How To Plan A Bathroom Remodel
Prepare A Budget:
Proceeding with no budget is just plain stupid unless you have access to limitless cash. Take the time to define and work up a scope of work with your contractor to arrive at a professional, accurate and performable budget.
Unrealistic budgets are very common among homeowners that have not researched costs or do not understand what is really involved in a bathroom remodel.
Many people have no clue what things cost and when they try to get a contractor to make an unrealistic budget a reality the end result is corners get cut and extras appear more that they should.
At a minimum you will need a well detailed proposal for your bathroom remodel.
In my opinion, vague proposals and plans encourage low bidding and invite many hidden and sometimes costly “extras” later on. Not having a detailed plan and then submitting that plan to your contractors is a recipe for a bidding disaster.
Not submitting all of the bidding contractors the same WRITTEN scope of work will guarantee that that two different contractors bidding on the same project will NEVER arrive at the same conclusions and will ALWAYS make assumptions to fill missing voids. This will result in that all to often “apples to oranges comparison.”
Remember… Not having a well detailed or drawn out plan means that the contractors bid only on what “they gleaned” from your verbal communication. Some, unprofessional contractors will take this as an opportunity bid low and hit you later with extras.
By being informed, expecting the unexpected, careful planning and using common sense, will allow you to you can minimize stress, costly errors and maximize your budget to arrive at a spectacular bath remodel project.
Arriving At Your Budget:
Once the budget is prepared, factor in and plan to spend at least ten percent more as a contingency allowance for hidden and unforeseen conditions!
