Tips to Choose the Right Bathroom Remodeling Contractor
Like any other room in a house, the bathroom requires periodic upgrades. Renovating the bathroom at regular intervals enhances its aesthetic appeal, functionality, and energy efficiency. These improvements can also increase the overall value of a home by making the space safer and more practical. Hiring a professional bathroom remodeling company for the project ensures the job is done efficiently and cost-effectively, delivering high-quality results and maximizing the return on one’s investment.
Services offered by bathroom remodeling contractors
A bathroom comprises numerous functional elements that require periodic upgrades. This is why the best bathroom remodeling contractors must offer multiple services to meet varying consumer requirements.
1. Layout and design optimization
Not many people may have considered this, but home occupants spend a sizable proportion of their lives in their bathrooms. For that reason alone, the overall design and layout of one’s bathroom need to be functional.
The layout of a bathroom is critical for its flow and functionality. Simply put, the layout determines the placement of key fixtures such as the sink, toilet stool, shower, taps, and others. A professional bathroom remodeling company helps optimize a given bathroom’s layout to make the space look appealing and maximize ease of use, efficiency, and comfort.
2. Flooring upgrades
The tiling and flooring in any bathroom must be slip-resistant, easy to clean, and pleasing to look at. Remodeling companies use a variety of materials, like porcelain, linoleum, vinyl, ceramics, and wood, for bathroom flooring. Those looking to sell their homes can demand higher prices from prospective buyers after they upgrade the flooring in their bathrooms.
3. Plumbing and electrical upgrades
The key functions of a bathroom depend heavily on plumbing and electrical fittings. Expertise in these areas is a must for remodeling companies. Poor plumbing and electrical fittings reduce a bathroom’s overall functionality and raise its overall energy consumption and power bills at the end of the month.
After a remodeling company has worked on the electrical and plumbing fittings of their bathroom, homeowners need to thoroughly check every aspect, including the light, geyser, tap, faucet, and sink.
4. Storage optimization
Individuals store several things in bathrooms, including toiletries, cosmetic products, and various utility-driven objects. A functional bathroom is one in which there are multiple cabinets, cubby holes, and deep spaces to store such objects. Remodeling companies must ensure that these bathroom storage spaces do not affect their overall ease of use or access to critical fixtures.
5. Tub installation
In most bathrooms, a bathtub occupies a large space and acts as the main fixture of the zone. The best bathroom remodeling contractors will use their design expertise and fixture installation knowledge to install a bathtub that transforms a bathroom into a space where one can relax. Plus, the bathtub should be placed in a way that doesn’t make the bathroom look cluttered and compact.
6. Lighting placement
Many people prefer soft, diffused bathroom lighting. Softer lighting provides bathrooms with a comforting vibe. Bathroom remodeling contractors should be able to customize the lighting in a given bathroom according to their client’s specific needs.
Average estimated cost of bathroom remodeling
According to certain estimates and market trends, the average cost of bathroom renovation ranges between $5,000 and $15,000. These costs heavily depend on many factors, including bathroom size, number of services used, existing labor costs, the price of fittings used, and the service provider’s reputation.
Tips to consider when choosing bathroom remodeling contractors
There are at least a thousand bathroom remodeling contractors across the country. Choosing the best company from the myriad of options can be challenging for clients. Certain tried-and-tested tips can help individuals make an informed decision.
1. Checking a contractor’s projects
Many bathroom remodeling companies display the projects they have worked on in the past on their websites and social media pages. Visitors to these sites can learn about a remodeling company’s work and expertise. Clients can also check out user reviews on public forums or search engines to gauge a bathroom remodeling company’s credibility and consumer perception.
2. Conducting phone interviews with contractors
Homeowners must have a project plan in hand so that they can ask contractors all the questions they have in mind regarding the service provider’s expertise in every facet of bathroom remodeling.
Some of the questions homeowners will need answers to would be as follows:
- What are the payment expectations of the contractor?
- Is the contractor licensed and insured?
- Who will be working on the project—employees or subcontractors?
- Is it possible to provide a list of references from similar projects that the contractor has recently completed?
3. Deciding a schedule
Major contractors often work for multiple clients at the same time. This is why clients need to finalize a schedule and share it with the contractor. The service provider will then have a contractual obligation to complete the client’s task within the agreed timeframe.
4. Getting estimates in writing
After going through a phone interview, bathroom remodeling contractors will likely provide clients with a quote for the estimated cost of their services. Before clients hire the contractor, they need to verify and finalize this amount. To achieve this, clients must get the estimate range written down on an official document and signed by the contractor so that no major changes are made later.