinionated salespeople or tradespersons who only want to make their job easier so they can take your money and move on to the next job as quickly as possible.

Even the most basic of bathroom renovations done with the right design can create a real WOW factor and improve its functionality.

Many people put too much pressure on themselves to save a few dollars here and there, avoiding the design elements and finishes that really provide what had previously been sorely missed.

If you want a little luxury and purpose get a LED mirror for great face lighting or that freestanding bath you can actually use.

The way I approach your bathroom is to never tell you what you have to have but to do what you want me to do. If you don’t know about something or want to be told I can paint you the best bathroom design you could want but it’s important to be happy with what you are picking as mentioned before you will look at it every day of your life.

PICKING POOR-QUALITY FIXTURES, FITTINGS, AND TILES

It’s confusing to navigate the styles, the options, and of course the prices. You don’t want to waste money on excessively priced fixtures or fittings.

Furthermore, you want something that will last and come with a good warranty in case it fails.  In reality, you don’t have to pay too much for products that come with extensive and longer warranties.

From my experience, the ones with the better warranties stand true to their claims and by far have lesser problems.

When it comes to choosing your tiles, there are a few tricks here to be aware of.

A bathroom is a wet area, you must ensure any tile you choose is first quality and nonporous or they just won’t last.  Make sure all tiles are consistent in shape and size. After all, the last thing you want is uneven grout lines in your new bathroom caused by inconsistent tiles of random sizing.

Ask The Right Questions

You’ve decided to renovate your bathroom and begun to get a couple of quotes but how do you know who to trust or what to ask.

If you are new to renovating your bathroom below are the important questions to ask any person renovating your bathroom in Australia.

1. When it comes to waterproofing what is your plan of attack (Expectations is at least 2 or 3 coats above Australian standards)
2. When did you stat this business and what’s your background
3. How long will the bathroom renovation take roughly?
4. Will there be any hidden costs once you start the renovation and if they are what am I looking at spending?
5. What is the payment structure for the job?
6. Is there a schedule for trades or an expectation

The main questions are about waterproofing and hidden costs with any renovator.

You want to trust and believe you will be treated with respect and honesty not held to ransom by a company that only wants your money so they can move on.

If you are new to renovating check out the link below for my beginner guide on bathroom renovating.

MISTAKE 7 – CHOOSING YOUR BATHROOM RENOVATION COMPANY ON PRICE ALONE

Quite often when making a choice that requires significant investment the cost is what people look at. Price is an important consideration it’s the only way to gauge if you are being ripped off so it’s important to look at all factors.

Bathroom renovations are not cheap, it is always hard to explain completely but you have to factor in about 15 different components when it comes to someone giving you a price for a bathroom renovation.

Furthermore, this is why your bathroom will often cost between $15k to $30k as so much goes into covering every aspect of the cost.

Too cheap of a quote you have to ask how long have they been doing it and if they are experienced then they shouldn’t be cheap

You might get lucky and the lower cost is a renovator who undervalues their service or an up-and-coming renovator who is trying to get work its about assessing that and making the decision.

Always ask questions regardless of how silly you may think they are as you want to be happy at the end and that small questions might result in a big difference at the end.

Final Thoughts

Finally, I want to say that is not an exact science, it’s doing a little bit of research and going with your gut and understanding that you are dealing with human beings, not robots so they might not always get it right great renovators are the ones that fix mistakes without fuss.

It’s important to note that all our advice is general in nature and all bathrooms are unique so always speak to your local qualified tradesman for the best advice.

If you are looking for a bathroom renovation quote and live in Perth, Western Australia just email us at smallbathroomrenovations@gmail.com

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