Upstate NY Custom Home Building Blog

On the surface, remodeling the bathroom in your Rochester-area home seems fairly simple. But like any other remodeling project you take on for your home, there are little twists and turns involved in the process. It’s not just your bathroom that’s affected by the project, either. It can require some adjustments in your daily lifestyle as well. Being prepared ahead of time makes all the difference in the world. Let’s take a look at what to expect during a bathroom remodel—and some tips that can make things much less stressful for you.

How Long Is This Going to Take?

A significant remodeling of your bathroom isn’t an overnight endeavor. There are a number of steps in the process required to do a thorough and professional job. Here’s a kind of overview chart of the steps you can expect along the way—including how much time each one takes.

* Adapted from https://www.thespruce.com/how-long-to-remodel-small-bathroom-1821360

These times are not set in stone, but they provide a sense of what actually goes into your remodel—and why the process may take four weeks or so. More complex remodels will obviously take longer.
 

How Will This Impact Daily Living?

Let’s talk a bit about what you can expect during the process. First of all, you’ll need to become accustomed to someone else being in your house all day. In addition, you won’t have access to your bathroom. That means setting up an alternative place to get ready for work or wind down for the night. Get all of your supplies organized ahead of time so that you’re not scrambling and trying to find what you need at the last minute. Here are some other things you’ll need to adjust to.

It Will Be Noisy: That’ just the nature of construction. Electric saws, drills, hammers, and air compressors are not quiet tools of the trade. You may need to make alternate plans if you work from home. If you have small children that nap, you’ll probably want to find another place for them to do that.

You’ll Deal With Dust: Some contractors seal of the rooms in which they’re working. That helps, but it doesn’t eliminate dust. It’s not a bad idea to cover furniture with sheets to protect them. It may be tempting to run your furnace fan to capture some of the dust, but you’re more likely to simply spread the dust around. Keep an eye on sensitive equipment (computers) and clean them regularly.

Expect the Unexpected: You can pretty much count on running into an unexpected problem or two. It could be the previous wiring that's not up to code or framing that wasn't done properly. You may run into plumbing that is convoluted and needs to be redone. Most of these things can't be detected until your contractor starts the job. It's a good idea to budget a little extra money (and time) for these "surprises."

Changes: You’ll want to plan as carefully as possible up front. But sometimes you’ll see something that just isn’t the way you wanted it. It’s not the end of the world. Just make sure you’re equipped to deal with a bit of extra cost (and time) to get what you really want.

Unexpected Delays: There may be situations in which the manufacturer said your tile or your cabinets or your light fixtures would be ready in two weeks. Then it takes four weeks for them to show up. Knowing that is a possibility ahead of time helps you to deal with the situation.

Be Prepared to Make Decisions: Often you may have to make minor (or even some big) decisions during the process. You’ll have to tell your contractor where you want an outlet installed or where you want a towel rack installed. There are many little decisions that can make a big difference in how comfortable your new bath is.

Preparation Keeps Stress at a Minimum

Let’s be honest: Remodeling is somewhat of a disruptive process. But the good news is that there are things you can do to keep life as normal as possible. Preparing yourself mentally really helps deal with the disruption. Having a good plan for how you’re going to deal without the use of your bathroom for a while makes it easier to do.

Another form of preparation that reduces your stress is to make as many decisions ahead of time as possible. Make sure you’re clear about what’s really important to you when you remodel. That doesn’t mean you can’t make small changes but being committed to your overall plan relieves you from last minute, pressure-filled decisions. It's also extremely helpful to have all the materials on hand (fixtures, tile, flooring, etc.) before the contractor actually needs them. You don’t want your remodeler waiting for materials.

Knowing what to expect helps prepare you for a much more enjoyable remodeling experience.