Bathroom Remodels Outpace Kitchen Remodeling in 2018

Home improvement projects are always a great way to make your life, and home value, better. However, major remodeling projects are often something you undertake on impulse. These involve a considerable amount of resources, so you want to make sure it is worth it.
Most people will think of the kitchen as the place to pour most of any remodeling budget they may have, and in many cases, this is justified. However, converting your kitchen into a smart kitchen or putting in sleek granite countertops and new kitchen cabinets is not the trend in 2018. Almost one in four homeowners are more concerned with fixing up their bathrooms.

A recent Home Adviser month-long survey of 1,000 homeowners shows that almost 25% are planning a bathroom remodel, compared to the 15% determined to pick up the tab for a major kitchen remodel. In many cases, homeowners homing in on a bathroom makeover want to turn it into some type of spa with a walk-in shower in lieu of a bathtub, with built-in speakers for music, and even bathroom mirrors with built-in televisions.

Cost profile

Participants of the report have been active in-home improvement in the previous 12 months, spending an average of $6,649 for various projects. They expect to spend around the same amount or more in 2019.
Among the respondents that undertook a bathroom remodel, a major bathroom remodel with all the bells and whistles went as high as $24,000. Homeowners did not always go for a grand makeover, however. The average cost of a bathroom remodel was around $9,700. Some homeowners spent just $2,500 to put in granite vanities, replacing fixtures, or laying down new floors.

Demographics

An interesting outcome of the survey was in the surprising showing of the millennial generation in home improvement projects. While they spent somewhat less than other generations, averaging $5,693, they undertook more projects. In comparison, the Baby Boomer generation spent an average of $7,524 while Generation Xers spent $6,582.

Analysts put this down to the fact that millennial had less money than other generations. They had to compromise on their home purchases, choosing older, more affordable homes that require some work instead of new units.
Baby boomers, on the other hand, spent most of their remodeling money on making their homes more senior-friendlier. This included swapping out slippery bathtubs for easier walk-in showers, installing safety handlebars, and wheelchair access. These improvements will help them to stay at home and avoid the cost of moving to assisted-living facilities.

Other insights

A good number of home improvement projects undertaken by respondents were to increase the value of the home in preparation to selling it. They involved simple and affordable changes, such as painting the walls or changing fixtures, many of which homeowners carried out. Projects that are more complex went to professional contractors, such as replacing or reinforcing the floors and walls and putting in hot tubs and showers.
Resurfacing or putting in new hardwood floors was especially popular, even in the bathroom, because it had a definite return on investment. Most people found it beautiful and impressive, especially when paired with granite or marble vanity tops.

Takeaways

Bathrooms are essentially a functional rather than esthetic feature of the home, and it is usually a solo event when you use it, so it has not always been on the top of the list when it comes to home improvement. In most cases, you will only think about bathroom remodeling because there is a serious problem with it. It could be leaky pipes, water damage, bad tile work, or rampant ugliness.

However, the days of the utilitarian bathroom are gone. It is no longer okay to merely have a working bathroom. The survey showed that bathroom remodeling projects are definitely a top priority with a majority homeowner in the US for esthetic, functional, and/or financial considerations.
It may be simply to make it look nicer for either guests or homeowners. Who doesn’t like the idea of a built-in television in the mirror to watch some news while putting on makeup or shaving? In some cases, however, bathroom remodeling is necessary to make the bathroom easier to use for people with disabilities or physical limitations.

Home improvement projects are a great opportunity to customize the home for the specific needs and requirements of household members as well as making it ready for the market in case of an imminent sale. If you have some money to spend for a remodel, you may want to jump on the bandwagon and put your bathroom at the head of the list.

Hire a professional contractor

When planning a major bathroom remodel, you need to have a reliable contractor to handle it for you. It is not something you want to do yourself, because remodeling a bathroom is much more complicated than remodeling any other room in the house, except for the kitchen. Fairfax Kitchen Bath guarantees you will love it for life. Fairfax Kitchen Bath services the DC, MD and Northern Virginia metropolitan areas. We are a Class A, licensed and insured bathroom remodeling contractor, registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

We carry the products you need for your bathroom remodeling, from natural and engineered stone slabs, cabinets, shelves, sinks, faucets tiles, backsplashes, knobs and pulls, and hardwood flooring. We carry only the top brands for these products, such as Schrock Cabinetry, Silestone, Blanco, Kohler, and Mosaic Décor.

You can see the products before you buy so you can decide for yourself if the quality is what you expect. We have a showroom in Fairfax, Virginia that houses all our products, including actual granite, marble and engineered stone slabs from which you can choose.
Our products come with manufacturer warranties that ensure your satisfaction with the quality and installation.
When you contract with us, you can be sure you will get a quick turnaround on your products and receive it much faster than ordering what you need from big box stores. We specialize in fabricating bathroom countertops and backsplashes to specifications and installing them within budget and on time.

Contact us today to get a free quote for your bathroom remodeling project.