Bathroom Renovations: DIY or Call in Professionals?

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The bathroom is one of the most frequently used rooms in the house, so it stands to reason that it should be in good working order for all of the ‘business’ it needs to handle on a daily basis. Bathroom renovations and remodelling projects are also vastly different than most other rooms in the house, due to the number of fixtures and piping that need to be dealt with.

Should you DIY your bathroom renovations or should you call in a professional plumber? Consider the following before making up your mind:

Why Are You Renovating?

The answer is normally a little more complex than ‘I want to fix a leaky pipe or drain.’ Below are some common reasons to have your bathroom renovated:

Increase home equity: after your roof and hardwood flooring, bathroom renovations rank highly amongst investments that can assuredly increase your home equity value.
Increase storage capacity: old bathrooms can quickly become messy and cluttered. A renovation can be an ideal reason to install new cupboards, free up more space, or to switch to the different placement of your fixtures (shower, toilet, etc.).
Improve accessibility: there’s a perfectly good reason why handicap-accessible bathrooms are so spacious – more space permits wheelchair users to enter more easily and to use the toilet or shower.
Design choice: old, musky bathrooms that look (and smell) like 1978 belong in the 20th century. Update your design with on-trend colours, patterns, and modern eco-friendly fixtures such as high-pressure showerheads and toilets with better flush capacity and less water consumption.

Outline the Scope of Renovation Work

You’ve probably already got a valid reason in mind for why you’re renovating in the first place, but do you have a plan of attack? List out all of the changes and modifications you’d like to have done and work out a realistic budget (materials, labour, wastage, etc.).

Financing a bathroom renovation can be a challenge, but it becomes a lot more bearable if you work out a realistic estimate and find ways to finance based on reliable numbers.

Give special consideration to all work involving electrical outlets and plumbing fixtures. Generally, it’s almost always best to leave electrical and plumbing work to electricians and plumbers, respectively. Not only is this the safe, sensible thing to do, but it also ensures that you do not compromise the health and safety of you and your family.

Leave the DIY work for installing cupboards, painting, decorating, and even tile & grout work if you’re savvy with a trowel. Most of these jobs can be done by contractors, and they’ll often be done to high standards, but thanks to the wonder of the internet it’s fairly straightforward to learn how to do most of these fixes yourself for often a far lower cost.

Can I Use My Bathroom During Renovations?

Generally speaking, no, you will not be able to use the bathroom whilst renovations are taking place. This applies to plumbing and electrical work, since it’s rather difficult to take a shower or a number one on the toilet if there’s no shower or toilet installed! If you’re in the process of painting or tiling and the plumbing and electrical work has been done, of course you could use the bathroom but it’s best to wait until the job is complete.