You’ve finally decided to renovate your bathroom, and you can hardly wait to see your new and improved space. All that stands between you and your dream bathroom is the renovation process. But that process can be painful if you’re not prepared. Do you know what to expect during your bathroom renovation? 

What to Expect During Your Bathroom Renovation

At first glance, these expectations might seem obvious. But the mistake many renovating homeowners make is not actually thinking through the renovation process, not preparing for it—mentally and physically. This leads to unnecessary stress. Here’s how to avoid that. 

1. Expect your bathroom to be unavailable

It’s possible to survive a renovation of almost any room while living in the house. You simply modify your routines while your spaces are out of commission. But a bathroom renovation makes this much more difficult—even impossible, at times. 

“What’s the big deal?”, you think. “We have another bathroom (or two). We’ll just use those instead.” 

For at least part of your bathroom renovation, the plumbing and possibly the electrical will be shut off in your house. This means none of your bathrooms will be fully functional for that time. Find out from the contractors when that will happen. Then plan to use a portable toilet or stay elsewhere during that stage in the renovation process.

If you have only one bathroom, or if you have a large family that will have to share a bathroom during the renovation, it’ll be helpful to create a bathroom schedule for busy mornings. 

2. Expect mess and noise

Spotless surfaces and silence are absent during a bathroom renovation. Demolition of the old bathroom, plumbing, carpentry, tiling, flooring, drywall, painting, and other components of your new bathroom will create dust, garbage, and commotion. And, in all honesty, renovation dust is not like regular everyday dust. With remarkable reach, it stealthily creeps into every nook and cranny that’s exposed.

You can minimize the chaos by putting up temporary plastic barriers to prevent dust from permeating the rest of the house. And you can request that tradespeople walk on temporary floor covering (like cardboard or drop cloths) to protect your floors. But your home will still experience disorder during the renovation process.

3. Expect the unexpected

Every renovation comes with surprises. You can’t predict exactly what those surprises will be, but you can expect the unexpected. Whether it’s water damage underneath old flooring, mold behind the shower tiles, or some other unforeseen issue, renovation surprises typically cost money and time. You can prepare for this by budgeting for the unexpected and leaving some wiggle room in your renovation schedule. 

See How to Keep Your Renovation Under Budget.

What does the bathroom renovation process look like?

Expecting inconvenience, commotion, and surprises doesn’t sound very appealing. But there is a predictable process you can expect for your bathroom renovation. This is what a typical bathroom renovation looks like. 

1. Design

A professional designer will listen to your needs and create a design for your new bathroom. You’ll get a visual representation of your new bathroom layout and select a colour palette and other design elements. This gets your vision out of your head and onto paper, giving you a concrete plan that will transform your bathroom dream into reality.

2. Choose a professional renovation company

Do you know a plumber? An electrician? A cabinet installer? A flooring company? Do you know where you’ll buy your new bathroom fixtures from? Do you know of several options for each trade so you can compare costs and availability? Few people have the time and resources to do this on their own. 

A professional renovation company simplifies the bathroom renovation process tremendously. They have working relationships with all the trades, connections with suppliers, and the experience to make a seamless renovation happen. Their expertise allows them to handle the hiccups with as little disruption as possible. 

3. Demolition

The demolition stage of your bathroom renovation is nothing like what you see on TV. Get that image of a wrecking ball or sledgehammer out of your head. Professional contractors are more strategic than that. They’ll carefully remove old fixtures, and anything else that needs replacing (including drywall). It’s messy, but important so the new construction can begin with a clean slate. 

4. Construction

This is when things start to get exciting. The hard part is done—you’ve made all your selections and finalized your design, and the old stuff is gone. Now it’s all about adding the new stuff. Every day, your bathroom will look more like your design vision. 

Resist the urge to make design changes, if at all possible. This will slow down the renovation process and add to your cost. 

Patience and communication are essential for a bathroom renovation in 2022. Especially after the pandemic, delays are common. There may be shipping delays for your fixtures or other materials. And there are shortages of skilled tradespeople. So there might be times when it seems like nothing is happening during your renovation. Trust your professional renovation experts. They care about your project and want it completed as quickly as possible, just like you do. 

5. The big reveal

It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! Your dream bathroom is complete! You’ll “walk through” it with your contractor or project manager and make a note of any details that need to be addressed. They’ll schedule any necessary changes. Then you get to enjoy your new bathroom. 

Prepare for Your Bathroom Renovation

Bathroom renovations are disruptive to your normal routines. They’re inconvenient and uncomfortable, and that’s frustrating because it’s the opposite of what you want to experience in your own home. But a bathroom renovation can significantly increase your enjoyment of your home and your home’s value. In most cases, it’s worth the temporary disruption. 

You can minimize the stress of a bathroom renovation by being prepared. Prepare yourself mentally by knowing what to expect. And prepare yourself physically by budgeting accurately, protecting your home from the mess, and planning to change your daily routines temporarily. 

Are you looking for a professional design for your bathroom renovation? Need a bathroom renovation project manager? Riverstone Kitchens & Renovations can help you with every stage of your bathroom renovation, including custom cabinets. Contact us today.