Oak cabinets, Hollywood light fixtures, and white ceramic tile with large grout joints. Walk into a typical Sacramento area tract home and that’s what you’ll find in the bathroom. In fact, you may be the proud owner of one or two yourself. If your shower isn’t leaking and everything is functioning well, you may be feeling guilty about wanting to remodel such a “perfectly good bathroom”.
While many people talk about remodeling, the truth is that few move forward without serious reservations. For one, remodeling can be expensive. Besides the purchase of your home, remodeling can be one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make. According to the 2008-2009 Remodeling Magazine report, an average 5x7 bath remodel is $15,899 in the Sacramento area and yields an 87% return on your investment. If you are expanding a 35 square foot bathroom to 100 square feet within the house’s existing footprint, the average cost in Sacramento is $51,455 with a 71% return, according to the study. Fortunately, it is one of the few investments that you can make that will actually yield a large return, especially if you’re planning to stay in your home for at least five years.
It’s normal to have fears about remodeling. If you’re like most people, here are some of the questions you might be asking yourself:
Will I get a fair price for my remodel?
Am or overspending for my neighborhood?
Will I have enough money to pay for the remodel?
Will I get what I want?
How long will I be inconvenienced during the remodel?
Will my house get trashed by the contracting company?
Will there be “unknown” expenses during construction?
Finding the right remodeling professionals can be overwhelming and confusing.
Many people have the notion that they need to start by getting 3 bids. While this strategy makes sense when you’re only purchasing a single item such as flooring, it doesn’t work very well for projects such as bathrooms that involve planning, multiple trades, and products. Even if you’re not planning to change the footprint of your bath and everything will be remaining in the same location, you still need a detailed plan and scope of work of what you’re doing. No one will be able to give you an accurate “bid” without these plans. On the other hand, you don’t want to end up with a set of plans that you can’t afford to build. So, how do you find out what kind of budget you will need to do your project before you start designing?
There are a number of options for getting help. Some of them are better than others, depending on your specific needs. The three main approaches include working with a one stop design-build firm, hiring a separate designer and contractor, or doing it yourself as an owner/builder.
Design-build companies offer both design and remodeling services under the same roof. Some of these companies are also kitchen and bath dealers that can furnish all of your products without going through an outside vendor or middleman. One of the advantages of working with a design build company is that they can give you a realistic ball park of what your project will cost before they start design. They also employ designers, architects, or other design professionals that are there to assist you with your project in-house, If your expectations are unrealistic, they can suggest other cost effective ways that you could do your project that works with your budget. Some charge a nominal fee for the initial consultation, and this is a small price to pay for knowing what your budget numbers are early in the game. Other design build firms will also credit part of their design fee back towards the remodeling project as an incentive to work with them.
Working with an independent designer and separate general contractor is another popular approach to bath remodeling. Similar to design-build firms, independent designers can help you explore the many possibilities for your space and have many resources at their disposal. Many designers can recommend contractors that they have experience with to bid your project. This approach is a good option is you want to create your design first and then take it out to bid to several companies. It is also a good way to go if you don’t have a committed timeframe for your project or want to get of sense of what you can do with your space before you make a commitment to move forward.
Some cost conscious homeowners will attempt a bath remodeling project on their own. Doing it yourself can be a huge undertaking and a full time job, at best. In this scenario, the owner is responsible for scheduling all of the subcontractors and coordinating the project. If there is a problem or things get out of sequence, the owner is responsible for handling it. If you are considering this approach, we recommend that you hire an independent designer to help you plan the space and recommend subcontractors. If you’ve never done this before, we suggest that you find a contractor that would be willing to be hired as a project consultant in case you run into problems that are over your head.
If you’re ready to turn your ugly duckling bathroom into a swan, here are some ideas to help you get started. First, start by visiting a home and garden show. On the weekend of October 16-18, the Sacramento Home and Garden Show will be held at Cal Expo. This is a great way to quickly get access to products and companies that can help you. Another way to get started is to visit the website of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry www.narisacramento.org and the National Kitchen and Bath Association www.sacnkba.org. Both of these non-profit trade organizations have licensed and certified professionals that can help you. Finally, asking friends and families for referrals of companies that they have worked with is another great way to get help.
So what are you waiting for? Get quackin on that ugly duckling bathroom.
Kathe Russell, CKBR is the co-owner of DreamBuilders Kitchen and Bath, 893 Embarcadero Dr., Ste. 103, El Dorado Hills, CA www.ourdreambuilder.com.
