Comprehensive Insights and Tips for a Successful Bathroom Remodeling Project

Nora Duran: Welcome back to the show, everyone. Today we are talking about something many of you have been asking about, bathroom remodeling. Whether you want to do a quick update or full renovation, there’s a lot to consider. Bathrooms are important spaces in our homes and remodeling them can make a big difference in how they’ll look and function.

So today we have our special guest Sena from Fairfax Kitchen and Bath to help us understand everything we need to know. We’ll cover how to plan, budget, and make smart choices for your bathroom remodel. How are you Sena? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: I’m good. Thank you. How are you? 

Nora Duran: Good. Thank you very much. So let’s get started with our first question.

Are one week bathroom remodels really worth it? I mean, can you really get a quality renovation done in just one week? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: So, one week reno turnaround time is really unrealistic. Um, it’s kind of a bait and switch tactic where, , someone wants to earn someone’s business because obviously doing a renovation is a bit of an inconvenience.

It does interrupt your schedule, your living situation. , although it might seem attractive initially, it’s realistically going to be a lot longer than that. And you might have to end up spending more time and money to make up for. You know, cutting corners or lack of quality with labor when it comes to doing such a quick renovation.

Nora Duran: That’s interesting. Now, let’s talk about budgeting. How much should someone realistically invest or spend on a bathroom remodel? I know this can vary widely, but what are the key factors that influence the cost? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: Well, a lot of it’s influenced by labor and material, so it’s broken down into two factors, really.

, on average, I would say that a 5 by 8 bathroom, uh, that’s a three piece bathroom, so you have your tub or shower, , your toilet, and then a single vanity. Something like this will typically range between 18, 000 to 25, 000. Of course, You know, different factors can affect this, but I would say that’s the average cost for a small hall bathroom.

Nora Duran: Fascinating. And then 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: if you’re doing something larger than that, like a five piece bathroom where you have tub, shower, double vanity, um, toilet, I would say that those would start at 30 and can really go up from there depending on the scope of work and material selected. 

Nora Duran: Fascinating. So, what’s typically the most expensive part of bathroom remodel?

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: Um, the most expensive part is, it is a labor oriented, um, project, so labor comes in high, and then you have a lot of tile work in the bathroom. That’s, , a big expense, and then fixtures, you also want to invest in quality fixtures, so that’s another. , high ticket item for bathrooms. 

Nora Duran: Mm hmm. I see. And now, many people are interested in converting their, um, bathtub to a shower.

How much does that typically cost and is it a good investment in terms of home value? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: Um, so converting a tub to a shower, It can be a good investment, depending on your needs, of course, especially if you have another bathroom or bathtub in the house. Then you can really have as many showers aside from that as you’d like to.

I would say converting a tub to a shower is a little bit more expensive than just pulling and replacing what you have. Because it will involve moving a drain, shower fixtures, we’ll need a glass door now. Um, so this can add about 3, 000 to 8, 000 to the overall cost. 

Nora Duran: Oh, wow. Wow. And let’s speak about the timing.

Is there, like, a best time of the year to start a bathroom remodel? Like, does seasonality impact cost, availability of materials, or contractors? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: Absolutely. Um, the time of year can definitely affect all of that. So contrary to popular belief, I would say, winter and fall are actually the best season to do bathrooms.

One, there is more availability than, scheduling is easier. Most people don’t have a lot to do during the winter time. So it’s easier for them to coordinate their schedules around the renovation as well. , Aside from crew availability and labor availability, um, during that season, you also have materials that are more readily available because it is a slower time of the year.

So I’d say, ideally, living without a bathroom, , in the winter or fall is a little bit more doable than a kitchen would be during that season. 

Nora Duran: So, that makes sense. And when someone is ready to start, what’s the right order to tackle a bathroom remodel? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: So the right order would first to be, first step to figuring out the order of a bathroom renovation would be figuring out your wants and needs and your budget for the project.

Once you have a general sense of what you would like and how much you’re, , willing to invest in this project, then you can find the right Contractor or company to work with or the right professional to work with, I should say. So this will start the planning and design phase, which. Kicks off, you know, the whole project.

And then from there, it’ll be placing orders, um, waiting for the materials to come in, and then we can actually start the renovation. 

Nora Duran: And how long should a bathroom remodeling take from start to finish? Like, what’s a reasonable timeline to expect? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: Again, it’ll depend on the size and the scope of work, but on average, smaller, more straightforward bathrooms take about 3 4 weeks, and then larger scale bathrooms can take about 4 8 weeks.

Nora Duran: Mm hmm. 48 weeks. Got it. Now let’s talk about the value. What adds the most value to a bathroom? Are there like any specific upgrades or features that really make a difference? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: Um, yeah, absolutely. Bathroom is one of the most utilized and important spaces in a home. So functionality and accessibility can add a lot of value to that.

 Making sure that not only does the place look aesthetically pleasing, that it’s actually usable. Optimizing the space, making sure, you know, the bathroom feels spacious and open and not overcrowded. And then a lot of times you’ll want spa like features in a bathroom. You want to bring that spa ambiance into your space.

 You can customize that to your own needs. Um, and that can also be, appealing to the next home buyer, having all that built in rather than them having to come in, find the company, do the renovations themselves. So having a high quality bathroom that allows a test of time and is functional, um, can really add a lot of value to the home.

Nora Duran: I see. And when it comes to design, what are some popular colors for a bathroom remodel? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: , there are so many different color palettes you could go with in a bathroom, but neutrals and timeless materials are always going to circulate. , a lot of natural stones, natural feeling elements. Marbles, ceramics and porcelains that look like natural stones are very popular as well.

 Black and whites can be very classic, blues, greens, , earlier tones can be used in the bathroom space pretty often. 

Nora Duran: And what comes first in a bathroom remodeling project? What’s that specific thing like before anything else? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: I would say planning and design is the first crucial step in a bathroom project.

Um, so one, determining your budget. Your general wants and needs for the space and then, finding the right professional that can carry this project on for you is really important. And then from there, you’ll get into the details of that. So, once you have a general idea, then you’ll get into selecting materials, fixtures, narrowing down the exact layout, with the person you want to work with and then from there, .

The professional will really take it on and do the rest of the process where it’s ordering, receiving, shipping the materials out when they need to be shipped out, all that organization behind it. And then, you know, we’ll be commence the demolition phase and then, you know, we’ll tear everything out first before we put it back together.

 And then you’ll start to see, like, the electrical, the plumbing go in, everything will start to get covered up, the drywall will get put up, will waterproof, , and then you’ll start to see actual physical materials go in, like, the tile, the vanity, countertops, glass doors, and then, you know, by the end of the fourth week, it should look like a real bathroom again.

Nora Duran: Mm hmm. Right, right. And what type of materials are usually used in a bathroom? Mm hmm. 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: So you’ll see a lot of tile in the bathroom and house made from various materials. So you can have porcelain ceramic, natural stones, like, marble Toronto, you’ll see a lot of countertop material used as well. So, whether that’s courts or natural stone, 

and then you’ll also see a lot of metal features, like fixtures and things like that. 

Nora Duran: Mm hmm, mm hmm. But I would say most Go ahead. You can go ahead, sorry. 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: Oh, I was just going to say most people will lean towards maintenance free materials, , so things that don’t require constant upkeep. 

Nora Duran: Right. And I just want to talk about, some DIY enthusiasts out there.

So what are the pros and cons in your mind for this approach? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: , they both have their advantages and drawbacks. I would say, , choosing the right approach will really depend on your budget availability, skill level, the complexity of the overall project, renovations nowadays are considered. Pretty major work.

And, there’s so many moving parts and pieces. If this isn’t something you have a lot of experience with, or if you didn’t, you know, grow up learning plumbing, electrical tile work, you can make a lot of costly mistakes, and nowadays, things move so quickly that people don’t have the time to sit there for four to six weeks, building a bathroom themselves, or even doing the research to be able to put something like that together.

So, You’ll save a lot of time and money by hiring the right person to carry out the project if this is something that you can afford.

Nora Duran: And let’s talk about the cost drivers for a bathroom remodel. What are the main cost drivers? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: One is always going to be square footed, so depending on the size of the space, the more materials, the more work you’ll require. And then the scope of work. So the more you move stuff around and the more you mess with plumbing, electrical, the more expensive things are going to become and then the quality of the materials will also have a factor.

So there are less expensive fixtures and tiles and then, you know, you can get the best of the best and the ultimate luxury. So it’ll come down to that as well as labor costs. So not everybody’s set with the same, skill levels. So the person that you hire. Might know plumbing electric better has more experience.

So you will have to, , pay for that experience as well. 

Nora Duran: And when planning a remodel, what are some key things to keep in mind to avoid common pitfalls? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: One thing is setting up a really thorough plan for your bathroom. There again, there are so many little things to Parts and pieces and the doubles really in the details.

 By having someone that knows You know, what they’re doing where everything goes has experience with different types of materials and can focus on the functionality and durability of the materials that will be installed. You’ll ensure a successful remodel, , through that. So it’s really by trusting someone who knows what they’re doing will really help you, have a better end result.

And then clear communication, , having proper ventilation in the bathroom is really important. Things that you might not see with the physical eye that goes underneath, , can be extremely important because you’ll end up with leaks or over time your tiles will start to crack. , you’ll have gaps in your grout.

So it’s really important that all of the bases are covered before you even get to the, um, the bottom. The pretty stuff. 

Nora Duran: Sure, sure. And before we wrap up, uh, what’s, what’s one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting their bathroom remodel? Like, what’s crucial to know before diving in? 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: One thing that’s really important is to do your research.

So I would always suggest getting a few quotes and getting a feel for, , What type of work you need done and what this person can offer and having that connection. That’ll usually carry out throughout the rest of the renovation too. So it’s really important to work with someone. , that understands your vision and needs and can properly carry that out for you.

Nora Duran: Fantastic tips. Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your expertise. I’m sure our listeners have found this incredibly helpful. And until next time, happy remodeling, guys. 

Fairfax Kitchen and Bath: Thank you for having me. 

Nora Duran: Of course. Thank you. Bye.