Little-Known Bathroom Blunders
Don’t make blunders when remodeling your bathroom. It can be an expensive undertaking, so ask questions of your contractor and make decisions with him based on sound information. Don’t skimp in these key areas:
Sinks – evaluate your space and how you’ll be using this particular bathroom. Vanity sinks give you the most storage space, pedestal the most open space. The new trend toward vessel sinks can give you the best of both worlds – a smaller storage area with more open space than a vanity. If you’re remodeling a master bath, be sure to get two sinks – whether they’re mounted in a vanity side by side or pedestals on opposite sides, it will make sharing that bathroom much easier.
Soaker tubs or multi-head showers – make sure your water heater is big enough to handle them. The average person uses 12 gallons of water to shower in a normal shower and nine gallons for a bath in a regular bath tub. If you’re using a multi-head shower or filling a soaking tub on a regular basis, the amount of hot water needed will increase significantly. Ask your professional remodeler to make some recommendations.
Fans – Plan for them in every instance – from master bath to powder room. A loud fan hooked up to the light switch is an advantage in a powder room. It not only forces use of the fan, it also allows for more privacy for the guest. A quiet but powerful fan is ideal for the master bath or the kids’ bath because it will be able to control humidity after several showers and won’t wake people during the night.
Toilet rooms – consider them for any bathroom that’s shared. It allows privacy and can help handle busy families by providing the ability for more than one person to be in the bathroom at a time.
