Why You Should Hire a Pro for a Bathroom Remodel
Seasoned and amateur DIYers have published how-to videos and step-by-step instructions to do almost anything, including bathroom remodels. While it is true that you can save a considerable amount of money on labor costs to do anything yourself, major bathroom remodeling may not be the best venue to exercise your construction chops, unless you have the skills necessary to carry out electrical, plumbing, or masonry work. The scope of the work can be intimidating, and you may end up spending more for a professional to repair any problems that may result from trying.
Of course, the DIY route is practical if you are just doing minor changes, such as changing out the fixtures or putting in a granite vanity top. For anything involving changing the layout or putting in new plumbing, however, it is better to call in professionals. Here are some reasons why you should hire a pro for a bathroom remodel.
Cost
It is true that you can save as much as 50% from doing a bathroom remodel yourself. However, if you know nothing about replacing tiles or rerouting the water supply and drains, you may end up making a mess of it and wasting the materials you have bought to boot. You may also buy the wrong things for your bathroom, so nothing will work as you expect. Finally, you will have to buy or rent all the tools you will need for the remodel, which will add to your cost. At the end of the day, you will have wasted all that money and still pay a professional full price and change to put it right.
Time
Most contractors can get the work done in what seems like a short time, which implies that the work is not that hard after all. However, what you may not realize that contractors usually have a team working at the same time, so what will take then a week to do may take you a month or more, working on your own and with less skill than a pro. That can be a real problem, because you need the bathroom to be in working condition daily. If you have just the one bathroom, don’t even think about it. Hire a professional.
Even if you have another bathroom, it can be a serious inconvenience to have one out of commission, especially if you need to shut off the water supply to the house for the duration. Get a professional contractor to do your bathroom remodel, and you can enjoy the benefits within a short amount of time.
Skill
Some DIYers are also skilled workers, so a bathroom remodel is doable. For most people, however, the skills required for a bathroom overhaul is myriad. Consider flooring, for example. It may seem simple enough to tear out those ugly or broken ceramic tiles and putting in lovely new granite ones, but it is not. Breaking up existing tiles is exhausting and dirty, and you end up with an uneven mess that you will have to level somehow. You also must check if the subfloor is in good condition.
Assuming you manage to get a even surface, mixing the cement or mortar is your next challenge. Contrary to what most people believe, mixing cement or mortar to the right consistency is not as easy as it looks. Too wet and it will not set properly. Too dry and it will be hard with which to work.
You then must figure out how much to put to set the tile, and how to make sure that the tiles are set evenly and at the right slope so that water will not pool in certain areas. If you have ever used a bathroom where the drain stays dry while the rest of the bathroom floor is wet, chances are it was done by a DIYer.
Finally, you need to know how long to cure the cement before you put in the grout, or your tiles will not set properly. You also must make sure the grout is the right consistency so that it will dry completely and not come off in the first wash.
If you thought floors were tough, then walls will convince you that the professional route is the way to go. You have to contend with gravity as well as everything else when you put in wall tiles, so you have to figure out a way to keep the mortar in place long enough to slap on the tiles and pray that it does not fall off.
Conclusion
You can certainly try out your DIY chops for minor bathroom upgrades, especially if you can get RTA cabinets or prefabricated granite vanity tops from a reliable supplier. However, if you don’t want to waste your money and time, you need a professional contractor to do any major upgrades or changes to your bathroom. 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 contractor, registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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 vanity tops and backsplashes to specifications and installing them within budget and on time.
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 which 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.
Contact us today to get a free quote for your trendy kitchen remodeling project.
