Dumb question—bathroom remodel

[krystee]

We are looking to redo our master bathroom, and I don’t have the faintest idea about how to go about it.

Do I pick out every single thing and then call a bathroom remodeling company for quotes to install those exact items? Or does the remodeling company offer design assistance? Or is there some third option?

This is a gut remodel—everything is going.

[dove]

I gutted our primary bath. I had an idea of the layout design. With the help of our contractor, he advised on what we could do structurally. As far as tile, I got ideas off Pinterest then went to the tile store. Their salesperson was super helpful and understood our design and budget needs. The vanity was custom made for the space.

Not sure how much my experience helps. I do know that there are places that do it all - design the layout, aesthetic, and build it, but they are $$$

[Susie]

When we did a bathroom gut reno in our last house, we started with a kitchen & bath designer for layout assistance because we were making some pretty fundamental changes.  When we settled on the layout changes, then we selected finishes.  The vanity/custom cabinets, sink, plumbing fixtures, tub, recessed medicine cabinets, and toilet we bought from his shop.  IDK if that's always the best deal; our designer was my FIL so we got the friends & family discount.  He told us who to go to for quartz countertop.  He did the estimates on how many sf we needed of floor tile, backsplash tile, etc., and we went to tile shops to pick it out.  We also bought lighting separately.  He had contacts for pro's to do the actual work, which was so much easier than finding them myself because they were more or less pre-vetted.

The hardest part was that counters, tile, and cabinets came from 3 different vendors, so I needed to borrow a cabinet door sample from one place to take to the tile place, with a countertop sample, etc. etc.  We got 90% to a combination I liked, I realized I couldn't get all the finishes to come together, and had to start over.  I was happy with the end result, but it was tedious.

[definitelyO]

I really think it depends. For ours I had an idea of what I wanted. I wanted to bust out the wall behind the tub/shower into the hall closet. So once I had that confirmed by my contractor that we could do that - I sketched out with him what I was thinking to see what would fit.

I picked out all finishes - tile, vanity, shelves, etc... (had him advise how much sqft I needed on tile). had it all onsite before he started.

[mrsukyankee]

Every time we've gutted a bathroom, we've gone with a company that deals with bathrooms and helps make the designs while also providing the fittings and fixtures.

[simpsongal]

This feels like a soul searching response since I'm in the middle of a master bath reno re: am I doing this right?

I did the floor plan myself and I'm picking/ordering all the material myself. I've been to like 6 tile stores, and several fergussen showrooms to sit in bathtubs. You can get help on a lot of things, but like house shopping, I recommend you think about the things that are more important to you/high priority.

I'm a bath person, so I wanted a large tub but not one so huge I couldn't use it several times/week. I also like lots of natural light, so we're doing a large window. Be prepared for surprises, esp if you're changing the footprint

ETA: for design, I looked at a lot of Houzz pics and made an ideabook to hone in on the things I liked and didn't like in bathrooms.  E.g., I don't like too much white, so we're doing a wood vanity.  I do love marble, so we're doing some on the floor. I've always loved polished nickel fixtures - that was a $$$ decision (I think we've spent at least $4K on fixtures).  The finishes can really impact the price. 

[carmenere]

There are full-service remodeling companies that offer design services. Alternatively you could work with a contractor that only does the construction and hire a designer separately. Or you could pick everything yourself. I would start with figuring out who you want to do the work, and then ask how they handle bids.

We picked everything ourselves and used a construction-only contractor. Even though he didn’t offer design services, he gave helpful input about the layout and functionality of the space.

[nicolewi]

It will be much, much easier if you work with a company who does this, or a good designer or contractor! They can help a LOT with planning the space and avoiding major mistakes. It's also helpful to get design assistance to send you to "good' vendors and help make sure your selections go together. It's super overwhelming to put everything together on your own. We did some remodeling a few years ago and now I'm helping my parents with their condo. The designers we've worked with at the showroom places have been a HUGE help. If you are starting from scratch, i would definitely want someone experienced to help with general layout/design. Things like planning cabinet space, where the lights should go, how big/small your fixture needs to be, venting, electrical, etc.

[krystee]

Thank you all for your input! It’s a pretty small bath (single sink, shower only), and I don’t think I have any other layout choices without eating into my closet (which I will definitely not do!), so I’m fairly sure I could just measure my current stuff and know what to do/buy. But I’m not confident on how to put great choices together, so I probably need the designer regardless!

[aspentosh]

I think it can go either way.

We opted to pick out everything, but asked our contractor if certain tile sizes or vanity lights would be ok for certain reasons. They offered discounts at some local tile, vanity, and hardware places if we wanted to buy through them. No design help, at least not that was offered. But we had picked out so much stuff that maybe they didn't think we needed it?

[simpsongal]

Oct 20, 2021 22:07:49 GMT -5 krystee said:

Thank you all for your input! It’s a pretty small bath (single sink, shower only), and I don’t think I have any other layout choices without eating into my closet (which I will definitely not do!), so I’m fairly sure I could just measure my current stuff and know what to do/buy. But I’m not confident on how to put great choices together, so I probably need the designer regardless!

If you have a Tile Shop nearby or Floor and Decor they off free design services.  The Tile Shop seemed esp helpful.

Good luck!  We're here to weigh in too if you like

[orval]

Our contractor gave us all of the measurements we needed to purchase all our own tile, tub size etc. He measured for like two minutes and it was all spot on for a lot of tile. He also told us what we needed to purchase like bullnose, grout, fixtures etc. Agree with simpsongal, The Tile shop and Floor and Decor both have free design service. They were both helpful on deciding on the final look.

[nicolewi]

We're working with someone from Floor & Decor on the condo, and he has been FANTASTIC.