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Remodeling a bathroom is one of the most challenging home improvement projects there is. You basically have to build a little house inside a tiny, incredibly private, and personal room. There’s a lot going on in a very small space—and almost always on a tight deadline.
However, in most bathroom renovations, there’s almost nothing skill-wise that’s totally elusive to most carpenters. You might do some basic framing, replace a window, hang drywall, tile, install some flooring, sub out the plumbing/electrical, and do some painting. But in the end, the service a contractor provides–along with his trade-craft–is the key to the castle.
Part and parcel for good service, in my book, is planning ahead.
Bathroom Remodeling: Being Prepared Is Vital
I spend a huge amount of time prepping for a bathroom remodel and the takeaway here–whether you’re doing it yourself or having it done for you–is that it’s important that you see some of the steps I list below come together. And the more complex a project is, the more I rely on checklists.
One of my checklists (there are several) is all about customer service and expectation management:
- Mapping out the yard and the house: where can I place materials, where can I park, do I need parking permits, what are the restrictions, where can my guys park?
- Where can I put my dump trailer or dumpster?
- How can I enter and exit the house? What doors can I and can’t I use?
- Do you have pets? Can you please see to ALL of their needs so we can work?
- Can we take over a room inside the house for staging materials that can’t go outside, like bath furniture.
- In a gut-remo, I emphasize this verbally and in email: YOUR HOUSE IS GOING TO GET DUSTY. I will do my best to minimize the dust, but I can’t control it entirely. Where there’s budget, I include a maid service to do a final clean-up after I’m done.
- Halo Effect: In a gut job there is a lot of bang-and smash work and this can dislodge drywall, plaster, whatever in other rooms. I let them know this ahead of time and that fixing it will include be an upcharge.
After we do all this, we can actually do some work on the bathroom.
28 Responses to “Bathroom Remodeling Checklist”
The most important thing on the checklist…where are the homeowners going to shower and go to the bathroom during the remodel?
Amen to that Mark i have been remodeling and building for over 30 yrs and could not agree with you more there are many things for the contractor and home owner to consider and most projects will go smooth if all are on the same page
I didn’t really see any kind of checklist here. I was hoping you would cover it for the DIYers.
Also important - What are we actually going to do with the bathroom itself?! Meri, the check list is at the bottom, like Mark said it was mainly for what to expect before you jump into remodeling, so your entire house and surroundings are prepared for all the changes that will take place temporarily.
Proz and Bob–Thank you both very much.
Meri–You raise a salient point about doing it yourself. There’s a “forest for the trees” dynamic at work that hinders many DIYers–because they’re home–which I’ll go into in more detail on a subsequent post.
How long does a single bathroom remodel usually take you, a single bathtub and toilet?
Yea bathroom remodeling is probably the hardest room to remodel which is kind of funny when you think about it. But everyone wants to be comfortable in the bathroom when they do some of their most foul things.
A critical item to add to your checklist:
Have all your materials on hand before you begin to even tear into a bathroom. Next to a kitchen remodel, a bathroom remodel will put more stress on your clients than other types of construction. Don’t keep them waiting. Get in, get it done, clean up after yourself and get out fast.
Your clients will have nothing but good things to say about your service and be very appreciative. While they are in this mood, ask them for a recommendation of either another client/customer or something written that you can use to further your sales.
Turn them onto reliable suppliers or decorators you have worked with in the past to accessorize and complete their newly refinished bathroom. After they are done, ask if you can come back and take photos of your work and their accessorizing. Display these in your ads (get a release from the customer) and at your place of business.
Nice list Mark. Thanks for plug for maid service. Clean to a plumber, or tile guy can have a completely different meaning than to the homeowner.
We get a chance to work after some remodeling jobs and find that the dust has spread throughout the house, especially on window sills and ceiling fans.
It’s no fun when they turn on that ceiling fan and a poof of dust lands everywhere.
Good article! I love your idea of sketching out the site and marking dumpster, access and storage locations.
Hey Mark, great article. I find myself trying to explain the same thing to each of our customers that want their bathroom remodeled. You have done it way better and more detailed than I
I’m sure you’ve also seen more sticker shock over these type of projects than just about any other! Please receive my gratitude and with your permission, I will use some of your better ingredients to my next small bathroom remodel presentation. Blessings!
Amen, Mark. Yes, there is no way to keep all of the dust from leaking to other parts of the house, even if you use a shop-vac at the end of the day to clean up the bathroom. To ease the pain of ‘how long will I be without my bathroom?’, we’ve started giving people a guaranteed date of completion or pay them $100/day until it’s done. It helps make sure we account for all of the materials on site before starting work. So embarrassing when one piece is missing and stops work for several hours or even a day. Let me know when the book comes out. I’m in.
Hi Mike, very well put together. But as much as being prepared for what’s coming is extremely important, the “foundation” of any bathroom remodeling project gets often (very often) lost in a process. As a home inspector I’ve seen hundreds of gorgeous bathrooms over the years, but when it comes to what’s underneath of the final product / what most homeowners never have a chance to see, things that are considered serious safety issue – sky is the limit.
I’m not talking about some homeowners who just think that they know what they’re doing; it’s about some licensed professionals that people trust and pay to do the job. What can be more disturbing than that? In many cases there’s a final inspection / approval of the performed work signed by a local building inspector.
The basic thing you can do – get the manuals for your ceiling exhaust fan, GFCI outlets, switches, hydro-spa / Jacuzzi, steamer, and any other equipment installed in your bathroom. Read it, pay attention to the installation sections, and talk to the contractor or simply compare the information provided by the manufacturer with what you see in your bathroom. It’s your investment.
You are right one about the difficulty of bathroom remodeling, just finished up mine! But it’s doable with the right tools, a good plan and some common sense. Great information and I will do my best to send some traffic!
Remodeling a bathroom really is an art. If you are handy you can do it yourself, but if not, then you will need a contractor and the above list shows a contractor what to look for. It also lets a prospective customer know what to expect.
Good article, however, I’d like to add an important tip that many contractors forget and almost all do-it-yourselfers forget. Before installing cement board around a shower or tub/shower wall, a 6 MIL plastic sheathing moisture barrier should be fastened to the framing. Products like Durock actually allow water to pass through them. As they say, better safe than sorry.
I like the idea of setting the expectation of the house getting dusty, even with the goal of controlling it as much as possible.
Bathroom remodeling seems tedious, but it’s definitely worth it!
Nicely said! Why many people are ending up in a messed up bathroom remodeling project is nothing but lack of planning. Your checklist will help us have a good head start.
In old home remodels you can pretty much count on water damage in bathroom renovations. Leaky showers/baths, sinks, toilets, etc. Make sure you add a few days to the schedule to account for these unforseens.
Great list Mark. Just my two cents on some of the comments-We never start a bathroom remodel until all the essential supplies are on-site and inspected. Too many times we have received what we thought was a good tub or vanity and upon install found it to be defective. We also require a minimum 10×10 area in the home (usually the garage) for staging of supplies and tools. As far as keeping the house clean-we carpet guard the carpet from entrance to the bathroom and leave it for the duration…when we pull it up the carpet is cleaner then when we got there. We also try and plastic of the bathroom from the rest of the house as well as fans in the windows.
Checklist is most important for bathroom it is a big challenging to keep clean your home bathroom. Checklist helps you for shining bathrooms.
Great post. It was mentioned before but I’d like to echo it….the home owner and contractor must be on the same page. It’s tough sometimes, but there has to be one vision.
As the owner of a home design firm in the Charlotte Home Remodeling market, I have over 30+ yrs experience in the industry & I can’t say I learn new things all the time.
But, I like your checklist a lot, and will definitely add it to my own.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I was really impressed by your information here, it is very useful and creative for “the rest of us”. I was wondering if you have had experience with resurfacing bathroom vanities that have been over-laid with actual kitchen counter-top laminate? Would you know anything about how to checklist a re-do of something like this? Just thought I would ask in light of your vast experience you draw from. Thanks.
Very well thought-out checklist. Fortunately most contractors don’t think that far ahead which, reduces the serious competition in your area. Going over the list with your customer is a great why to make sure all parties are on the same page but, more importantly it sets you apart as a professional and separates you from the other less qualified bathroom remodeling contractors and, your potential customer will pick up on that also.