Adequate ventilation. Bath fans should supply at least one cubic foot per minute for every square foot of space. For larger baths, two smaller fans—one for the shower and one near the toilet—are usually better than one large fan.
Adequate lighting. Grooming and personal care requires good lighting. Ensure light placement doesn’t create shadowed areas. Frosted glass can cut glare. Shower lights need to be watertight, and a fan/light combination in the shower is often a good choice.
Safety. Statistically, bathrooms are dangerous places. Ensure you have slip-resistant finishes on floors, especially in the shower and tub. Rounded countertop edges are safer, as are properly installed grab bars in the shower and tub. Mature homeowners, or those with mobility issues, should consider converting tubs to showers or installing walk-in tubs.
Adequate space. Bathrooms are crowded places, but there should be at least 30 inches of space between the front of any fixture and the opposite wall.
Spend time on a bathroom remodeling plan and ensure it’s the right design for you. Once the plan is in place, don’t change it—that’s the most common cause of cost overruns and delays.
When it comes to comparing the cost of multiple bids, Peter Schicker, president of Concord-based remodeling contractor Re-Bath by Schicker, warns against low-ball bids that are often followed by change orders that increase the cost of a project. Having a specific and detailed plan at the start of work can protect against such practices. Be wary of bids that rely on allowances for yet-to-be-specified work. It’s usually better to choose a firm that provides a detailed, highly specific bid and stands behind it. When it comes to bathroom remodels, an experienced contractor should be able to provide accurate cost estimates if the design is properly detailed and specified.
