Small Bathroom Remodeling And The Do-It-All Renovations Contractor

Managing a small bathroom remodeling project

Remodeling your small bathroom, or any sized bathroom for that matter, can be a very rewarding and satisfying project. It can also be the source of much stress and many sleepless nights when things go wrong and believe me they can go wrong. Managing home improvement projects isn't as easy as it might seem and a bathroom remodel can be one of the most difficult tasks you can undertake in your home.

How to minimise the stress of you r small bathroom renovation project

The most important thing to do before starting your bathroom makeover project is planning. You must decide not only what you are going to do in your small bathroom but you must also decide how you are going to do it. So what are your options?

Do it all yourself
Do part of it yourself and hire a project manager to hire a contract team.
Hire a project manager to control the whole bathroom remodel
Project manage your small bathroom makeover and hire a team of contractors yourself.
Find a multi skilled contractor to complete your whole bathroom-remodeling project.

I knew that I didn't have the time to manage a team of bathroom contractors and I would hold them up if tried to do any of the work myself. I only had the one bathroom so I couldn't afford to have the job take any longer than necessary. So that left me with the options of hiring a team of bathroom contractors and a project manager or finding someone that would do the whole job by themselves.

Preparing your bathroom remodeling plan of action

Before I took the plunge and remodeled my own little bathroom I took the time to talk to people who had some personal remodeling experience of their own. I talked to friends and their friends and I talked to the staff in bathroom showrooms. This is the best way to help you decide how you are going to get your bathroom makeover done. It's also a very good way of finding contacts for suitable contractors.

While I was doing all this talking, that went on for several months, it became clear to me that the people who had the least amount of problems and stress with their small bathroom remodels where the people who had involved the least number of contractors to do the work. They also seemed to get their remodeling project completed much faster.

Hiring a multi skilled contractor to remodel your small bathroom

I decided then that I would look for a bathroom-remodeling contractor who would be capable and prepared to take on my small bathroom renovation from start to finish. I was convinced by what I had found that they do exist but I knew that they would be in high demand. In the end I was very pleased with the result and encourage you to consider this route to your dream bathroom.

I was right about the rarity of the one-stop bathroom-remodeling contractor. Lets face it, there are a lot of skills required and it's hard to see how one person can be a master of them all. On the other hand none of it is rocket science and anyone determined enough to put their mind to it can do a very reasonable job of it all.

After a lot of searching for names and referrals I chose 3 possible contractors and asked them to quote. I found the pin boards in many bathroom showrooms to be a valuable resource in finding contractors, as many of them will leave a card there for you to pick up.

I asked them all for references so that I could go and see some of their work and talk to their clients. This is an important and very reassuring step that can help to ensure that you don't end up with a rogue who runs off with your money.

Be prepared to wait for your small bathroom remodel

The guy that I chose to remodel my small bathroom was booked up for 6 months in advance but I felt that the wait would be well worth it. So we set a time and went with it. I was not disappointed with the result.

A Top-Notch Bathroom Remodel Requires a Plumbing Contractor

Bathroom remodels can be one of the most rewarding home activities in terms of increasing your property value and the beauty of your home. However, bathroom remodels can also be one of the trickiest to pull off when doing the task yourself. Unlike in other rooms, mistakes can result in costly damages if they are not performed correctly. That is why those seeking top-notch, quality work should consider plumbing contractors when remodeling their bathroom.

The first obstacle that DIY homeowners face is water. That's right, the same liquid which keeps us alive and clean is arguably the most destructive force on earth. This is especially true in the home, given the ability of water to rot wood, rust metal, and disintegrate sheet rock.

A bathroom remodel performed by a plumbing contractor is much safer from two points of view. First, plumbing contractors have the training necessary to keep water in the pipes and out of your crawlspaces. Second, reputable plumbing contractors are licensed, bonded and insured, and their work must carry a warranty in most locales. If something is done incorrectly by a non-professional, you are left to foot the bill.

Another obstacle to DIY homeowners is the sewer. Because sewers are interconnections of pipes among many rural or urban dwellers, they are owned by the city or utility company. As such, not just every non-professional is privy to hook up and dump waste. Sewer contracts may be necessary between your household and the owning entity.

Unless you have experience in the field, you may be getting into a real headache. Plumbers and contractors should be able to accomplish this task according to the building codes of your location, and if they don't, they are liable for any damages caused to your home or the city and/or utility company.

Here is one more reason for hiring a plumbing contractor to perform your bathroom remodels redo. You don't have to do it yourself. While it may be obvious, what is not always obvious is the difficulty of the remodeling task. Toilets, tubs, sinks, cabinetry and counter tops can be very heavy and cumbersome to lift. Installing pipe and fittings requires contortions in tight spaces and is not a task for those with aches or claustrophobia.

In addition to these problems, installing fixtures such as toilets requires a process which, if not followed to the letter, may cause the DIY homeowner to remove the fixture and try again. This takes time, money and labor which you may not want to put into the remodel effort. Finally, all the old fixtures must be removed from the property and disposed of according to law.

Plumbing contractors will likely have preconceived systems for removing waste fixtures which may even result in recycling or donation. So, do yourself a favor, think about having real plumbers do your plumbing. While it may have added costs, having professional work completed in your home will have lasting benefit in home beauty, property value and functionality.

Hiring a Contractor For Your Bathroom Remodel

The process of hiring a professional contractor to tackle your bathroom renovations can make your head spin pretty quick.

First, there are many bath renovation companies out there. Look under 'General contractors' or ' bathroom remodeling' in the phone book and you will see what we mean...there are hundreds of bathroom remodelers and general contractors in each area. On top of that, there are hundreds of other great contractors that remodel bathrooms but are not in the phone book.

Second, it is pretty easy to go around calling yourself a professional bathroom remodeling pro. People don't necessarily need an office or a lot of fancy equipment or tools to start a business. Therefore, individuals that have done some repairs on a few houses or rooms can try to trick you into believing they are a highly skilled and experienced bathroom remodeling professional. If they have a truck, a tool belt, and a business card they could fool a lot of people!

Finally, there are many different types of contractors that remodel bathrooms. There are handymen, general contractors, builders, construction companies, and companies that specialize in only bathroom renovations.

So what do you do when looking for a contractor to remodel your bathroom?

We recommend:

o Asking your friends and neighbors to see if they have had good or bad experiences with local contractors. Simply knowing that another person has had a good experience with a contractor prior to calling them lessens your chance of hiring a problem.

o Call 3 or 4 companies to bid on your remodeling project. This will help you determine fair market price for your job. This does not mean you should always go with the lowest price. You should go with the company you feel most comfortable with and who you feel will do the best job. If an individual is offering a real low price you should ask yourself, "why?".

o Decide exactly what you want to do to remodel your bathroom. At a minimum you should have a few general ideas before calling a contractor. They can help you make some final decisions, but you need to be able to explain your basic needs before letting them talk you into things.

o Try to decide if your work can be accomplished by a handyman, or if it is more involved. If you are simply laying some tile, painting, and changing some fixtures you should feel confident that a quality handyman could handle this work. If you are talking about tearing things up and changing the entire bathroom around, then your best chance of success is by hiring an experienced general contractor.

o Make sure the company has insurance. There is a chance for injury and for destruction of your house when remodeling a bathroom. As mentioned above there are many fly-by-night contractors that may not be insured. Ask them for their insurance company's phone number and call them to prove they are insured. If you skip this part you could be held liable for an uninsured worker's injury while working on your house. You could also be left with the bill for tons of repairs if an uninsured contractor leaves you with a destroyed bathroom or house!

o Ask if the bath remodel contractor will be able to handle all of the work you require themselves, or if they will have to sub some of the work out to other companies (such as a plumber). If they are subbing jobs out, make sure that their contract states that they are still directly responsible for all work. In other words, you will not have a situation where a plumber installed your new toilet incorrectly and the contractor is telling you that it is not his problem. What happens if you can't get in touch with the plumber they hired after the job is complete? You want one person to be held responsible.

o If your bathroom remodel requires a general contractor, or you simply decide to hire a company that states that they are general contractors, make sure they have a valid General contractors License

o Always get a statement of work performed in writing. Keep this filed away. Make sure the statements clearly state what work is to be performed.

o Ask if the bathroom remodeling comes with guarantees. These are factors to weigh when looking at the total cost estimates left by different contractors.

o Some contractors require an upfront payment. Agree to a payment schedule (which is a written document that clearly states how much and when payments are due). Make sure your payment schedule is discussed and documented on your contract prior to beginning work. Stick to this schedule even if the contractor asks for early payment. You do not want to get into a situation where you have paid for the majority of the bathroom remodeling work, but the majority of the remodeling in your bathroom is not completed!!...these situations often end in unfinished or poorly finished jobs.

o Check in on your bathrooming progress regularly- try to catch potential problems or misunderstandings before it is too late.