Unless you’re planning on staying the same home for life, any major remodeling or renovating you do should have an eye not only to your own tastes, but also toward increasing the value of your home. Especially if you move fairly often, making sure that you get most (if not all) of your investment back should be a serious consideration in not only the budget and scope of your project, but also in the little details. For an example, many homeowners are updating their bathrooms to a very modern, sleek look these days, but there are a few simple dos and don’ts that can really increase the return on your renovation without cramping your style.
DON’T: Choose all cold colors
In a modern style bathroom, it can be really easy to create a very cold bathroom without realizing it: from sleek grey tones to glass, tile, and even metal materials throughout, your bathroom can end up looking like a cold cloudy winter day. It might not bother you – after all, you’re building your dream bathroom! – but future buyers are sure to feel the chill as soon as they walk through the door, especially if you combine cold tile with a cold, ultramodern vanity like this Stainless Steel one.
DO: Be aware of your palette
To prevent this, in your early design stages you want to think about color. You can (and often should) go with neutral colors, but if you want to prominently feature gray/sliver-blue, make sure to have at least a few large pieces that have a warm neutral base. For example, if you have a glass vanity, like this Glass Console, do your walls or tile in a warmer base tone. Of course, it’s okay if you want to use stone shades throughout the room, but if you do, you want to opt for a vanity with a warm base color. It can be as modular and sleek as you like, just as long as it helps warm up the room like this DecoLav CityView.
DON’T: Dream bigger than your space
One of the first things you should take into consideration are your space constraints. If you have a very small bathroom that you want to expand (either by enlarging your house or building into another room), talk to a local real estate agent about how it would effect the value of your home, and a contractor about costs to see if it’s worth the investment. If you want to do a full remodel without expanding, make sure you have sufficient space for everything before you commit to something huge, like this Porcher Tetsu soaking tub.
DO: Be aware of buyer’s expectations
If a buyer can finish the question “Where’s the-?” you’ve done something wrong. For a master bathroom update, you should have a separate bath and shower, at least a two-sink vanity, and preferably a private water closet. So while you might be tempted to go for a full five-shower-head custom shower that could fit an army, if it’ll keep you from having a decent sized (and preferably equally nice) bathtub or soaking tub, you might want to think about scaling back.
DON’T: Push artistic to impractical
More than maybe any other part of your bathroom, new, modern faucet designs straddle the line between functional and artistic… and some of them go a little too far. On the one hand, a beautiful Waterfall Faucet from LaToscana makes an excellent conversation starter and works great – but something like this Rohl Wall Mount Faucet, though sleek and modern looking, has a handle that’s so small it makes the faucet way too hard to use. So you want to be really careful not to get a sink or tub faucet with a handle that are either too small, too weird looking, or too well hidden for an average newcomer to be able to figure out.
DO: Look for some artistic flair
As long as they’re practical to use, you really shouldn’t shy away from ultramodern fixtures. Vessel sinks and fancy faucets, or even really unique hardware on your doors and drawers can catch a buyer’s eye and elevate the level of the bathroom in a subtle but significant way. Think of it this way: the more each piece looks one-of-a-kind, like this Xylem Aztec vessel sink, the higher the apparent value will be to looky-loos… which easily translates into increasing the actual value of your home.
DON’T: Put too large a chunk of your budget into something very personal or edgy
It can always be a temptation to do something big and bold and beautiful – bright, loud colors, huge heavy pieces of art, unconventional tile, or even just special designed cabinetry. But the more dramatic the statement (and the more personal), the more likely it is to turn off a potential buyer. So before you designate a big chunk of change to anything out of the box, consider whether the money would be better spent on something more traditional, or if you’re willing to potentially have to replace it again later.
DO: Splurge on a few luxuries
While getting a mosaic of Whistler’s mother installed on your bathroom ceiling might not be the best long term investment, there are a few high end items that will always get a big thumbs up from buyers – like heated floors or towel warmers, a spa shower or steam bath. Even simple things like a more neutral, elegant mosaic tile make for a good compromise between customizing and beautifying your bathroom – and beautiful really does count. If there aren’t any big upgrades you’ve been yearning for yourself, by all means spend the money elsewhere, but if you’re on the fence about a big ticket item that you really want, and it’s a relatively common luxury feature, go ahead and find a place for it in your budget – that’s one of the things you’re probably most likely to get a return on.
Ultimately, the number one rule with any remodel is that you should consider what you’re planning on doing not only in the context of what you want and will enjoy (which of course should be the most important!) but also what’s going to make your house appeal more to its future owners. Especially with a big bathroom update, you want a room that will wow visitors into wanting it!
